Anon Krm 1VIII/4 — vitnis ‘wolf’
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi.
Hitt var ei fyr löngu,
er á Gautlandi gengum
at grafvitnis morði.
Þá fengu vér Þóru;
þaðan hétu mik fyrðar,
þá er ek lyngölun lagðak,
Loðbrók, at því vígi.
Stakk ek á storðar lykkju
stáli bjartra mála.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Hitt var ei fyr löngu, er gengum at morði grafvitnis á Gautlandi. Þá fengu vér Þóru; fyrðar hétu mik Loðbrók þaðan, þá er ek lagðak lyngölun at því vígi. Ek stakk stáli bjartra mála á lykkju storðar.
We hewed with the sword. It was not long ago when we set about the slaying of the digging-wolf [SNAKE] in Götaland. That was when we married Þóra; people have called me Loðbrók (‘Hairy-breeches’) from the time when I stabbed the heather-fish [SNAKE] to death in that fight. I thrust the blade with bright ornaments at the loop of the earth [SNAKE].
readings
[4] grafvitnis: so 6ˣ, R702ˣ, R693ˣ, ‘grauítnis’ 1824b, ‘graf vitins’ LR
notes
[4] grafvitnis ‘of the digging-wolf [SNAKE]’: This kenning, meaning literally either ‘digging-wolf’ or ‘grave-wolf’ (see LP: grafvitnir) and endowing the snake with worm-like characteristics, is well established in Old Norse poetry (cf. Meissner 113), occurring as a proper name (for a serpent) in Grí 34/5, as one in a list of poetic terms for ‘snake’ in Þul Orma 2/1III, and as the determinant in kennings for ‘gold’ in Esk Øxfl 6/4III and Anon Bjark 4/8III.
kennings
- grafvitnis — of the digging-wolf [SNAKE]
grammar
case: gen.