Albert Morey Sturtevant: A Study of The Old Norse Word Regin

A Study of the Old Norse word "Regin" Author(s): Albert Morey Sturtevant Source: The Journal of English and
Germanic Philology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr., 1916), pp. 251266 Published by: University of Illinois Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27700733 . Accessed: 15/11/2013 22:24
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A Study of the Old Norse Word
"Regin" 251
A STUDY OF THE OLD NORSE WORD REGIN1

1 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bosworth Bugge, and Toller?An Sophus?Norroen Dictionary, Oxford, Anglo-Saxon Fornkv 1867. ??i, Christiania, Icelandic Dictionary, 1874. Oxford, 1898.
Cleasby, Vigf?sson?An Detter and Heinzel?Samundar Fritzner, Johan?Ordbog
Edda mit einem Anhang, Leipzig, 1903. over det garnie norske Sprog, Christiania, 1886. zu den Liedern der Edda, Paderborn, 1896. Gering, Hugo?Glossar 1836. Graff, E. G.?Althochdeutscher Sprachschatz, II, Berlin, im Heliand, 1896. Lagenpusch, Emil?Walhallkl?nge K?nigsberg, Theodor?Atl-Nordisches Glossar, Leipzig, 1866. 1908. und Genesis), herausg. Stuttgart, von Julius V, Berlin, (Heliand Handbibliothek,
M?bius,
Karl?Deutsche Altertumskunde, M?llenhoff, alts?chsische Piper, Paul?Die Bibeldichtung 1897. Sievers, Zacher, Eduard?Heliand, 1878. IV, Halle, Germanistische
A. F. C.?Deutsche im Heliand Altert?mer als Einkleidung der evange Vilmar, lisdten Geschichte, Marburg, 1862. Ernst?Die 1883. Wilken, Glossar, Paderborn, prosaische Edda mit ausf?hrlichem
In the following pages an attempt will be made to trace the the of Old Norse word The West Germanic sematology regin.2 cognate occurs only in compounds (except in the Old Saxon rega?o its meaning in WGmc. throws light upon giscapu), nevertheless the development the later of meaning in development) (especially the ON word. The word regin and its derivatives occur in the Germanic dialects by far most frequently in ON texts, especially as part of a compound; inmany cases it is difficult to ascertain the exact meaning of the word, editors and the dictionaries often dis agreeing. It is chiefly with a view towards making sible, the sense of the word in such passages in ON
has been undertaken.
clearer, if pos that this study
The original meaning of the Indo-European root from which the ON regin was derived was probably (cf. Graff II, p. 383,- *RAG)
that of 'greatness,' 'power,' or 'authority.' This seems certainly
to have been the original sense of the word in Germanic, since the oldest use here has reference to 'power,' most often to the super natural power of the gods. In WGmc. compounds the original sense had been reduced to that of a mere intensive, strengthening the idea inherent in the second word with which it was joined to
2 Study, In the Publications 5,1 have I, No. of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian tried to trace the development of the ON mein.
252
Sturtevant
form the compound. This was also, though not always, the case the independent word in ON does not show in ON. Furthermore, as in of WGmc. In Gothic the word and its deriva any signs decay tives were restricted in their use to independent words. The in or was tensive prefix had either not yet developed in Gothic, avoided by the Gothic translator of the bible. I. Gothic In Gothic the word denoted the idea of 'power,' 'rule,' 'authority' and from this was developed the idea of 'council/ 'deliberation,'
'determination,' 'decision'; thus, (ga)?ragin?on, 'to rule,' ragin n.
'council/ 'decision/ fila translates Cor.

