Eil Þdr 14III/1 — þróttar ‘of the strength’
þars í þróttarhersa
Þornranns hugumbornir
— hlymr varð hellis Kumra —
hringbalka* framm gingu.
List* vas fœrðr í fasta
— friðsein vas þar — hreina
gnípu hlǫðr á greypan
gránhǫtt risa kvánar.
þars hugumbornir gingu framm í hringbalka* þróttarhersa Þornranns; hlymr Kumra hellis varð. Hlǫðr hreina gnípu vas list* fœrðr í fasta á greypan gránhǫtt kvánar risa; þar vas friðsein.
when the courageous ones went forwards into the circular rooms of the strength-hersar of the house of Þorn <giant> [CAVE > GIANTS]; the din of the Cumbrians of the cave [GIANTS] arose. The vanquisher of the reindeer of the peak [GIANTS > = Þórr] was cunningly brought into a tight spot upon the horrible grey hat of the wife of the giant [GIANTESS]; there was a prevention of peace.
notes
[1-2] þróttarhersa Þornranns ‘of the strength-hersar of the house of Þorn <giant> [CAVE > GIANTS]’: The base-word of the giant-kenning is hersa ‘of the hersar’, qualified by þróttar ‘of the strength’. Words for leaders or rulers such as gramr, jarl, jǫfurr are well attested as base-words in kennings for ‘giant’ (Meissner 255-8). The determinant of þróttarhersa is Þornranns ‘of the house of Þorn <giant>’. Þórnrann could in fact be interpreted lit. as ‘Þorn’s house’; yet, in its function as the determinant in a giant-kenning, it is preferable to take Þornranns as a kenning for ‘cave’, i.e. the dwelling place of a giant. Kock’s (NN §460) interpretation … gingu fram í þróttar hersa þornranns ‘they moved forward against the strong hersar of the giant-dwelling’ assumes an unattested collocation ganga framm í ‘move against sby’ (Reichardt 1948, 372). Reichardt (ibid.) therefore suggests a conjectural við ‘against’ in place of í ‘in, into’. Finnur Jónsson (1900b, 392; Skj B) emends Þornranns gen. to Þornrann acc. and combines it with í ‘in’ (l. 1), but this leaves a dangling prep.
kennings
- þróttarhersa Þornranns; — of the strength-hersar of the house of Þorn <giant>; [GIANTS]