Wimmer’s edition of the Icelandic Rune Poem versus the

version

The text indexed by ‘Thrideilur’ is found in the manuscript ‘JS 43 4to’ put online by http://www.sagnanet.is/

The manuscript, first rune

I give you this somewhat scholarly information to show that Thrideilur Rúna provides a version which essentially is, except for many small orthographical variations, identical to the now ‘academic’ version due to Wimmer. I added a few translations that underline the deep similarity between the two versions. This observation is very important since it shows that the Icelanders who wrote the Thrideilur down were perfectly aware of their classical runic poem. Thus, their Latin commentaries are significant.

Wimmer’s: er frænda róg ok flædar viti (one version carries fyrða gaman) ok grafseiðs gata.

ÞriRún: fee er frænða rögúr, og pirðagaman. grapseidis gata

As you see, both are nearly identical. Thrideilur Rúna carries the version ‘fyrða gaman’ written as ‘pirðagaman’. The ancient manuscripts often write in the same way ‘p’ and ‘f’. Thus Thrideilur confirms that Fé is “the warrior’s pleasure” which sheds a clearly sexual light on which fish is spoken of in the ‘way (or cage) of the fish’, the classical translation of grafseiðs gata)!

Wimmer’s: er skýja grátr ok skara þverrir ok hirðis hatr

ÞriRún: Ur er skÿa grätir skara þerrir hirdis hatúr

Wimmer’s: er kvenna kvöl ok kletta búi ok varðrúnar verr

ÞriRún: Þúrs er kúena kúøl kletta Búe varðrún ve

Wimmer’s: er aldingautr ok ásgarðs jöfurr ok valhallar vísi

ÞriRún: Os er alldingaútúr. valhallar vÿser, Og Asgards jøfúr :

Wimmer’s: er sitjandi sæla ok snúðig ferð ok jórs erfiði

ÞriRún: Reið er sitianðe sæla, snúdúg før för erviðe ..

Wimmer’s: er barna bōl ok bardagi ok holdfúa hús

ÞriRún: Kaun er barna ból : og Bardaga før holl fúahús.

Bar-dagi means ‘day of battle’ and, by extension, a whipping or a calamity. Bardaga-för is ‘travel to calamity’.

Wimmer’s: er kaldakorn ok krapadrifa ok snáka sótt.

ÞriRún: Hagall er kallda korn, krappadrÿfa snaka sött.

Wimmer’s: er þýjar þrá ok þungr kostr ok vássamlig verk.

ÞriRún: Naúd er þÿa þrä, þungur kostúr vosam-lig verk

Wimmer’s: er árbörkr ok unnar þak ok feigra manna fár.

ÞriRún: Is er ärbørkur unna þak feigs forað

The sentence ‘feigra manna fár’ means the journey or the ‘dangerous tendency’ of fey or dying people. Thrideilur ‘feigs forað’ means ‘gaping pit of the fey’.

Wimmer’s: er gumna góði ok gott sumar ok algróinn akr

ÞriRún: Ar er gúmnagöde, glart (or glatt) sumar, algröinn akúr

Wimmer’s: er skýja skjöldr ok skínandi röðull ok ísa aldrtregi.

ÞriRún: Söl er skipa skiølldur, skÿnandi Rødull, húerfandi húel

The words ‘ísa aldrtregi’ in the classical version mean ‘ancient sadness of ice’ and ‘húerfandi húel’ (read hverfandi hvel’) means ‘turning wheel’.

Wimmer’s: er einhendr áss ok úlfs leifar ok hofa hilmir.

ÞriRún: Tÿr er Balldúrs broder einhendur äs, úlfzleifúr.

Wimmer’s: er laufgat lim ok lítit tré ok ungsamligr viðr.

ÞriRún: Biarkan er litad lim, og laufgað trie, vaxandi vidur :

In the classical version the viðr (tree) is ungsamligr (a young shoot among others) while it is vaxandi (growing) in the Thrideilur.

Wimmer’s: er vellanda vatn ok víðr ketill ok glömmunga grund.

ÞriRún: Vellandi vimur vidur ketill grúnnunga grúnd.

The fishes are slightly different: glömmungr is a ‘kind of fish’ and grunnungr is a un ‘fish living in shallow waters’.

Wimmer’s: er manns gaman ok moldar auki ok skipa skreytir.

ÞriRún: Madur er mans gaman mollðar aúke skipa skreitir..

Wimmer’s: er bendr bogi ok brotgjarnt járn ok fífu fárbauti.

ÞriRún: ÿr er tvibentúr boge og bargada gagn fÿfú farbaúte