Rime-cold deprivation
*hrīmakaldaz
by C Ryan Moniz
original research· spring 2013 - harvest 2021
updated & published· spring 2022
Mjǫðr Óðins· Reconstructing Germanic verse formulae
In the Old Norse sources, the compound hrímkaldr ‘frost-cold, rime-cold’ is associated with the jǫtnar in contexts of deprivation: Reginn of his treasure, Loki’s son of his bowels, and Ymir of his body parts. The Old English poem The Wanderer contains the only extant example of the cognate compound hrímceald, and the poem connects the word hrím in general with the loss experienced by the wanderer.
Old Norse
hrímkaldr
• Fáfnismál 38
hǫfði skemra láti hann þann inn hrímkalda jǫtun
ok af baugum búa
• Lokasenna 49-50
því at þik á hjǫrvi skulu ins hrímkalda magar
gǫrnum binda goð
veiztu ef mik á hjǫrvi skulu ins hrímkalda magar
gǫrnum binda goð
• Vafþrúðnismál 21
ór ymis holdi var jǫrð of skǫpuð
en ór beinum bjǫrg
himinn ór hausi ins hrímkalda jǫtuns
en ór sveita sær
Old English
hrímceald
• The Wanderer 1a-5a
oft him ánhaga áre gebídeð
metudes miltse þéah þe hé módcearig
geond laguláde longe sceolde
hréran mid hondum hrímcealde sǽ
wadan wræclástas
• The Wanderer 48
hréosan hrím ⁊ snáw hagle gemenged
• The Wanderer 76a-79a
winde biwáune weallas stondaþ
hríme bihrorene hrýðge þá ederas
wóriað þá wínsalo waldend licgað
dréame bidrorene
Mjǫðr Óðins· Reconstructing Germanic verse formulae