The Prose Edda
Page 21
3 The Giant Hrungnir
1. no end to his boasting: Describing Hrungnir’s boasts, the text uses the term stór orð, meaning ‘big words’, and the scene has the flavour of depicting ritual drinking oaths.
2. Mokkurkalfi… wet himself: ‘Mokkurkalfi’ (Mökkurkálfi) has sometimes been translated as Mist Calf. However, the first part of the word, mökkur, most probably means earth or dirt such as clay. There has been confusion because kálfi, which specifically means the calf muscle of the leg, resembles the word kálfr, meaning a newborn cow. Given the story, it would make sense if the meaning of this name were something like ‘clay foot’, indicating the weakness of this clay creature, especially when wet.
3. three years old: Some manuscripts say three nights rather than winters (years).
4. the star called Aurvandil’s Toe: Aurvandilstá is a star or perhaps a planet. Aurvandil is Earendel in Old English and may be the Morning Star.
4 Thor Journeys to Geirrod’S Courts
1. rowan branches: The rowan tree, thought to be holy, was associated with Thor.
5 The Dwarves Make Treasures for the Gods
1. awl… punched holes through the lips: An awl is a sharp pointed tool, usually of iron, for making holes in wood or leather.
7 Otter’S Ransom
1. Why… gold called Otter’s ransom: The story recounted here agrees in the main with the material found in both the eddic poems and The Saga of the Volsungs.
2. coin: The Old Norse word is penningr, a coin.
3. Gjukungs, also called the Niflungs: King Gjuki’s sons, the Gjukungs, were also called Niflungs, a name related to the Nibelungs of the South German epic the Nibelungenlied.
4. linen fee: The linen fee (línfé) was a gift paid by the bridegroom to the bride on the morning after the marriage was consummated.
5. Gudrun… King Jonak… three sons: This part of the story is also known from The Lay of Hamdir and Gudrun’s Incitement, as well as from The Saga of the Volsungs. Skaldic verses by the poet Bragi Boddason also allude to the events.
6. King Jormunrek the Powerful: The Gothic King Jormunrek is based on a historical figure, known to the Romans as Ermanaric, Hermanaric or Ermenrichus. In the fourth century, this king ruled a vast Ostrogothic empire of horsemen north of the Black Sea on the steppes of what is today Ukraine. The contemporary Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, in his History, claims that Ermenrichus (d. 375) killed himself rather than face attack by the Huns. The sixth-century Gothic historian Jordanes relates in his History of the Goths an old story about the killing of a woman, Sunilda, which is remarkably close to the Norse version. Jordanes’ story includes the vengeance of the woman’S brothers Sarus and Ammius. The legend of Ermanaric was known throughout the northern lands and his tragedy is mentioned in the Old English poem Widsith.
7. Bikki: According to The Saga of the Volsungs Bikki is King Jormunrek’s adviser.
8. Aslaug: The Saga of the Volsungs tells that Aslaug is the daughter of Sigurd and Brynhild.
9. Sinfjotli… Sigurd: Sigurd and Sinfjotli are half-brothers, both the sons of Sigmund, the son of Volsung. In The Saga of the Volsungs, Sinfjotli is said to be Sigmund’S son by an incestuous union with his sister Signy, and Sigmund and Sinfjotli live in the forest as wolves while seeking vengeance for the killing of Volsung.
8 Frodi’S Mill and His Peace
1. the Danish tongue: Scandinavians in the Viking Age tended to call their common language the Danish tongue (Dönsk tunga). Just when and why they used this term is unclear, but it may be because Denmark became a powerful royal state earlier than the other regions of the north. At times Danish kings controlled large parts of Scandinavia.
2. Jalangr’s Heath: A heath on Jutland near Jelling, the ancient royal seat of the Danish kingdom.
9 Kraki’S Seed and King Hrolf Kraki of Denmark
1. a thin pole: Acccording to the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, writing about 1200, kraki refers to a tree trunk trimmed so that it can be used as a ladder. The place Hleidra (Hleiðra, modern Danish Lejre) on Sjaelland was an ancient seat of Danish chieftains where archaeological remains of large halls and burial mounds have been found, dating at least from the fifth and sixth centuries.
2. It takes little to please Vogg: An expression still in use in modern Icelandic, used when indicating that someone is easily pleased.
3. Uppsala: Just north of modern-day Stockholm, Uppsala was the seat of the ancient Swedish kings and a centre of religious observance.
4. Yrsa: Queen Yrsa’s marital relationships and the enmity between King Hrolf of Denmark and King Adils of Sweden are major themes in The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. In Beowulf, Adils appears as Eadgils.
5. helmet Hildigolt… mail shirt Finnsleif… ring called Sviagris: The gold ring called Swedes’ Pig, or Sviagris, was one of the great treasures of the Uppsala dynasty. The helmet Battle Boar, or Hildigolt, is probably the same as Battle Pig, or Hildisvin, mentioned a few lines earlier. Finn’s Legacy, or Finnsleif, is perhaps the work of a dwarf.
6. river Fyri: Runs through Uppsala; the Plains of Fyri lie just outside Uppsala.
10 The Never-ending Battle
1. west over the sea: This expression refers to the British Isles, especially Scotland, Orkney, the Hebrides and Ireland.
* For illustration, see Introduction, p. xxvi.