Gestumbl Heiðr 27VIII (Heiðr 74)
Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 74 (Gestumblindi, Heiðreks gátur 27)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 441.
text and translation
Hvat er þat dýra, er Dönum hlífir,
berr blóðugt bak, en bergr firum,
geirum mætir, gefr líf sumum,
leggr við lófa lík sitt guma?
Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Hvat er þat dýra, er hlífir Dönum, berr blóðugt bak, en bergr firum, mætir geirum, gefr sumum líf, leggr lík sitt við lófa guma? Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
‘What is that creature, that protects Danes, bears a bloody back, but saves men, meets spears, gives life to some, lays its body against the palm of a man? King Heiðrekr, think about the riddle. ’
notes and context
Heiðrekr’s response is (Heiðr 1960, 39): Þat er skjǫldr; hann verðr opt blóðugr í bardǫgum ok hlífir vel þeim mǫnnum, er skjaldfimir eru ‘That is a shield; it often becomes bloody in battles and protects those men well who are deft with a shield’. — [1]: See Note to Heiðr 73/1. — [4]: Cf. Heiðr 53/4.
readings
- [2] Dönum: danir R715ˣ
- [2] hlífir: skemma R715ˣ
- [5] geirum mætir: om. 281ˣ, 597bˣ
- [6] gefr: getr R715ˣ
- [6] sumum: so 281ˣ, 597bˣ, R715ˣ, firum 2845
- [7] lófa: lofða 281ˣ, 597bˣ
- [8] lík: líf 281ˣ
- [8] guma: so R715ˣ, gumi all others
- [9-10] abbrev. as ‘h k’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘heidr: kr’ 281ˣ, abbrev. as ‘h K:’ 597bˣ
sources
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.
-
GKS 2845 4° (2845) — 71v/18 - 71v/19
imagesHvat er þat dýra,
er Dönum hlífir,
berr blóðugt bak,
en bergr firum,
geirum mætir,
gefr líf firum,
leggr við lófa
lík sitt guma?
,
.huat er þat dyra er dꜹnum hlifir berr blodugt bak eɴn bergr fírum geírum | mætir gefr líf fírum leggr uid lofa lik sitt gumi h k
(HB)
-
AM 281 4°x (281x) — 100v/2 - 100v/3
imagesHvat er þat dýra,
er Dönum hlífir,
berr blóðugt bak,
en bergr firum,
,
gefr líf sumum,
leggr við lofða
líf sitt guma?
,
.hvad er þad dyra er dønum hlӳfir ber blodugt bak enn bergur firum gefur | lyf sumum leggur vid lofda lyf sitt gumi heidr: k:
(HB)
-
AM 597 b 4°x (597bx) — 50v/20 - 50v/22
imagesHvat er þat dýra,
er Dönum hlífir,
berr blóðugt bak,
en bergr firum,
,
gefr líf sumum,
leggr við lofða
lík sitt guma?
,
.hvad er þad dyra⸝ er Døn | um hlyfur⸝ ber blődugt bak en bergur firum gefur lf sumum leggur | vid lofda lf sit gume heidreckur kongur
(HB)
-
UppsUB R 715x (R715x) — 29r/24 - 29v/2 [1-8]
imagesHvat er þat dýra,
er danir skemma,
berr blóðugt bak,
en bergr firum,
geirum mætir,
getr líf sumum,
leggr við lófa
lík sitt guma?
Heiðrekr konungr,
hyggðu at gátu.huort er þad dӳra er | danir skemma Ber Blodugt bak Enn \ Bergur || firum geӳrum mætir gietur lӳff sumum læ | tur vid lofa lӳk sitt guma
(HB)
-
AM 203 folx (203x) — 105r/2 - 105r/7
images
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], D. 5. Heiðreks gátur 17: AII, 224, BII, 243, Skald II, 126; Heiðr 1672, 150, FSN 1, 476, Heiðr 1873, 255, 339, Heiðr 1924, 72-3, 75, 138, FSGJ 2, 45, Heiðr 1960, 39; Edd. Min. 116.
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