Names for the sea: marr, ægir, gymir, hlér, haf, leið, ver, salt, lögr, græðir, and the names of the waves — the nine daughters of Ægir and Rán (Himinglæva, Hrönn, Bylgja, Bára, Kólga and others). Twenty-six verse examples from the chief skalds.

Hver eru sævar heiti? Hann heitir: marr, ægir, gymir, hlér, haf, leið, ver, salt, lögr, græðir. Sem Arnórr kvað ok fyrr var ritat:

What are the names for the sea? It is called: marr, ægir, gymir, hlér, haf, leið, ver, salt, lögr, græðir. As Arnórr spoke and was written before:

Hér er nefndr sær ok svá ægir. Marr, sem Hornklofi kvað:

Here sær is named and likewise ægir. Marr, as Hornklofi spoke:

Lögr er ok hér nefndr. Svá kvað Einarr:

Lögr is also named here. Thus spoke Einarr:

Hér er ok flóð kallat. Svá kvað Refr, sem fyrr var ritat:

Here it is also called flóð [flood]. Thus spoke Refr, as written before:

Haf, sem Halvarðr kvað:

Haf, as Hallvarðr spoke:

Leið, sem hér er:

Leið, as here:

Ver, sem Egill kvað:

Ver, as Egill spoke:

Marr, sem Einarr kvað:

Marr, as Einarr spoke:

Salt, sem Arnórr kvað:

Salt, as Arnórr spoke:

Græðir, sem Bölverkr kvað:

Græðir, as Bölverkr spoke:

Hér er ok gjálfr kallat særinn. Víðir, sem kvað Refr:

Here the sea is also called gjálfr [surge]. Víðir, as Refr spoke:

Húmr, sem Brennu-Njáll kvað:

Húmr, as Brennu-Njáll spoke:

Þessi eru enn sævar heiti, svá at rétt er at kenna til skip eða gull. Rán, er sagt, at var kona Ægis, svá sem hér er:

These are yet more sea-names, such that it is right to periphrase ship or gold [by them]. Rán, it is said, was Ægir's wife, as here:

Dætr þeira Ægis ok Ránar eru níu, ok eru nöfn þeira fyrr rituð: Himinglæva, Dúfa, Blóðughadda, Hefring, Uðr, Hrönn, Bylgja, Dröfn, Kólga. Einarr Skúlason talði í þessi vísu:

The daughters of Ægir and Rán are nine, and their names were written before: Himinglæva, Dúfa, Blóðughadda, Hefring, Uðr, Hrönn, Bylgja, Dröfn, Kólga. Einarr Skúlason reckoned in this verse:

sex nöfn þeira, [himinglæva, Uðr, Dúfa, Blóðughadda, Kólga, Hefring]. Hrönn, sem Valgarðr kvað:

— six of their names [Himinglæva, Uðr, Dúfa, Blóðughadda, Kólga, Hefring]. Hrönn, as Valgarðr spoke:

Bylgja, sem Óttarr svarti kvað:

Bylgja, as Óttarr svarti spoke:

Dröfn, sem Ormr kvað:

Dröfn, as Ormr spoke:

Bára, sem Þorleikr fagri kvað:

Bára, as Þorleikr fagri spoke:

Lá, sem Einarr kvað:

Lá, as Einarr spoke:

Fyllr, sem Refr kvað:

Fyllr, as Refr spoke:

Boði, sem hér er:

Boði [breaker], as here:

Breki, sem Óttarr kvað:

Breki [breaker], as Óttarr spoke:

Vágr, sem Bragi kvað:

Vágr [wave], as Bragi spoke:

Sund, sem Einarr kvað:

Sund [sound], as Einarr spoke:

Fjörðr, sem Einarr kvað:

Fjörðr [firth], as Einarr spoke:

Sægr, sem Markús kvað:

Sægr, as Markús spoke:

Skaldic quotations

Arnórr jarlaskáld (hav = sær/ægir)

Nemi drótt, hvé sæ sótti snarlyndr konungr jarla. Eigi þraut við ægi óvæginn gram bægja.

