Note to Herv Lv 4VIII (Heiðr 17)
[2] hraðast ‘as quickly as you can’: Lit. ‘quickest’. The long-line lacks alliteration and the text is not sound, 2845 appearing to read hvatast (so, e.g. Heiðr 1924, 16 n. 3; Skj A) though with an ambiguous abbreviation (Heiðr 1873, 313 n. 14); the meaning is similar. Rafn (FSN 1, 432) and Tolkien (Heiðr 1960, 11) take the reading bráðast, also implying ‘speed, haste’, from a C17th ms., AM 345 4°ˣ. This, however, stems from a copy of 203ˣ and has no independent textual value (Heiðr 1924, xliv-xlv); the reading may be a scribal conjecture to restore alliteration, but results in a hypermetrical line. Skj B, Skald and Edd. Min., following Bugge (Heiðr 1873, 313), opt for bezt ‘best’. Andrews (1920, 96) suggests that bú ‘prepare’ in l. 1 may be where the corruption lies, but does not suggest an alternative.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj A = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15a. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. A: Tekst efter håndskrifterne. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1967. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- FSN = Rafn, Carl Christian, ed. 1829-30. Fornaldar sögur nordrlanda. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- Heiðr 1924 = Jón Helgason, ed. 1924. Heiðreks saga. Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks konungs. SUGNL 48. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
- Andrews, A. Le Roy. 1920. ‘Studies in the Fornaldarsǫgur Norðrlanda – Continued’. MP 18, 93-100.
- Heiðr 1960 = Tolkien, Christopher, ed. and trans. 1960. Saga Heiðreks konungs ins vitra / The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise. Nelson Icelandic Texts. London etc.: Nelson.
- Heiðr 1873 = Bugge, Sophus, ed. 1873. Hervarar saga ok Heidreks. Det Norske oldskriftselskabs samlinger 17. Christiania (Oslo): Brøgger.