Þul Ásynja 4III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Ásynja heiti 4’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 770.
Enn ‘yet’
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2. enn (adv.): still, yet, again
eru ‘There are’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
aðrar ‘other’
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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
Óðins ‘of Óðinn’
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Óðinn (noun m.): Óðinn
meyjar ‘maids’
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mær (noun f.; °meyjar, dat. meyju; meyjar): maiden
Hildr ‘Hildr’
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2. Hildr (noun f.): Hildr
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Gǫndul ‘Gǫndul’
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2. Gǫndul (noun f.): Gǫndul
notes
[3] Gǫndul: This valkyrie is also mentioned in Vsp 30/7, but her name does not appear in Grí 36 and Gylf. See also Note to Þul Valkyrja 2/1.
notes
[4] Hlǫkk: See Note to Þul Valkyrja 1/4.
Mist ‘Mist’
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Mist (noun f.): Mist
notes
[4] Mist: See Note to Þul Valkyrja 1/3.
Skǫgul ‘Skǫgul’
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Skǫgul (noun f.): Skǫgul
notes
[4] Skǫgul: See Note to Þul Valkyrja 1/8.
þá ‘then’
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2. þá (adv.): then
es ‘are’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
notes
[5] Hrund: See Note to Þul Valkyrja 2/4. The name of this valkyrie does not appear in Grí 36 and Gylf.
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[5, 6] Eir, Hrist, Skuld: This reading is attested only in ms. C (and adopted in Skj B and Skald). Mss R and Tˣ have Mist rather than Eir, while in ms. A the second name is omitted (illegible in B, but ‘mist’ in 744ˣ). The confusion here is evidently caused by the next name, Hrist, since Hrist and Mist traditionally appear together (cf. Grí 36/1 (NK 64): Hrist oc Mist and Þul Valkyrja 1/3: Hrist, Mist; see also Note there). Mist is already mentioned in l. 4, however. The generally accepted reading of l. 5, based on ms. C, is problematic because Eir, which means ‘peace, clemency’, is not a valkyrie but one of the Ásynjur whose name is frequently found in kennings for ‘woman’. It also occurs in skaldic poetry as a half-kenning denoting ‘woman’, and it is mentioned in Þul Kvenna II 3/3. In Gylf (SnE 2005, 29), Snorri characterises Eir as an extremely good physician (leiknir beztr). Hence her name does not belong in this list of warlike women.
Hrist ‘Hrist’
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Hrist (noun f.): Hrist
[6] Hrist Skuld talið: Hrist ok Skuld talið A, ‘[…]alen’ B, ‘hrist ok skulld talen’ 744ˣ
notes
[5, 6] Eir, Hrist, Skuld: This reading is attested only in ms. C (and adopted in Skj B and Skald). Mss R and Tˣ have Mist rather than Eir, while in ms. A the second name is omitted (illegible in B, but ‘mist’ in 744ˣ). The confusion here is evidently caused by the next name, Hrist, since Hrist and Mist traditionally appear together (cf. Grí 36/1 (NK 64): Hrist oc Mist and Þul Valkyrja 1/3: Hrist, Mist; see also Note there). Mist is already mentioned in l. 4, however. The generally accepted reading of l. 5, based on ms. C, is problematic because Eir, which means ‘peace, clemency’, is not a valkyrie but one of the Ásynjur whose name is frequently found in kennings for ‘woman’. It also occurs in skaldic poetry as a half-kenning denoting ‘woman’, and it is mentioned in Þul Kvenna II 3/3. In Gylf (SnE 2005, 29), Snorri characterises Eir as an extremely good physician (leiknir beztr). Hence her name does not belong in this list of warlike women.
