Ulfs Keptr: Difference between revisions
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[[File:UlfsKeptr in alfraedi2 rimtoelGlosse Beckman+Kalund1914-16.jpg|thumb|Ulfs Keptr in Alfraedi2 | [[File:UlfsKeptr in alfraedi2 rimtoelGlosse Beckman+Kalund1914-16.jpg|thumb|Ulfs Keptr in Alfraedi2 '''Rímtǫl glosses''' edited by Beckman+Kalund (1914-16).]] | ||
Úlfs Keptr, the wolf staff containing the jaw of the wolf, is a Norse constellation mentioned in the Rímtǫl glosses, which dates before 1600 CE and is an Old Norse calendar with 52 weeks (364 days). | Úlfs Keptr, the wolf staff containing the jaw of the wolf, is a Norse constellation mentioned in the Rímtǫl glosses, which dates before 1600 CE and is an Old Norse calendar with 52 weeks (364 days). | ||
Revision as of 15:54, 9 April 2026
Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann
Úlfs Keptr, the wolf staff containing the jaw of the wolf, is a Norse constellation mentioned in the Rímtǫl glosses, which dates before 1600 CE and is an Old Norse calendar with 52 weeks (364 days).
Concordance, Etymology, History
Origin of Constellation
Rímtǫl glosses (from rím-tal, calendar/ computation; rendering in runic inscriptions: ᚱᛁᛘ-ᛏᛅᛚ; from Old Norse hrím, from Proto-Germanic *hrīmą. Cognate with Danish rim, Swedish rim; also related to English rime, German Reim, Dutch rijm). The Old Norse calendar divided the year into two seasons: the summer and the winter half-year with six months each.
The text is from Iceland which was settled from Norway in the 9th century. Rímtǫl I is one of the oldest components of Rímbegla (Alfræði íslenzk), a medieval Icelandic compilation focused on time-reckoning and computus. The exact dates of the three Rímtǫl are unknown.
Identification
It is identified with the Hyades (Sigurðsson 2022,[1] p. 241). This suggestion goes back to a suggestion by Beckman and Kalund (1914-'16)[2] who write in Icelandic:
Ulfs keptr synes ha en annan betydelse i 1812·= Gislason, Prøver s. 477: Andromeda dottvr (läs dottir) Sephei, kona Scersei (läs Persei), sitr i miolk hring par sem ver kollvm vlfs kiopt. I hyaderna bilda några stjärnor av fjärde storleken en grupp, som kan anses i någon mån likna ett hund- eller varggap.
Ulf’s staff appears to have a different meaning in 1812·= Gislason, Prover p. 477: Andromeda, daughter of Sephei, wife of Scersei (read Persei), sits in a milky ring where the wolf’s staff is visible. In the Hyades, a few fourth-magnitude stars form a group that can be considered to resemble, to some extent, a dog’s or wolf’s mouth.
So, the Wolf Staff is a bigger constellation in the Milky Way stretching from Andromeda to Taurus while the Wolf's Mouth (or Jaw) is in the Hyades.
Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation
nothing known
Religion/ Tales/ Mythology
Wolves play a significant role in Old Norse mythology, as they are foretold to devour the sun and moon at Ragnarök (Sturluson 2017,[3] p. 25). The Hyades lie along the moon’s path, and their V-shaped arrangement naturally invites comparison with a jaw snapping at the moon. Holmberg (2022,[4] p. 18) further proposes that this wolf-jaw constellation may already have been recorded on the Rök Runestone in the early 9th century.
Weblinks
- Norse Constellations by Digitalis Solutions[5]
References
- References (general)
- ↑ Sigurðsson, G. (2022) ‘How Gylfi’s Illusion Breathes Life into the Sky’, Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 74, pp. 231–246. DOI: 10.7146/rt.v74i.132105.
- ↑ N. Beckman & Kr. Kålund (eds., 1914–1916). Rímbegla (Alfræði íslenzk), STUAGNL 41. Copenhagen: S. L. Møllers Bogtrykkeri.
- ↑ Sturluson, S. (2017) The Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Translated by K. Simrock. Bibliographically updated edition. Stuttgart: Reclam.
- ↑ Holmberg, P. (2022) ‘Watching Star Wars with Viking Age Subtitles: An analysis of cohesion and coherence in the Rök runestone inscription’, Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 137, pp. 231–246. (Publication date: 2 May 2025).
- ↑ Digitalis Solutions (website) on Norse
