Chapters 44-95 - Germanic Mythology

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The identity of Nökkvi, Nefur, and Gevarr appears from the following passages: (1) Hyndluljóð 20: "Nanna was, in the next place, Nökkvi's daughter" (Nanna var næst þar, Nökkva dóttir). (2) Gylfaginning 32: "The son of Baldur and of Nanna, daughter of Nef, was called Forseti" (Forseti heitir sonur Baldurs og Nönnu Nefsdóttur). Gylfaginning 49: "His (Baldur's) wife Nanna, daughter of Nep" (kona hans Nanna Nepsdóttir). (3) Saxo, Hist. Dan., Book 3: "Gevarr's daughter Nanna" (Gevari filia Nanna). That Saxo means the mythological Nanna follows from the fact that Baldur appears in the story as her wooer. That the Norse form of the name, which Saxo Latinized into Gevarus, was Gevarr, not Gefr, as a prominent linguist has assumed, follows from the rules adopted by Saxo in Latinizing Norse names. NOTE: Names of the class to which Gefr would belong, providing such a name existed, would be Latinized in the following manner: (a) Askr, Ascerus; Baldr, Balderus; Geldr, Gelderus; Glaumr, Glomerus; Höðr, Haðr; Óðr, Hotherus, Hatherus, Hotherus; Svipdagr, Svipdagerus; Ullr, Ollerus; Yggr, Uggerus; Vigr, Vigerus. (b) Ásmundr, Asmundus; Ámundr, Amundus; Arngrímr, Arngrimus; Bíldr, Bildus; Knútr, Canutus; Friðleifr, Fridlevus; Gautrekr, Gotricus; Goðmundr, Guthmundus; Haddingr, Hadingus; Haraldr, Haraldus. Names ending in -arr are Latinized in the following manner: (a) Borgarr, Borcarus; Einarr, Enarus; Gunnarr, Gunnarus; Hjörvarr, Hjartvarus; Ingimarr, Ingimarus; Ingvarr, Ingvarus; Ísmarr, Ismarus; Ívarr, Ivarus; Óttarr, Otharus; Róstarr, Rostarus; Sigarr, Sigarus; Sívarr, Sivarus; Valdimarr, Valdemarus. (b) Agnarr, Agnerus; Ragnarr, Regnerus. With the ending -arus occurs also in a single instance a Norse name in -i, namely Eylimi, Olimarus. Herewith we might perhaps include Liotarus, the Norse form of which Saxo may have had in Ljóti from Ljótr. Otherwise Ljótr is a single exception from the rules followed by Saxo, and methodology forbids our building anything on a single exception, which moreover is uncertain. Skaldic poetry which he seriously misinterprets. Rydberg himself may have realized the weakness of these examples, or perhaps was overly confident in them, as evidenced by his repeated expression of absolute certainly in their validity throughout this chapter.
Some monosyllabic names ending in -r are sometimes unlatinized, as Alf, Ulf, Sten, Ring, Rolf, and sometimes Latinized with -o, as Alvo, Ulvo, Steno, Ringo, Rolvo. Álfr is also found Latinized as Alverus. From the above lists of names it follows that Saxo's rules for Latinizing Norse names ending with the nominative -r after a consonant were these: (1) Monosyllabic names (seldom a dissyllabic one, as Svipdagr) are Latinized with the ending -erus or the ending -o. (2) Names of two or more syllables which do not end in -arr (rarely a name of one syllable, as Bíldr) are Latinized with the ending -us. (3) Names ending in -arr are Latinized with -arus; in a few cases (and then on account of the Danish pronunciation) with -erus. From the above rules it follows (1) that Gefr, if such a name existed, would have been Latinized by Saxo either into Geverus, Geferus, or into Gevo, Gefo; (2) that Gevarr is the regular Norse for Gevarus. The only possible meaning of the name Gevarr, considered as a common noun is "the ward of the atmosphere" from ge (gæ; see Nafnaþulur (veðra heiti), and Egilsson, 227) and -varr. I cite this definition not for the purpose of drawing any conclusions therefrom, but simply because it agrees with the result reached in another way. 3 The other name of Nanna's father is, as we have seen, Nökkvi, Nökkver. This word means the ship-owner, ship-captain. 4 If we compare these two names, Gevarr and Nökkver, with each other, then it follows from the comparison that Nanna's father was a mythic person who operated in the atmosphere or had some connection with certain phenomena in the air, and particularly in connection with a phenomenon there of such a kind that the mythic fancy could imagine a ship. The result of the comparison should be examined in connection with a strophe by Thorbjorn Hornklofi, which I shall now consider. Thorbjorn was the court-skald of Harald Fairhair, and he described many of the king's deeds and adventures. Harald had at one time caused to be built for himself and his body-guard a large and stately ship, with a beautiful figure-head in the form of a serpent. On board this ship he was overtaken by a severe gale, 5 which Hornklofi (Haralds saga Hárfagra, ch. 9) describes in the following words: ... út á mar mætir mannskæðr lagar tanna 3 The word gæ occurs only in the very late Nafnaþulur as a synonym for "wind" or "weather," rather than "atmosphere" (luftkrets) as Rydberg states. These vedra heiti are among the numerous Þulur found in late paper manuscripts, thought to be spurious and not included in the standard editions of the Snorri's Edda. In regard to gæ, Egilsson observes: "The word is probably identical to the Norwegian gjö, corresponding to the Icelandic gói, góa, the winter-month (February 20 - March 20)." 4 Nökkvi means "a small boat." (Vigfusson's Dictionary pg. 461) The meaning of Nökkver is uncertain. 5 Actually Haralds saga Hárfagra says nothing of the sort. Here Rydberg has overextended his poetic license.
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Undersökningar i Germanisk Mytolog
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myth, we shall discover an Erik who
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y a sacred order unlawful for the f
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there, the woman brought him to a p
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That these last ideas have been inf
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The river which is mentioned in Eri
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egg and the egg-shell." Also the ro
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conscious cunning. Nevertheless, he