give my judgment' and Luke Saurim
and ragin?eis m. (agent), 'councillor.' Wul <5? di? ^t, tip ragin geba, 'but I I, 7, 25, yv?^v
and II, Mark, 2, XV, 43, ?ovKevr-qs, rrjs Quirinius r agin?is, 'a coun at of TjyejiovevovTos 'when Zvp?as was Kvpr\viov governor
cillor,1 raginondin
Kwreinaiau,
In Gothic, therefore, so far as Wulfila has used the word, Syria.' it was evidently restricted in sense to the idea of 'council' or 'power.' From the original sense of the stem in IE (cf. Graff. II, p. 383) it must be inferred that in Gothic the sense of 'power/ 'authority' was was prior to that of 'council/ 'deliberation.' But the word was never used with reference to God nor in any way in connection with It must be borne in mind that Wulfila the deity. scrupulously avoided any figure of speech which might tend to interfere with the adoption of the new faith. He omitted the Books of Kings, e. g., because he feared that their war-like tone might enr?ame his to deeds of violence. Any reference to the heathen as the of the all gods conception controlling 'powers' (cf. ON regin) who rule the destiny of man, would have been inconceivable with the Christian Goth. such a faith was shared by the Undoubtedly Goths in common with the other Germanic races, but Wulfila in country-men his translation of the Bible, naturally sought to avoid any figure of speech which might compromise the new religion. Such com promise was legitimate only on the part of the poet who, like the author of the H?liand, sought to convert his people by telling them the story of Christ in the garb of the Old Germanic epic poem. In OS, therefore, it is not surprising that frequent reference ismade to the regano giscapu, or regangiscapu, the Old Germanic Fata. It is possible that in Gothic too the plural of the word*?/lG was
" Regin" 253
i1sed exactly as in OS and in ON. But this use would have been the translator who would neces Gothic rejected by immediately of felt heathen the have implication polytheism which the sarily word still always had in Gothic. II. West Germanic.
In the West Germanic languages the word in question was restricted entirely to its use as an intensive in compounds, except in OS where in the Heliand the ancient Germanic conception of Fate is often expressed by the phrase regano giscapu or regangis capu. In OHG it was preserved as an intensive only in the com pound form of proper names (cf. Graff, II, p. 384), such as Ragin olt (Rein-old, Rein-hold) Ragin-6\i, Ragin-bald, etc., MHG* ragin, as as the most part in rein. well in and for OE In OHG, *regin, it the whatever association had word lost OS, originally might have had with the gods or 'powers of destiny.' In OE, the word (regn-) was used only as an intensive in compounds but itwas not confined to proper names. In OS, aside from the phrase rega?o or in in compounds the word occurred giscapu regangiscapu, connection with three words only, namely, 1) theooos, H.3 1644; 2) Hindun H. 3554, and 3) scatho H. 5400, 5499. 1)H. 1644: huand it rotot hier an roste, endi regintheobas far stelad. The phrase based upon Tatian XXXVI, is evidently Mt. VI, 20, ubi fur es non efodiunt nee furantur, 'where thieves do not break through nor steal.' The word for 'thief was also used with the intensive prefix regn- in OE religious poetry, for instance in the Exodus* and in the Genesis.5 The word regnlpe?f6 is trans as 'an arch-thief.' lated by Bosworth In the second passage in (Genesis. 212, 12) reference is made to the Doomsday question, to their sins. The poet when all shall be punished according as out In OE the thief singles especially deserving of punishment.
3 All raphy). 4 5 references to the Heliand are based upon Piper's edition (s. bibliog
453, 212,
14. 12.
Exodus C dmoris
in Thwaite's Metrical
Heptateuch-s. Paraphrases
Bosworth-Toller, of parts of the Holy Th. 14.
regn)>e?f. Scriptutes,
edited by Thorpe. 8 Regnlpe?f ne laet (m?) on sceada sceo"o*an. Exon. Cd. Th. 212,12. Sw? nu regnpe?fas dee daela}?.
453,
254
SturtevarU
the word regn-7 is nowhere used except as an intensive prefix and there is no reason to believe that the corresponding word regin- in OS had any other force. The word regintheohos, as it occurs in the aroma about it than does the H?liand, has no more mythological regnpe?f of Caedmon. 2) H. 3553-4: endi fr?godun s?n firiuuitl?co huilik th?r r?kimann regin(i)blindun, The blind men of Jericho are here termed regin{i)blindun. The Latin original (T. CXV, Mt. XX, 30) has no trace of any inten sive adverb, 'et ecce duo caeci/ cf. 3549, blinda uuarun sie b?thia uuas im buotono tharf. It seems most natural to interpret regin con here as a mere intensive without regard to any mythological
notation. The two men were 'stone-blind,' could not see at all,
