Þul Sverða 7^III

Skelkvingr ‘Terrifier’

(not checked:)
skelkingr (noun m.): sword

[1] Skelkvingr: skelvingr C, Skelkingr A, B

notes

[1] skelkvingr (m.) ‘terrifier’: Or skelkingr (so A, B). From skelkr m. ‘fear’; cf. such similar sword-heiti as skǫlk(v)ingr ‘terrifier’ (see LP: skǫlkvingr), skolkr ‘frightening one’ (st. 2/1) and œgir ‘frightener’ (st. 8/3).

fylvingr ‘fylvingr’

(not checked:)
fylvingr (noun m.)

[1] fylvingr: ‘filbuíngr’ C, ‘fillingr’ A, ‘fillinngr’ B

notes

[1] fylvingr (m.): According to Kock (NN §348A), this heiti is derived from the adj. fǫlr ‘pale’ and it has the metaphoric meaning ‘killer’; cf. fǫlr sem nár ‘pale as a corpse’ (see also fǫlvir ‘pale one’, st. 9/1), but that derivation is problematic (see Note to Eil Þdr 15/2). Falk (1914b, 50) suggests that the word is taken from Þdr 15/2, but the sense ‘sword’ in that stanza is highly doubtful (fylvingar normally means ‘nuts’; see also Note to Þskakk Erldr 1/7^II). Mss A and B have ‘fillin(n)gr’ (fillingr m. ‘woolly sheep-skin’) which makes no sense in this context. The LaufE mss have (normalised) fylvingr and follow the R, Tˣ, C redaction here.

flæmingr ‘chaser’

(not checked:)
1. flæmingr (noun m.): roamer, chaser

notes

[2] flæmingr (m.) ‘chaser’: This sword-heiti is most likely derived from the weak verb flæma ‘chase away, drive away’ (AEW: flæmingr 3). Alternatively, it may be the same word as flæmingi ‘Flemish’ in the meaning ‘Flemish sword’ (so Falk 1914b, 49; cf. also SnE 1998, II, 277). See also Note to Þjóð Yt 14/5^I.

skerðingr ‘notcher’

(not checked:)
skerðingr (noun m.)

[2] skerðingr: ‘skerd[…]n[…]’ B, ‘skerdingr’ 744ˣ

notes

[2] skerðingr (m.) ‘notcher’: An agent noun from the weak verb skerða ‘notch, diminish’. A derivation from the adj. skarðr ‘notched, damaged, diminished’ or the noun skarð n. ‘notch’ (see Falk 1914b, 59; SnE 1998, II, 391) is less attractive. Cf. skarðr ‘notched one’ (st. 5/8), skerðir ‘diminisher’ (st. 8/6) and neðanskarðr ‘end-notched one’ (st. 1/6).

skotningr ‘shooter’

(not checked:)
skotningr (noun m.)

notes

[3] skotningr (m.) ‘shooter’: A hap. leg. which also can mean ‘shot one’. According to Falk (1914b, 59), the heiti is probably a term for a sword that could be thrown (handsax), derived from the strong verb skjóta ‘shoot’ (skjóta spjóti, sverði ‘shoot a spear, a sword’; cf. skot n. ‘shot’). Alternatively, the word could be derived from the weak verb skotna ‘gain, have a piece of good luck’ and mean ‘gainer’ (cf. AEW: skotna).

Skilfingr ‘Skilfingr’

(not checked:)
skilfingr (noun m.): lord, king

[3] Skilfingr: om. C

notes

[3] Skilfingr: A Skilfingr is a descendant of a legendary royal family, the Skilfingar (OE Scylfingas; see references in Beowulf 2008, 471-2), and the possible meaning of this sword-heiti is ‘sword of the Skilfingar’ (Falk 1914b, 59). See also Þul Óðins 8/5 and Þul Konunga 3/3.

Skǫfnungr ‘Skǫfnungr’

(not checked:)
skǫfnungr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; dat. -um): °skinneben; (om sværd)

notes

[4] Skǫfnungr: Lit. ‘polished one’. This is the name of the sword of King Hrólfr kraki (Hrólf, FSN I, 93, 102, 109), which is also mentioned in a number of Íslendinga sǫgur (cf. Korm ch. 9, ÍF 8, 233-6). In poetry it is used only as a common noun. Cf. skafningr m. ‘polished one’ among Heiti á sverði (st. 11/5), from the strong verb skafa ‘shave, plane’, as well as skafin sverð ‘polished swords’ (SnSt Ht 8/4).

rifjungr ‘tearer’

(not checked:)
rifjungr (noun m.): [swords]

[4] rifjungr: ‘rífungr’ B

notes

[4] rifjungr (m.) ‘tearer’: This heiti may be related to the strong verb rífa ‘tear’ (SnE 1998, II, 377). Alternatively, it may be connected with rifr (-jar) m. ‘the beam on which the warp hung’ in ancient looms (Falk 1914b, 58). The word is found in Glúmr Gráf 7/2^I.

brotningr ‘broken one’

(not checked:)
brotningr (noun m.): [fragment]

[5] brotningr: so Tˣ, C, A, ‘brotnigr’ R, hvítingr B

notes

[5] brotningr (m.) ‘broken one’: From the weak verb brotna ‘break’ (intransitive), perhaps denoting a sword made of fragments, brot (so Falk 1914b, 48), or ‘breaker’ (tentatively suggested in SnE 1998, II, 252). This heiti is not attested elsewhere.

