Note to Anon Mv III 26VII
[3-4] lunds linna ‘of the tree of snakes’: This kenning is incomplete. Linna ‘of snakes’ needs another determinant, either a defensive weapon (e.g. ‘snakes of the shield’ i.e. ‘swords’) or a word for ‘land, bed, lair’ (e.g. ‘land of the snake’ i.e. ‘gold’). Skj B accordingly emends linna ‘of snakes’ to linnbóls ‘of the snake-lair’. Skald retains the reading linna ‘of snakes’, which is construed as a synonym for ‘gold’ (see NN §2800 and Note to Mv I 10/3). Kálf Kátr 14/3-4, 15/8, 33/2 and 45/7 also have defective gold-kennings.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- Internal references
- Kirsten Wolf (ed.) 2007, ‘Kálfr Hallsson, Kátrínardrápa 14’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 940-1.
- Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Máríuvísur I 10’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 686.