yet the Son of Man performed the miracle of restoring their sight. 3) H. 5399-5404: an theru burg innan than lag thar oc an bendiun en ruof reginscatho, thie habda undar them r?kie so filu morthes gir?dan endi manslahta gifrumid, uuas mctri meginthiof ni uuas thar is gimaco huuergin, uuas thar ?c b? s?nun sundion giheftid, Barrabas uuas hie h?tan. Barabbas is here described as en ruof reginscatho, which evident ly renders the Latin (T. CLXVII, Mt. XXVII, 16), 'Habebat autem tune victum insignem, qui dicebatur Barrabas,' 'And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.' But Barabbas was 'Erat also a thief and a murderer (T. CLXVII, 40. J. XVIII, autem Barrabas latro.' L. XXVIII, 9 'qui erat proptti-homici dium7). The regin- in reginscatho is simply an intensive (='great = The inten thief) just as the megin- in meginthiof ( 'great thief). sives regin- and megin- can hardly have a force essentially different the simplex adjectives, {ruof and mari), namely, 'famous/ 'great.' H. 5499 : r?bodun ina thia reginscathon r?des Iacanes thia reginscathon refers to the Roman soldiers (universam Here 31. cohortem) who crucified the Savior (T. CLXIX, Mt. XXVII, eum chlamydem'). With the intensive reginhere cp. 'Et?exuerunt the same compound (reginscatho) applied to Barabbas, viz., 'great/
7 Bosworth-Toller. in the compounds "regn-, regn-heard, The -weard, has an intensive force, implies greatness, might. part of many proper names -Regenhere,'* etc. -meld, -J?e6f, as word occurs
from
that of
" Regin"
255
'criminal,' which latter idea is implied in the word cscatho.7 Scatho was often used as an epithet of the Devil (menscatho, uuamscatho),
whose character was the sum total of wickedness.
In none of these passages in which regin- occurs in compounds in OS does the word seem to imply anything more than a mere inten sive. Piper8 (Heliand. Notes), however, sees in all the passages in question a survival of the original mythological notion, namely, the condition that the decree of the gods (regin) had determined denoted in the second member of the compound, although he admits that the prefix was already in its regular use a mere intensive It is extremely doubtful if the mythological notion ever prefix. In OE there seems survives in the connotation of the word in OS. to be no trace whatsoever of it in the intensive regn- and there is no reason to believe that it still survived in OS. Piper bases his who contends Vilmar9 upon (12.20.S. bibliography) assumptions that the word, though an intensive, is, nevertheless, purely mytho and should be interpreted logical phraseology, literally and in same sense as occurs the it in the exactly phrase rega?o giscapu, a prototype for viz., 'the fate of the gods.' He then postulates in which and for reginblind (Odin) reginscatho, reginthiof (Loki),
ur mit regin- haben Zusammensetzungen es ratenden G?ttern mit den denn mythologischen spr?nglich Sinn, h?ngt zusammen S. 12.20), vielleicht also ist der regintkiof (Vilmar, urspr?nglich Loki. ist die Bedeutung das b seiner Art Doch und bezeichnet abgeschw?cht Piper-H?liand, 1644. "Die Hervorragende." 3554. "regin(i)blindon, auf der Blinden." 5400. 5402 doch ein Dieb sw. m. der durch die G?tter reginscatho, ist von Anfang an, ein Erzdieb.?Das und erkl?rt." parallelisiert u zum wird bestimmte, Sch?diger V. durch meginthiof die durch G?tterratschluss Blinden, von Jugend 8
unter den ist vielleicht 5499. ein Sch?diger "reginscatho urspr?nglich wie Loki, dann ein hervorragender Unheilstifter G?ttern, ?berhaupt." Sch?diger, " 9 20. Dass die ausdr?cke Vilmar, reginblind von den blinden vor Jericho, von den kriegsknechten, und reginthiof cf. regntheofas reginscatho von Barrabas, Caedmon am n?chsten 212.12 mythischen sinn einschliessen, ist kein zweifei; liegt es, das regin hier ganz so zu nehmen, wie in reganogiscapu, regangiscapu: der durch einen Schluss der ratenden, ordnenden g?tter, von anfang an blinde, der zum Sch?diger oder diebe durch die ragini bestirnte, halten wir jedoch die so liegt es fast nahe, an einen scheinbaren synonyma thiodscatho, liudscatho, zu denken; einen Sch?diger, einen dieb unter den h?heren wesen blinden, regin blind w?re dann urspr?nglich eines gottes (Wuotans), reginscatho bezeichnung und reginthiof des g?tter?hnlichen erst, Loki, und nachher, jedoch eben im sinne, welchen ausgezeichnesten auf menschen ?bergetragen." weder liudscatho noch thiodscatho erreichen,
256
Sturtevant
the word reginis supposed still to retain the originally mytho logical notion (cf. regano giscapu), which was simply transferred to human beings. It is not at all necessary, however, to set up a for these compounds prototype mythological (reginblind, regin to prove the mythological in order scatho, reginthiof), origin of the word The independent regin. phrase rega?o giscapu is the only case in OS in which the independent word occurs. The fact is, that probably the only case in OS in which the word still preserved its mythological connotation was just this phrase rega?o giscapu, The introduction of Christianity upon the Conti regangiscapu. nent must have been a powerful factor in the reduction of this As a in religious poetry. prefix to a mere intensive, especially in matter of fact, even in the ninth century the old metaphors WGmc. had in many cases entirely lost their original force, while in ON the original, heathen notion still persisted as late as the thirteenth century. Not only regin- but also other originally inde in WGmc, pendent substantives denoting the idea of 'power' or as that of regin similar development 'greatness/ underwent a referred For (cf. Lagenpusch, p. 3-4). instance, irmin-, originally * to some divinity (cf irmin- tiu), as the celebrated irminsul of the Saxons and the Hermiones of Tacitus (De Germania, Ch. 2) indi came but later in the all WGmc. cate, languages to be used as a mere intensive, cf. OS irmingod, irminman, irminthiod, etc, the OHG irmindeot, irmingot (Hildebrandslied, 14,32), the OE10 eormen cynf eormenpe?d, etc HI Old Norse.
