Untitled - Centrostudirpinia.it

532 GIANTS.
furnishes both names Manegolt and Fenegolt oat of the same
neighbourhood. We may conclude that once the Bavarians well
knew how it stood with the fanigold and manigold ground out by
Fania and Mania (see Suppl.).
Ymir, or in giant s language Orgelinir, was the first-created,
and out of his body s enormous bulk were afterwards engendered
earth, water, mountain and wood. Ymir himself originated in
melted hoarfrost or rime (hrim), hence all the giants are called
hrimfiursar, rime-giants, Sn. 6. Sa3m. 85 a>b
; hrimkaldr, rime-
cold, is an epithet of ]?urs and iotunn, Seem. 33 b
90% they still
drip with thawing rime, their beards (kinnskogr, chin-forest) are
frozen, Sasm. 53 b
; Hrimnir, Hrimgrimr, HmmgercFr are names of giants, Sasm. 85
proper
a 86 a 114. 145. As hrim also means
be connected with the obscure
grime, fuligo, Yinir may perhaps
MHG. om, ome (rubigo), see Gramm. 3, 733. At the same time
the derivation from ymja, umSi (stridere) lies invitingly near, so
that Ymir would be the blustering, noisy, and one explanation of
Orgelrnir would agree with this; conf. chap. XIX. (see Suppl.).
Herbs and heavenly bodies are named after giants as well
as after gods : pursaskegg, i.e. giant s beard (fucus filiformis) ;
Norvv. tussegras (paris quadrifolia) ; Bronugras (satyrium, the
same as Friggjargras, p. 302), because a giantess Brana gave it
as a charm to her client Halfdan (Fornald. sog. 3, 576) ;
Forneotes
folme, p. 240 ; 03inn threw Thiassi s eyes, and Thorr Orvandil s
toe, into the sky, to be shining constellations, Sn. 82-3. 111.
Giants, like dwarfs, shew themselves thievish. Two lays of the
Edda turn upon the recovery of a hammer and a cauldron which
they had stolen.
The giants form a separate people, which no doubt split into
branches again, conf. Rask s Afhand. 1, 88. Thrymr
is called
fiursa drottinn, Saem. 70-74, a pursa j)M (nation) is spoken of,
107 a
, but iotunheimr is described as their usual residence. Even
our poem of Rother 767 speaks of a riesenlant. On the borders
of the giant province were situate the griottuna garffar, Sn. 108-9.
We have already noticed how most of the words for giant coin
cide with the names of ancient nations.
Giants were imagined dwelling on rocks and mountains, and
their nature is all of a piece with the mineral kingdom : they are
either animated masses of stone, or creatures once alive petrified.