Eil Þdr 18III/5 — þrasis ‘lover’
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
[5] ‑þrasis: ‘‑þvrsis’ R, þrasir Tˣ, W
notes
[5] ǫrþrasis ‘of the passionate lover’: In Old Norse this word is only attested here. The meaning of the cpd can be explained by its etymology and its use as a base-word in a giant-kenning. It is formed from the adj. ǫrr ‘swift’ or ‘generous’ and the agent noun þrasir, derived from the weak verb þrasa ‘race along’ (Þrasir is also a name of a dwarf in st. 19/4 and in Þul Dverga 4/8); hence the meaning of ǫrþrasir could be ‘the swift racing one’. In the present stanza, ǫrþrasir is the base-word in a giant-kenning and has a kenning for ‘giantess’ (drósar Hrímnis ‘of the lady of Hrímnir <giant>’) as a determinant; it is therefore likely that the whole kenning belongs to the kenning pattern ‘lover, husband etc. of a giantess’ (Meissner 256). Hence ǫrþrasir has been translated here as ‘passionate lover’ (cf. LP: ǫrþrasir).
kennings
- ǫrþrasis drósar Hrímnis — of the passionate lover of the lady of Hrímnir <giant> [GIANT = Geirrøðr]
grammar
case: gen.