One of the most frequent epithets applied to the gods in Old Norse poetry was regin, n. pi. As in Gothic and later as an inten sive prefix inWGmc, the inh?rent notion of the word in ON was that of 'power/ 'authority/ Indeed, the word was in the 'might/ Elder Edda often compounded with the intensive ginn- (ginnregin? 'the mighty gods/ cf. ginnheilog), and in Skaldic poetry with the intensive prym (cf. Tjoldolfs Haustlgng, In the Vql prymregin). we hear how the sat in council at their judgment usp?11 gods (regin)
18 Bosworth-Toller. eral. Used n All in composition, references eorman: "eormen, as in eormen-cyn, Edda adj. Universalf -grund, are based -l?f, upon immense, -r?c, whole, gen -strand, -Jje?d." (cf.
to the Eider
Bugge's
edition
bibliography).
c: Regin" 257
seat and directed the course of the world's events. The Gothic verb (ga)-ragin-on meant 'to rule,' which is exactly the idea inher ent in the ON regin, who were the controlling divinities of the universe (cf. the twelve Consentes DU of the Romans). The ON word regin, therefore, as it is used in the Elder Edda referring to the gods, contains the original sense of the Germanic root*RAG, namely 'power.' In ON, especially in poetry, the mythological idea stands out in bold relief contrary to Gmc, see above. Even in compounds; the suffix regin- in ON did not always become the colorless intensive as inWGmc, but often still preserved distinctly the mythological notion connected with 'the higher powers,' viz., 'the gods.' The lateness of the introduction of Christianity in the North explains why religious terms may more nearly retain the older use. So we find regin in ON, even in compounds, s?ll retain ing the old conception of 'the almighty gods,' although it is often doubtful whether the intensive force may not also sometimes be implied or whether the intensive force sometimes may not have The notion. actually usurped the originally definite mythological use of the intensive prefix, regin-, in ON was far more frequent later in prose than in poetry, whereas the independent word,12 referring to the gods, was confined to the earlier poetic language, Snorre (SE. II, 430) defines regin as follows: "regin heita god hei'Sin, b?nd ok rogn." Rognlz n. pi. is a synonym for regin and probably derived from the same root, viz., *RAG. Both words, The except when used in compounds, were confined to poetry. connotation of regin- in compounds was likewise much mythological more strongly pronounced in poetry than in prose. In fact so connotation appear in the rarely does any definitely mythological that we may safely conclude that in regin- of prose-compounds prose the suffix regin- had been reduced almost entirely to a mere intensive. Of all cases of regin- in prose compounds mentioned by there seems to be only one in which a mythologi Cleasby-Vigfusson cal connotation can be assumed with any degree of certainty; to
12 Snorre's ragnarjkr was a purely poetic the author treated as phrase which a part of his in prose The word mythological exposition. regin also survived in the formula moda ran ok meant regin (olkofa])?ttr, 203) which probably (cf. the goddess R?n-regin) 'to curse and scold/ cf. Vigf. This was, of course, a fossilized expression, in which an otherwise obsolete poetic word survived. The alliteration also points towards the poetic origin of the phrase. 13 Cf. also rqgn-ir, 'a prince/ as an epithet of Odin 'hero/ used perhaps 15, 6. R. undir rei]> rungnis, cf. Bugge, Footnote). (Sigrdr?fum?l
258
Sturtevant
this I shall return below, p. 265. It may finally be noted that the intensive force is especially frequent in modern usage. I shall now trace in the poetry of the Elder Edda the transition in the prefix regin- from the originally mythological of meaning notion to the later intensive force. The prefix does not occur very often but the comparatively few cases which do occur, point towards the fact that in the historical lays the intensive force ismuch more than in the purely mythological pronounced we what should expect, inasmuch as the course, in general of later origin than the mythological. occur only once, which renders the pounds either very difficult. A. Reginkunnr dat. plu. lays. This is, of historical lays are Most of the com of determination
In the H?vam?l (80, 3) the adjective regin?kunnom, is used in connection with runes. The stanza reads: J?ater J?areynt,
er ]>\i at runom enom reginkunnom, spurr
J?eimer gaer c5oginregin oc f?(5i fimbul)?ulr, ]?ahefir hann bazt, ef han The
