Published on September 27, 2024
INTRODUCTION
The Poetic Edda is a collection of poems written in Old Norse that are considered to be the most important sources of Norse mythology and literature. The stories have various subjects, offering various perspectives on the religion, culture, and history of the Viking Age.
Codex Regius, known as the Elder Edda or Poetic Edda, was in the possession of Brynjólfur Sveinsson, bishop of Skálholt, who later sent it as a gift to the king of Denmark. (Pettit, 2023, p. 1)
The poems in the Poetic Edda cover a wide range of topics, including myths about creation, tales of gods and goddesses, heroic legends, and the apocalypse (Ragnarök). The main characters are gods, giants, and elves.
There are famous poems that have been used as inspiration for movies. These include “Völuspá” (the Prophecy of the Seeress), “Hávamál”(The Sayings of the High One), and “Lokasenna” (Loki’s Quarrel).
Þrymskviða, also known as “The Lay of Thrym”, is another poem that has mythic characteristics, telling the story of Thor, who tries to retrieve his hammer, Mjölnir, which was stolen by a frost giant while the god was asleep. This is a tale that brings to light the weakness of the gods’ world. (Clark, Phelpstead, and Viking Society for Northern Research, 2007, p. 189)
This paper will focus on the analysis of the poem from the perspective of the language used, the Old Norse language.
Analysing it according to the basic structure and usage of ancient Norse involves understanding aspects such as grammar, vocabulary, and poetic devices.
RESULTS
Ancient Norse refers to the culture, language, and history of the Norse people, who lived in Scandinavia during the Viking Age (approximately 793–1066 AD). We need to say that the term “ancient Norse” typically refers to the historical period of the Vikings and their immediate predecessors.
The Norse civilization continued to evolve and transform over time, eventually giving rise to medieval Scandinavian societies. (Barnes, Faulkes, and Viking Society for Northern Research, 2008, pp. 1-2)
- The Narrative of Þrymskviða
In the myth, Thor awakens one morning to find that his hammer, Mjölnir, is missing. Distressed by the loss of his powerful weapon, Thor consults with the gods, who decide that Loki, the trickster god, should go to find who is the theft. Loki travels to the realm of the giants and finds out that Thrym, the ruler of the giants, has stolen Thor’s hammer and hidden it deep in the earth.
Thrym agrees to return Mjölnir to Thor, but only if his wish if fulfil. For this, he demands the hand of the goddess Freyja in marriage. Freyja, one of the most important goddesses, does not agree to this proposal, as she is unwilling to marry the giant. Nevertheless, Loki suggests a plan to trick Thrym and retrieve the hammer.
Freyja’s jewellery and women’s clothing are used to make Thor look like a goddess. He’s joined by Loki in Jötunheimr, the realm of giants, where they introduce the deceptive Freyja, as Thrym’s bride. Thrym is delighted at the sight of Freyja and promptly prepares a lavish banquet for the wedding.
The giants are suspicious of Thor’s seating habits and behavior during the feast, but Loki briefly explains that “Freyja” was so excited to marry Thrym so that she had been starving for days. The procession of marriage will develop without any disturbance, so Thrym brings hammer Mjölnir as a blessing for the vowes.
When Thrym placed Mjölnir on Thor’s lap, he grabbed the hammer and revealed his identity. He releases his anger upon the giants, killing them all and returning to Asgard victorious with his hammer restored. (Pettit, 2023, pp. 325–340)
- Complex functionality of grammar
Old Norse, like other Germanic languages, possessed a grammatical structure that uses cases, declensions, and conjugations. Þrymskviða contains various grammatical features such as noun declensions, verb conjugations, and the use of pronouns. The poem’s language adheres to the rules of Old Norse grammar, with appropriate inflections and word endings to convey meaning and syntactic relationships. (Barnes, Faulkes and Viking Society For Northern Research, 2008, pp. 22-24)
Examples:
Reiðr – Eng. angry, distorted; it is an adjective comparative that derives from the verb with the same form, Reiðr. In stanza 1 from Þrymskviða, this adjective has at the same time the role of a poetic device, generating an alliteration. The letters rðr will appear in the last verse of the first stanza, creating the idea of a claustrophobic topos that Thor needs to break out of to regain his and other gods’ stability.
The réð (from ráða), third-person singular past indicative, indicates Thor’s decision to turn into himself. This is not just a grammatical function of the verb but also a metaphor for Thor’s situation. He lost his hammer, which was to protect Asgard from giants. (Pettit, 2023, p. 328, stanza 1)
The functionality of the text cannot be analysed through only perspective but from the panorama of text complexity.
