Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Stanzas from Laufás Edda 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 637.
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hvé (conj.): how
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play
[1] leik: ‘lick’ 2368ˣ
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
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2. en (conj.): but, and
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laukr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): leek, mast
[1-2] Lofn lauka ‘the Lofn <goddess> of leeks [WOMAN]’: For the goddess Lofn, see Note to Þul Ásynja 1/6. The determinant, lauka ‘of leeks’, refers to women being skilful with herbs (Meissner 418; see also Note to l. 4 below and Guðrún P. Helgadóttir 1981).
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Lofn (noun f.): Lofn
[1-2] Lofn lauka ‘the Lofn <goddess> of leeks [WOMAN]’: For the goddess Lofn, see Note to Þul Ásynja 1/6. The determinant, lauka ‘of leeks’, refers to women being skilful with herbs (Meissner 418; see also Note to l. 4 below and Guðrún P. Helgadóttir 1981).
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kunna (verb): know, can, be able
[2] þat: þar all
[2] þat ‘that’: All mss have þar ‘there’, which cannot be construed to make any sense in this context. Sveinbjörn Egilsson suggested emendation to þat (see SnE 1848-87, II, 631 n. 3), which has been adopted by subsequent eds.
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stofna (verb): make, inflict, begin
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stórvænn (adj.): [mightily fair]
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styrr (noun m.; °dat. -): battle
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kennir (noun m.): teacher
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standa (verb): stand
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
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lín (noun n.): linen; headband < línapaldr (noun m.): [linen-apple-tree]
[4] línapaldr ‘linen-apple-tree [WOMAN]’: This kenning is untraditional, since the base-word, apaldr ‘apple-tree’, is m. rather than f. (see Note to Þul Viðar 2/5). The juxtaposition of the determinants in the two woman-kennings, lauka ‘of leeks’ (l. 1) and lín- ‘linen-’, is also striking, since both words occur together in runic magic formulas (see Heizmann 1992). See also Anon Vǫlsa 4/3-4I and Notes there.
[4] línapaldr ‘linen-apple-tree [WOMAN]’: This kenning is untraditional, since the base-word, apaldr ‘apple-tree’, is m. rather than f. (see Note to Þul Viðar 2/5). The juxtaposition of the determinants in the two woman-kennings, lauka ‘of leeks’ (l. 1) and lín- ‘linen-’, is also striking, since both words occur together in runic magic formulas (see Heizmann 1992). See also Anon Vǫlsa 4/3-4I and Notes there.
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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The helmingr is one of two half-stanzas cited to illustrate base-words in women-kennings that are masculine tree-names, here, apaldr ‘apple-tree’. The half-stanza is cited immediately before Ólhelg Lv 2I, and in 2368ˣ the two helmingar are written as one stanza.
Because the stanza begins with hvé ‘how’, it is likely to be the second helmingr of a stanza whose first helmingr is now missing. — This interpretation follows Skj B. To achieve a more straightforward word order, Kock (Skald; NN §1234) emends stórvænn (m. nom. sg.) ‘mightily fair’ (l. 3) to stórvæn (f. nom. sg.), and takes it with Lofn lauka ‘the Lofn of leeks’ (ll. 1-2). — [3]: This line is composed in the skjálfhent variant of dróttkvætt (see SnSt Ht 35/3, 7).
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