Bragi Frag 3^III

Vel ‘well’

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vel (adv.): well, very

hafið ‘You have’

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hafa (verb): have

notes

[1, 2] hafið … haldit aptr ‘you have … driven back’: Halda aptr may mean either ‘hold back, restrain’ or ‘drive back [home]’. The latter sense is favoured here, as in Skj B (for the former reading see SnE 1998, I, 300), on the assumption that Bragi may be referring to Þórr’s driving back to Ásgarðr in his carriage pulled by two goats after accomplishing some feat, possibly a giant-killing.

yðrum ‘your’

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yðvarr (pron.; °f. yður; pl. yðrir): your

eykjum ‘draught animals’

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eykr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -ir, dat. -jum): draught animal

aptr ‘back’

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aptr (adv.; °compar. -ar): back

notes

[1, 2] hafið … haldit aptr ‘you have … driven back’: Halda aptr may mean either ‘hold back, restrain’ or ‘drive back [home]’. The latter sense is favoured here, as in Skj B (for the former reading see SnE 1998, I, 300), on the assumption that Bragi may be referring to Þórr’s driving back to Ásgarðr in his carriage pulled by two goats after accomplishing some feat, possibly a giant-killing.

Þrívalda ‘of Þrívaldi’

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Þrívaldi (noun m.): Þrívaldi

[2] Þrívalda: so all others, ‘þrivaldra’ R

kennings

notes

[2] Þrívalda ‘of Þrívaldi <giant>’: The giant Þrívaldi (see Introduction) is mentioned only here, in Snorri’s prose introduction to Þórr-kennings, and in Vetrl Lv l. 2 lamðir Þrívalda ‘you thrashed Þrívaldi’.

haldit ‘driven’

(not checked:)
halda (verb): hold, keep

notes

[1, 2] hafið … haldit aptr ‘you have … driven back’: Halda aptr may mean either ‘hold back, restrain’ or ‘drive back [home]’. The latter sense is favoured here, as in Skj B (for the former reading see SnE 1998, I, 300), on the assumption that Bragi may be referring to Þórr’s driving back to Ásgarðr in his carriage pulled by two goats after accomplishing some feat, possibly a giant-killing.

simbli ‘drink-provider’

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simblir (noun m.): [drink-provider]

kennings

notes

[3] of mærum simbli sumbls ‘above the famous drink-provider of the drinking party [= Ægir (ægir ‘ocean’)]’: This presumed kenning presents a major difficulty of interpretation, in that the word simbli, regarded here as the dat. sg. of a m. agent noun *simblir, is a hap. leg. Most eds have assumed that the phrase of mærum simbli sumbls is a giant-kenning of some kind (so LP: simblir), though its referent is unclear (Skj B treats the phrase as incomprehensible). Kock (NN §220 and cf. §160) took the view that Þrívalda is dat., not gen., and that mærum qualifies Þrívalda. He emended ms. simbli to simbla, which he presented as a form of an adv. simla ‘always’ and then understood the phrase to mean ‘always famous for his drinking’. Faulkes (SnE 1998, II, 386: simblir; cf. Magnús Finnbogason 1952, 345 n.) understands simblir to mean ‘drinker (?)’ (formed from sumbl; see SnE 1998, I, 165). He interprets simblir sumbls as an ofljóst kenning for the giant Þrymr, whose name, as a common noun, means ‘crash, noise’, so ‘thunder’, so ‘you … held back your steeds with notorious giant-feast drinker [= Þrymr (þrymr ‘noise, thunder’)]’. Faulkes notes (SnE 1998, I, 165) that the word sumbl ‘drinking feast, beer’ may suggest a connection with the mead of poetry, although he concedes that Þórr is not normally associated with that. On the other hand, a frequent association of the word sumbl, especially in the Poetic Edda, is with the ale-feast and brewing of ale that the gods compelled the sea-giant Ægir to prepare for them (cf. Hym 1/3, 2/8, Lok prose introduction and 7/5, 8/6, as well as the frame-narrative of Skm). It is therefore possible that the obscure giant-kenning of l. 3 may involve the sea-giant Ægir (simblir sumbls ‘drink-provider of the drinking party’), whose name as a common noun means ‘ocean’. This is the interpretation adopted here. The helmingr as a whole would then indicate that Þórr has successfully driven back to Ásgarðr from some adventure ‘above the ocean’, i.e. travelling in his goat-drawn chariot through the air, as was his wont. Marold (1988, 46-7) understands a reference to Hymir rather than Ægir in the kenning simblir sumbls, which she interprets as ‘giant of the gods’ drink’, understanding simblir ‘giant’ as related to the heiti simull ‘bull’ (Þul Øxna 2/4). She would then see the Fragment as alluding to Þórr’s and Týr’s winning of the gods’ brewing cauldron from the giant Hymir, as narrated in Hym.

