Anon Bjark 5III/3 — Sifjar ‘Sif’s’
Ýtti ǫrr hilmir — aldir við tóku —
Sifjar svarðfestum, svelli dalnauðar,
tregum Otrs gjǫldum, tôrum Mardallar,
eldi Órunar, Iðja glysmôlum.
Ǫrr hilmir ýtti – aldir tóku við – svarðfestum Sifjar, svelli dalnauðar, tregum gjǫldum Otrs, tôrum Mardallar, eldi Órunar, glysmôlum Iðja.
The generous prince distributed – the men received [it] – Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD], ice of the bow-compulsion [ARM > SILVER], the reluctant payment for Otr [GOLD], the tears of Mardǫll <= Freyja> [GOLD], the fire of Órun <river> [GOLD], the shining speeches of Iði <giant> [GOLD].
readings
[3] Sifjar: so W, U, A, papp10ˣ, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ, svíar R, ‘su uar’ Tˣ, ‘siafar’ B, ‘sif[…]’ C
notes
[3] svarðfestum Sifjar ‘Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD]’: This unique gold-kenning (cf. Meissner 226) depends upon a myth told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 41-2) in which the god Loki once cut off the hair of Sif, wife of the god Þórr. The latter flew into a rage and demanded that Loki produce a substitute head of golden hair for Sif which would grow from her scalp as if it were natural. Loki managed to get some dwarfs to manufacture such an object, along with other precious possessions that the gods came to own.
kennings
- svarðfestum Sifjar, — Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords, [GOLD]