Note to Anon Pét 51^VII

[1, 2, 3] lýstr Pétrum á síðu ‘strikes Peter on the side’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) reads lystr adj., emends en (l. 3) to at, and translates: (englen) vækker villig Petrum således (at) bægge lænkerne om hans side brast itu ‘(the angel), willing, wakes Peter in such a way (that) both the chains about his side broke apart’. As Kock points out (NN §1755), the actual sense of the text is made clearer by comparing the parallel gospel passage, Acts XII.7: et ecce angelus Domini adstitit ... percussoque latere Petri suscitavit eum dicens, ‘surge velociter’ et ceciderunt catenae de manibus eius ‘and behold an angel of the Lord stood by him ... and he striking Peter on the side, raised him up, saying: Arise quickly. And the chains fell off from his hands’. Cf. Pétr 72/30-73/2: Þa stoð engill guðs yfir Petro ... Þessi engill laust ꜳ siðu Petri ok vakti hann sva mælandi: “Ris upp skiott!” Við þessi orð engilssins fellu fio᷎trarnir af honum. ‘Then the angel of God stood over Peter … This angel struck on Peter’s side and woke him saying thus: “Rise up quickly!” With these words of the angel the fetters fell from him.’

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.