Today, Narfi is a topic that arouses great interest in society, since it affects a large number of people around the world. From its origins to its impact today, Narfi has been the subject of debate and study by experts in the field. In this article, we will explore the various aspects related to Narfi, from its causes and effects to the possible solutions that have been proposed to address this problem. Through a comprehensive analysis, we will seek to shed light on this issue and provide a broader and clearer vision of the impact it has on our environment.
The Old Norse name Nǫrr has been related to the Old Saxonnarouua ('night'), a name which occurs in the verse narouua naht an skion of the fragmentary Genesis poem.[n 1] In adjectival form, the Old Norse nǫrr means 'narrow',[1] and the name Nar(f)i may have shared the same meaning.[2]
Thus, the jötunn's name, as first suggested by Adolf Noreen, may be a synonym for "night" or, perhaps more likely, an adjective related to Old Englishnearwe, "narrow", meaning "closed-in" and thus "oppressive".[3][4][5]
Snorri Sturluson cites Narfi as an alternative form of the name of the jötunn Nörfi, and the variants Nör and Nörvi also appear in Norse poetry.[2]
Attestations
According to the Gylfaginning section of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, Nótt is the daughter of the jötunn "Nörfi or Narfi".[6][7] However, in the Poetic Edda, Nótt's father is called Nörr (not to be confused with Nór), primarily for reasons of alliteration.[6] This name is only recorded in the dative form Nǫrvi (variant spelling Naurvi).[8]
The name of Nótt's father is recorded in several forms in Old Norse sources:[9]
Naurr, Nörr (dative Naurvi, Nörvi): "Vafþrúðnismál" 25 "Nótt var Naurvi borin", "Alvíssmál" 29 "Nótt in Naurvi kennda".
Various scholars have argued that Snorri based his genealogy of Nótt on classical models.[8][10] They relate Narfi to Erebus, which would make nipt Nera, used in "Helgakviða Hundingsbana I" for a Norn who comes in the night, an appellation derived from the Parcae, who were Erebus' daughters.[11]
^Sophus Bugge, The Home of the Eddic poems: With Especial Reference to the Helgi-Lays, tr. William Henry Schofield, Grimm library 11, London: Nutt, 1899, OCLC2857921, p. 99.
^Hugo Gering and Barend Symons, Kommentar zu den Liedern der Edda, Germanistische Handbibliothek 7(3), Halle: Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, 1927, OCLC277594015, p. 14.
^Tette Hofstra, "A note on the 'Darkness of the night' motif in alliterative poetry, and the search for the poet of the Old Saxon Heliand", in Loyal Letters: Studies on Mediaeval Alliterative Poetry & Prose, ed. L. A. J. R. Houwen and A. A. MacDonald, Mediaevalia Groningana 15, Groningen: Egbert Forsten, 1994, ISBN9789069800752, p. 104.
^ ab"Nǫrr", Rudolf Simek, tr. Angela Hall, Dictionary of Northern Mythology, Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1993, repr. 2000, ISBN9780859915137, p. 235.
^"Nótt (Night)", John Lindow, Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs, Oxford/New York: Oxford University, 2001, ISBN9780195153828, p. 246.
^Christopher Tolkien and J. R. R. Tolkien, The treason of Isengard: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part Two, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989, ISBN9780395515624, p. 188.