Ormr Woman 6III
Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Ormr Steinþórsson, Poem about a woman 6’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 331.
Hróðrar ‘praise’
(not checked:)
hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
njóti ‘enjoy’
(not checked:)
njóta (verb): enjoy, use
funa ‘of the fire’
(not checked:)
funi (noun m.): fire
kennings
Fríðr funa fjarðar‘May the Fríðr of the fire of the fjord ’
= WOMAN
the fire of the fjord → GOLD
May the Fríðr of the GOLD → WOMAN
notes
[1, 4] Fríðr funa fjarðar ‘the Fríðr <goddess> of the fire of the fjord [GOLD > WOMAN]’: The goddess-name Fríðr is not noted in SnE but has five attestations in kennings for ‘woman’ (Meissner 405; cf. LP: Fríðr). The first two elements in this kenning Fríðr funa ‘the Fríðr of fire’, prominently placed at the end of l. 1 and separated from the remaining kenning element fjarðar in line 4, could be interpreted as alluding by way of an antonym to the name Snæfríðr (‘snow-Fríðr’). The poet’s dedicatee in the frame would thus be contrasted via paronomasia with the female protagonist in the inset story. For skaldic treatment of fire and snow as antonyms see Poole (1982, 129-30). For contrastive naming via antonyms cf. Ísodd bjarta ‘Isolt the bright’ and Ísodd svarta ‘Isolt the black’ in Tristrams saga.
funa ‘of the fire’
(not checked:)
funi (noun m.): fire
kennings
Fríðr funa fjarðar‘May the Fríðr of the fire of the fjord ’
= WOMAN
the fire of the fjord → GOLD
May the Fríðr of the GOLD → WOMAN
notes
[1, 4] Fríðr funa fjarðar ‘the Fríðr <goddess> of the fire of the fjord [GOLD > WOMAN]’: The goddess-name Fríðr is not noted in SnE but has five attestations in kennings for ‘woman’ (Meissner 405; cf. LP: Fríðr). The first two elements in this kenning Fríðr funa ‘the Fríðr of fire’, prominently placed at the end of l. 1 and separated from the remaining kenning element fjarðar in line 4, could be interpreted as alluding by way of an antonym to the name Snæfríðr (‘snow-Fríðr’). The poet’s dedicatee in the frame would thus be contrasted via paronomasia with the female protagonist in the inset story. For skaldic treatment of fire and snow as antonyms see Poole (1982, 129-30). For contrastive naming via antonyms cf. Ísodd bjarta ‘Isolt the bright’ and Ísodd svarta ‘Isolt the black’ in Tristrams saga.
Fríðr ‘the Fríðr’
(not checked:)
Fríðr (noun f.): Fríðr
kennings
Fríðr funa fjarðar‘May the Fríðr of the fire of the fjord ’
= WOMAN
the fire of the fjord → GOLD
May the Fríðr of the GOLD → WOMAN
notes
[1, 4] Fríðr funa fjarðar ‘the Fríðr <goddess> of the fire of the fjord [GOLD > WOMAN]’: The goddess-name Fríðr is not noted in SnE but has five attestations in kennings for ‘woman’ (Meissner 405; cf. LP: Fríðr). The first two elements in this kenning Fríðr funa ‘the Fríðr of fire’, prominently placed at the end of l. 1 and separated from the remaining kenning element fjarðar in line 4, could be interpreted as alluding by way of an antonym to the name Snæfríðr (‘snow-Fríðr’). The poet’s dedicatee in the frame would thus be contrasted via paronomasia with the female protagonist in the inset story. For skaldic treatment of fire and snow as antonyms see Poole (1982, 129-30). For contrastive naming via antonyms cf. Ísodd bjarta ‘Isolt the bright’ and Ísodd svarta ‘Isolt the black’ in Tristrams saga.
Fundins ‘of Fundinn’
(not checked:)
Fundinn (noun m.): [found, Fundinn]
kennings
grund salar Fundins;‘the land of the hall of Fundinn; ’
= WOMAN
the hall of Fundinn; → STONE
the land of the STONE → WOMAN
notes
[2] salar Fundins ‘of the hall of Fundinn <dwarf> [STONE]’: This kenning type is based on the belief that dwarfs live in rocks and mountains (Reichborn-Kjennerud 1934a, 280); only three attestations of the type occur (Meissner 89). The apparent clustering of dwarf-heiti here and in st. 5/4 above is appropriate to the theme of Snæfríðardrápa, since Snæfríðr’s father Svási was himself a dwarf according to Flat. Cf. also the dwarf-names in Hhárf Snædr 1/5, 7I.
