Norse Bardic Texts 1200-1400

(June 29, 2023) The Gragas was written between 1380 and 1400 for the purpose of reconciling Icelandic and Danish law using the native language (not Latin). Consequently, it can be dated somewhat independently of letter style. As such this should be considered as a dating anchor for all the other Icelandic texts.

The  Grágás never actually existed in one complete volume during medieval times. The Grágás does not contain a unified body of law. Instead, the Grágás was derived from two smaller, fragmentary volumes known as the Konungsbók (Copenhagen, Royal Library, GKS 1157 fol), apparently written around 1310, and Staðarhólsbók (Reykjavík, Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, AM 334 fol), apparently written in 1330. Sometimes the Konungsbók and Staðarhólsbók present different information, sometimes complementary information, and sometimes contradictory information. The ornate detail and appearance of the volumes suggests that they were created for a wealthy, literate man, though scholars cannot be certain. 

Iceland had always been nominally ruled by the Norwegian king but in reality that control was very loose. Since its founding Iceland had developed its own law code and its Althing (Parliament) continued to be held at Thingvellir which was mostly used as a court of justice. Most of the "royal" officials who became island chieftains were Icelanders. In 1380 the Norwegian monarchy entered into a union with the Danish crown, but that change did not affect Iceland’s status within the realm as a personal skattland (“tax land”) of the crown but it did lead to these new law codes.

This was also a time of increased European interest in Iceland due to its fishing industry. After the Icelandic Black Death of 1404 killed off many of the native Icelandic fishermen, the English merchants out of Bergen Norway were able to begin fishing around Iceland. The Danish crown repeatedly tried to stop the resulting English trade in Iceland but it lacked the naval power with which to defend its remote possession.

References

https://www.britannica.com/place/Iceland/Iceland-under-foreign-rule

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Goose_Laws

(July 6, 2023) The Icelandic chiefs apparently were wealthy enough from 1200 onwards due to the fish trade to hold courtly entertainments just like the royal courts on the European mainland. The Prose Edda was written by as a handbook for court poets to aid in their understanding of Icelandic mythology. Seven manuscripts of the Prose Edda have survived into the present day: Six copies from the medieval period and another dating to the 1600s. No one manuscript is complete and each has variations. In addition to three fragments, the four main manuscripts are in the Codex Regius, Codex Wormianus, Codex Trajectinus, and the Codex Upsaliensis. The name Snorri Sturluson has been the author associated with this text but that may or may not be true because he was a famous Icelandic personage from the 1200's. Often texts have been assigned to past famous people when the author is actually unknown.

The Prose Edda consists of four sections: 

Prologue

This section presents Germanic/Nordic gods as deified humans (a personification known as euhemerization in scholarly circles). Authorship of this section remains particularly unclear—the Prose Edda prologue may have been an addition to an earlier form of the text by an unknown author.

Gylfaginning

This text consists of a dialogue between three deity-like entities and Gylfi, a legendary king, Gylfaginning focuses on providing information derived from a genre of poetry known as Eddic poetry (essentially, poems in the style of those found in the Poetic Edda). The section includes excerpts from numerous Eddic poems known to us in extended form as well as excerpts from several Eddic poems now otherwise lost (such as Heimdalargaldr). (approximately 20,000 words) 

Skáldskaparmál

This section is a dialogue between the jǫtunn (builder) Ægir (Akkadiaan AG with Indo-European -R ending meaning "anger") and the courtly-poet (skald) and/or deity Bragi (Akkadian BR.G meaning " Seer of energy"). It begins much like Gylfaginning before turning into numerous lists of epithets and their meanings with excerpts from skaldic poetry. Like the book’s prologue, Skáldskaparmál may have been modified or expanded upon by an unknown author (or unknown authors), and like Gylfaginning, it contains many items unrecorded elsewhere.

The word "Skáldskaparmál" is a compound word composed of Skald and Skaparmal. Skald is the Druid Akkadian phrase meaning SK.LD  meaning "Weaving.Rowed-Things." or in other words "Weaving Texts." Texts are like farm fields and cloth in that both have rows. Skaparmal is Akkadian SK.PR.ML meaning "weaving.effort.counterbalance" or in other words "Balanced Writing." When combined these word form the title: "Balanced Writing For Weaving Texts."

