Þul Ǫrvar 1III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Ǫrvar 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. 818.
notes
[1] akka: A hap. leg. and an obscure word. According to Falk (1914b, 100), the heiti might be a term for an arrow with a bone-point (cf. MHG anke ‘joint’, OHG enka ‘hip, bone’; AEW: akka). Alternatively, the heiti could be derived from the Indo-European root *ak- ‘sharp’ (cf. ON egg ‘edge’; see AEW: akka).
oddr ‘point’
(not checked:)
oddr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): point of weapon
notes
[2] oddr (m.) ‘point’: See also Þul Sverða 10/1.
hvítmýlingr ‘white-muzzled one’
(not checked:)
hvítmýlingr (noun m.): white-muzzled one
notes
[2] hvítmýlingr (m.) ‘white-muzzled one’: A poetic word for ‘arrow’, whose second element is derived from múli m. or múll m. ‘muzzle, the mouth of beasts’, hence ‘one with a bright muzzle (i.e. ‘point’)’ (cf. hvítir broddar ‘white (i.e. bright) points’; see Falk 1914b, 96). See also Note to Gísl Magnkv 13/7II.
fenja ‘bristly one’
(not checked:)
fenja (noun f.): bristly one, arrow
notes
[3] fenja (f.) ‘bristly one’: This heiti is not used by the skalds. According to Falk (1914b, 100), the word is related to ON tálkfǫn ‘filament, fibre in baleen, whalebone’, i.e. the fibres on both sides of the gums that resemble the tail of a swallow, and he suggests that fenja may denote a type of Viking-Age arrow with split points (see also Kock 1898, 262). Cf. ModIcel. fön ‘fan of a feather’. Fenja is also the name of a giantess in Grott 1/4.
drífa ‘snow-drift’
(not checked:)
1. drífa (noun f.; °-u): snow-storm
notes
[3] drífa (f.) ‘snow-drift’: The heiti is probably derived from such a battle-kenning as drífa ǫrva ‘snow-drift of arrows’ (see Falk 1914b, 99), but drífa alone does not occur as a term for ‘arrow’.
notes
[4] Flaug: So A, B (and Skj B, Skald). Lit. ‘flight’. This is the name of one of King Gusi(r)’s magic arrows captured by Ketill hœngr ‘Salmon’ (see Ketils saga hœngs ch. 3, FSN II, 122; see also Hremsa, l. 6, Fífa, st. 2/2 and Note to st. 2/4, as well as Forað Lv 6/1, 3VIII (Ket 27) and Note there). The word is not attested as a common noun with the meaning ‘arrow’. The R, Tˣ, C variant flug n. ‘flight’ is also possible (and adopted in SnE 1998) but less likely in view of the other arrows belonging to Gusir and enumerated in the present þula.
dynfara ‘noisy-goer’
(not checked:)
dynfara (noun f.): [noisy-goer]
notes
[4] dynfara (f.) ‘noisy-goer’: An otherwise unattested cpd from dynr m. ‘din, noise’ and fara, a f. form of the m. agent noun fari from the strong verb fara ‘go, move’. Cf. also the m. form dynfari ‘din-farer’ as a heiti for ‘wind’ (Þul Veðra 2/6). The f. fara in the present heiti must have been chosen because of the f. gender of ǫr ‘arrow’ (see Gurevich 1992a).
notes
[5] bǫsl (f.): The meaning of the word may be ‘little twig’ (< Gmc *basulō; cf. basinn as a heiti for ‘tree’ (Þul Viðar 1/6) and New Norw. base ‘bush’; see Falk 1914b, 99-100). Alternatively, bǫsl (< bǫstl), may be derived from bast n. ‘string’ with the suffix ‑ul-, and hence ‘sth. put onto or thrown from a string’, i.e. ‘arrow’ (so Sturtevant 1926, 370).
bǫl ‘bale’
(not checked:)
bǫl (noun n.; °-s, dat. bǫlvi): evil
bílda ‘lancet’
(not checked:)
bílda (noun f.): [lancet]
notes
[5] bílda (f.) ‘lancet’: The m. noun bíldr occurs in poetry as a heiti for ‘arrow’, but the weak f. form of the word is not found elsewhere (see also Note to dynfara, l. 4 above).
broddr ‘barb’
(not checked:)
broddr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): point of spear or arrow
Hremsa ‘Hremsa’
(not checked:)
1. hremsa (noun f.; °-u; -ur): [shafts, Hremsa]
notes
[6] Hremsa: Lit. ‘shaft’ (see ÞjóðA Sex 15/3II), either from the weak verb hremsa, hremma ‘grasp, clutch’ (so Falk 1914b, 99) or from hremsa f. ‘paw, claw’ (so AEW: hremsa). This is the name of one of King Gusir’s arrows captured by Ketill hœngr (see Notes to Flaug, l. 4 above and to smíðis Gusis ‘Gusir’s handiwork’, st. 2/4 below).
notes
[7] gǫgnflaug (f.) ‘gain-flight’: Depending on the meaning of the first element of the cpd, this heiti, which occurs only here, may be translated as ‘gain-flight’ (from gagn n. ‘gain’ and flaug f., see Note to l. 4), or ‘flight against’ (from the adv. gegn/gǫgn ‘against (sth.)’).
flaug ‘flight’
(not checked:)
flaug (noun f.): flight < gagnflaug (noun f.)
notes
[7] gǫgnflaug (f.) ‘gain-flight’: Depending on the meaning of the first element of the cpd, this heiti, which occurs only here, may be translated as ‘gain-flight’ (from gagn n. ‘gain’ and flaug f., see Note to l. 4), or ‘flight against’ (from the adv. gegn/gǫgn ‘against (sth.)’).
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[7] þrǫs (f.) ‘storm’: A hap. leg. derived from the weak verb þrasa ‘talk big’ or ‘storm ahead, tear along’ (see Falk 1914b, 99), or possibly a f. new formation to þras n. ‘fight, noise, tumult’ (attested only in Modern Icelandic).
notes
[8] gǫgn (n. pl.) ‘gains’: See Note to gǫgnflaug ‘gain-flight’ (l. 7). The word is otherwise not attested as a heiti for ‘arrow’.
skapt ‘shaft’
[8] skapt‑: ‘scafst’ Tˣ
notes
[8] skaptsnǫr (f.) ‘shaft-quick one’: An otherwise unattested cpd from skapt n. ‘shaft’ and the adj. snarr ‘swift’ (see Falk 1914b, 99; SnE 1998, II, 390).
snǫr ‘quick one’
(not checked:)
snarr (adj.): gallant, bold < skaftsnǫr (noun f.)
notes
[8] skaptsnǫr (f.) ‘shaft-quick one’: An otherwise unattested cpd from skapt n. ‘shaft’ and the adj. snarr ‘swift’ (see Falk 1914b, 99; SnE 1998, II, 390).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.