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51 GUDMUND'S IDENTITY WITH MIMIR. T
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egins. They have explained Mimir's
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elapse into the faults of the forme
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and Leifthrasir were still remember
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the ásmegir demands that he must h
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immortality. In the Germanic mythol
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In the Norse sagas of the Middle Ag
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journey around the world. From a my
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There can be no doubt that "the ás
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Hakon's men are designated in the s
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which calls them ásliðar, a word
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youth of fifteen years. The evil cr
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square, to be an abode for men; an
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there comes a great conflagration a
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carried his prey to Nastrond (Völu
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In regard to the position of Yggdra
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giants, Niflhel, Niflheim, extends
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6. Under the third (subterranean) r
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Hades, the middle condition, and th
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2. Reið hann niður þaðan Niflhe
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In Grímnismál, the word Hel occur
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first cross a river and then come t
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creative force, over which the "ove
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oaths to serve the gods. Their chie
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Tamsvendi eg þig drep, en eg þig
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appellation suggests, and receive t
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Gerd, who tries to reject the love
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One of the signs that Ragnarok and
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conqueror in hundreds of battles, t
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While a terrible winter is raging,
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dead) beings called ásmegir and á
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in the dialects of several Germanic
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As maid-servants under Urd, there a
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30; Grímnismál 36; Skáldskaparm
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final destiny received Hel-shoes li
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on horseback, with wisdom in their
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THE CHOOSING. THE MIDDLE-AGE FABLE
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67. THE PSYCHOPOMPS OF THOSE NOT FA
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In our mythical records there is me
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sorcery is designated in Völuspá
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dead. Another road went to the sout
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The Aesir go to the thingstead near
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unes which Hadding applied were car
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majority of cases the fame acquired
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In Völuspá 26 orð is employed in
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To understand this strophe correctl
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life. Hades-images of those things
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The hamingja hears of it before any
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He who has observed these virtues m
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it is said that an immense subterra
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The author of the second song about
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him (in the capacity of hilmir Fán
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uttering a sound; but, when the spi
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Their way from Urd's well goes to t
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grotto" - reka einn fyrir Geitis gn
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is also Saxo's statement, that the
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and in one of the dotted lines the
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Saxo further says that the floor is
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Codex Regius (36) A fellr austan vm
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78. THE PLACES OF PUNISHMENT (conti
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There are at least three caves of t
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itself. 5 The true etymology of Mú
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go to show that Loki and his son ar
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tradition explained how the mill ca
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Vafþrúðnismál does not mean a w
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In its character as an institution
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Page 157 and 158: Point by point the descriptions of
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Chapters 44-95 - Germanic Mythology

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