Þul Á 1^III

Gjǫll ‘Gjǫll’

(not checked:)
gjǫll (noun f.): clamour

[1] Gjǫll: ‘Mioll’ C, ‘[…]ío[…]’ B, ‘Gio᷎ll’ 744ˣ

notes

[1] Gjǫll (f.): Lit. ‘din’, a mythical river at the border of Hel (Grí 28/10; Gylf, SnE 2005, 9, 47). According to Gylf, Hermóðr, the son of Óðinn, who was sent to ransom his brother Baldr from Hel, had to cross the Gjallarbrú, the bridge over the river Gjǫll, which was paved with shining gold.

glit ‘shining’

(not checked:)
glit (noun n.): °(om skinnende/farverig tråd indvævet i stof/klæde) glimmer, glimmerværk, ?guldtråd

notes

[1] glit ‘shining’: A n. noun denoting something that shines or glimmers. The word is not attested elsewhere as a heiti for ‘river’.

gera ‘greedy one’

(not checked:)
9. Gera (noun f.)

notes

[1] gera (f.) ‘greedy one’: A hap. leg. Geri (m.) was one of Óðinn’s wolves in Old Norse myth, and the m. form is also found in other þulur (see Note to Þul Vargs 1/1 and freka ‘voracious one’ in l. 5 below).

glóð ‘glowing’

(not checked:)
glóð (noun f.): ember

[2] glóð: ‘glaud’ C, ‘g[…]’ B, ‘glod’ 744ˣ

notes

[2] glóð (f.) ‘glowing’: As a heiti for ‘river’, glóð lit. ‘glowing embers’ does not occur elsewhere.

ok ‘and’

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

[2] ok: ‘[…]’ B, ‘ok’ 744ˣ

valskjalf ‘valskjálf’

(not checked:)
Valskjǫlf (noun f.)

[2] valskjalf: ‘[…]alsc[…]lf’ B, ‘valscialf’ 744ˣ

notes

[2] valskjalf (f.): A hap. leg., but Valaskjǫlf (or Válaskjálf), is the name of Óðinn’s hall (Grí 6/4). As a river-name, the cpd is probably formed from valr m. ‘the slain’ (val- may have a more general sense, ‘war-’, here) and skjálf f. ‘shelf’, hence lit. ‘slain/war-shelf’, or, according to AEW: skjalf, skjálf ‘peak’. Alternatively, the second element might be a nomen actionis from the strong verb skjálfa ‘tremble, shake’ (hence ‘slain-shiver’). Cf. also Hliðskjálf, the elevated place where Óðinn and Frigg sit when they look out over all worlds (see Grí prose, NK 56).

Ván ‘Ván’

(not checked:)
Ván (noun f.): Ván

[3] Ván: so A, von R, Tˣ, ‘vaunn’ C, ‘vo᷎n’ B

notes

[3] Ván (f.): One of the mythical rivers mentioned in Grí 28/8. According to Gylf (SnE 2005, 29), this river flows from the mouth of the wolf Fenrir. The name Ván is undoubtedly the same word as ON ván f. ‘hope’, which, as a river-name, could possibly imply ‘hope for good fishing’ (cf. Norwegian dialects von ‘a place where one expects to find something, such as a fishing place or a hunting ground’; Hale 1983, 180-1). An attempt to connect the river-heiti Ván with the Swedish Lake Vänern was rejected by Hellquist (1970, 1390-1). For discussion of this suggestion, see Hale (1983, 180-1). The name appears in skaldic kennings (see LP: Vôn).

Víð ‘Víð’

(not checked:)
Víð (noun f.): Víð

notes

[3] Víð: The name translates as ‘wide one’ (f. nom. sg.). This is one of the mythical rivers that flow from the spring Hvergelmir (Grí 27/1; Gylf, SnE 2005, 9, 33). The name does not occur in skaldic verse. Víð is recorded again in st. 5/5 below and it is also mentioned twice in Grí (sts 27/1, 28/8).