Hvítingr ‘Hvítingr’

(not checked:)
Hvítingr (noun m.): Hvítingr

[5] Hvítingr: ‘[…]e᷎singr’ B, ‘be᷎singr’ 744ˣ

notes

[5] Hvítingr: Lit. ‘white one’. Hólmgǫngu-Bersi Véleifsson’s sword in Korm (chs 9-10, ÍF 8, 234-9). Cf. also Huytingus, Regnald’s sword in Saxo (Saxo 2005, I, 7, 9, 11, pp. 486-7). The word does not occur as a common noun for ‘sword’ in Old Norse poetry, but it is attested as a sword-heiti in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: hvítingr). See also Þul Sjóvar 4/2 and Þul Sækonunga 3/3 (and Note there).

Bæsingr ‘Bæsingr’

(not checked:)
bæsingr (noun m.): °(“cribling” ɔ:) child whose mother is outlawed

[6] Bæsingr: bæsingr hvítingr C, ‘[…]rfinngr’ B, ‘týrfinngr’ 744ˣ

notes

[6] Bæsingr: The sword stolen from the burial mound of Óláfr Geirstaðaálfr ‘Elf from Geirstaðir’ and given to S. Óláfr (ÓH 1941, II, 754-5; Flat 1860-8, II, 9, 12-13). According to ÓH (loc. cit.), this sword later got the name Hneitir (see the latter in st. 2/7 above). Bæsingr is probably derived from a nickname (cf. bæsingr m. ‘child of an outlawed mother’ from báss m. ‘a cow’s stall’; see Falk 1914b, 48-9). The heiti is not otherwise attested in Old Norse poetry, but it appears in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: bæsingr). Bæsingr is also recorded in LaufE.

Tyrfingr ‘Tyrfingr’

(not checked:)
tyrfingr (noun m.): [sword]

[6] Tyrfingr: ‘he᷎kinng[…]’ B, ‘he᷎kinngr’ 744ˣ

notes

[6] Tyrfingr: This is the name of Angantýr’s sword (Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Ǫrvar-Odds saga, FSN I, 415-24 etc., II, 215), and the word is used as a sword-heiti in poetry. It is probably derived from tyrfi n. ‘resinous fir-tree, hard wood’ or related to the ethnic name of the tribe Tervingi (see Falk 1914b, 62). Kahle (1903, 209-10) derives Tyrfingr from torf n. ‘turf, sod’ because that sword was hidden in the ground (lit. ‘one found in the ground’; cf. LP: Tyrfingr).

hœkingr ‘hooked one’

(not checked:)
hœkingr (noun m.): Hœkingr

[7] hœkingr ok: hittask mun B

notes

[7] hœkingr (m.) ‘hooked one’: Perhaps a sword with a hooked hilt (cf. hœkja f. ‘crutch’; so Falk 1914b, 53; SnE 1998, II, 326). See also Þul Sea-kings l. 3.

ok ‘and’

(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

[7] hœkingr ok: hittask mun B

hringr ‘ring’

(not checked:)
1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword

notes

[7] hringr (m.) ‘ring’: A poetic word frequently used by the skalds as pars pro toto for ‘sword’ and referring to the ring on a sword’s hilt (Falk 1914b, 52; on this type of sword, see also Steuer 2003b, 22-4). Hringr is also found as heiti for ‘ship’ and ‘serpent’ (Þul Skipa 3/1, Þul Orma 2/7).

hittask ‘come across’

(not checked:)
hitta (verb): meet, encounter

[8] hittask mun: ok B

mun ‘one will’

(not checked:)
munu (verb): will, must

[8] hittask mun: ok B

nættingr ‘night-bringer’

(not checked:)
nættingr (noun m.)

[8] nættingr: so A, nettingr R, ‘nectingr’ Tˣ, nætingr C, ‘re[…]ngr’ B, ‘re᷎ttingr’ 744ˣ

notes

[8] nættingr (m.) ‘night-bringer’: So A (see Readings above). This is an obscure word. Other than in the present þula this sword-heiti appears only once (Þorm Lv 5/8^V (Fbr 23)). The word is derived from the weak verb nætta ‘pass the night’ (cf. nótt f. ‘night’) and could mean either ‘night-bringer’ (i.e. ‘killer’) or ‘one made by night’ (ÍO: nættingur; SnE 1998, II, 365). Falk (1914b, 57) suggests that nættingr may have been a proper name and, if so, possibly the same as the bird-name nætingr (see Þul Fugla 6/2; cf. the sword-heiti ǫrn ‘eagle’, st. 8/3 below).