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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Þul Dverga 1III

Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Dverga heiti 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 693.

Anonymous ÞulurDverga heiti
12

Telk Mótsogni         ok Mjǫklituð,
Miðvið, Muninn         ok Mjǫðvitnir,
Blindviðr, Burinn,         Bumburr, Nýi,
Bívurr, Blávurr,         Bláinn ok Norðri.

Telk Mótsogni ok Mjǫklituð, Miðvið, Muninn ok Mjǫðvitnir, Blindviðr, Burinn, Bumburr, Nýi, Bívurr, Blávurr, Bláinn ok Norðri.

I list Mótsognir and Mjǫklituðr, Miðviðr, Muninn and Mjǫðvitnir, Blindviðr, Burinn, Bumburr, Nýi, Bívurr, Blávurr, Bláinn and Norðri.

Mss: A(17r-v), B(8r), 744ˣ(55r) (SnE)

Readings: [1] Telk (‘Tæl æk’): ‘[…]el ek’ B, ‘Tel ek’ 744ˣ;    Mótsogni: ‘mótsog[…]’ B, ‘mótsognir’ 744ˣ    [2] ok Mjǫklituð: ‘[…]’ B, ‘ok mio᷎klituð’ 744ˣ    [3] Miðvið: ‘[…]við’ B, ‘mid vid’ 744ˣ    [4] Mjǫðvitnir: ‘[…]e’ B, ‘m. . . . .ne’ 744ˣ    [5] Blindviðr: ‘blinviðr’ A, ‘b[…]vidr’ B, ‘b. . .vidr’ 744ˣ;    Burinn: búinn B    [7] Blávurr (‘blavorr’): ‘bauorr’ B    [8] Bláinn ok Norðri: ‘[…]’ B, ‘blainn ok norðre’ 744ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 679, Skj BI, 672, Skald I, 336; SnE 1848-87, II, 469, 552.