sumbls ‘of the drinking party’

(not checked:)
sumbl (noun n.; °; -): banquet, drinking feast

[3] sumbls: ‘sumbs’ Tˣ, sumbl W

kennings

notes

[3] of mærum simbli sumbls ‘above the famous drink-provider of the drinking party [= Ægir (ægir ‘ocean’)]’: This presumed kenning presents a major difficulty of interpretation, in that the word simbli, regarded here as the dat. sg. of a m. agent noun *simblir, is a hap. leg. Most eds have assumed that the phrase of mærum simbli sumbls is a giant-kenning of some kind (so LP: simblir), though its referent is unclear (Skj B treats the phrase as incomprehensible). Kock (NN §220 and cf. §160) took the view that Þrívalda is dat., not gen., and that mærum qualifies Þrívalda. He emended ms. simbli to simbla, which he presented as a form of an adv. simla ‘always’ and then understood the phrase to mean ‘always famous for his drinking’. Faulkes (SnE 1998, II, 386: simblir; cf. Magnús Finnbogason 1952, 345 n.) understands simblir to mean ‘drinker (?)’ (formed from sumbl; see SnE 1998, I, 165). He interprets simblir sumbls as an ofljóst kenning for the giant Þrymr, whose name, as a common noun, means ‘crash, noise’, so ‘thunder’, so ‘you … held back your steeds with notorious giant-feast drinker [= Þrymr (þrymr ‘noise, thunder’)]’. Faulkes notes (SnE 1998, I, 165) that the word sumbl ‘drinking feast, beer’ may suggest a connection with the mead of poetry, although he concedes that Þórr is not normally associated with that. On the other hand, a frequent association of the word sumbl, especially in the Poetic Edda, is with the ale-feast and brewing of ale that the gods compelled the sea-giant Ægir to prepare for them (cf. Hym 1/3, 2/8, Lok prose introduction and 7/5, 8/6, as well as the frame-narrative of Skm). It is therefore possible that the obscure giant-kenning of l. 3 may involve the sea-giant Ægir (simblir sumbls ‘drink-provider of the drinking party’), whose name as a common noun means ‘ocean’. This is the interpretation adopted here. The helmingr as a whole would then indicate that Þórr has successfully driven back to Ásgarðr from some adventure ‘above the ocean’, i.e. travelling in his goat-drawn chariot through the air, as was his wont. Marold (1988, 46-7) understands a reference to Hymir rather than Ægir in the kenning simblir sumbls, which she interprets as ‘giant of the gods’ drink’, understanding simblir ‘giant’ as related to the heiti simull ‘bull’ (Þul Øxna 2/4). She would then see the Fragment as alluding to Þórr’s and Týr’s winning of the gods’ brewing cauldron from the giant Hymir, as narrated in Hym.

of ‘above’

(not checked:)
3. of (prep.): around, from; too

notes

[3] of mærum simbli sumbls ‘above the famous drink-provider of the drinking party [= Ægir (ægir ‘ocean’)]’: This presumed kenning presents a major difficulty of interpretation, in that the word simbli, regarded here as the dat. sg. of a m. agent noun *simblir, is a hap. leg. Most eds have assumed that the phrase of mærum simbli sumbls is a giant-kenning of some kind (so LP: simblir), though its referent is unclear (Skj B treats the phrase as incomprehensible). Kock (NN §220 and cf. §160) took the view that Þrívalda is dat., not gen., and that mærum qualifies Þrívalda. He emended ms. simbli to simbla, which he presented as a form of an adv. simla ‘always’ and then understood the phrase to mean ‘always famous for his drinking’. Faulkes (SnE 1998, II, 386: simblir; cf. Magnús Finnbogason 1952, 345 n.) understands simblir to mean ‘drinker (?)’ (formed from sumbl; see SnE 1998, I, 165). He interprets simblir sumbls as an ofljóst kenning for the giant Þrymr, whose name, as a common noun, means ‘crash, noise’, so ‘thunder’, so ‘you … held back your steeds with notorious giant-feast drinker [= Þrymr (þrymr ‘noise, thunder’)]’. Faulkes notes (SnE 1998, I, 165) that the word sumbl ‘drinking feast, beer’ may suggest a connection with the mead of poetry, although he concedes that Þórr is not normally associated with that. On the other hand, a frequent association of the word sumbl, especially in the Poetic Edda, is with the ale-feast and brewing of ale that the gods compelled the sea-giant Ægir to prepare for them (cf. Hym 1/3, 2/8, Lok prose introduction and 7/5, 8/6, as well as the frame-narrative of Skm). It is therefore possible that the obscure giant-kenning of l. 3 may involve the sea-giant Ægir (simblir sumbls ‘drink-provider of the drinking party’), whose name as a common noun means ‘ocean’. This is the interpretation adopted here. The helmingr as a whole would then indicate that Þórr has successfully driven back to Ásgarðr from some adventure ‘above the ocean’, i.e. travelling in his goat-drawn chariot through the air, as was his wont. Marold (1988, 46-7) understands a reference to Hymir rather than Ægir in the kenning simblir sumbls, which she interprets as ‘giant of the gods’ drink’, understanding simblir ‘giant’ as related to the heiti simull ‘bull’ (Þul Øxna 2/4). She would then see the Fragment as alluding to Þórr’s and Týr’s winning of the gods’ brewing cauldron from the giant Hymir, as narrated in Hym.

