VSt Erf 1^III

Heyr Míms vinar mína
— mérs fundr gefinn Þundar —
við góma sker glymja
glaumbergs, Egill, strauma.

Egill, heyr {mína strauma {glaumbergs} {vinar Míms}} glymja við {sker góma}; {fundr Þundar} [e]s gefinn mér.

Egill, hear {my streams {of the joy-cliff} [BREAST] {of the friend of Mímr <mythical being>}} [= Óðinn > POEM] resound against {the skerries of gums} [TEETH]; {the discovery of Þundr <= Óðinn>} [POETRY] is given to me.

Mss: R(21v), Tˣ(22r), W(46), U(27r), B(4r) (SnE)

Readings: [1] Míms: mímis U, míns B;    vinar: vinr U;    mína: so Tˣ, W, B, ‘mima’ R, mínar U    [4] ‑bergs: bers U;    Egill: so W, U, B, egils R, Tˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 98, Skj BI, 93, Skald I, 54; SnE 1848-87, I, 250-1, II, 307, 522, III, 13, SnE 1931, 93, SnE 1998, I, 13.

Context: In SnE (Skm) this helmingr is cited to exemplify a kenning for ‘poetry’.

Notes: [All]: The kennings, vinr Míms ‘the friend of Mímr <mythical being> [= Óðinn]’ and fundr Þundar ‘the discovery of Þundr <= Óðinn> [POETRY]’ (see Note to l. 2), have parallels in Egill St^V; see Notes to ll. 1 and 2 below. The extended poem-kenning mína strauma glaumbergs vinar Míms ‘my streams of the joy-cliff [BREAST] of the friend of Mímr <mythical being> [= Óðinn > POEM]’ is also a variation on a kenning used by Egill (see Note to ll. 1, 4 below). This makes it likely that Vǫlu-Steinn used Egill’s poem as a model (see Introduction above). — [1] vinar Míms ‘of the friend of Mímr <mythical being> [= Óðinn]’: The name of this mythical being is given variously as Mímr (e.g. Vsp 46/1, 8), Mímir (e.g. Vsp 28/10, 11) or Mími (cf. AEW: Mimir (sic)). Mímir is listed among the giant-heiti in the þulur, and several myths link Mímr/Mímir to Óðinn (see Note to Þul Jǫtna I 1/3). The kenning vinr Míms is also used for Óðinn in Egill St 23/5^V (Eg 94) and SnSt Ht 3/4 (see Note there). — [1, 4] mína strauma glaumbergs vinar Míms ‘my streams of the joy-cliff [BREAST] of the friend of Mímr <mythical being> [= Óðinn > POEM]’: This kenning uses a periphrasis for ‘mead of poetry’ metonymically for ‘poem’. The kenning ‘Óðinn’s liquid’ is expanded by an additional breast-kenning referring to the story of how Óðinn brought the mead of poetry back to the Æsir (see Skm, SnE 1998, I, 4). A comparable kenning is also found in Egill Hfl 1/2, 3^V (Eg 34). — [2] fundr Þundar ‘the discovery of Þundr <= Óðinn> [POETRY]’: Cf. the kenning fagnafundr niðja Friggjar (mss þriggjar) ‘the joyful discovery of the descendants of Frigg <goddess> [= Æsir > POEM]’ in Egill St 2/5-6^V (Eg 73). — [3] sker góma ‘the skerries of gums [TEETH]’: Cf. gómsker ‘gum-skerries [TEETH]’ (Sturl Hákkv 29/3^II) and fles galdra ‘skerry of incantations [TEETH]’ (Eskál Vell 3/4^I). — [4] Egill: The poem, which laments Vǫlu-Steinn’s dead son, Ǫgmundr, is probably addressed to his surviving son, Egill (see Introduction above).

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. AEW = Vries, Jan de. 1962. Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2nd rev. edn. Rpt. 1977. Leiden: Brill.
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. Internal references
8. Edith Marold 2017, ‘Snorra Edda (Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál)’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
9. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=112> (accessed 27 April 2024)
10. Margaret Clunies Ross (forthcoming), ‘ Egill Skallagrímsson, Sonatorrek’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1166> (accessed 27 April 2024)
11. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2022, ‘Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar 34 (Egill Skallagrímsson, Hǫfuðlausn 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 240.
12. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2022, ‘Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar 73 (Egill Skallagrímsson, Sonatorrek 2)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 299.
13. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2022, ‘Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar 94 (Egill Skallagrímsson, Sonatorrek 23)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 323.
14. Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 3’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 285.
15. Not published: do not cite ()
16. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 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. 1107.
17. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 29’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 721.