Fundins ‘of Fundinn’
(not checked:)
Fundinn (noun m.): [found, Fundinn]
kennings
grund salar Fundins;‘the land of the hall of Fundinn; ’
= WOMAN
the hall of Fundinn; → STONE
the land of the STONE → WOMAN
notes
[2] salar Fundins ‘of the hall of Fundinn <dwarf> [STONE]’: This kenning type is based on the belief that dwarfs live in rocks and mountains (Reichborn-Kjennerud 1934a, 280); only three attestations of the type occur (Meissner 89). The apparent clustering of dwarf-heiti here and in st. 5/4 above is appropriate to the theme of Snæfríðardrápa, since Snæfríðr’s father Svási was himself a dwarf according to Flat. Cf. also the dwarf-names in Hhárf Snædr 1/5, 7I.
mærða*k ‘I honoured’
(not checked:)
mæra (verb): praise
[2] mærða*k: mærda og 2368ˣ, mærðar ok 738ˣ, 1496ˣ
notes
[2] mærða*k ‘I honoured’: Emendation suggested by Jón Helgason (1966a).
salar ‘of the hall’
(not checked:)
1. salr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; dat. sǫlum): hall
kennings
grund salar Fundins;‘the land of the hall of Fundinn; ’
= WOMAN
the hall of Fundinn; → STONE
the land of the STONE → WOMAN
notes
[2] salar Fundins ‘of the hall of Fundinn <dwarf> [STONE]’: This kenning type is based on the belief that dwarfs live in rocks and mountains (Reichborn-Kjennerud 1934a, 280); only three attestations of the type occur (Meissner 89). The apparent clustering of dwarf-heiti here and in st. 5/4 above is appropriate to the theme of Snæfríðardrápa, since Snæfríðr’s father Svási was himself a dwarf according to Flat. Cf. also the dwarf-names in Hhárf Snædr 1/5, 7I.
salar ‘of the hall’
(not checked:)
1. salr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; dat. sǫlum): hall
kennings
grund salar Fundins;‘the land of the hall of Fundinn; ’
= WOMAN
the hall of Fundinn; → STONE
the land of the STONE → WOMAN
notes
[2] salar Fundins ‘of the hall of Fundinn <dwarf> [STONE]’: This kenning type is based on the belief that dwarfs live in rocks and mountains (Reichborn-Kjennerud 1934a, 280); only three attestations of the type occur (Meissner 89). The apparent clustering of dwarf-heiti here and in st. 5/4 above is appropriate to the theme of Snæfríðardrápa, since Snæfríðr’s father Svási was himself a dwarf according to Flat. Cf. also the dwarf-names in Hhárf Snædr 1/5, 7I.
grund ‘the land’
(not checked:)
grund (noun f.): earth, land
kennings
grund salar Fundins;‘the land of the hall of Fundinn; ’
= WOMAN
the hall of Fundinn; → STONE
the land of the STONE → WOMAN
fastan ‘my steadfast’
(not checked:)
fastr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): firm, fast
kennings
fastan gust flagðs‘my steadfast gust of the troll-woman ’
= MIND
my steadfast gust of the troll-woman → MIND
lagða ‘set’
(not checked:)
leggja (verb): put, lay
k ‘I’
(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
flagðs ‘of the troll-woman’
(not checked:)
flagð (noun n.): troll-woman
kennings
fastan gust flagðs‘my steadfast gust of the troll-woman ’
= MIND
my steadfast gust of the troll-woman → MIND
notes
[3] gust flagðs ‘gust of the troll-woman [MIND]’: A well-established kenning type whose rationale is not fully clear (Meissner 138-9; see also Quinn 2012).
gust ‘gust’
(not checked:)
gustr (noun m.): gust
kennings
fastan gust flagðs‘my steadfast gust of the troll-woman ’
= MIND
my steadfast gust of the troll-woman → MIND
notes
[3] gust flagðs ‘gust of the troll-woman [MIND]’: A well-established kenning type whose rationale is not fully clear (Meissner 138-9; see also Quinn 2012).