}?egir.
adjective signi reginkunnom here has a mythological it is since viz., 'the divine runes of the mighty gods,' expressly stated that the mighty gods (ginregin) made them, and fashioned them. The fimbul}?ulr-Odin reginkunnom adjective means, of course, then, 'of divine origin'; kunnr is to be connected with the stem *kun in kyn n. (Gothic kuni) = 'race,' 'kin,' 'sex,' etc. It is so interpreted by Gering?'von and g?ttlicher Abkunft'?, ficance, Vig gudommelig Slaegt, Herkomst?'?while = the word to be the adjective kulpr ( kunnr, Gothic=kunps), 'known,' and translates reginkunnr, meaning 'world-known.' then, by evidently Vigfusson regards regin here as a mere intensive prefix, such as occurs in ON prose and in WGmc. in tenable is hardly Vigf?sson's interpretation view of the context in which the word occurs (]>eim er gosrfto In modern usage the verb ragna means 'to use witch ginregin).
craft,' 'to curse 'to practise and swear.' sorcery.' The phrase biota ok ragna means
by Fritzner?'af fusson considers
A Study of the Old Norse Word B.
" Regin71 259
Reginkunnigr
In the HamZism?l (25, 2), which although perhaps one of the oldest historical be of later origin than lays, must, nevertheless, the H?vam?l, the adjective reginkunnigr is applied to Jqrmunrekkr, the king of the Goths: }?ahraut vi]> inn reginkunngi baldr in brynio, sem biorn hryti: " Gryti)? ?r a gumna, allz geirar ne bita, eggiar ne iarn
lonacrs sono."
The Volsungasaga here follows a tradition, also found in Saxo, that Odin, the one-eyed god, counseled J?rmunrekkr to stone the two brothers, Sorli and Hamoir, who had come to murder him, but there is nothing in the HamZism?l to indicate that it was not Inn reginkunngi jQrmunrekkr himself who spoke these words. baldr must, therefore, refer to the Gothic chieftain. Snorre (SE. for he says: "}?a kallabi I, 370) evidently follows the Ham?ism?l, J qrmunrekkr at ]>? skal berja gri?ti." It is possible that the origin of the later versions, in which Odin instead of Jqrmunrekkr gives this advice, was due to this word reginhmngi of the HamZism?l, which may have been interpreted by the later writers in the old sense exactly like the reginkunnr of the H?vam?l, mythological i. e., 'descended from the gods (regin),7 'the divine one/ viz., 'Odin.' It is probably for this reason that Grundtvig in his edition of the Edda (Copenhagen, 1868) assumes that the phrase in ques tion refers to Odin instead of to Jcrmunrekkr. Since the phrase in the HamZismM must refer to Jcrmunrekkr, it is probably nothing more than a standing epithet for divinely descended hero or king. Gering translates the adjective as synonymous with reginkunnr, viz., 'von g?ttlicher Abkunft/ but this seems to me to be too literal a rendering. The word had probably become rather colorless so that it had already come to signify nothing more than did any standing epithet denoting the superior qualities of a hero. Vig fusson also assumes the word to be an epithet applied to JQrmun rekkr: "reginkungr=Gr. OLoyevrjs,epithet of a king. H(5m. 26." It is doubtless true that the divine origin may have been connoted
260
Sturtevant
in the prefix regin- but it ismost probable that the main force of the prefix was simply intensive, emphasizing in the epithet the idea of 'the great' or 'the mighty,' 'the valiant.' Fritzner interprets the word as a mere intensive: llreginkunnigr, meget klog? Hc5m. 26.", deriving the second member of the compound from the stem *kun meaning 'knowing,' 'wise.' At any rate, it is evident that the of was not so closely confined as the the Ram?ismdl reginkunngi a purely mythological of the Hdvam?l to notion, but reginkunnom was on its way at least to the later intensive force. Both the idea of 'might,' 'valor,' etc., and that of 'divine origin' must implied in the word. C. Regind?mr Near the end of the Vqlusp? (65) reginis used as a prefix with d?mr (at regind?mi), which is generally interpreted as an ON the of Christian rendering Judgment Day. V?lsp. 65 have been
kemr inn riki J?a at regind?mi Qflugr ofan s? er qIIu raeSr. Whether we accept Bugge's theory as to the direct influence of Christian eschatology or adhere to a purely heathen conception as M?llenhoff (Zts. f. D. A. V, 35) did, there can be no doubt but that the prefix reginhere conveys a mythological sense. The event in question has reference to the celebrated ragna rqk, 'the fate of the gods.' However, reginis here not confined in aliterai sense to 'the gods' as is ragna in ragna rqk, but the word also possesses the intensive force, viz., 'the great judgment.' One is tempted to follow Bugge and to feel here the presence of the Christian belief in the Last Day. The words inn r?ki- s? er qllu r o^r very strongly suggest14 the Just Judge (Judex Justus, 6 ?Uaios KpiTTjs) who on the Judgment Day (at regind?mi) shall mete out to all men reward or But the punishment according to merit.
14 Cf. Math. caeli demo cum virtute XXTV, multa 30: Et videbunt filium hominis venientem 35 : d?r in nubibus seal er vora et majestate. stantan. Also M?spillilied,
rthhe az rahhu

