Hello Haukur,
Ah, you found Ragnarsdrápa!
That is the one I had in mind, because some years ago
an Icelander wrote a monograph on Bragi, that you may be
familiar with.

In that book a point, according to the author one of
the important points, is that the color name "blár"
is used in poetry as a symbol of moral connotation.

I do not have the book here, and I do not wish to
misquote. Besides, it is rather involved and is difficult
to quote accurately by citing only a single paragraph.

But I guess the point is that the literary use of "blár"
is often a symbolic one, where the color indicates a
certain moral "direction", showing where the character(s)
thus attired is "comming from". Hope you get the drift

Best regards
Xigung




--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Haukur Thorgeirsson
<haukurth@...> wrote:

> Hi, Xigung!
>
> > I also have a note that says svartr was frequently used for
> > the color of dark hair, usually of foreigners and slaves,
> > e.g. "Atilla" Atli var grimmr maðr, mikill ok svartr...
> > And here: 'Sörli, Hamdir, Erpr; þeir váru allir svartir
> > sem hrafn á hárslít, sem Gunnarr ok Högni ok aðrir Niflungar.'
> > "their hair was raven black" in other words.
>
> Indeed, but the same dudes are called 'hrafn-bláir' in Ragnarsdrápa:
>
> Knátti eðr við illan
> Jörmunrekkr at vakna
> með dreyrfáar dróttir
> draum í sverða flaumi;
> rósta varð í ranni
> Randvés höfuðniðja,
> þás hrafnbláir hefnðu
> harma Erps of barmar.
>
> Finnur Jónsson translates:
>
> "Fremdeles [ses, at] vågnede Jörmunrekk som af en ond drøm
> tilligemed de blodbestænkte skarer i sværdtummelen; der opstod
> kamp i Randves faders hus, dengang da Erps ravnsorte brødre
> hævnede deres sorg."

To which I add for the benefit of the speakers of English:


" Still [it is seen that] Jörmunrek awoke, as from an evil dream,
next to the blood-drenched warrior bands in the tumult of swords.
And a battle arose in Randve's father's house, which happened
of yore when Erp's raven-black brothers revenged their sorrow ".