Eil Þdr 18III/4 — lang ‘the old’
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].
readings
[4] langvinr síu: so Tˣ, W, síu langvinr R
notes
[4] langvinr þrǫngvar ‘the old friend of the tight spot (þjálfi ‘enclosure’ = Þjálfi) [= Þórr]’: Unlike other eds, who have interpreted this Þórr-kenning as ‘friend of Freyja’ (see below), the assumption here is that þrǫngvar is an onomastic play on one of the names of the persons involved: þrǫng f. means ‘tight spot, narrowing’ (LP: þrǫng 2) and it is synonymous with þjálfi ‘sth. that encloses and holds together’ (LP: 2. þjalfi). The latter in turn is homophonous with the name of Þórr’s servant Þjálfi, who is with him on this journey. Hence Þórr is referred to periphrastically here as ‘friend of Þjálfi’. For Þjálfi see st. 10/4 and Note there. Sveinbjörn Egilsson (1851, 23) takes þrǫngvar to be Þrúngva, an alleged name for the goddess Freyja found in the þulur (Þul Ásynja 3/4); the mss, however, have ‘þungra’ or ‘þrungra’, which Finnur Jónsson emends to Þrungva (Skj B, 661). Even though the gen. form of the name Þrungva cannot possibly be Þrǫngvar, the resulting interpretation of ‘old friend of Freyja’ as a periphrasis for Þórr has been adopted by most subsequent eds. Þórr is nowhere depicted as a friend of Freyja, however.
kennings
- langvinr þrǫngvar, — the old friend of the tight spot (þjálfi ‘enclosure’ = Þjálfi), [= Þórr]