mærum ‘the famous’

(not checked:)
2. mærr (adj.): famous

kennings

notes

[3] of mærum simbli sumbls ‘above the famous drink-provider of the drinking party [= Ægir (ægir ‘ocean’)]’: This presumed kenning presents a major difficulty of interpretation, in that the word simbli, regarded here as the dat. sg. of a m. agent noun *simblir, is a hap. leg. Most eds have assumed that the phrase of mærum simbli sumbls is a giant-kenning of some kind (so LP: simblir), though its referent is unclear (Skj B treats the phrase as incomprehensible). Kock (NN §220 and cf. §160) took the view that Þrívalda is dat., not gen., and that mærum qualifies Þrívalda. He emended ms. simbli to simbla, which he presented as a form of an adv. simla ‘always’ and then understood the phrase to mean ‘always famous for his drinking’. Faulkes (SnE 1998, II, 386: simblir; cf. Magnús Finnbogason 1952, 345 n.) understands simblir to mean ‘drinker (?)’ (formed from sumbl; see SnE 1998, I, 165). He interprets simblir sumbls as an ofljóst kenning for the giant Þrymr, whose name, as a common noun, means ‘crash, noise’, so ‘thunder’, so ‘you … held back your steeds with notorious giant-feast drinker [= Þrymr (þrymr ‘noise, thunder’)]’. Faulkes notes (SnE 1998, I, 165) that the word sumbl ‘drinking feast, beer’ may suggest a connection with the mead of poetry, although he concedes that Þórr is not normally associated with that. On the other hand, a frequent association of the word sumbl, especially in the Poetic Edda, is with the ale-feast and brewing of ale that the gods compelled the sea-giant Ægir to prepare for them (cf. Hym 1/3, 2/8, Lok prose introduction and 7/5, 8/6, as well as the frame-narrative of Skm). It is therefore possible that the obscure giant-kenning of l. 3 may involve the sea-giant Ægir (simblir sumbls ‘drink-provider of the drinking party’), whose name as a common noun means ‘ocean’. This is the interpretation adopted here. The helmingr as a whole would then indicate that Þórr has successfully driven back to Ásgarðr from some adventure ‘above the ocean’, i.e. travelling in his goat-drawn chariot through the air, as was his wont. Marold (1988, 46-7) understands a reference to Hymir rather than Ægir in the kenning simblir sumbls, which she interprets as ‘giant of the gods’ drink’, understanding simblir ‘giant’ as related to the heiti simull ‘bull’ (Þul Øxna 2/4). She would then see the Fragment as alluding to Þórr’s and Týr’s winning of the gods’ brewing cauldron from the giant Hymir, as narrated in Hym.

sundr ‘asunder’

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sundr (adv.): (a)sunder < sundrkljúfr (noun m.)

kennings

kljúfr ‘cleaver’

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-kljúfr (noun m.): [cleaver] < sundrkljúfr (noun m.)

[4] ‑kljúfr: om. Tˣ

kennings

níu ‘of the nine’

(not checked:)
níu (num. cardinal): nine

[4] níu: so all others, ‘nu’ changed to ‘nio’ R

kennings

notes

[4] níu hǫfða ‘of the nine heads’: There is no other evidence, besides Bragi’s stanza, for the idea that Þrívaldi had nine heads; the name may suggest that he had three (cf. Simek 1993, 328).

hǫfða ‘heads’

(not checked:)
hǫfuð (noun n.; °-s; -): head

kennings

notes

[4] níu hǫfða ‘of the nine heads’: There is no other evidence, besides Bragi’s stanza, for the idea that Þrívaldi had nine heads; the name may suggest that he had three (cf. Simek 1993, 328).