Þul Orma 3III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Orma 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. 931.
Níðhǫggr ‘Níðhǫggr’
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Níðhǫggr (noun m.)
notes
[1] Níðhǫggr: Lit. ‘wicked-striker’, from níð n. ‘libel, slander’ and the strong verb hǫggva ‘strike, bite’ (cf. hǫggormr ‘viper’; see CVC: höggormr). This is another mythical serpent that gnaws on the root of the ash Yggdrasill (Grí 32/6, 35/6; Gylf, SnE 2005, 17-9). In Vsp, Níðhǫggr is also combined with nái (see the next heiti) as in the present list: Vsp 39/7-8 (NK 9) þar saug Níðhǫggr | nái framgengna ‘there Níðhǫggr sucked corpses of the dead’; Vsp 66/7 (NK 15) Níðhǫggr, nái ‘Níðhǫggr, corpses’. The heiti does not occur in skaldic verse, but it is listed among other orma heiti in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 90) and also found in Þul Sverða 9/8 and Þul Dverga 2/2.
náinn ‘corpse-like one’
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1. Náinn (noun m.)
notes
[1] náinn (m.) ‘corpse-like one’: The name could be derived from nár m. ‘corpse, deceased’ (adopted in the present edn), but its exact meaning is uncertain. Alternatively, it may be the same word as the adj. náinn ‘closely related, near kinsman’ (cf. the following heiti, niðr ‘descendant’). As a heiti for ‘serpent’, náinn is not found elsewhere, Náinn is the name of a dwarf (see Þul Dverga 2/3 and Note). Cf. also náin f. as one of the heiti for ‘mail-shirt’ (see Note to Þul Brynju l. 2).
niðr ‘descendant’
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1. niðr (noun m.; °-s; niðjar/niðir, acc. niði): son, kinsman, relative
notes
[2] niðr (m.) ‘descendant’: As a heiti for ‘serpent’, the word does not occur elsewhere. See also Note to náinn ‘corpse-like one’ (l. 1 above).
holdvari ‘flesh-wary one’
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holdvari (noun m.)
notes
[2] holdvari (m.) ‘flesh-wary one’: Not attested elsewhere and a variant of holdvarinn ‘flesh-wary one’ (st. 2/7). See also Note to náinn ‘corpse-like one’ (l. 1 above).
langbarðr ‘long-bearded one’
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langbarðr (noun m.; °; -ar)
notes
[3] langbarðr (m.) ‘long-bearded one’: As a heiti for ‘serpent’, the word occurs only in this þula, but it is also found in Þul Óðins 7/6 and Þul Sverða 2/3. It is likely that this word was transferred from a list of Óðinn’s names (see Note to grímr in st. 2/5 above). Another possibility is a semantic derivation ‘sword’ > ‘serpent’, since orma heiti are traditionally used as base-words in kennings for ‘sword’ (cf. other heiti for both ‘sword’ and ‘serpent’, e.g. Níðhǫggr in l. 1 above).
notes
[3] lýðir: ON lýðir m. pl. means ‘people’. As a heiti for ‘serpent’, lýðir is not attested elsewhere, and it is an obscure word which may be related to ModIcel. lúðra ‘creep, crawl’ (for details, see ÍO: lýðir).
heiðbúi ‘heath-dweller’
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heiðbúi (noun m.)
notes
[4] heiðbúi (m.) ‘heath-dweller’: Not attested elsewhere as a cpd (from heiðr m. ‘heath’ and búi m. ‘dweller). Cf. Móinn (st. 4/7 below).
notes
[5] strykr (m.) ‘striped one’: Or strýkr (so Skj B; the quantity of the vowel cannot be established). As a heiti for ‘serpent’, the word occurs only here and its form and meaning are uncertain. Strykr could be connected with the weak verb stryka ‘streak, mark with lines’ (adopted in the present edn). Alternatively, it may be related to the strong verb strjúka ‘stroke, rub, wipe’ and mean ‘wiping one’ (cf. Níðhǫggr in l. 1 above). It is also possible that the implied sense of this heiti is ‘swift one’ (cf. ModIcel. strykur ‘speed, storm, flow’; see ÍO: stryk, strykur).
notes
[5] steinbúi (m.) ‘stone-dweller’: A cpd not attested elsewhere; cf. heiðbúi ‘heath-dweller’ (l. 4 above).
stýrir ‘ruler’
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stýrir (noun m.): ruler, controller
Sváfnir ‘Sváfnir’
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Sváfnir (noun m.): Sváfnir
notes
[6] Sváfnir: Lit. ‘soother’, from the weak verb svæfa, svefja ‘lull to sleep, soothe’; hence the implied meaning of Sváfnir is perhaps ‘murderer’. This is another mythical serpent that gnaws on the roots of Yggdrasill (cf. Gylf, SnE 2005, 19 and Grí 34/7 (NK 64): Ofnir oc Sváfnir ‘Ofnir and Sváfnir’). Sváfnir is mentioned in the list of orma heiti in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 90) and occurs in gold-kennings in late skaldic verse (LP: Sváfnir 3; see also Þul Óðins 4/3).
notes
[7] scorpion: A foreign word (= Lat. scorpio). In Old Norse this loanword is otherwise unattested, and the native term for ‘scorpion’ is sporðdreki ‘tail-dragon’.
notes
[8] sneldingr (m.) ‘wicked one’: A hap. leg., which has the derivational suffix -uðr in B. According to AEW: sneldingr, this heiti is possibly derived from the adj. sneldr ‘wicked, cruel’. Alternatively, it could be related to snáldr m. ‘snout’, attested in Old Norse prose as a term for a snake’s snout (Konraðs saga ch. 9, Cederschiöld 1884, 70); cf. ÍO: sneldingur).
naðra ‘viper’
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naðra (noun f.; °*-u; *-ur): snake
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With the exception of linnr m. ‘serpent’ (l. 4), snákr m. ‘snake’ (l. 7), naðra f. ‘viper’ (l. 8), Níðhǫggr (l. 1) and Sváfnir (l. 6), the heiti for ‘serpent’ listed in this stanza do not occur with this meaning in other sources. Only linnr, naðra, Níðhǫggr and Sváfnir are included in the list in LaufE.
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