Þul Elds 3III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Elds heiti 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 924.
Freki ‘Greedy one’
(not checked:)
freki (noun m.): wolf, greedy one
notes
[1] freki (m.) ‘greedy one’: This weak m. noun is never used as a term for ‘fire’. Since Freki is primarely known as the name of Óðinn’s wolf (see Þul Vargs 1/5) the word could be interpreted as a half-kenning here (cf. hrótgandr ‘roof-wolf’, st. 1/7 above). See also Þul Skipa 3/1.
notes
[1] olgr (m.) ‘noise-maker’: So B. Cf. ModIcel. ólga ‘make noise, foam’ (see also Þul Hauks 2/7, Þul Óðins 6/7 and Þul Øxna 3/5). The heiti is formed according to the semantic pattern ‘noise-maker’, which was regularly used in the þulur for a wide range of referents (see Gurevich 1992c, 42-3). Ólgr is otherwise not attested as a heiti for ‘fire’. The A variant ǫlgr could perhaps be explained by an association with the weak verb elgja ‘belch’ (AEW: olgr). RE 1665 has ‘Ølgur’, which is closer to A (ǫlgr) than to B (olgr).
seti ‘sitter’
notes
[1] seti (m.) ‘sitter’: A hap. leg. from the strong verb sitja ‘sit’.
feykir ‘rusher’
(not checked:)
feykir (noun m.)
notes
[2] feykir (m.) ‘rusher’: A hap. leg. from the weak verb feykja ‘blow, drive away, rush’.
ysja ‘bustler’
(not checked:)
ysja (noun f.)
notes
[2] ysja (f.) ‘bustler’: As a fire-heiti, the word occurs only in this þula (and in RE 1665 ‘Isja’). It is related to usli ‘conflagration’ (st. 1/5), eimyrja ‘live coals’ (st. 2/5; see ÍO: ysja 2). It is difficult to say whether the fire-heiti ysja is the same word as Ysja (lit. ‘shouter’), the name of one of Þræll’s daughters in Rþ 13/5 (see Dronke 1997, 165, 221 and Kommentar III, 563-4). The latter is perhaps connected to yss ‘noise of a swarm, bustle of a crowd’ (CVC: yss, ysja). The word is also recorded as a heiti for ‘river’ in Þul Á 2/2 and ysja is a nickname (Finnur Jónsson 1907, 360).
notes
[3] hrǫðuðr (m.) ‘hurrying one’: The heiti is an agent noun derived from the weak verb hraða ‘hurry, hasten’ and it is otherwise found only once, in Alv, where it is a name for ‘fire’ in Hel (Alv 26/6, NK 128): kalla í helio hrǫðuð ‘they call it hrǫðuðr in Hel’. The B variant hróðugr was possibly caused by confusion with the adj. hróðugr ‘triumphant’ (RE 1665 has ‘Hraududur’, i.e. hrǫðuðr).
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
hǫrfir ‘retreating one’
notes
[3] hǫrfir (m.) ‘retreating one’: A hap. leg.; agent noun formed from the weak verb hǫrfa ‘retire, retreat’.
harkr ‘crackling one’
(not checked:)
harkr (noun m.)
notes
[4] harkr (m.) ‘crackling one’: A hap. leg., a m. formation to hark n. ‘tumult’. Cf. the fire-heiti herkir (see Note to skerkir ‘tumultuous one’, st. 1/6 above).
forbrennir ‘destroyer’
(not checked:)
forbrennir (noun m.)
notes
[4] forbrennir (m.) ‘destroyer’: Lit. ‘one who consumes sth. by fire’, in which the second element is an agent noun derived from the weak verb brenna ‘burn, destroy by fire’. In Alv 26/5, this is the name for ‘fire’ among the dwarfs. Other than in the present þula and in RE 1665 (‘Forbrenner’), the word is not found elsewhere.
notes
[5] hrapi (m.) ‘tumbling one’: Or ‘hurrying one’ (cf. hrǫðuðr ‘hurrying one’ and hripuðr ‘hastener’, ll. 3, 6). This heiti is related to the weak verb hrapa ‘fall, tumble down, fall in ruin’ or ‘rush headlong, hurry’ and other than in the present þula it is found only in RE 1665 (‘hrape’).
myln ‘flash’
(not checked:)
myln (noun m.)
logi ‘flame’
(not checked:)
logi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): flame
hripuðr ‘hastener’
(not checked:)
hripuðr (noun m.)
aldrnari ‘life-nourisher’
(not checked:)
aldrnari (noun m.)
[6] aldrnari: ‘alld[…]nare’ B, ‘alldrnare’ 744ˣ
notes
[6] aldrnari (m.) ‘life-nourisher’: Cf. OE ealdorneru ‘life’s salvation’ (DOE: ealdor-neru ‘life’s safety, asylum, salvation’). See also OS lifnara ‘nourishment (to sustain life), food’. It has been argued that this poetic name for ‘fire’ expresses the idea of vitality connected with burning flames (cf. the story of Norna-Gestr; see Falk 1928a, 320-1). The heiti occurs only in the present þula, in RE 1665 (‘Aldurnare’) and in Vsp 57/6 (see Dronke 1997, 151). Cf. also fœðir ‘feeder’ (st. 2/7 above).
kyndr ‘kindled one’
(not checked:)
kyndr (noun m.)
notes
[7] kyndr (m.) ‘kindled one’: As a heiti for ‘fire’, this word, p. p. of the weak verb kynda ‘kindle’, is not attested elsewhere.
bál ‘pyre’
(not checked:)
bál (noun n.; °-s; -): fire
væginn ‘moving one’
(not checked:)
væginn (noun m.)
notes
[7] væginn (m.) ‘moving one’: A hap. leg. According to de Vries (AEW: væginn 1), the word is derived from vágr (one of the names for ‘fire’ in Alv 26/3; see also Kommentar III, 357-8) and not related to the weak verb vægja ‘give way, yield’. Hence its meaning is ‘moving one’ or ‘swinging one’ (cf. ModGer. bewegen ‘move’ and AEW: vágr) rather than ‘lenient, yielding’ (adj.). RE 1665 renders this word as ‘Wægan’.
notes
[8] kveykir (m.) ‘quickener’: A hap. leg.; an agent noun derived from the weak verb kveykja ‘quicken, kindle’. The B variant kveyktr ‘kindled one’ (p. p. of the same verb) is also possible. Cf. kyndr ‘kindled one’ (l. 7). RE 1665 has ‘Kveikur’, either kveikr m. ‘wick’ or kveykur f. pl. ‘sth. that kindles’, but more likely a corrupt form of the A variant.
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[8] búði (m.) ‘dweller’: Or ‘one belonging to a dwelling’ (so AEW: búði), most likely from búð f. ‘booth’ (‘booth-dweller’), although Holthausen (1942, 271) argues that the word originates from Gmc *ga-būþa ‘comrade, companion’. In skaldic poetry the heiti occurs only once, in a C14th skaldic poem (Árni Gd 19/4IV), where it might have been taken from a learned source (the þulur?). It is also given in RE 1665 (‘Bude’), and it is used in the rímur in a kenning for ‘sword’ (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: búði).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Many heiti in this stanza are hap. leg.: seti ‘sitter’ (l. 1), feykir ‘rusher’ (l. 2), hǫrfir ‘retreating one’ (l. 3), harkr ‘crackling one’ (l. 4), hrapi ‘tumbling one’, myln ‘flash’ (l. 5), kyndr ‘kindled one’, væginn ‘moving one’ (l. 7), kveykir ‘quickener’ (l. 8).
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.