Skuld ‘Skuld’
(not checked:)
Skuld (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): Skuld
[6] Hrist Skuld talið: Hrist ok Skuld talið A, ‘[…]alen’ B, ‘hrist ok skulld talen’ 744ˣ
notes
[5, 6] Eir, Hrist, Skuld: This reading is attested only in ms. C (and adopted in Skj B and Skald). Mss R and Tˣ have Mist rather than Eir, while in ms. A the second name is omitted (illegible in B, but ‘mist’ in 744ˣ). The confusion here is evidently caused by the next name, Hrist, since Hrist and Mist traditionally appear together (cf. Grí 36/1 (NK 64): Hrist oc Mist and Þul Valkyrja 1/3: Hrist, Mist; see also Note there). Mist is already mentioned in l. 4, however. The generally accepted reading of l. 5, based on ms. C, is problematic because Eir, which means ‘peace, clemency’, is not a valkyrie but one of the Ásynjur whose name is frequently found in kennings for ‘woman’. It also occurs in skaldic poetry as a half-kenning denoting ‘woman’, and it is mentioned in Þul Kvenna II 3/3. In Gylf (SnE 2005, 29), Snorri characterises Eir as an extremely good physician (leiknir beztr). Hence her name does not belong in this list of warlike women. — [6] Skuld: The name means ‘future destiny’ (cf. the verb skulu ‘must’ and skuld f. ‘debt’). This is the name of one of the three norns in Vsp 20/8 who are mentioned in the next stanza of the present þula. Later in the same eddic poem Skuld is given as the name of a valkyrie, however (Vsp 30/5 (NK 7)): Sculd helt scildi ‘Skuld held a shield’. Here she is the first of the riding valkyries seen by the prophetess (vǫlva). It is perhaps owing to these passages from Vsp that the norn Skuld is identified with Skuld the valkyrie in Gylf (SnE 2005, 30): Guðr ok Rota ok norn in yngsta er Skuld heitir ríða jafnan at kjósa val ok ráða vígum ‘Guðr and Rota and the youngest norn, who is called Skuld, always ride to choose those to be slain and to decide the killings’. See also this name in Þul Valkyrja 1/7.
Skuld ‘Skuld’
(not checked:)
Skuld (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): Skuld
[6] Hrist Skuld talið: Hrist ok Skuld talið A, ‘[…]alen’ B, ‘hrist ok skulld talen’ 744ˣ
notes
[5, 6] Eir, Hrist, Skuld: This reading is attested only in ms. C (and adopted in Skj B and Skald). Mss R and Tˣ have Mist rather than Eir, while in ms. A the second name is omitted (illegible in B, but ‘mist’ in 744ˣ). The confusion here is evidently caused by the next name, Hrist, since Hrist and Mist traditionally appear together (cf. Grí 36/1 (NK 64): Hrist oc Mist and Þul Valkyrja 1/3: Hrist, Mist; see also Note there). Mist is already mentioned in l. 4, however. The generally accepted reading of l. 5, based on ms. C, is problematic because Eir, which means ‘peace, clemency’, is not a valkyrie but one of the Ásynjur whose name is frequently found in kennings for ‘woman’. It also occurs in skaldic poetry as a half-kenning denoting ‘woman’, and it is mentioned in Þul Kvenna II 3/3. In Gylf (SnE 2005, 29), Snorri characterises Eir as an extremely good physician (leiknir beztr). Hence her name does not belong in this list of warlike women. — [6] Skuld: The name means ‘future destiny’ (cf. the verb skulu ‘must’ and skuld f. ‘debt’). This is the name of one of the three norns in Vsp 20/8 who are mentioned in the next stanza of the present þula. Later in the same eddic poem Skuld is given as the name of a valkyrie, however (Vsp 30/5 (NK 7)): Sculd helt scildi ‘Skuld held a shield’. Here she is the first of the riding valkyries seen by the prophetess (vǫlva). It is perhaps owing to these passages from Vsp that the norn Skuld is identified with Skuld the valkyrie in Gylf (SnE 2005, 30): Guðr ok Rota ok norn in yngsta er Skuld heitir ríða jafnan at kjósa val ok ráða vígum ‘Guðr and Rota and the youngest norn, who is called Skuld, always ride to choose those to be slain and to decide the killings’. See also this name in Þul Valkyrja 1/7.
talið ‘listed’
(not checked:)
telja (verb): tell, count
[6] Hrist Skuld talið: Hrist ok Skuld talið A, ‘[…]alen’ B, ‘hrist ok skulld talen’ 744ˣ
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
In ms. Tˣ this stanza starts with a capital letter and it is separated from st. 3 by an empty space (see Introduction above). — [1-2]: The maids of Óðinn listed in this stanza are valkyries (valkyrjur ‘choosers of the slain’), whose duty, as stated in the eddic Grí 36 and in Gylf (SnE 2005, 30), is to serve ale to the warriors (einherjar) in Valhǫll. Óðinn sends the valkyries to battles to allot death to warriors and govern victory. All valkyries mentioned here are enumerated in Þul Valkyrja as well (see Notes to the respective stanzas). As is the case with the other names of valkyries used in poetic language, these occur as base-words in kennings for ‘woman’ and as determinants mostly in kennings for ‘man’ and ‘battle’.
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