Poems Made of Names
What kinds of names do these poems collect?
In the Lists of Names, names and terms are arranged in groups. The opening contains a long list of sea-kings. At its end, the speaker says that he has seen no other sea-kings, then announces that he will go on to name the giants.
The section on Thor gives a series of names for that same god. The section on goddesses calls for all the goddesses to be named. These poems collect both different names for the same being and names of members of a group.
Words for women include wife and widow. The list of sword names gives one term for a sword after another. The section on ships also lists many names. The final list, for the sun, includes a name meaning “beautiful wheel.” The sun, too, has more than one name.
Sources for this story (1)Poems Made of Names
In some manuscripts, the Lists of Names follow The Language of Poetry. In Guðni Jónsson’s edition, they appear as an appendix. Here, these poems collecting names come after the lists of names in The Language of Poetry.
Ek mun segja sverða heiti:
Let me tell the names of swords.
“Lists of Names” Chapter 40
“Lists of Names”Nafnaþulur
