Ásb Ævkv 5VIII (OStór 8)
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.
Annat ‘It used to be different’
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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
var ‘’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
þá ‘when’
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2. þá (adv.): then
er ‘’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
inni ‘inside’
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2. inni (adv.): in, inside, indoors
Ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
veitta ‘dealt’
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2. veita (verb): grant, give
ferð ‘host’
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ferð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-arMork 196¹²)): host, journey
högg ‘blows’
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hǫgg (noun n.; °-s, dat. hǫggvi/hǫggi; -): blow
með ‘with’
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með (prep.): with
notes
[3-4] með hvassri tuggu Herjans ‘with the sharp mouthful of Herjan <= Fenrir(?)> [SWORD]’: What makes this kenning problematical is the use of Herjan, normally a name for the god Óðinn (cf. LP: Herjan(n)), within a kenning whose other elements suggest a reference to the wolf Fenrir, and the myth, recounted in Gylf (SnE 2005, 27-9), of how the gods wedged a sword between Fenrir’s open jaws when they were binding him. It seems that the poet either thought Herjan was an alternative name for Fenrir or had forgotten the myth to which sword-kennings of the type ‘mouthful, mouth-prop of the wolf’ conventionally refer. Cf. Meissner 150, who suggests hergarmr, ‘war-Garmr <monstrous dog>’. Kock (NN §2495B) understands the kenning to mean ‘Óðinn’s biter’, i.e. ‘Óðinn’s sword’.
hvassri ‘the sharp’
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hvass (adj.; °-an; -ari, -astr): keen, sharp
kennings
hvassri tuggu Herjans‘the sharp mouthful of Herjan ’
= SWORD
the sharp mouthful of Herjan → SWORD
notes
[3-4] með hvassri tuggu Herjans ‘with the sharp mouthful of Herjan <= Fenrir(?)> [SWORD]’: What makes this kenning problematical is the use of Herjan, normally a name for the god Óðinn (cf. LP: Herjan(n)), within a kenning whose other elements suggest a reference to the wolf Fenrir, and the myth, recounted in Gylf (SnE 2005, 27-9), of how the gods wedged a sword between Fenrir’s open jaws when they were binding him. It seems that the poet either thought Herjan was an alternative name for Fenrir or had forgotten the myth to which sword-kennings of the type ‘mouthful, mouth-prop of the wolf’ conventionally refer. Cf. Meissner 150, who suggests hergarmr, ‘war-Garmr <monstrous dog>’. Kock (NN §2495B) understands the kenning to mean ‘Óðinn’s biter’, i.e. ‘Óðinn’s sword’.
tuggu ‘mouthful’
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tugga (noun f.; °-u): [mouthful]
kennings
hvassri tuggu Herjans‘the sharp mouthful of Herjan ’
= SWORD
the sharp mouthful of Herjan → SWORD
notes
[3-4] með hvassri tuggu Herjans ‘with the sharp mouthful of Herjan <= Fenrir(?)> [SWORD]’: What makes this kenning problematical is the use of Herjan, normally a name for the god Óðinn (cf. LP: Herjan(n)), within a kenning whose other elements suggest a reference to the wolf Fenrir, and the myth, recounted in Gylf (SnE 2005, 27-9), of how the gods wedged a sword between Fenrir’s open jaws when they were binding him. It seems that the poet either thought Herjan was an alternative name for Fenrir or had forgotten the myth to which sword-kennings of the type ‘mouthful, mouth-prop of the wolf’ conventionally refer. Cf. Meissner 150, who suggests hergarmr, ‘war-Garmr <monstrous dog>’. Kock (NN §2495B) understands the kenning to mean ‘Óðinn’s biter’, i.e. ‘Óðinn’s sword’.
Herjans ‘of Herjan’
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1. herjan (noun m.): herjan
kennings
hvassri tuggu Herjans‘the sharp mouthful of Herjan ’
= SWORD
the sharp mouthful of Herjan → SWORD
notes
[3-4] með hvassri tuggu Herjans ‘with the sharp mouthful of Herjan <= Fenrir(?)> [SWORD]’: What makes this kenning problematical is the use of Herjan, normally a name for the god Óðinn (cf. LP: Herjan(n)), within a kenning whose other elements suggest a reference to the wolf Fenrir, and the myth, recounted in Gylf (SnE 2005, 27-9), of how the gods wedged a sword between Fenrir’s open jaws when they were binding him. It seems that the poet either thought Herjan was an alternative name for Fenrir or had forgotten the myth to which sword-kennings of the type ‘mouthful, mouth-prop of the wolf’ conventionally refer. Cf. Meissner 150, who suggests hergarmr, ‘war-Garmr <monstrous dog>’. Kock (NN §2495B) understands the kenning to mean ‘Óðinn’s biter’, i.e. ‘Óðinn’s sword’.
suðr ‘down south’
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2. suðr (adv.): south, in the south
í ‘among’
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í (prep.): in, into
notes
[4-5] í skerjum Elfar ‘among the skerries of the Götaälv’: Although its two parts are separated across the end of the first helmingr and the beginning of the second helmingr for metrical reasons, í skerjum Elfar is to be understood as the cpd p. n. Elfarsker, name of a group of skerries at the mouth of the Göta river in present-day Sweden. Separation of cpd elements across helmingr boundaries is otherwise always avoided in skaldic poetry. The name Elfarsker occurs in several mythical-heroic sagas, including three times in Ǫrv, once in verse (ǪrvOdd Lv 16/2 (Ǫrv 49), FSGJ 2, 348). Kock (NN §2495) proposes elfar as the object of the verb forma ‘create, bring about, do’ in the sense ‘create rivers (of blood)’.