Háttatal

This section discusses the technical aspects of how to compose courtly poetry (approximately 20,000 words). 

(July 7, 2023) This source book got its name due to being stored in the Danish royal archives. In Icelandic it is called the Konungsbók. The title is in Latin which translates to English as "Royal Book."

Regius Manuscript Text Title Etymologies

A common word used in this titles is "filling" which in Akkadian has the broad sense of compensating for some loss just like a tooth filling is compensating for lost tooth material.

1. Völuspá: This is the story about the creation of the community of divine powers, their coming end, and subsequent rebirth. It is the Druid Akkadian phrase W'.LW.SP meaning "Curse.lover.community" which translates to "Curse lover's community." Curse lovers are the Völvas (witches) in ancient Norse culture who did astrology magic (called Seidr in Old Norse). In Druid runic texts Volvas are called "shepherd priests." This book also has the dwarf name list which was used by Tolkien in his "Lord of the Rings" books.
2. Hávamál: This is advice for proper conduct and wisdom. 
3. Vafþrúðnismál: This is a conversation between Odin and Frigg about Norse cosmogony. These are 2 of the 3 main Norse deities.
4. Grímnismál: This is a poem describing the divine worlds and Odin's (Su's grinding powers) many guises. The third and last part of the poem is also prose, a brief description the demise of a king called Geirröth, his son's ascension, and Odin's disappearance.  
5. Skírnismál: This is a tale about Freyr (Sun of the life power class) seducing a beautiful girl called Gerðr (meaning "G.ṬR or "energy's writing" which is an epithet for fate).
6. Hárbarðsljóð: This is a poem in which the ferryman Hárbarðr and the god Thor compete in a flyting or verbal contest with one other. 
7. Hymiskviða: This text contains fragments of a number of myths thrown together with very little structure. The scenes follow each other in a very rough logical order. Some of the allusions are not known from other sources and it contains unusually many epithet phrases (kennings). 
8. Lokasenna: This is a story about how Loki insults the other deities and ends up paying the price.
9. Þrymskviða: This story describes how the builder Þrym steals Mjǫllnir, the hammer of Thor, and demands marriage to the goddess Freyja if he returns the hammer. Freyja, of course, wants nothing to do with Þrym, so Thor disguises himself and presents himself to Þrym as Freyja. The story’s humour derives largely from the bride’s astonishing behaviour at the wedding feast, where “she” eats an entire ox and eight salmon and drinks three vessels of mead.
10. Völundarkviða: This story is an adventure story in which artisan Völundr (Alu's Thrower") is captured by Níðuðr, a petty-king of Närke (currently in Sweden), and Vǫlundr's brutal revenge and escape
11. Alvíssmál: This story is about the dwarf Alvis (AL.US meaning "Alu's binding") who comes to fetch his bride-to-be, Thrud (Akkadian DR.D meaning "forms.manifested," a daughter of Thor. But Thor does not want to lose his daughter so Thor out-wits him. In the end, they have spoken for so long that Alvis is caught out in the sun and turns to stone.
12. Helgakviða Hundingsbana 1: "Hundingsbana is Indo-European for "Hounding the Path" like a dog following a scented trail. Yet the word "ban" is similar to "bane" meaning "death" so the hero in the story is also called that. These 3 stories are a rather disjointed collection of similarly themed romantic adventures.
13. Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar: 
14. Helgakviða Hundingsbana 2: (Same as 12)
15. Frá Dauða Sinfjötla: "Fra" is Indo-European meaning "From" or "For." This story describes the death of Sinfjötli who is the son of Sigmundr.  Sinfjötli dies when trickery by Sigmund overcomes certain magical wards. Thu is not really a life-power but is a connective motion power which brings astrologically defined fate to earth. This story seems to be about how fate finds a way to overcome everything.  This story  connects the Helgakviða Hundingsbana II and Grípisspá. 
16. Grípisspá: This is a story in which Sigurd (Akkadian S.GR.D meaning Su's.Aid.Manifestations" predicts the future of his uncle, Grípir (Akkadian GR.P with Indo-European -R meaning "Aid.Opener." The poem is well preserved and coherent.  Because of that It is thought to be among the youngest poems of the Codex Regius,
