Anon (LaufE) 5^III

Ok óþokkaðr okkar
ostmýgir brauðgýgi;
bjúgr elr sorg um saurga
saupstríðir flot-Gríði.

Ok {óþokkaðr ostmýgir} okkar {brauðgýgi}; {bjúgr saupstríðir} elr sorg um {saurga flot-Gríði}.

And {the disliked oppressor of cheese} [MAN] bemoans {the ogress of bread} [WOMAN]; {the bent tormentor of buttermilk} [MAN] harbours grief about {the filthy Gríðr <giantess> of fat} [WOMAN].

Mss: papp10ˣ(49r), 2368ˣ(119), 743ˣ(90v) (LaufE)

Readings: [2] brauð‑: brodd papp10ˣ, ‘brod’ 2368ˣ, 743ˣ    [3] bjúgr: bjúgt all;    sorg um: sorgum all

Editions: Skj AI, 601, Skj BI, 601, Skald I, 293, NN §1237; SnE 1848-87, II, 634, III, 204, LaufE 1979, 295, 379.

Context: The helmingr illustrates derogatory kennings for ‘woman’ in which the base-word is a term for ‘troll-woman’ or ‘giantess’ and the determinant a word that refers to household items or female occupations.  

Notes: [All]: For similar derogatory kennings and circumloctions for ‘man’, see SnH Lv 1/8^II, Anon 732b 2 and Án Lv 4^VIII (Án 4), Note to [All]. — [1] okkar ‘bemoans’: A hap. leg. For okka ‘bemoan, lament, sigh about’, see NN §1237. Cf. New Norw. okka, ModNorw. akke ‘bemoan, sigh about’. — [3] bjúgr (m. nom. sg.) ‘bent’: All mss have bjúgt (n. nom./acc. sg.), which cannot be accommodated syntactically. The emendation is in keeping with earlier eds. — [4] saupstríðir ‘the tormentor of buttermilk [MAN]’: Translated in Skj B as suppebekæmper ‘soup-destroyer’ and in LP: saupstríðir as suppens bekriger ‘soup’s attacker’, which is unclear (saup is ‘buttermilk’ and not ‘soup’). — [4] flot-Gríði ‘Gríðr <giantess> of fat [WOMAN]’: For the giantess Gríðr, see Þul Trollkvenna 1/3.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. 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.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
6. LaufE 1979 = Faulkes, Anthony, ed. 1979. Edda Magnúsar Ólafssonar (Laufás Edda). RSÁM 13. Vol. I of Two Versions of Snorra Edda from the 17th Century. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, 1977-9.
7. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
8. Internal references
9. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Trollkvenna 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. 724.
10. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sneglu-Halli, Lausavísur 1’ 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, pp. 324-5.
11. Beatrice La Farge (ed.) 2017, ‘Áns saga bogsveigis 4 (Án bogsveigir, Lausavísur 4)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 11.
12. Jonathan Grove (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from AM 732 b 4° 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1251.