assumption that reginhere has an intensive
" Regin" 261

force does not neces
influence, since the purely heathen concep sarily imply Christian tion may likewise involve an intensive idea, a sense of 'greatness/ 'the great event of the world's history'; or perhaps-as M?llenhoff15 suggests, 'the great ruler's judgment' emphasizing the idea inherent in inn riki. The probability that reginhere, aside from its myth ological sense, implies an intensive force, is increased by the fact that the word regind?mr (regind?ma) occurs elsewhere in manu script copies of the H?va?n?l, where the word probably has reference to the past history ('great events') of the gods, which is discussed by Odin at the Fount of Ur<5. In accordance with the manu has inserted between verses 7 and 8 of script copies, M?llenhoff stanza III in the H?vam?l (of runar heyrfta ec dqma, ne um r?dom \>?gfto) the two half-lines: n? um r?sting pQg??u. ok regind?ma The word d?mr in the plural probably does not signify the same It is possible that regind?ma refers to thing as in the singular. 'the assemblies of the gods' (cf. Sigrdrifum?l, 12, 9. i fulla doma far a) but it seems to me more likely that the word is used in a sense similar to that of the verb dxma (B. dqmoi) of the Codex Regius, where M?llenhoff has inserted the line in question. The verb dxma may mean not only to 'pass judgment' but also to 'talk.' So the substantive d?mr seems in the plural to be used not only in the sense of 'judgments/ 'assemblies/ but also in the sense of
'events/ 'history.' Regind?ma, therefore, means 'the history' or
'the great events' of the past which Odin discusses in his High Hall at the Fount of Ur?. I consider regind?ma here exactly to the megind?ma of the Vqlusp? (60, 6), where the synonymous word clearly refers to the past events in the life of the gods. VQlsp. 60 Finnask aesir a Ioavelli ok urn moldJ?inur m?tkan dszma, ok minnask )?ar ? megind?ma
ok ? Fimbultys
runar. fornar " 15 Zts. f. D. A. V, 35: 'k?mr inn r?ki at regind?mi' kann nur M?llenhoff, um wie kein andrer, mit er kommt, macht und besagen, unvergleichlicher sondern um als frie auctorit?t, gericht zu halten, aber nicht etwa nur einmal, de nsf?rst und h?ter des rechts dauernd seine herrschaft auszu?ben."
262
Here the verb dxma
Sturtevant
likewise occurs in the sense of 'talk,' 'discuss,' following occurs the substantive d?mr in the plural The gods who survive the cataclysm of the ragna (megind?ma). once more upon the Iftavqllr and discuss (ddzma) the assemble rqk events their of lives, the great MiZgar^Ssormr, Odin's ancient past etc. The word runes, megind?ma must have reference simply to the 'great events' in the fives of the gods other than those men and directly tioned.
It is, therefore, exactly parallel to the regind?ma of the manuscript copies of the H?vam?l, where the word appears to refer likewise to the past history of the gods. The prefixes regin- and just megin- seem here at last to have become exactly synonymous, as they were in the Old Saxon reginscatho and meginthiof (H. 5400, The 5402), both of which referred to the same person, Barabbas. prefix regin- in regind?mi (VQlusp?, 65) must have also shared in the mythological this intensive force; nevertheless, notion, 'judg ment of the gods (regin),' seems here to be uppermost, since the event referred to was the day (ragna rqk) when the gods (regin)
were to meet their fate.16
D.
ReginJhng
In the first lay of the EelgakvvSa Hundingsbana (51, 2), the word a as with used is prefix ping (til reginlpinga). This lay is of reginmuch later origin than any of the previous lays discussed17. H. H. I, 51 "Renni r?cn bitlu}? til reginlpinga, en Sporvitnir at Sparinshei(5i, Melnir oc Mylnir tilMyrcvijTar." The prefix reginhere is generally conceded to mean 'great,' 'uni versal,' used as an intensive with pinga. The word Reginlpinga may possibly refer to the name of a place, as at SparinsheicSi or til as Bugge suggests (Wimmers Laeseb.4 VIII); but it Myrcvipar,
16 Cf. unz rjufask regin, ]>a er um riufaz regin, Vaf j?r,40,52. 17 Cf. Finnur J?nsson, aeldre end fra 11. ?rb." p. 64: "Ikke
A Study of theOld Norse Word seems more

