Þul Á 6III/1 — Nyt ‘Nyt’
Nyt, Hrǫnn ok nauð, Nǫt, Slíðr ok Hríð,
Kǫrmt, Leiptr ok Ǫrmt, Kerlaugar tvær,
Gǫmul, Sylgr ok yn ok Geirvimul,
Ylgr, Vǫð ok flóð; Jorðán es á lesti.
Nyt, Hrǫnn ok nauð, Nǫt, Slíðr ok Hríð, Kǫrmt, Leiptr ok Ǫrmt, tvær Kerlaugar, Gǫmul, Sylgr ok yn ok Geirvimul, Ylgr, Vǫð ok flóð; Jorðán es á lesti.
Nyt, Hrǫnn and need, Nǫt, Slíðr and Hríð, Kǫrmt, Leiptr and Ǫrmt, two Kerlaugar, Gǫmul, Sylgr and yn and Geirvimul, Ylgr, Vǫð and flood; Jordan is the last.
readings
[1] Nyt: nit Tˣ
notes
[1, 2] Nyt ... Nǫt: The same pair of alliterating names is found in Gylf (SnE 2005, 33) and Grí 28/4 (NK 63) Nyt oc Nǫt lit. ‘profit and wet one’. Finnur Jónsson (1933-4, 263) argues that the river-name Nyt is the same as ON nyt f. ‘use, enjoyment, produce’, and hence the implied meaning of this heiti might be ‘one rich in fish’. Such river-names as ModSwed. Nytteström may, according to Hale (1983, 177-8), support this interpretation. ON nyt f. also means ‘milk’, however, and it is possible that the river-name Nyt could refer to the colour of the water (Hale loc. cit. mentions Mjølkeelven lit. ‘milk river’ in Norway). For Nǫt, cf. ModSwed. Naten, a lake in Södermanland, and OS nat, OHG naz ‘wet’, Goth. ganatjan ‘to wet’, Sanskrit nadi ‘river’ (AEW: nǫt 2). According to Finnur Jónsson (1933-4, 263), Nǫt might mean ‘shaking one’. Sijmons and Gering (S-G I, 199) connect it with the spear-heiti nǫt (see Þul Spjóts l. 1) and interpret this river-name as ‘stinging or burning one’ (see also Hale 1983, 178). These and other mythical names recorded in ll. 1-2 are names of rivers flowing from the spring Hvergelmir.