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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Þul Orma 2III/3 — grafningr ‘digger’

Grafvitnir, fánn,         Góinn, holtskriði,
grafningr, grettir,         Grábakr, trani,
grímr ok grafþvengr,         gargan, eitrungr,
hringr, holdvarinn,         haugvarðr, dreki.

Grafvitnir, fánn, Góinn, holtskriði, grafningr, grettir, Grábakr, trani, grímr ok grafþvengr, gargan, eitrungr, hringr, holdvarinn, haugvarðr, dreki.

Grafvitnir, gleaming one, Góinn, grove-slider, digger, grimacer, Grábakr, crane, masked one and digging-belt, shrieking one, poisonous one, ring, flesh-wary one, mound-watcher, dragon.

notes

[3] grafningr (m.) ‘digger’: The heiti is derived from the strong verb grafa ‘dig’. It occurs only once in skaldic poetry, in a C14th poem by Einarr Gilsson (EGils Guðkv 4/3IV), and it may be of learned origin here, possibly taken from the þulur. Grafningr seems to be coined in analogy with names for mythical serpents and other heiti with the element graf- (e.g. Grafvitnir in l. 1 above, grafþvengr ‘digging-belt’ in l. 5 below and Grafvǫlluðr in Grí 34/6). In the rímur, the heiti is used in kennings for ‘gold’ (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: grafningr).

grammar

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