Bjarni Frag 1^III

This stanza (Bjarni Frag 1), recorded in SnE (ms. W), may refer to the blinding of Magnús blindi by his uncle, Haraldr gilli; cf. Magnúss saga blinda ok Haralds gilla (MbHgHkr ch. 8, ÍF 28, 287).

Varð, þats fylkis fœrðu,
fárverk, bráa merki
— gǫr varð heipt — ór hjǫrvi
Heimdalls viðir seima.

Fárverk varð, þats {viðir seima} fœrðu {merki bráa} ór {hjǫrvi Heimdalls} fylkis; heipt varð gǫr.

A terrible deed came to pass, when {trees of gold} [MEN] stabbed {the stars of the eyelashes} [EYES] out of {the sword of Heimdallr <god>} [HEAD] of the ruler; [an act of] hatred was accomplished.

Mss: W(169) (SnE)

Readings: [3] hjǫrvi: corrected from ‘hǫfví’ W

Editions: Skj AI, 542, Skj BI, 523, Skald I, 255; SnE 1848-87, II, 499, III, 178.

Context: The helmingr is cited in W to exemplify the kenning ‘sword of Heimdallr’ meaning ‘head’.

Notes: [3-4] hjǫrvi Heimdalls ‘the sword of Heimdallr <god> [HEAD]’: See also the similar kenning in Grett Lv 26/8^V (Gr 58) and Note there. So far it has not been explained satisfactorily. Even Snorri’s remark (SnE 2005, 26) Heimdalar sverð er kallat hǫfuð ‘the head is called Heimdallr’s sword’ is more a statement than an explanation. This kenning, and the diverse information found in Old Icelandic literature concerning the deity Heimdallr, has led to a flood of theories and explanations which will not be discussed here. The most likely explanation to date is that Heimdallr was a god in the shape of a ram, or that he assumed the features of such a ram-god; cf. Þul Hrúts ll. 6, 8, where Heimdali and Hallinskíði, another name for the god, are both listed as heiti for ‘ram’ (see also Note to Glúmr Gráf 14/1, 2^I). The kenning ‘sword of Heimdallr’ for ‘head’ would then correspond to the pattern ‘sword of the bull’ for ‘horn’ (a ram’s weapon is its head with which it butts an opponent). On Heimdallr as a god in the form of a ram, see Hellquist (1891, 172), Much (1930), de Vries (1935, 59; 1955, 260), Ohlmarks (1937, 147) and Lindquist (1937b, 98). It is impossible to establish whether such a ram-god was part of the Germanic pantheon, but such deities and cults are known from other parts of the world (see Schröder 1967, 15-16).

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. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
5. SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
6. Hellquist, Elof. 1891. ‘Bidrag till läran om den nordiska nominalbildningen’. ANF 7, 1-62, 142-74.
7. Ohlmarks, Åke. 1937. Heimdallr und das Horn. Heimdalls Horn und Odins Auge. Studien zur nordischen und vergleichenden Religionsgeschichte, 1. Buch (I-II). Lund: Gleerup; Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard.
8. Schröder, Franz Rolf. 1967. ‘Heimdall’. BGDSL 89, 1-41.
9. Lindquist, Ivar. 1937b. ‘Guden Heimdall enligt Snorres källor’. Vetenskaps-Societeten i Lund. Årsbok, 53-98.
10. Much, Rudolf. 1930. ‘Der nordische Widdergott’. In Vogt et al. 1930, I, 63-7.
11. Vries, Jan de. 1935. ‘Studiën over germaansche mythologie IX. De oudnoorsche god Heimdallr’. Tijdschrift voor nederlandsche taal- en letterkunde 54, 53-76.
12. Internal references
13. 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].
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Magnúss saga blinda ok Haralds gilla’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=145> (accessed 27 April 2024)
15. Edith Marold (ed.) 2017, ‘Bjarni ...ason, Fragments 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. 21.
16. Alison Finlay (ed.) 2012, ‘Glúmr Geirason, Gráfeldardrápa 14’ 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. 264.
17. Jonathan Grove (ed.) 2022, ‘Grettir Ásmundarson, Lausavísur 26’ 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. 764.
18. Elena Gurevich 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Hrúts heiti’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 890. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3211> (accessed 27 April 2024)