Þjóð Yt 9I/9 — tꜹr ‘…’
Þat telk undr,
ef Agna her
Skjalfar rôð
at skǫpum þóttu,
þás gœðing
með gollmeni
Loga dís
at lopti hóf,
hinns við †tꜹr†
temja skyldi
svalan hest
Signýjar vers.
Þat telk undr, ef rôð Skjalfar þóttu her Agna at skǫpum, þás dís Loga hóf gœðing at lopti með gollmeni, hinns skyldi temja svalan hest vers Signýjar við †tꜹr†.
I call it a wonder if Skjǫlf’s plans seemed to the liking of Agni’s troop when the sister of Logi [= Skjǫlf] heaved the prince aloft with the gold neck-ring, the one who had to tame the cool horse of the lover of Signý [= Hagbarðr > GALLOWS] near …
readings
[9] tꜹr: ‘taur’ 521ˣ, R685ˣ, 761aˣ
notes
[9] við †tꜹr† ‘near …’: Snorri, in Yng, understood †tꜹr† as the p. n. Taur, the site of Agni’s hanging, and this is followed in Hkr 1893-1901; Skj B; ÍF 26; Skald. The assumption was that it referred to the peninsula between Mörköfjord, Mälaren and the Baltic, now called Södertörn. This has been disputed on orthographic grounds (Noreen 1892, 214; Yt 1925; Evans 1981, 92) but defended by Moberg (1951, 26-7) and Dillmann (2000, 45; see below). (b) A very early interpretation understood taur as ‘ring’ (Säve 1854, 23 n. 3; Eggert Ó. Brím 1895, 9; Falk 1914b, 61). Indications favouring this are taurarr ‘ringed’ (Þul Sverða 6/3III), a word for sword (cf. Yt 1925), and perhaps also taurar ‘treasure’ (KormǪ Lv 47/3V (Korm 68)). This would give the sense that Agni was hanged with the neck-ring, which is satisfactory in general terms, but the expression ‘with the neck-ring’ seems not to fit the metaphor for ‘hanging’ used in this helmingr, although the use of collars for leading horses is not uncommon. Dillmann (2000, 45) brings further arguments against the ‘neck-ring’ interpretation. He thinks a p. n. tǫr or tør possible, and Elmevik (1986, 14-17) assumes such forms as these as the basis for the Swed. p. n. Södertörn. The balance of probability therefore returns to the p. n. interpretation.