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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Note to Sigv Víkv 8I

[8] portgreifar ‘the town reeves’: In this context, it is clear that this word must have been a borrowing from the frequently-attested OE port-gerēfa ‘town reeve’ (a form of local official). It is however difficult to derive ON greifi directly from OE, and MLG is the most likely alternative (Hofmann 1955, 82; AEW: greifi). This example suggests that the simplex was already known, and that it influenced the form in which the OE cpd was borrowed. Sigvatr also uses it later, though with a Norwegian referent, in Berv 14/8II; see Note.

References

  1. Bibliography
  2. AEW = Vries, Jan de. 1962. Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2nd rev. edn. Rpt. 1977. Leiden: Brill.
  3. Hofmann, Dietrich. 1955. Nordisch-englische Lehnbeziehungen der Wikingerzeit. BA 14. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
  4. Internal references
  5. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Bersǫglisvísur 14’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 25-6.

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