Vimur ‘Vimur’

(not checked:)
Vimur (noun f.): Vimur

[3] Vimur: vimr Tˣ

notes

[3] Vimur (f.): A river on the border between the worlds of the gods and the giants that Þórr forded on his way to the giant Geirrøðr (Skm, SnE 1998, I, 17, 25; see also ÚlfrU Húsdr 6/5 and Eil Þdr). The name may be connected with ModIcel. vimur ‘indecision’ (see ÍO: Vimur 2). Cf. marr Vimrar ‘the horse of Vimur <river> [SHIP]’ in Þul Waves l. 4 and the river-name Geirvimul in Grí 27/7 (see st. 6/6 below).

ving ‘ving’

(not checked:)
Ving (noun f.): [swinging]

notes

[4] ving: A hap. leg. The origin of this heiti is unclear (ÍO: Ving).

ok ‘and’

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

Ýsa ‘Ouse’

(not checked:)
Ýsa (noun f.)

[4] Ýsa: ‘ysa’ or ‘vsa’ A, ‘[…]’ B, ýsa 744ˣ

notes

[4] Ýsa (f.) ‘Ouse’: Most likely Úsa ‘the Ouse’, the name of more than one English river (AEW: ýsa 2). The three instances in skaldic poetry (Úsa in Ótt Knútdr 5/7^I, Arn Hardr 7/3^II and Steinn Óldr 2/1^II) appear to refer to the Yorkshire Ouse, and that may be what is meant here.

Síð ‘Síð’

(not checked:)
Síð (noun f.)

notes

[5, 6] Síð … Sœkin: These names are also found in Grí 27/1-2 (NK 62): Síð oc Víð, | Sœkin oc Eikin. In Gylf (SnE 2005, 33), both Síð and Sœkin are rivers flowing from Hvergelmir. Síð f. nom. sg. is either from the adj. síðr ‘long, hanging down, overhanging’, ‘wide, large’ (Heggstad et al. 2008: síðr 1-2) or from the adv. síð ‘late, slowly’ (LP: Síð), which is less likely. Sœkin f. nom. sg. (Sekin in Gylf, Sœkin in Grí) is derived from the adj. sækinn ‘plucky’. Alternatively, the heiti could be connected with the weak verb sœkja ‘seek, proceed’ and mean ‘forward-rushing one’ (S-G I, 198; Hale 1983, 168). Neither Síð nor Sœkin appears in other sources.

suðr ‘boiling one’

(not checked:)
Suðr (noun f.)

notes

[5] suðr ‘boiling one’: This river-heiti could be related to the strong verb sjóða ‘boil, cook, seethe’ (the third grade of ablaut). It is otherwise not attested as a heiti for ‘river’.

freka ‘voracious one’

(not checked:)
freka (noun f.)

[5] freka: ‘[…]’ B, ‘fṛẹ . . .’ 744ˣ

notes

[5] freka (f.) ‘voracious one’: As a heiti for ‘river’ the word is not found in other sources. See also Freki m., lit. ‘greedy one’ (Þul Vargs 1/5 and Note there). Freki was one of Óðinn’s wolves in Old Norse myth (see Note to gera ‘greedy one’ in l. 1 above).

Sœkin ‘Sœkin’

(not checked:)
Sœkin (noun f.)

[6] Sœkin: so C, A, sekin R, Tˣ, ‘[…]’ B, ‘. . . ıı’ 744ˣ

notes

[5, 6] Síð … Sœkin: These names are also found in Grí 27/1-2 (NK 62): Síð oc Víð, | Sœkin oc Eikin. In Gylf (SnE 2005, 33), both Síð and Sœkin are rivers flowing from Hvergelmir. Síð f. nom. sg. is either from the adj. síðr ‘long, hanging down, overhanging’, ‘wide, large’ (Heggstad et al. 2008: síðr 1-2) or from the adv. síð ‘late, slowly’ (LP: Síð), which is less likely. Sœkin f. nom. sg. (Sekin in Gylf, Sœkin in Grí) is derived from the adj. sækinn ‘plucky’. Alternatively, the heiti could be connected with the weak verb sœkja ‘seek, proceed’ and mean ‘forward-rushing one’ (S-G I, 198; Hale 1983, 168). Neither Síð nor Sœkin appears in other sources.

