The life of the ettin
*ferhwą… etunas
by C Ryan Moniz
original research· spring 2013 - harvest 2021
updated & published· spring 2022
Mjǫðr Óðins· Reconstructing Germanic verse formulae
This formula associates reflexes of Proto-Germanic *ferhwą ‘soul’ (← *ferhuz ‘life, body; oak tree’ ← PIE *pérkʷ·u- ‘oak tree’) with creatures referred to with reflexes of Proto-Germanic *etunaz: Grendel & his mother in Béowulf (112a, 761a, 883b), and Fáfnir in Fáfnismál (29).
Old English
feorh… eotenes
• Béowulf 154b-156a
sibbe ne wolde
wið manna hwone mægenes deniga
feorhbealo feorran
• Béowulf 438b-439b
mid grápe sceal
fón wið féonde ⁊ ymb feorh sacan
• Béowulf 819b-820b
scolde grendel þonan
feorhséoc fléon under fenhleoðu
• Béowulf 846a-852b
fǽge ⁊ geflýmed feorhlástas bær
ðǽr wæs on blóde brim weallende
atol ýða geswing eal gemenged
háton heolfre heorodréore wéol
déaðfǽge déog · siððan dréama léas
in fenfreoðo feorh álegde ·
hǽþene sáwle þǽr him hel onféng
• Béowulf 969a, 1540a
feorhgeníðlan
Old Norse
fjǫr… jǫtuns
• Fáfnismál 5
hví hvetjaz lézt
mínu fjǫrvi at fara
• Fáfnismál 21
enn þú fáfnir
ligg í fjǫrbrotum
þar er þik hel hafi
• Fáfnismál 22
fjǫr sitt láta hygg ek
at fáfnir myni
• Fáfnismál 26
fé ok fjǫrvi
réði sá inn fráni ormr*
* cf. Guðrúnarhvǫt 17: er þeir gunnari / fránir ormar til fjǫrs skriðu
• Fáfnismál 32
spakr þœtti mér spillir bauga ef hann fjǫrsega fránan æti
Mjǫðr Óðins· Reconstructing Germanic verse formulae