Þul Sverða 4^III

Vægir ‘Wavy one’

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1. vægir (noun m.): sword

[1] Vægir: vegir Tˣ, Vægileiptr A, ‘Veg[…] leiptr’ B, ‘Vegí leíptr’ 744ˣ

notes

[1] vægir (m.) ‘wavy one’: Perhaps a pattern-welded blade, a sword with wavy ornamentation (from vágr m. ‘wave’; cf. OE wǣgsweord ‘sword with wavy ornamentation’, Beowulf l. 1489, Beowulf 2008, 51; so Falk 1914b, 63; cf. also SnE 1998, II, 430). The word is also found among the heiti for ‘sea’ (Þul Sjóvar 2/6) but occurs in poetry only as a term for ‘sword’. Mss A and B (and the LaufE mss) have (normalised) vægileiptr m. lit. ‘wavy-lightning’ (a hap. leg.). The latter reading is adopted in Skj B, whereas Skald has vægir, leiptr ‘wavy one, lightning’ (see NN §3253).

veigarr ‘threaded one’

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veigarr (noun m.)

[1] veigarr: ‘vægarr’ A, ‘vegarr’ B

notes

[1] veigarr (m.) ‘threaded one’: A hap. leg. from veig f. ‘gold, golden thread’ (cf. also ON veigaðr ‘brocaded with gold or silver’). Perhaps denoting a sword (or more likely a hilt) decorated with golden or silver thread (Falk 1914b, 63; SnE 1998, II, 423; ÍO: veig 3).

val ‘corpse’

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1. valr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ir): corpse, the slain < vallangr (noun m.)

notes

[2] vallangr (m.) ‘corpse-long one’: An otherwise unattested heiti which consists of the two elements val- ‘slain’ and the adj. langr ‘long’ (so R, and adopted in Skj B, Skald, SnE 1998 and in the present edn). Alternatively, the first element could be from vǫlr ‘stick’ and the second the adj. langr, hence ‘one with a long stick’, i.e. with a long blade. Falk (1914b, 62; cf. also SnE 1998, II, 420) prefers valangr, the reading of mss A and B (and the LaufE mss), which means ‘corpse-grief’ (with the second element angr m. ‘grief, sorrow’; cf. such similar poetic terms for ‘weapon’ as valskóð, hræskóð in which ‑skóð n. means ‘harmful implement’). The C variant vallandi is also a hap. leg., which may be interpreted as ‘one from Valland’, i.e. from France or Normandy. Neither valangr nor vallandi is found elsewhere.

langr ‘long one’

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langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long < vallangr (noun m.)

[2] ‑langr: ‑landi C, ‑angr A, B

notes

[2] vallangr (m.) ‘corpse-long one’: An otherwise unattested heiti which consists of the two elements val- ‘slain’ and the adj. langr ‘long’ (so R, and adopted in Skj B, Skald, SnE 1998 and in the present edn). Alternatively, the first element could be from vǫlr ‘stick’ and the second the adj. langr, hence ‘one with a long stick’, i.e. with a long blade. Falk (1914b, 62; cf. also SnE 1998, II, 420) prefers valangr, the reading of mss A and B (and the LaufE mss), which means ‘corpse-grief’ (with the second element angr m. ‘grief, sorrow’; cf. such similar poetic terms for ‘weapon’ as valskóð, hræskóð in which ‑skóð n. means ‘harmful implement’). The C variant vallandi is also a hap. leg., which may be interpreted as ‘one from Valland’, i.e. from France or Normandy. Neither valangr nor vallandi is found elsewhere.

ok ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

[2] ok: om. Tˣ

brandr ‘blade’

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brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire

verulfr ‘man-wolf’

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verulfr (noun m.)

