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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Þul Sverða 2III/1 — stúfr ‘stump’

Skolkr, skerkir, stúfr,         Skrýmir, Laufi,
ǫltirr, langbarðr         ok ormþvari,
Leggbiti, kyrr, galmr         ok Leifnisgrand,
herberi, Hneitir         ok hræfrakki.

Skolkr, skerkir, stúfr, Skrýmir, Laufi, ǫltirr, langbarðr ok ormþvari, Leggbiti, kyrr, galmr ok Leifnisgrand, herberi, Hneitir ok hræfrakki.

Frightener, noise-maker, stump, Skrýmir, Laufi, ale-blade, Lombardic [sword] and serpent-borer, Leggbiti, quiet one, clanging one and Leifnir’s injury, war-striker, Hneitir and carrion-spear.

readings

[1] stúfr: ‘skofr ok’ C

notes

[1] stúfr (m.) ‘stump’: Possibly a short sword or a dagger. Stúfr is also recorded as heiti for ‘ox’ and ‘horse’ (Þul Øxna 2/5 and Þul Hesta 1/8) but never used in Old Norse poetry as a term for ‘sword’, ‘ox’ or ‘horse’. According to Finnur Jónsson (1926-8: stúfr), the word appears frequently in the rímur as a horse-heiti. Based on the C variant ‘skofr’, Finnur Jónsson (Skj B, followed by Skald) and Falk (1914b, 60) emend to skúfr, a poetic term for ‘sword’ (see Arn Hardr 3/5II and Note there), which Falk connects with skúfr ‘tassel’ (perhaps referring to a decorated hilt). Although attractive, that emendation goes against all other ms. witnesses and is hardly warranted.

grammar

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