Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Breta saga 85 (Gunnlaugr Leifsson, Merlínusspá I 17)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 59.
Forflótti vas fránn inn rauði;
bar inn ljósi hann liðr at bakka.
En hann hagliga hrøkkr at móti;
elti hann inn hvíta hugtrúr dreka.
Inn rauði fránn vas forflótti; inn ljósi liðr bar hann at bakka. En hann hrøkkr hagliga at móti; hugtrúr elti hann inn hvíta dreka.
‘The red serpent took flight, the white snake drove it to the bank. But it [the red snake] nimbly twists to resist; valiant, it pursued the white serpent. ’
Cf. DGB 111 (Reeve and Wright 2007, 145.28-30): Praeualebat autem albus draco rubeumque usque ad extremitatem lacus fugabat. At ille, cum se expulsum doluisset, impetum fecit in album ipsumque retro ire coegit ‘The white dragon began to get the upper hand and drove the red to the edge of the pool. But it was irked at being driven back and attacked the white, forcing it back in turn’ (Reeve and Wright 2007, 144).
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Forflotti var frán en ravði | bar en liosi hann liðr at backa en hann hagliga hrockr at moti ellti hann en hvita hvgtrvr | dreka ·
(VEÞ)
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.