ein ‘lone’

(not checked:)
2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone < Einstika (noun f.)

notes

[6] einstika (f.) ‘lone-measuring one’: Or ‘lone-progressing one’. A hap. leg. The first element of this cpd is einn ‘one, alone’ and the second is probably related to the weak verb stika ‘measure with a yardstick’ (cf. stika f. ‘yard measure’).

stika ‘measuring one’

(not checked:)
1. stika (noun f.; °-u; -ur): [barricade] < Einstika (noun f.)

[6] ‑stika: ‑stiga C

notes

[6] einstika (f.) ‘lone-measuring one’: Or ‘lone-progressing one’. A hap. leg. The first element of this cpd is einn ‘one, alone’ and the second is probably related to the weak verb stika ‘measure with a yardstick’ (cf. stika f. ‘yard measure’).

elfr ‘river’

(not checked:)
elfr (noun f.): river

[7] elfr ró: elf ró A, ‘elfro’ B

notes

[7] elfr (f.) ‘river’: Here possibly the proper name Gautelfr, also known as Elfr, i.e. the Götaälv in present-day south-western Sweden.

ró ‘calm’

(not checked:)
1. ró (noun f.; °-ar): [peace, rest]

[7] elfr ró: elf ró A, ‘elfro’ B

notes

[7] ró (f.) ‘calm’: This river-heiti is identical with the f. noun ró ‘calm’. The heiti is not found elsewhere.

ekla ‘want’

(not checked:)
1. ekla (noun f.; °-u): °lack

[7] ekla: ‘eckla’ C

notes

[7] ekla (f.) ‘want’: As a river-name the word is not found in other sources. Guðbrandur Vigfússon (CVC 780; cf. also Bugge 1875, 221) identifies Ekla as the Oykel, a river in northern Scotland, which is unlikely because that river-name otherwise appears in Old Norse sources as Ekkjall (cf. Arn Þorfdr 9/6^II).

Ekin ‘Ekin’

(not checked:)
Ekin (noun f.)

[8] Ekin: eikin C, ‘[…]’ B, ‘ekin’ 744ˣ

notes

[8] Ekin (f.): A mythical river that flows from the well Hvergelmir (Grí 27/2; Gylf, SnE 2005, 33). In the mss the name is given either as Ekin or Eikin (so ms. C and the Codex Regius version of Grí 27/2 (NK 62)). Ekin might be a p. p. (f. nom. sg.) of the strong verb aka ‘drive’ in the sense ‘driven’. If so, this name has parallels in other Nordic river-names, e.g. *Aka and Akurda (Hale 1983, 169). See Note to Sœkin (l. 6 above). Eikin may mean ‘unfriendly, warlike, savage’. Cf. the first element in the dwarf-name Eikinskjaldi (Þul Dverga 6/8) and the name of the river Eikjola (in Nordfjord, Norway), which is related to ModNorw. dialects eikja ‘to quarrel, dispute’ (Hale 1983, 169). See also Refr Frag 4/4 and Arngr Gd 56/7^IV. Alternatively, Eikin could be connected with eik f. ‘oak’ (Hale loc. cit.). The name does not occur in skaldic verse.

Rennandi ‘Rennandi’

(not checked:)
Rennandi (noun f.): Rennandi

[8] Rennandi: ‘renanndi’ Tˣ, ‘[…]de’ B, ‘rennande’ 744ˣ

notes

[8] Rennandi (f. nom. sg.): Lit. ‘running’, pres. part. of the strong verb renna ‘run’. The name of a mythical river (Grí 27/5, see the previous Note). Olsen (1964, 15) suggests that this name may refer to a river that is always free of ice. This heiti is attested in a kenning for ‘gold’ in Anon Liðs 7/8^I.