Cite as: Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 32 (Angantýr Arngrímsson, Lausavísur 3)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 393.
Hnigin er helgrind, haugar opnaz,
allr er í eldi eybarmr at sjá. |
Atalt er úti um at lítaz;
skyntu, mær, ef þú mátt, til skipa þinna. |
Helgrind er hnigin, haugar opnaz, allr eybarmr er at sjá í eldi. Úti er atalt at lítaz um; skyntu, mær, ef þú mátt, til skipa þinna.
Hel’s gate is fallen, mounds open, one can see the whole island-edge on fire. Outside it is terrible to look around; hurry, girl, if you can, to your ships.
Mss: Hb(74r), 2845(65v) (Heiðr)
Readings: [3] allr: allt 2845 [4] ‑barmr: ‑grims 2845; at: om. 2845
Editions: Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], E. 5. Vers af Fornaldarsagaer: Af Hervararsaga III 8: AII, 246-7, BII, 266, Skald II, 138-9; FSN 1, 437, 520, Heiðr 1873, 217, 318, Heiðr 1924, 25-6, FSGJ 2, 17-18, Heiðr 1960, 16; Edd. Min. 17.
Context: A prose interjection
in Hb and 2845, though differently worded in each, relates that the mound opens
and fire burns all around.
Notes: [All]: See Heiðr 29, Note to [All]. — [1] helgrind ‘Hel’s gate’: In Old Norse mythology Hel is both a being and a location. The gates of Hell (portae inferi) are also present in Christian imagery; see Matt. XVI.18. Cf. Anon Sól 39/4VII and Note. — [2]: Identical to Heiðr 22/6 (and see Note). Both stanzas mention supernatural fires and warn Hervǫr to hurry away. — [4] eybarmr ‘the island-edge’: See Note to GunnLeif Merl I 86/4, the only other occurrence of this cpd. Ms. 2845’s variant, gríms, cannot be satisfactorily construed in Old Norse.