here refers
"Regin" 263 suggest,

within
likely, as Detter
to the great,
and Heinzel18
assembly
that reginlpinga
Granmar's own
general
kingdom, Mirkwood.
in contrast
to the lesser assemblies
at Sparinsheath
and
E. Regingrj?t In Gr?ttasqngr, 20, reginis used as a prefix with grj?t where it in sense. The Gr?ttasqngr may possibly be purely mythological I. was at least a century older19 than the Helgakvifta Hundingsbana halda Munat)7u Hlei<5rar stoli, raujmm hringum,
ne regingrioti.
This stanza is a part of the song which the two giant maids, Fenja and Menja, sing, while running the magic mill, Gr?tti, at King to desperation by the avaricious king Driven FrooTs command. who does not grant them a moment's respite, the maids run the mill with such violence that it finally flies to pieces. This mill, Gr?tti, was a supernatural affair which could grind anything com manded of it. It was, therefore, an exceedingly valuable instru In ment for the king, constituting the main source of his wealth. this stanza the maid, Menja, prophesies that King Frofti is to lose his crown and his wealth, an important part of which is this magic "Thou shalt not keep thy throne .at Leire, nor thy mill, Gr?tti. red rings nor thy magic-mill (?)."' The difficulty in the way of this interpretation is that grj?t is elsewhere found only in a col lective sense, viz., stones. However, a mill might conceivably be designated by such a collective denoting its parts, viz., 'the mill stones.'20 In that case regin- must denote the idea of 'magic/
nur hier. ist wahr Gemeint and Heinzel, p. 343: uregin]nnga im Gegen die grosse Volksversammlung im eigenen Reiche Granmars satz zu Sparinsheidh und Myrkvidh." " 19 Sikkert tilhjrfrer det det 10. ?rh." Cf. Finnin* J?nsson, p. 62. 20 i Dan "I )?ann tima funduz Ch. XLIII: Cf. Snorre, Sk?ldskaparm?l, at engi ma<5r var sv? sterkr at dregit gaeti; tveir sv? miklir, kvernsteinar mork at J?at en s? natt?ra m?lz ?, er s? maelti fyrir er mol; s? kvern fylg<5i kverninni, 18Detter scheinlich h?t Grotti."
264
Sturtevant
80.3). Wilkin21 'supernatural,' (cf. reginkunnom of the H?vam?l interprets regingri?ti not as the magic mill itself but as 'the great wealth' it produced, in contrast to the regular source of income at In this case the prefix the king's command (rauburn hringum). regin- would be confined almost entirely to an intensive force. But Wilkin's interpretation is based upon very fragmentary facts. His assumption that grj?t may refer to 'precious stones' and there fore may mean here 'wealth' is based upon the word qlungrj?t or (cf. Vigf. qlun), which originally referred to the stones dlnagrj?t
worn upon the the fore-arm word came (qlun). As these stones were 'gems' worn or as ornaments, in poetry to mean 'gold.'
But nowhere, grj?t signify