[3] verulfr: ‘ver.vlfr’ Tˣ, ‘verr vifr’ A, ‘ver vigr’ B

notes

[3] verulfr (m.) ‘man-wolf’: This heiti, which is not found elsewhere, can be interpreted either as a cpd whose elements are verr m. ‘man’ and úlfr m. ‘wolf’ (adopted in the present edn) or as a cpd whose first element is derived from the weak verb verja ‘defend’ (cf. SnE 1998, II, 426). The second alternative is unlikely, because a form of verja is otherwise not attested as the first element in compounds. If the cpd is interpreted as ‘man-wolf’, this can be explained in two ways (cf. Falk 1914b, 63). (a) As in Modern English (werewolf) and Modern German (Werwolf), the word could denote a person who periodically transforms himself into a wolf. The word verúlfr m. ‘werewolf’ is never used in Old Norse, however, where the adj. hamramr ‘able to change one’s shape’ and other derivatives of hamr m. ‘skin’ express the same concept (although vargúlfr occurs once as a coinage of a translator; see CVC: vargúlfr ‘were-wolf’). (b) ‘Man-wolf’ or ‘wolf of the man’, i.e. ‘an animal that harms a man’, is a kenning for ‘sword’. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B, followed by Skald) opts for the Tˣ variant ‘ver.vlfr’, normalised as verr, ulfr in which verr m. ‘defender’ (a hap. leg.) is related to ON verja ‘defend’ and ulfr is ‘wolf’. Úlfr is not attested as a heiti for ‘sword’, however, and it is difficult to see how verr in the sense ‘defender’ can be derived from verja.

valnir ‘chosen one’

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valnir (noun m.)

notes

[3] valnir (m.) ‘chosen one’: The word is most likely related to val n. ‘choice’ and the weak verb velja ‘choose’, and may be derived from valinn (p. p. of velja; so Falk 1914b, 62; cf. also ‘chooser’, ‘choice’, SnE 1998, II, 420). 

vindbjartr ‘wind-bright one’

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vindbjartr (noun m.)

[4] vindbjartr: so C, vinnbjartr R, Tˣ, A, vín bjartr B

notes

[4] vindbjartr (m.) ‘wind-bright one’: An otherwise unattested cpd from vindr m. ‘wind’ and the adj. bjartr ‘bright’. According to Falk (1914b, 63), the heiti describes the bright blue colour of a sword’s blade.

ok ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

kvǫl ‘torment’

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kvǫl (noun f.; °-ar; -ar/-ir): torment, torture

[4] kvǫl: kol A, ‘[…]ol’ B, kol 744ˣ

notes

[4] kvǫl (f.) ‘torment’: This word is not found elsewhere as a sword-heiti.

askr ‘ash’

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askr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): ash, ash-tree, ash-ship

notes

[5] askr (m.) ‘ash’: The word is a term for ‘ashen spear-shaft’, which probably was misinterpreted as a heiti for ‘sword’. It is also listed in Þul Viðar 2/4, Þul Skipa 1/4 and Þul Hesta 4/4.

Angr ‘Angr’

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1. angr (noun m.; °angrs, dat. angri/angr): grief < angrvaðill (noun m.): °of a sword)

notes

[5] Angrvaðill: Lit. ‘sorrow-wader’. The name of a legendary sword in Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar (FSN II, 390-459), which never occurs in poetry. The cpd consists of the two elements angr m. ‘grief, sorrow’ and ‑vaðill from the strong verb vaða ‘wade’. The B variant Angrvandill may have resulted from confusion with Vandill, the name of a sea-king (see Notes to st. 1/4 and Þul Sækonunga 5/2; see also Þul Jǫtna II 1/6). The LaufE mss all have (normalised) angrvaðill, the reading of ms. A.

vaðill ‘vaðill’

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vaðill (noun m.; °-s, dat. -vaðli; vaðlar): [ford] < angrvaðill (noun m.): °of a sword)

[5] ‑vaðill: vandill B

notes

[5] Angrvaðill: Lit. ‘sorrow-wader’. The name of a legendary sword in Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar (FSN II, 390-459), which never occurs in poetry. The cpd consists of the two elements angr m. ‘grief, sorrow’ and ‑vaðill from the strong verb vaða ‘wade’. The B variant Angrvandill may have resulted from confusion with Vandill, the name of a sea-king (see Notes to st. 1/4 and Þul Sækonunga 5/2; see also Þul Jǫtna II 1/6). The LaufE mss all have (normalised) angrvaðill, the reading of ms. A.

eggjum ‘edge’

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1. egg (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -ju/-): edge, blade < eggjumskarpr (adj.)