17. Reginsmál: This text relates Loki's dealings with Andvari. Interpolated with prose passages, the poem moves on to Sigurd's relationship with Reginn and the advice given to him by Odin.
18. Fáfnismál: This section is actually unnamed in the Poetic Edda. This title was given to it by European scholars based on its content. It is similar to the Reginsmál. The first part of the poem is a dialogue between Sigurd and Fáfnir. The poem moves on to Sigurd's slaying of Fáfnir, dealings with Reginn and claiming of the gold hoard. 
19. Sigrdrífumál: This story follows Fáfnismál without interruption, and it relates the meeting of Sigurðr with the valkyrie Brynhildr,  here identified as Sigrdrífa. Its content consists mostly of verses concerned with runic magic and general wisdom literature, presented as advice given by Sigrdrífa to Sigurd.
20. The Great Lacuna:  What survives here is just a text fragment
21. Brot af Sigurðarkviðu: All that remains of this text is 22 stanzas of a much longer text which seems to have combined two smaller poems. one of which is Sigurðarkviða hin skamma (entry 22)
22. Guðrúnarkviða 1: In this text Gudrun finds her dead husband Sigurd. In this first text Gudrun cries and laments her husband with beautiful imagery. 
23. Sigurðarkviða hin skamma: This is a longer but not yet complete version of the 2nd poem called Brot af Sigurðarkviðu. This poem focuses on the wooing of Brynhildr who had never known either ill or sorrow but fate would intervene with the rivalry of two brothers.
24. Helreið Brynhildar: This poem deals with how the dead Sigurd and Brynhildr are burnt on two pyres with Brynhildr who lying in wagon. for taking her to the afterlife. During this journey, she passes the house where lived a woman called Gýgr.
25. Dráp Niflunga: This is a short prose text about Gunnar and Hogni arranging a marriage which goes wrong and gets them both killed. 
26. Guðrúnarkviða 2;  In this text Gudrun finds her dead husband Sigurd. In this second text Gudrun recapitulates her life.
27. Guðrúnarkviða 3; In this text Gudrun finds her dead husband Sigurd. In the third text Gudrun is accused of infidelity with king Theodoric (Þjóðrekr) of the Goths. Gudrun proves her innocence by picking up gems from the bottom of a boiling cauldron with her bare white hands. 
28. Oddrúnargrátr: The main content of the poem is the lament of Oddrún for Gunnarr her lost and forbidden love. The poem is well preserved.
29. Atlakviða: This story is about how Atli sends a messenger to Gunnarr and his younger brother Högni. The messenger says that Atli is inviting the brothers to his court and offering them great riches. The brothers are skeptical of the offer since they already have an exceedingly great treasure of gold. Confirming their suspicions is a ring sent by their sister Guðrún, Atli's wife, with a wolf's hair wrapped onto it. Atli obviously plans treachery but Gunnarr still decides to take up the offer, vowing that if he doesn't return no-one will benefit from his riches.  This text is similar in theme to Dráp Niflunga (entry 25).
30. Atlamál: This text is similar to Atlakviða but greater in length and in a different style.
31. Guðrúnarhvöt: This text is about Gudrun, wife Sigurd and their daughter Svanhild. who had married king Ermanaric (Jörmunrekkr), but betrayed him with the king's son, Randver. Furious Ermanaric hanged his own son and had Svanhild trampled to death by horses. Gudrun wants to avenge her daughter and she agitates her sons Hamdir and Sörli, by telling them about her fate. They depart for their fateful vengeance, a story that is told in the Hamðismál, the last poem of the Poetic Edda. 
32. Hamðismál: This story is about attempted vengeance by the sons of Gudrun who end up dead. The son's names are Hamdir/Hamþir (Akkadian ḪM.D with Indo-European -R ending meaning Paralyzer.Manifestations) and Sörli: Akkadian SR.L meaning "Impulsive.Lack"

References

BBC (Feb 15, 2016) Why is the UK still printing its laws on vellum? Online at:  https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35569281

List of Codex Regius Texts:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Regius