must, therefore,
except in conjunction with qlun, does the simplex 'wealth' or 'precious stones.' The word regingrj?ti
refer to the magic mill22 itself.
Vigf?sson, on the other hand, suggests that regingrj?t here means 'the holy stones,' 'altars,' a kenning for the old heathen sacrificial altar (hqrgr) which was built entirely of stone and erected in high places. This is not at all impossible, for in that case the implica tion would be that Fro<5i would lose his crown, the wealth attached to his crown, and his stone-altars (=hqrga), i. e., he would lose his life and everything of value connected with his life. Then regin would preserve its original, mythological sense, viz., 'stones of the ? cannot in his But I 'altars.' agree with Vigf?sson gods' though I the of think that does pre interpretation grj?t, yet prefix reginserve a mythological notion (viz., 'magic-stones'='magic mill')
and is not used here solely as an intensive as Fritzner suggests: uregingrj?t n. store Stene? Grott. 19 (20)." It is evident from the analysis of these words in which the pre fix reginis used in ON that in poetry it seldom acquired the purely intensive force. In poetry the independent word was still alive and furthermore It is showed no signs of decay as in OS.
21 Wilken oder Gestein dieser (so Vigf.) (s. bibliography), Altar, Heiligtum p. 131: erkl?rt. n. gew. als grosses Gestein "regingrj?i, Aber grj?t kann poet, auch auf edles
soll und offenbar (olungrj?t, alnagrj. Vigf. p. 216) bezogen werden, h?here Sprachgebrauch hier durch regin- angedeutet Im Unter werden. schiede von rauftum in des K?nigs) (dem alten Kronschatze liegt hringum des auf der M?hle Grotti neu gewonnenen Goldes, regingrj?ti wol die Bezeichnung noch die wahrscheinliche Simrock 22 Cf. Detter ?bersetzte Verwandtschaft 'sp?hem regingrj. mit beider Namen " Gestein.' Gewiss vorkommt." ins Spiel kommt. ist Grotti
wobei Schon
obwohl
das Simplex
and Heinzel, p. 614: "rcgingrj?li. grj?t sonst nur als CoJlectivum
gemeint,
" Regin77
265
of the indepen natural, then, that in compounds the association dent word with the prefix should still be very strong. This is borne out by the context of the passages discussed, in which regin as a prefix still retained a very strong association in sense with the = 'the gods'). In independent word regin ( 'the higher powers,' prose, on the other hand, where the independent word was obsolete, the prefix had almost entirely lost its originally mythological idea and had faded to a mere intensive. In fact there seems to be only one case in prose, in which the mythological can be connotation occurs the word in definitely assumed, namely, reginnaglar, which the Eyrbyggja Saga23 (Ch. 6, p. 10). When Thorolf Mostrarskegg emigrated to Island, he took with him a part of the temple of Thor, and when he drew near the coast he threw over the high-seats (qndvegiss?lur). Where these drifted ashore, he set up his dwelling and erected a new temple in honor of the god. In the description of this new temple, there are mentioned certain nails that were driven into the high-seat. These nails were called reginnaglar \ innan sto<5u ok v?ru {?ar ? naglar; ")?ar fyrir ondvegissulurnar, tu h? The here is whether the prefix J?eir question reginnaglar.77
reginis a mere intensive as elsewhere in prose, i. e., 'huge nails,'
it has a 'large nails,' (cf. regindjup, reginhaf, etc.) i. 'the the nails of divine 'the sense, e., mythological gods (regin),7 or sacred nails.' Fritzner leaves the question open but at the same time refers the reader to M?bius (Altn. Glossar, p. 341) who corn
compares the reginnaglar to the clavi sacri, clavi annales, of Roman
or whether
(s.'Preller,?r?mische p. 231). There are mythology Mythologie, numerous instances of the use of nails in the ancient rites of the Romans and the reginnaglar may have been nails so used, but it is more likely that they were a mere ornament24 for the high
seat. Vigfusson, however,.translates "reginnagli, a sacred peg,77
adding: in the ancient high-seats was called so, Eb. 10 new Ed. In view of the fact that these nails were an important part of the sacred high-seat, so important, indeed, that they received an espe cial designation, it can hardly be assumed that the mythological sense of the prefix has been entirely excluded in favor of the inten
23 von Hugo Altnordische herausg. Gering, Eyrbyggjasaga, Sagabibliothek, 1897. 6, Halle, 2* in his edition of the Eb.: "reginnaglar, die g?ttern?gel" Cf. Gering ; ist niches n?heres bekannt. ?ber ihre bestimmung sie dienten Wahrscheinlich nur zum Schmucke der hochsitzpfeiler."
266
sive force. Many
Sturtevant
commentators,25
however,
interpret
the
prefix
intensive, which certainly is far less correct than is the sense (cf. Vigf?sson). purely mythological that our word illustrates may be par The fading in meaning The of oaths in all languages. alleled by the faded meaning or some is sacred idea with God connected personage original a mere more than the becomes oath nothing entirely lost, whereupon intensive. The Germanic *RAGy it seems to me, offers a most inter esting
Kansas 25 Cf. p. 314: sitzers, N?geln Glossar,
as a mere
study
of such a process
of change in words of this type. Albert Morey Sturtevant
University. for instance E. H. Meyer, der Halle Thors der Germanen, Strassb. 1903, Mythologie der Hochsitz des Vor stand das Ondvegi, und mit Reginnaglar, B?d geschm?ckt grossen Altis. Lesebuch, Weimar, 1896.
"Im Mittelraum dessen
S?ulen mit waren." m.
beschlagen reginnaglar,
Also Holthausen, (an) N?gelreihe.
pl.

Albert Morey Sturtevant: A Study of The Old Norse Word Regin

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A Study of the Old Norse word "Regin" Author(s): Albert Morey Sturtevant Source: The Journal of English and

A Study of the Old Norse Word

A STUDY OF THE OLD NORSE WORD REGIN1

Cleasby, Vigf?sson?An Detter and Heinzel?Samundar Fritzner, Johan?Ordbog

clearer, if pos that this study

'council/ 'decision/ fila translates Cor.

A Study of the Old Norse Word

" Regin" 253

Bosworth-Toller, of parts of the Holy Th. 14.

A Study of the Old Norse Word

A Study of the Old Norse Word

by Fritzner?'af fusson considers

A Study of the Old Norse Word B.

" Regin71 259

A Study of the Old Norse Word

" Regin" 261

A Study of theOld Norse Word seems more

"Regin" 263 suggest,

to the lesser assemblies

But nowhere, grj?t signify

and Heinzel, p. 614: "rcgingrj?li. grj?t sonst nur als CoJlectivum

A Study of the Old Norse Word

of change in words of this type. Albert Morey Sturtevant

"Im Mittelraum dessen

S?ulen mit waren." m.

Also Holthausen, (an) N?gelreihe.

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