[6] eggjum‑: eggjun‑ A, ‘eg[…]’ B, ‘eggiun’ or ‘eggium’ 744ˣ

notes

[6] eggjumskarpi (m.) ‘edge-sharp one’: From the dat. pl. of egg f. ‘edge’ and the adj. skarpr ‘sharp’. The C variant ‑skarði is derived from skarð n. ‘notch’ or the adj. skarðr ‘cut, hacked, notched’; hence either ‘one with cutting edges’ or ‘one with cut edges’ (see also skarðr ‘notched one’, st. 5/8).

skarpi ‘sharp one’

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skarpr (adj.): sharp, bitter < eggjumskarpr (adj.)

[6] ‑skarpi: so Tˣ, A, B, corrected from ‘skarþi’ R, ‑skarði C

notes

[6] eggjumskarpi (m.) ‘edge-sharp one’: From the dat. pl. of egg f. ‘edge’ and the adj. skarpr ‘sharp’. The C variant ‑skarði is derived from skarð n. ‘notch’ or the adj. skarðr ‘cut, hacked, notched’; hence either ‘one with cutting edges’ or ‘one with cut edges’ (see also skarðr ‘notched one’, st. 5/8).

svipuðr ‘swooper’

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svipuðr (noun m.)

[7] svipuðr: ‘svpvðr’ A, ‘s[…]udr’ B, ‘suípuðr’ 744ˣ

notes

[7] svipuðr (m.) ‘swooper’: This heiti may allude to the sudden swift motion of a sword (agent noun from the weak verb svipa ‘swoop, move quickly’; see also the next heiti). Cf. Svipul, a valkyrie and a heiti for ‘battle’ (see Þul Orrostu 1/7). Svipuðr is also the name of a horse in HHund I 47/3. Svipuðr is not attested elsewhere.

ok ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

[7] ok: om. B

svipaljótr ‘ugly-swooping one’

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svipaljótr (noun m.)

notes

[7] svipaljótr (m.) ‘ugly-swooping one’: A cpd not attested elsewhere, from the weak verb svipa ‘swoop, move swiftly’ and the adj. ljótr ‘ugly’ (see SnE 1998, II, 409), i.e. ‘one terrible in its motion’ (so LP: svipaljótr). According to Falk (1914b, 60), the cpd may have the same meaning as the adj. svipillr ‘ill-looking’ (if the first element is interpreted as svipr m. in the sense ‘appearance’).

sal ‘hall’

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1. salr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; dat. sǫlum): hall < salgarðr (noun m.)

notes

[8] salgarðr (m.) ‘hall-fence’: An otherwise unattested cpd from salr m. ‘hall’ and garðr m. ‘fence, yard’. The heiti might refer to the custom of hanging weapons on the walls of a hall (cf. salbendingr ‘hall-rounder’, Þul Skjaldar 1/2; Sigv Austv 16/1-4^I; Falk 1914b, 58 and SnE 1998, II, 381). The C variant, salgandr lit. ‘hall-fiend’, ‘‑wolf’ is not attested elsewhere and could have resulted from such a kenning for ‘fire’ as gandr hallar ‘wolf of the hall [FIRE]’ (Sturl Hryn 10/4^II).

garðr ‘fence’

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garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard < salgarðr (noun m.)

[8] ‑garðr: ‑gandr C, ‘[…]rdr’ B, ‑garðr 744ˣ

notes

[8] salgarðr (m.) ‘hall-fence’: An otherwise unattested cpd from salr m. ‘hall’ and garðr m. ‘fence, yard’. The heiti might refer to the custom of hanging weapons on the walls of a hall (cf. salbendingr ‘hall-rounder’, Þul Skjaldar 1/2; Sigv Austv 16/1-4^I; Falk 1914b, 58 and SnE 1998, II, 381). The C variant, salgandr lit. ‘hall-fiend’, ‘‑wolf’ is not attested elsewhere and could have resulted from such a kenning for ‘fire’ as gandr hallar ‘wolf of the hall [FIRE]’ (Sturl Hryn 10/4^II).

hnefi ‘fist’

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hnefi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): fist

[8] hnefi: nefi C

notes

[8] hnefi (m.) ‘fist’: Possibly referring to the hilt of a sword (cf. blóðhnefi ‘blood-fist’, which is mentioned among the Heiti á sverði ‘Names for parts of the sword’, st. 10/6). Alternatively, hnefi could designate a sword with a certain shape of the hilt (so Falk 1914b, 51). The word is also listed in Þul á hendi l. 7 and Þul Sækonunga 5/5. The C variant nefi m. ‘nephew’ makes no sense in the context.