Bragi Þórr 6III/2 — vágs ‘of the sea’
Vildit vrǫngum ofra
vágs byrsendir œgi,
hinns mjótygil máva
mœrar skar fyr Þóri.
Byrsendir vágs vildit ofra vrǫngum œgi, hinns skar mjótygil mœrar máva fyr Þóri.
The wind-sender of the sea [GIANT = Hymir] did not want to raise up the twisted terrifier, he who cut the slender string of the marshland of seagulls [SEA > FISHING LINE] for Þórr.
readings
[2] vágs: ‘vógs’ B
notes
[2] byrsendir vágs ‘the wind-sender of the ocean [GIANT = Hymir]’: The hap. leg. cpd byrsendir ‘wind-sender’ is to be understood in connection with mythological associations between giants, like Hræsvelgr, and the generation of wind (cf. SnE 2005, 20). This reading was proposed by Kock (NN §2205F). On the associations between supernatural beings in Old Norse and the raising of wind, see Perkins (2001). Skj B (cf. LP: hyrsendir, vágr 2) adopts the variant reading hyrsendir ‘fire-sender’, construing it with vágs as a man-kenning ‘sender of the fire of the bay [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’, a rather inappropriate kenning for Hymir! Vágr means either the sea, especially when disturbed by wind (LP: vágr 1), or a bay (LP: vágr 2). It is also possible to construe vágs (l. 2) with vrǫngum œgi ‘twisted terrifier’ (ll. 1, 2) to produce a kenning for Miðgarðsormr vrǫngum œgi vágs ‘twisted terrifier of the ocean [= Miðgarðsormr]’.
kennings
- Byrsendir vágs — The wind-sender of the sea [GIANT = Hymir]