Þjóð Haustl 8^III

Fló með fróðgum tívi
fangsæll of veg langan
sveita nagr, svát slitna
sundr ulfs faðir mundi.
Þá varð Þórs of rúni
— þungr* vas Loptr of sprunginn —
môlunaut*, hvats mátti,
Miðjungs friðar biðja.

{Nagr sveita} fló fangsæll of langan veg með fróðgum tívi, svát {faðir ulfs} mundi slitna sundr. Þá varð {of rúni Þórs} biðja {môlunaut* Miðjungs} friðar, hvats mátti; þungr* Loptr vas of sprunginn.

{The bird of blood} [RAVEN/EAGLE = Þjazi] flew happy in its catch over a long distance with the wise god, so that {the father of the wolf} [= Loki] was about to be torn apart. Then {the confidant of Þórr} [= Loki] had to beg {the speech-companion of Miðjungr <giant>} [GIANT = Þjazi] for quarter, as hard as he could; heavy Loptr <= Loki> was shattered.

Mss: R(25v), Tˣ(26r-v), W(55) (SnE)

Readings: [1] fróðgum: ‘[…]vm’ W;    tívi: tíva W    [4] ulfs: so all others, alfs R;    faðir: so all others, fǫður R;    mundi: myndi Tˣ    [5] Þórs: þór Tˣ;    rúni: so all others, runni R    [6] þungr*: þungrs R, þungs Tˣ, W    [7] ‑naut*: nautr R, W, nauts Tˣ    [8] Miðjungs: so all others, mildings R;    friðar: so all others, friðar corrected from ‘friðrr’ in scribal hand R

Editions: Skj AI, 17-18, Skj BI, 15-16, Skald I, 10, NN §§1884A anm., 2504, 3038; SnE 1848-87, I, 310-13, III, 44, SnE 1931, 112, SnE 1998, I, 32.

Context: As for st. 1.

Notes: [All]: The prose narrative tells (SnE 1998, I, 1) that the eagle flew at a height that caused Loki’s feet to bang against stones, gravel and trees and he felt his arms were being wrenched from his shoulders. At that point, he asked for quarter. — [1] með fróðgum tívi ‘with the wise god’: Another ironic reference to Loki (cf. st. 6/5, 7, 8). — [4] faðir ulfs ‘the father of the wolf [= Loki]’: The wolf in question is Fenrir, one of Loki’s three children by the giantess Angrboða (SnE 2005, 27), who was destined to swallow Óðinn at Ragnarǫk. — [7, 8] môlunaut* Miðjungs ‘the speech-companion of Miðjungr <giant> [GIANT > = Þjazi]’: The identity of Miðjungr as the name of a giant is based on the name’s appearance in a þula (Þul Jǫtna I 6/4) and in Ásb Ævkv 5/7^VIII (OStór 8), though it appears in another þula as the name for a ram (Þul Hrúts 1/9). Ms. R’s môlunautr mildings ‘the generous man’s speech-companion’ seems an inappropriate kenning for Þjazi, even if it were understood ironically. The mss’ môlunautr (nom.) or môlunauts (gen.) must be emended to the acc. sg. form, as biðja takes the acc. of the person asked for something.

References

1. Bibliography
2. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. SnE 1931 = Snorri Sturluson. 1931. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar. Ed. Finnur Jónsson. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
6. SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
7. SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
8. Internal references
9. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Hrúts 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. 891.
10. Peter Jorgensen (ed.) 2017, ‘Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar 8 (Ásbjǫrn, Ævikviða 5)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 612.