ÚlfrU Húsdr 8III/2 — fróðs ‘wise’
Kostigr ríðr at kesti,
kynfróðs þeims goð hlóðu
hrafnfreistaðar, hesti
Heimdallr, at mǫg fallinn.
Kostigr Heimdallr ríðr hesti at kesti, þeims goð hlóðu at fallinn mǫg kynfróðs hrafnfreistaðar.
Splendid Heimdallr rides a horse to the pyre which the gods erected for the fallen son of the kin-wise raven-tester [= Óðinn > = Baldr].
readings
[2] ‑fróðs: ‑góðr U
notes
[2] kynfróðs ‘kin-wise’: All other adjectival compounds with kyn- ‘heritage, kin’ incorporate that word’s meaning into the cpd; cf. e.g. kynstórr ‘of significant ancestry’, kynfrægr ‘famous on account of one’s ancestry’, kynríkr ‘powerful on account of one’s ancestry’. The adj. kynfróðs applied to Óðinn could refer to his maternal descent from giants from whom he acquired the knowledge of such things as magical chants (see Hávm 140-1). Giants are often introduced as possessing special knowledge or other culturally significant items (Schulz 2004, 61, 79-82). Ms. U differs from the other mss and gives kyngóðr (m. nom. sg.) ‘of good ancestry’, which must refer to Heimdallr (m. nom. sg., l. 4).
kennings
- kynfróðs hrafnfreistaðar. — of the kin-wise raven-tester. [= Óðinn]
- fallinn mǫg kynfróðs hrafnfreistaðar. — the fallen son of the kin-wise raven-tester. [= Baldr]