Eil Þdr 18III/1 — handa ‘of his arms’
svát hraðskyndir handa
hrapmunnum svalg gunnar
lyptisylg á lopti
langvinr síu þrǫngvar,
þás ǫrþrasis eisa
ós Hrímnis fló drósar
til þrámóðnis Þrúðar
þjósts af greipar brjósti.
svát hraðskyndir gunnar, langvinr þrǫngvar, svalg lyptisylg síu á lopti hrapmunnum handa, þás ós eisa þjósts ǫrþrasis drósar Hrímnis fló af brjósti greipar til þrámóðnis Þrúðar.
so that the swift hastener of battle [WARRIOR = Þórr], the old friend of the tight spot (þjálfi ‘enclosure’ = Þjálfi) [= Þórr], swallowed the raised drink of the spark [PIECE OF IRON] in the air with the hurried mouths of his arms [HANDS], when the sparking fire of anger of the passionate lover of the lady of Hrímnir <giant> [GIANTESS > GIANT = Geirrøðr] flew from the breast of the grip [HAND] at the one longing for Þrúðr <goddess> [= Þórr].
notes
[1-2, 3, 4] svalg lyptisylg síu … hrapmunnum handa ‘swallowed the raised drink of the spark [PIECE OF IRON] … with the hurried mouths of his arms [HANDS]’: This stanza continues the food metaphors from the previous stanzas, which are expanded here into a drinking metaphor for Þórr’s and Geirrøðr’s fighting it out with red-hot iron. The metaphor encompasses the verb ‘swallowed’ for ‘caught, parried’ as well as the instr. dat. hrapmunnum ‘with the hurried mouths’. The metaphorical quality of the latter is extended by the determinant ‘of the arms’, resulting in a kenning for ‘hands’. The object of svalg ‘swallowed’, lyptisylg síu ‘raised drink of the spark [PIECE OF IRON]’ adds to the metaphorical dimension. Lyptisylg refers to a raised, filled drinking cup (Kiil 1956, 153).
kennings
- hrapmunnum handa, — with the hurried mouths of his arms, [HANDS]