Let the host learn how the bold-minded king of jarls attacked the sea. The overpowering prince did not fail to contend against the sea (ægir).

Þorbjörn Hornklofi (hav = marr)

Þá er út á mar mætir mannskæðr lagar tanna ræsinaðr til rausnar rak vébrautar Nökkva.

When the man-harming [prince] drove the serpent-prow of the sea-tooth [ship] out onto the sea (marr) in splendour, along the sacred way.

Einarr Skúlason (hav = lögr)

Lögr þvær flaust, en fagrir, flóðs vaskar brim stóðum, þar er sær á hlið hvára hlymr, veðrvitar glymja.

The sea (lögr) washes the ships, and the fair flood-surges rinse the stems, where the sea roars on either side and the weather-vanes rattle.

Refr (hav = flóð; Gymis völva = Rán)

Færir Björn, þar er bára brestr, undinna festa oft í ægis kjafta úrsvöl Gymis völva.

The spray-cold völva of Gymir [Rán] often bears the bear of the twisted cables [the ship] into Ægir's jaws, there where the wave breaks.

Hallvarðr (hav = haf)

Vestr lézt í haf, hristir, harðviggs, sikulgjarðar, umbands allra landa, íss, framstafni vísat.

You, shaker of the hard-riding steed, let the ice-laden prow be pointed west into the sea (haf), in the encircling girdle of all lands.

Anonym (hav = leið)

Erum á leið frá láði liðnir Finnum skriðnu. Austr sé ek fjöll af flausta ferli geisla merluð.

We are on the sea-way (leið) away from the land, glided past the Finns. Eastward I see the mountains from the ships' path, shimmering with the sunbeam.

Egill Skalla-Grímsson (hav = ver)

Vestr fór ek of ver, en ek Viðris ber munstrandar mar, svá er mitt of far.

West I journeyed over the sea (ver), and I bear the mead of Viðrir's [Óðinn's] mind-strand [poetry]; such is my faring.

Einarr Skúlason (hav = marr)

Kaldr þvær marr und mildum margt dægr viðu svarta, grefr élsnúin, jöfri, almsorg Manar þjalma.

The cold sea (marr) washes many a day the black planks [ship] beneath the gentle prince; storm-driven, the sea digs ...

Arnórr jarlaskáld (hav = salt)

Salt skar húfi héltum hraustr þjóðkóngr austan Báru brimlogs rýri brún veðr at Sigtúnum.

The valiant nation-king cut the salt (salt) with frosty hull from the east, in dark weather, to Sigtún.

Bölverkr (hav = græðir)

Leiðangr bjótt af láði, lögr gekk of skip, fögru, gjalfrstóðum reist græði glæstum, ár it næsta.

You made ready a levy-fleet from the land with fair, gleaming surge-steeds [ships]; you carved the sea (græðir) the next year.

Refr (hav = víðir)

Barðristinn nemr brjósti borðheim drasill skorðu, nauð þolir viðr, en víði verpr inn of þröm stinnan.

Prow-carved, the steed of the prop [ship] takes the sea to its breast; the timber suffers hardship, and the sea (víðir) hurls itself over the stiff gunwale.

Brennu-Njáll (hav = húm)

Senn jósum vér, svanni, sextán, en brim vexti, dreif á hafskips húfa húm, í fjórum rúmum.

At once sixteen of us bailed, O woman, in four rooms, while the surf grew; the dark sea (húm) drove over the sea-ship's planks.

Anonym (hav; Ránar vegr, Ráns väg)

Hrauð í himin upp glóðum hafs, gekk sær af afli. Börð, hygg ek, at ský skerðu. Skaut Ránar vegr mána.