Notes: [1-3]: Telk Mótsogni | ok Mjǫklituð, | Miðvið, Muninn ‘I list Mótsognir and Mjǫklituðr, Miðviðr, Muninn’. In A the first three heiti listed before the heading are all in the acc. case, but starting with Muninn all the names are in the nom. — [1] Mótsogni: So also (Mótsognir) in the list of dwarf-names in Vsp 10/1 (NK 3) in Codex Regius, where this name comes first as well. It is given as Moðsognir in Hb (Hb 1892-6, 188) and in Gylf (SnE 2005, 15). Gould (1929, 951) argues that the correct form of the name is Móðsognir, which he explains as ‘he who roars in rage’ (cf. móðr m. ‘rage’ and svagla ‘splash, ripple, gurgle’, sœgr m. ‘noise’; cf. OE swēg, swǣg ‘noise’). However, it is more likely that the second element of the cpd is derived from the strong verb súga ‘suck’ (p. p. soginn), hence ‘one who consumes rage’ (so Motz 1973, 115). — [2] Mjǫklituð: A cpd not attested elsewhere. The name has been explained as ‘much coloured’ (Gould 1929, 951) or ‘multi-coloured’ (Motz 1973, 115), from the adv. mjǫk ‘much, very’ and the weak verb lita ‘dye’. — [3] Miðvið: A hap. leg. The name can be translated as ‘middle log, middle slat’, from mið n. ‘middle, center’ and viðr m. ‘log, board, slat, tree, wood’. — [3] Muninn: ‘Reminding one’ (from muna ‘remember). This is the name of one of Óðinn’s ravens (see Þul Hrafns 1/7), but as a dwarf’s name the heiti does not occur elsewhere. — [4] Mjǫðvitnir: Perhaps lit. ‘mead-wolf’, i.e. ‘drunkard’ (from mjǫðr m. ‘mead’ and vitnir m. ‘wolf’; Gould 1929, 951). However, according to Gutenbrunner (1955, 62), the second element is a derivative from the weak verb vitja ‘call on, visit, seek’ and not a heiti for ‘wolf’, hence ‘mead-seeker’. The name is also known from Vsp 11/8, while ms. R of SnE (Gylf, SnE 2005, 16) gives the variant Mǫðvitnir. — [5] Blindviðr: This must be the correct form of the name (‘blin-’ in A, defective in B), and it is supported by Blindvidur in the LaufE mss. An otherwise unattested cpd, lit. ‘blind-wood’ (from the adj. blindr ‘blind’ and viðr m. ‘wood’; cf. Miðviðr in l. 3 and Víðblindi in Þul Jǫtna I 5/7), which has been explained as ‘concealed board’ (Gould 1929, 942) or ‘hidden tree’ (Motz 1973, 113). — [5] Burinn: A hap. leg. Cf. burr m. ‘son’ and Buri or Búri in Vsp 13 (NK 3 nn.), one of the names added in Hb (Hb 1892-6, 189), perhaps lit. ‘son-like one’. Ms. B has Búinn (adopted in Skj B and Skald), which could be translated as ‘one prepared (for burial)’ (cf. at búa um lík ‘to prepare a corpse for burial’; Gould 1929, 943). See also other names that describe dwarfs as the living dead: Nár ‘corpse’ (st. 2/1), Náinn ‘corpse-like one’ (st. 2/3) and Dáinn ‘dead one’ in Vsp 13 (Hb 1892-6, 188-9; see Gould 1929, 959). The LaufE mss offer Býrnir (papp10ˣ(39v)), Birner (2368ˣ(87)) and Byrner (743ˣ(68v)), none of which is attested elsewhere. — [6] Bumburr: A variant of Bǫmburr (Vsp 11/6). Gould (1929, 943) explains the name as ‘swollen one’ (cf. bumba f. ‘drum’, New Norw. bumba ‘pregnant female with a swollen figure’). Gutenbrunner (1955, 64) and Motz (1973, 113) translate it as ‘drummer’. — [6] Nýi: n. is ‘the new moon’, and Nýi means ‘one connected with the new moon’ (Gould 1929, 952). The name is also recorded in Vsp 11/1 (NK 3): Nýi oc Niði (for Niði see st. 2/1).  — [7] Bívurr: Or Bifurr. The name is also known from Vsp 11/5 and it is attested in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: Bífur). The meaning is not clear – probably ‘trembler, shaker’ from the verb bifast ‘tremble’ (Motz 1973, 113). Gould (1929, 942) connects the name with bifurr m. ‘beaver’, i.e. ‘one who does things with zeal’, whereas according to Gutenbrunner (1955, 63, 68), it may be connected with bif n. ‘ornament on a shield’ (cf. Þjóð Haustl 13/7, 20/7). — [7] Blávurr: Or Blǫvurr ‘shining one’ (cf. New Norw. blava ‘shine, glitter, glisten’; Gould 1929, 943 and Motz 1973, 113). The B variant is ‘bauor’ (‘Bavor’ in papp10ˣ(39v), ‘Bäuor’ in 2368ˣ(87) and ‘bavor’ in 743ˣ(68v)), which can be normalised as Bávorr. The pair Bívorr, Bávorr is also given in Vsp 11/5 (NK 3). — [8] Bláinn: Cf. the adj. blár ‘black’; hence lit. ‘dark, black one’ (Motz 1973, 113). As the name of a dwarf, Bláinn is mentioned only here. According to Vsp 9/8 (NK 2) and Gylf (SnE 2005, 16), the dwarfs were made from Bláinn’s ‘limbs’ (leggiom), i.e. from stone. — [8] Norðri: Lit. ‘one in the North’ or ‘northerly one’, from norðr ‘north’. Norðri is one of the dwarfs who hold up the sky (see Vsp 11 and Gylf, SnE 2005, 12, 16). The name is repeated in st. 2/6. This is the only dwarf-name listed in this stanza which is attested in skaldic verse (in a sky-kenning in Hfr ErfÓl 26a/3I).

References

  1. Bibliography
  2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
  3. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
  4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  5. Finnur Jónsson. 1926-8. Ordbog til de af samfund til udg. af gml. nord. litteratur udgivne Rímur samt til de af Dr. O. Jiriczek udgivne Bósarímur. SUGNL 51. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
  6. NK = Neckel, Gustav and Hans Kuhn (1899), eds. 1983. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern. 2 vols. I: Text. 5th edn. Heidelberg: Winter.
  7. Hb 1892-6 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1892-6. Hauksbók udgiven efter de Arnamagnæanske håndskrifter no. 371, 544 og 675, 4° samt forskellige papirshåndskrifter. Copenhagen: Det kongelige nordiske oldskrift-selskab.
  8. SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
  9. Gould, Chester N. 1929. ‘Dwarf-names: A Study in Old Icelandic Religion’. PMLA 44, 938-67.
  10. Gutenbrunner, Siegfried. 1955a. ‘Eddastudien I. Über die Zwerge in der Völuspa Str. 9-13’. ANF 70, 61-75.
  11. Motz, Lotte. 1973. ‘New Thoughts on Dwarf-Names in Old Icelandic’. FS 7, 100-17.
  12. Internal references
  13. Edith Marold 2017, ‘Snorra Edda (Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál)’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
  14. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Gylfaginning’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=113> (accessed 28 March 2024)
  15. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Jǫtna heiti I 5’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 715.
  16. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Hrafns heiti 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 945.
  17. Not published: do not cite ()
  18. Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Erfidrápa Óláfs Tryggvasonar 26a’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 437.
  19. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Haustlǫng 13’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 451.
  20. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Laufás Edda’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=10928> (accessed 28 March 2024)
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