- Þorbjörn dísarskáld
Þorbjörn dísarskáld [Sometimes anglicized Thorbjörn dísarskáld or Thorbiorn disarskald.] is a 10th or 11th century Icelandic
skald . His nickname means "poet of the lady" or "poet of the dís" [The noun "dís" can refer to the dísir but it can also simply mean "lady".] . It could be an allusion to a now lost poem aboutFreyja [Faulkes 1998, p. 257.] (whomSnorri Sturluson in the "Skáldskaparmál " calls "Vanadís", "lady of theVanir " or "dís of the Vanir") or one of the dísir [Simek 1996.] .But only one or two fragments of his poetry have been preserved, in "Skáldskaparmál". The first one (two verses and one stanza) comes from a poem about
Thor . The stanza consists of a list of giants and giantesses killed by the god::Thou didst smite the head of Keila,:Smash Kjallandi altogether,:Ere thou slewest Lútr and Leidi,:Didst spill the blood of Búseyra;:Didst hold back Hengjankjapta,:
Hyrrokkin died before;:Yet sooner in like fashion:Svívör from life was taken.:::—"Skáldskaparmál" (4), [http://www.cybersamurai.net/Mythology/nordic_gods/LegendsSagas/Edda/ProseEdda/SkaldskaparmalXI-XX.htm#skald11 Brodeur's translation]The other fragment deals with the christening of an unknown person:
:The Freighter of Wave-Crests' Sea-Wain:Was in the font of christening,:Hoard-Scatterer, who was given:The White Christ's highest favor.:::—"Skáldskaparmál" (52), [http://www.cybersamurai.net/Mythology/nordic_gods/LegendsSagas/Edda/ProseEdda/SkaldskaparmalLXI-LXX.htm#skald65 Brodeur's translation]
Þorbjörn's authorship of this passage is not certain. If both texts have the same author, then it means, as Anthony Faulkes states [Faulkes 1995, p. 255.] , that Þorbjörn became Christian.
Notes
References
* Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (trans.). 1916. "Snorri Sturluson: The Prose Edda". New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
* Faulkes, Anthony (trans.). 1995. "Snorri Sturluson: Edda". First published in 1987. London: Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
* Faulkes, Anthony (ed.). 1998. "Snorri Sturluson: Edda. Skáldskaparmál". Vol. 2, "Glossary and Index of Names". London: Viking Society for Northern Research. ISBN 0-903521-38-5.
* Simek, Rudolf. 1996. "Dictionary of Northern Mythology". Translated by Angela Hall. First published by Alfred Kröner Verlang in 1984. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-513-1.External links
* [http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/thdis.html Þorbjörn's poetry in the original language.]
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