Þjóð Yt 2I/10 — Sǫkmímis ‘of Sǫkmímir’
En dagskjarr
Dúrnis niðja
salvǫrðuðr
Sveigði vélti,
þás í stein
hinn stórgeði
Dusla konr
ept dvergi hljóp.
Ok salr bjartr
þeira Sǫkmímis
jǫtunbyggðr
við jǫfri gein.
En dagskjarr Dúrnis niðja salvǫrðuðr vélti Sveigði, þás hinn stórgeði konr Dusla hljóp í stein ept dvergi. Ok bjartr jǫtunbyggðr salr þeira Sǫkmímis gein við jǫfri.
And the daylight-shy guard of the hall of the descendants of Dúrnir <dwarf> [(lit. ‘hall-guard of the descendants of Dúrnir’) DWARFS > ROCK > DWARF] tricked Sveigðir when the great-minded offspring of Dusli [= Sveigðir] ran into the rock after the dwarf. And the bright giant-inhabited hall of Sǫkmímir <giant> and his followers [ROCK] gaped at the prince.
notes
[9-11] bjartr jǫtunbyggðr salr þeira Sǫkmímis ‘the bright giant-inhabited hall of Sǫkmímir <giant> and his followers [ROCK]’: Giants count, like dwarfs, as rock-dwellers, for which reason references to giants’ dwellings can denote a rocky cave. Although all mss read salbjartr, emendation to nom. sg. salr is required since it is the subject of gein ‘gaped’. — [10] Sǫkmímis ‘of Sǫkmímir <giant>’: (a) The form Sǫk- is assumed here on the basis of all three ms. spellings (‘sꜹc-’ Kˣ, ‘so᷎c’ J2ˣ, ‘sꜹk’ F), though Sǫkkmímir occurs in Grí 50/2 (NK 67) and Þul Jǫtna I 6/5III (and see Note there). (b) Kock’s suggestion of Søkkmímir ‘Wealth-Mímir’ (cf. NN §1783A) is attractive, given the parallel with Hoddmímir ‘Treasure-Mímir’ in Vafþr 45/3 (NK 53). However, the ms. spellings do not favour normalised ‑kk and the existence of a word søkk ‘treasure’ in ON is uncertain (see Eyv Lv 4/5, Eyv Hál 1/10, Anon Pl 20/6VII (emendation) and Notes to these). (c) Interpretations of the name on the basis of søkkva ‘to sink’, i.e. as ‘giant who lives in the deep’ or similar (Bugge 1894, 120 n. 2; Yt 1925), are also problematic in the light of the ms. spellings. — [10] þeira Sǫkmímis ‘of Sǫkmímir <giant> and his followers’: The line is hypermetrical, with not four but five syllables. This led Bugge (1894, 120 n. 2) to suggest the pronunciation þěra. Noreen (1892, 202) suggested ‑míms instead of ‑mímis. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) made a valid case against both ideas, and nothing can be added to his judgement that this is an insoluble problem.
kennings
- bjartr jǫtunbyggðr salr þeira Sǫkmímis — the bright giant-inhabited hall of Sǫkmímir <giant> and his followers [ROCK]