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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Þul Trollkvenna 1III/7 — Gestilja ‘Gestilja’

Skal ek trollkvenna         telja heiti:
Gríðr ok Gnissa,         Grýla, Brýja,
Glumra, Geitla,         Gríma ok Bakrauf,
Guma, Gestilja,         Grottintanna.

Ek skal telja heiti trollkvenna: Gríðr ok Gnissa, Grýla, Brýja, Glumra, Geitla, Gríma ok Bakrauf, Guma, Gestilja, Grottintanna.

I shall enumerate the names of troll-women: Gríðr and Gnissa, Grýla, Brýja, Glumra, Geitla, Gríma and Bakrauf, Guma, Gestilja, Grottintanna.

readings

[7] Gestilja: ‘g[…]stilia’ B, ‘gestilía’ 744ˣ

notes

[7] Gestilja: This name is otherwise attested only once, in EGils Selv 5/6IV, where it means ‘monster’ and may be a common noun (LP: Gestilja). This troll-woman could be the female counterpart of the sea-king Gestill (from gestr m. ‘guest’; Þul Sea-kings l. 2 and Þul Sækonunga 1/6) (so Motz 1981, 505). Alternatively, Finnur Jónsson (1934-5, 306) suggests that -ilja may be a derivative from il f. ‘sole of the foot’, but the meaning of the word remains obscure.

grammar

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