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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Note to Gestumbl Heiðr 25VIII (Heiðr 72)

[5] brimleiðar ‘the surf-way [SEA]’: All mss read ‑reiðar ‘chariot’; this cpd, a ship-kenning, is found in Sturl Hrafn 3/6II (and see Note), but makes no sense in the present context. Skj B and Skald also emend to ‑leiðar ‘way’, which cpd is found, with tmesis, in Sigv Knútdr 8/7, 8I. Edd. Min., FSGJ, Heiðr 1873 (253 and 358 n.) and Heiðr 1960 (37 and n. 3) retain ‑reiðar, the latter two citing the Old English poetic word brimrād ‘sea-road’ as a possible influence for the sense ‘sea’, which has to be what is meant. OE brimrād is only found in two instances in Andreas (ll. 1259 and 1585) (DOE), though there are other compounds in ‑rād with similar meaning, e.g. hranrād ‘whale-road, i.e. sea’, swanrād ‘swan-road, i.e. sea’ (DOE Corpus). The word reið ‘rode’ in l. 4 and the horse-imagery may have influenced the copying here.

References

  1. Bibliography
  2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
  3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  4. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
  5. Edd. Min. = Heusler, Andreas and Wilhelm Ranisch, eds. 1903. Eddica Minora: Dichtungen eddischer Art aus den Fornaldarsögur und anderen Prosawerken. Dortmund: Ruhfus. Rpt. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
  6. 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.
  7. Heiðr 1873 = Bugge, Sophus, ed. 1873. Hervarar saga ok Heidreks. Det Norske oldskriftselskabs samlinger 17. Christiania (Oslo): Brøgger.
  8. DOE = Cameron, Angus, Ashley Crandell Amos and Antonette diPaolo Healey, eds. 2007-. Dictionary of Old English. Toronto: University of Toronto. <http://www.doe.utoronto.ca/>
  9. Internal references
  10. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar in sérstaka’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=42> (accessed 16 May 2024)
  11. Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Knútsdrápa 8’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 659.

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