fjarðar ‘of the fjord’
(not checked:)
fjǫrðr (noun m.): fjord
kennings
Fríðr funa fjarðar‘May the Fríðr of the fire of the fjord ’
= WOMAN
the fire of the fjord → GOLD
May the Fríðr of the GOLD → WOMAN
notes
[1, 4] Fríðr funa fjarðar ‘the Fríðr <goddess> of the fire of the fjord [GOLD > WOMAN]’: The goddess-name Fríðr is not noted in SnE but has five attestations in kennings for ‘woman’ (Meissner 405; cf. LP: Fríðr). The first two elements in this kenning Fríðr funa ‘the Fríðr of fire’, prominently placed at the end of l. 1 and separated from the remaining kenning element fjarðar in line 4, could be interpreted as alluding by way of an antonym to the name Snæfríðr (‘snow-Fríðr’). The poet’s dedicatee in the frame would thus be contrasted via paronomasia with the female protagonist in the inset story. For skaldic treatment of fire and snow as antonyms see Poole (1982, 129-30). For contrastive naming via antonyms cf. Ísodd bjarta ‘Isolt the bright’ and Ísodd svarta ‘Isolt the black’ in Tristrams saga.
fjarðar ‘of the fjord’
(not checked:)
fjǫrðr (noun m.): fjord
kennings
Fríðr funa fjarðar‘May the Fríðr of the fire of the fjord ’
= WOMAN
the fire of the fjord → GOLD
May the Fríðr of the GOLD → WOMAN
notes
[1, 4] Fríðr funa fjarðar ‘the Fríðr <goddess> of the fire of the fjord [GOLD > WOMAN]’: The goddess-name Fríðr is not noted in SnE but has five attestations in kennings for ‘woman’ (Meissner 405; cf. LP: Fríðr). The first two elements in this kenning Fríðr funa ‘the Fríðr of fire’, prominently placed at the end of l. 1 and separated from the remaining kenning element fjarðar in line 4, could be interpreted as alluding by way of an antonym to the name Snæfríðr (‘snow-Fríðr’). The poet’s dedicatee in the frame would thus be contrasted via paronomasia with the female protagonist in the inset story. For skaldic treatment of fire and snow as antonyms see Poole (1982, 129-30). For contrastive naming via antonyms cf. Ísodd bjarta ‘Isolt the bright’ and Ísodd svarta ‘Isolt the black’ in Tristrams saga.
á ‘on’
(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at
brims ‘of the surf’
(not checked:)
brim (noun n.): surf
kennings
garð brims.‘the fence of the surf. ’
= WAVE
the fence of the surf. → WAVE
notes
[4] garð brims ‘the fence of the surf [WAVE]’: This must be a kenning for ‘wave’, formed according to the pattern ‘mountain/cliff/crag of the sea’ (Meissner 99). It is evidently an ofljóst construction for the name of the poet’s beloved, which might have been Sæunn lit. ‘Sea-wave’, Unnr ‘Wave’ or similar (Jón Helgason 1966a).
garð ‘the fence’
(not checked:)
garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard
kennings
garð brims.‘the fence of the surf. ’
= WAVE
the fence of the surf. → WAVE
notes
[4] garð brims ‘the fence of the surf [WAVE]’: This must be a kenning for ‘wave’, formed according to the pattern ‘mountain/cliff/crag of the sea’ (Meissner 99). It is evidently an ofljóst construction for the name of the poet’s beloved, which might have been Sæunn lit. ‘Sea-wave’, Unnr ‘Wave’ or similar (Jón Helgason 1966a).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The fragment is quoted in LaufE with the heading ein half staka ‘a half-stanza’ (2368ˣ, 738ˣ) or vísa ‘verse’ (1496ˣ) and lacks any explicit connection to the immediate context. Since it immediately follows the section on kennings for ‘shield’, in which garðr is a cited base-word, possibly the phrase garð brims (‘fence of the surf’) must have been interpreted as such a kenning.
[3-4]: The collocation gust fjarðar á garð brims ‘the gust of the fjord on the fence of the surf’ maintains continuity of images relating to wind at sea.
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