skerjum ‘the skerries’
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sker (noun n.; °-s; -, gen. -ja): skerry
notes
[4-5] í skerjum Elfar ‘among the skerries of the Götaälv’: Although its two parts are separated across the end of the first helmingr and the beginning of the second helmingr for metrical reasons, í skerjum Elfar is to be understood as the cpd p. n. Elfarsker, name of a group of skerries at the mouth of the Göta river in present-day Sweden. Separation of cpd elements across helmingr boundaries is otherwise always avoided in skaldic poetry. The name Elfarsker occurs in several mythical-heroic sagas, including three times in Ǫrv, once in verse (ǪrvOdd Lv 16/2 (Ǫrv 49), FSGJ 2, 348). Kock (NN §2495) proposes elfar as the object of the verb forma ‘create, bring about, do’ in the sense ‘create rivers (of blood)’.
notes
[4-5] í skerjum Elfar ‘among the skerries of the Götaälv’: Although its two parts are separated across the end of the first helmingr and the beginning of the second helmingr for metrical reasons, í skerjum Elfar is to be understood as the cpd p. n. Elfarsker, name of a group of skerries at the mouth of the Göta river in present-day Sweden. Separation of cpd elements across helmingr boundaries is otherwise always avoided in skaldic poetry. The name Elfarsker occurs in several mythical-heroic sagas, including three times in Ǫrv, once in verse (ǪrvOdd Lv 16/2 (Ǫrv 49), FSGJ 2, 348). Kock (NN §2495) proposes elfar as the object of the verb forma ‘create, bring about, do’ in the sense ‘create rivers (of blood)’.
Opt ‘often’
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opt (adv.): often
[5] Opt nam kólfi (‘kolfui’): opt nam bölvi 2845, ‘hier allkýntur’ 554h βˣ
nam ‘’
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1. nema (verb): to take
[5] Opt nam kólfi (‘kolfui’): opt nam bölvi 2845, ‘hier allkýntur’ 554h βˣ
notes
[6] nam … forma ‘aimed’: Forma (a variant of formera, with the same sense) is a late loan into Old Norse, ultimately from Lat. formare (cf. AEW: forma, formera), found mostly in ecclesiastical contexts (cf. ONP: forma). The verb’s usual meaning is ‘form, fashion’, so the sense here is unusual, and Finnur Jónsson translates it as skød ‘shot’ with a question mark in Skj B.
kólfi ‘with the arrow’
[5] Opt nam kólfi (‘kolfui’): opt nam bölvi 2845, ‘hier allkýntur’ 554h βˣ
notes
[5] kólfi ‘with the arrow’: This noun has several meanings, including ‘club’, ‘tongue of a bell’, ‘pole’ and ‘arrow with a blunt head’ (cf. ONP: kólfr).
Ormr ‘Ormr’
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Ormr (noun m.): Ormr
notes
[6] nam … forma ‘aimed’: Forma (a variant of formera, with the same sense) is a late loan into Old Norse, ultimately from Lat. formare (cf. AEW: forma, formera), found mostly in ecclesiastical contexts (cf. ONP: forma). The verb’s usual meaning is ‘form, fashion’, so the sense here is unusual, and Finnur Jónsson translates it as skød ‘shot’ with a question mark in Skj B.
mest ‘mostly’
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meirr (adv.): more
þá ‘when’
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2. þá (adv.): then
er ‘’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
Miðjungs ‘of Miðjungr’
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Miðjungr (noun m.; °; -ar): Miðjungr, giants
[7] Miðjungs: niðjungs 2845, ‘midand’ 554h βˣ
kennings
traustir mágar Miðjungs‘the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr ’
= GIANTS
the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr → GIANTS
notes
[7-8] traustir mágar Miðjungs ‘the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr <giant> [GIANTS]’: Miðjungr is a giant name (cf. Þjóð Haustl 8/8III), although it can also function as the base-word of kennings for ‘men’ where it appears to designate some unspecific supernatural being (cf. LP: miðjungr). Whatever its reference here, the kenning as a whole appears to allude to an episode in Ormr’s career that is no longer known.
traustir ‘the trusted’
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traustr (adj.): trusty
kennings
traustir mágar Miðjungs‘the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr ’
= GIANTS
the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr → GIANTS
notes
[7-8] traustir mágar Miðjungs ‘the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr <giant> [GIANTS]’: Miðjungr is a giant name (cf. Þjóð Haustl 8/8III), although it can also function as the base-word of kennings for ‘men’ where it appears to designate some unspecific supernatural being (cf. LP: miðjungr). Whatever its reference here, the kenning as a whole appears to allude to an episode in Ormr’s career that is no longer known.
mágar ‘kinsmen’
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mágr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): brother-, father-, or son-in-law
[8] mágar: margar 2845, marga 554h βˣ
kennings
traustir mágar Miðjungs‘the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr ’
= GIANTS
the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr → GIANTS
notes
[7-8] traustir mágar Miðjungs ‘the trusted kinsmen of Miðjungr <giant> [GIANTS]’: Miðjungr is a giant name (cf. Þjóð Haustl 8/8III), although it can also function as the base-word of kennings for ‘men’ where it appears to designate some unspecific supernatural being (cf. LP: miðjungr). Whatever its reference here, the kenning as a whole appears to allude to an episode in Ormr’s career that is no longer known.
eptir ‘were left’
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eptir (prep.): after, behind
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