Cite as: Beatrice La Farge (ed.) 2017, ‘Ketils saga hœngs 40 (Ketill hœngr, Lausavísur 23)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 595.
Hræðiz eigi faðir meyjar, meðan heill er Dragvendill.
Vita ek víst þikkjumz, verðr honum ei bilt þrysvar. |
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{Faðir meyjar} hræðiz eigi, meðan Dragvendill er heill. Ek þikkjumz vita víst, honum verðr ei bilt þrysvar.
{The father of the maiden} [= Ketill] is not afraid, whilst Dragvendill is intact. I think I know for certain he will not fail three times.
Mss: 343a(57v), 471(56v) (Ket)
Readings: [4] honum: hann 471; bilt: ‘bit’ 471
Editions: Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], E. 8. Vers af Fornaldarsagaer: Af Ketill hœngs saga VII 7: AII, 287, BII, 308, Skald II, 163; FSN 2, 139, FSGJ 2, 180, Anderson 1990, 58, 108; Edd. Min. 85.
Context: This stanza is a continuation of Ketill’s reply to Framarr’s mocking words in Ket 38. In the saga it is introduced by the words: Ok enn kvað hann ‘And he also said’.
Notes: [All]: Some eds (Edd. Min.; Skj B; Skald) reduce the number of syllables in ll. 1 and 4 by introducing an enclitic negative particle in l. 1 (hræðiskat instead of hræðiz ... eigi and the same in l. 4: verðrat instead of verðr ei) and by omitting the pron. honum in l. 4 (Skj B; Skald). — [1] faðir meyjar hræðiz eigi ‘the father of the maiden is not afraid’: With this echoing counter-statement Ketill negates Framarr’s claim in Ket 38/4: faðir meyjar hræðiz ‘the father of the maiden is afraid’.