Due to the economy of this paper, I will resume my example from the above description, though all 32 stanzas of the poem can comport the same analysis with tremendous findings.
- Vocabulary
Unlike painters, musicians, or sculptors, poets struggle to reveal art using something demonetized, something with no artistic purpose—language. An ordinary way to express common things, language, in the service of the poet, needs to be creative, new, and original. The anonymous poet of Þrymskviða succeeded in using words that can depict a mythical world, realizing something never seen in mere reality.
The vocabulary in Þrymskviða reflects the range of words found in Old Norse literature. It includes terms related to mythology, gods, objects, actions, and emotions.
The words used in the poem carry the specific meanings associated with Old Norse usage, often rooted in the cultural and mythological context of the historical context.
Examples:
Fjaðrhams – (Eng. a cloak made from feathers) is a compound noun composed of two nouns existing independently in Old Norse: fjǫðr (feminine noun) and hams (with the meaning of covering in Proto-Germanic).
Fjaðrhams can be considered a new word with a new signification that indicates a mythical thing: Freyja’s cloak made from feathers that were borrowed by other gods for various purposes.
The sound ham appears in the structure of the noun hamar (s.m. Eng. hammer) leading to the idea of an alliteration.
The significance of this artistic device is that Thor’s hammer (though the world itself is a common one) has magical properties. (Pettit, 2023, p. 328, stanza 3)
- Poetic Devices
Þrymskviða employs various poetic devices commonly found in Old Norse poetry:
— Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds, is a fundamental aspect of Old Norse poetry. Þrymskviða contains frequent instances of alliteration within each half-line, emphasizing the rhythmic and musical qualities of the verse. (see the above examples.) (Olof Sundqvist, 2002, p. 320)
— Kennings are figurative expressions used to describe something indirectly. Þrymskviða utilizes kennings to create vivid and imaginative descriptions. For example, “Freyja’s tears” represent gold, “oath-breaker’s punishment” refers to marriage to a giant, and “Hlórriði’s flame” symbolizes Thor’s anger. (Fulk, 2021)
— Metaphor: Metaphorical language is used to convey emotions, actions, or characteristics indirectly. Þrymskviða employs metaphors to evoke vivid imagery and enhance the poetic impact of the narrative. (Lombardi, 2022, p. 198)
5. Metrical Structure
The metrical structure of the poem is rimur, which is “a form of rhymed Icelandic poetry arranged into stanzas” (McGillivray, 2023, p. 1)
DISCUSSION
These are some linguistic features found in Þrymskviða and other Old Norse poems. Studying these elements provides insights into the poetic traditions, cultural expressions, and linguistic richness of the Norse people during the Viking Age.
The artistic innovation of the anonymous poet who composed The Poetic Edda is represented by all the techniques used in the construction of the poems.
Þrymskviða is an illustration of how the Old Norse language was used in the service of literature.
We need to mention that, taking into consideration the structure of the poem—the stanzas, the alliteration, the meter—there is an evident artistic intention that was the basis of this literary creation.
SUMMARY
The analysis of the poem Þrymskviða about the Old Norse language revealed some significant key points: the meter and the poetic form—this meter is commonly found in Old Norse poetry and is characterized by its complex structure and alliteration; kenning, which are metaphorical compound expressions used to describe various elements in the poem, adding richness and imagery to the language; complex functional grammar; interesting poetic devices; various and artistic use of the vocabulary; metaphorical language.
Overall, the analysis of Þrymskviða from the perspective of the Old Norse language provides insights into the linguistic richness, poetic techniques, and cultural nuances present in the poem. It allows scholars to delve into the intricacies of the Old Norse language and better appreciate the literary artistry of the text.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Fulk, R.D. (2021). Kennings in Old English Verse and in the Poetic Edda. European Journal of Scandinavian Studies, 51(1), pp.69–91. doi:https://doi.org/10.1515/ejss-2020-2030.
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Lombardi, M.C. (2022). The Language of Magic. Collana del Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Moderne dell’Università degli Studi ‘G. d’Annunzio, pp.191–199.
McGillivray, A. (2023). The Bearded Bride: A Critical Edition of Þrymlur. 2020. Edited and translated by Lee Colwill and Haukur Þorgeirsson. Viking Society for Northern Research, University College London. xli + 58 pages. ISBN: 978-0-903521-98-7. 30, pp.1–4. doi:https://doi.org/10.29173/scancan220.
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