The embers of the sea flew up against the sky, the sea went with force. The prows, I think, cut the clouds. Rán's way [the sea] shot up toward the moon.

Einarr Skúlason (Ægirs döttrar/vågorna)

Æsir hvasst at hraustum Himinglæva þyt sævar,

The sea's Himinglæva [the wave] rushes fiercely at the valiant [men] ...

Valgarðr (våg = Hrönn)

Lauðr var lagt í beðja, lék sollit haf golli, en herskipum hrannir höfuð ógurlig þógu.

Foam was laid in the beds, the swollen sea played with gold, and the waves (hrannir) washed the terrible heads [dragon-prows] of the warships.

Óttarr svarti (våg = bylgja)

Skáruð sköfnu stýri, skaut, sylgháar bylgjur, lék við hún á hreini hlunns, þat er drósir spunnu.

You cut with a smoothed steering-oar the swell-high waves (bylgjur); the sail played on the reindeer of the roller [ship], which the maidens spun.

Ormr (våg = dröfn)

Hrosta drýgir hvern kost hauk lúðrs gæiþrúðr, en drafnar loga Lofn löstu rækir vinföst.

The goddess of the hawk-box [the woman] furthers every good thing; and the friend-fast Lofn of the wave's (dröfn's) flame [gold — the woman] shuns faults.

Þorleikr fagri (våg = bára)

Sjár þýtr, en berr bára bjart lauðr of við rauðan, gránn þar er gulli búnum gínn hlunnvísundr munni.

The sea roars, and the wave (bára) bears bright foam over the red timber [ship], where the grey roller-bison [ship] gapes with a gold-adorned mouth.

Einarr Skúlason (hav = lá)

Né framlyndir fundu fyrr, hykkat lá kyrrðu, þar er sjár á, við varra, vini óra fell stórum.

The forward-minded did not find before — I do not think the sea (lá) was still — where the sea fell greatly against the wake, our friends.

Refr (hav = fyllr)

Hrynja fjöll á fyllar, fram æsisk nú Glamma skeið vetrliði skíða, skautbjörn Gusis nauta.

The mountains [waves] crash on the sea (fyllr); now the ski of Glammi [ship] rushes forward, the sheet-bear [ship] of Gusir's gifts [gold].

Anonym (hav = boði, bränning)

Boði fell of mik bráðla. Bauð heim með sér geimi. Þá ek eigi löð lægis.

The breaker (boði) fell suddenly over me. The sea invited me home with it. Then I did not accept the sea's lodging.

Óttarr svarti (hav = breki, bränning)

Braut, en breki þaut, borð, óx viðar morð, meðr fengu mikit veðr, mjó fyrir ofan sjó.

The plank broke, and the breaker (breki) howled, the murder of the timber [shipwreck] grew; the men met heavy weather, the slender [ship] above the sea.

Bragi inn gamli (hav = vágr)

Vildit vröngum ofra vágs byrsendir ægi, hinn er mjótygil máva mærar skar fyr Þóri.

The wind-sender [sailor] would not raise the crooked sea's ægir ... he who cut the slender rein of the gull-land for Þórir.

Einarr Skúlason (hav = sund)

Skar ek súðum sund fyr sunnan Hrund, mín prýddisk mund við mildings fund.

I cut the sound (sund) with the planking south of Hrund; my hand was adorned at the meeting with the generous one.

Einarr Skúlason (hav = fjörðr)

Næst sé ek orm á jastar ítrserki vel merkðan, nemi bjóðr hvé ek fer, flæðar, fjarðbáls of þat máli.

Next I see the serpent [arm-ring] well marked; may the giver mark how I fare with this speech of the firth-fire [gold] ...

Markús Skeggjason (hav = sægr)

Sægs mun ek síðr en eigi, sá er illr, er brag spillir, sólar sverri málan, sliðráls reginn, níða.

I shall, sooner than not, satirize the spokesman of the sea-sun [gold — the mean man], the wretch who spoils poetry.