Note to GunnLeif Merl II 49^VIII

[3] hervígssamir ‘belligerent’: This edn follows Kock (NN §99; Skald; cf. Merl 2012), who notes that ms. hervígssamir (a hap. leg.) makes good sense, has close analogues in formation and meaning and is in parallel structure with geirvanir ‘the spear-accustomed ones’ in l. 7. Earlier eds deviate from the ms. reading. Bret 1848-9 has hervígs ramir, translated as de kampstærke Mænd ‘the battle-strong men’. Given that ramir is not signalled as an emendation, perhaps Jón Sigurðsson read <r> where other eds have seen <s>, but occasionally he emends tacitly (cf. II 39/4). In Skj B the line is further emended to rammir horvegs ‘strong of snot-way [NOSTRIL]’, explained as meaning med stinkende næsebor ‘with stinking nostrils’, so as to enhance the correspondence with DGB. The ms. reading appears in LP (LP: hervíg) but with the comment that it is erroneous. Finnur’s emendation is ingenious, and possibly right, despite Kock’s strictures (made in ignorance of DGB), but it would be characteristic of Gunnlaugr to tone down such offensive material. Cf. II 50/5-6.

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. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
6. Bret 1848-9 = Jón Sigurðsson. 1848-9. ‘Trójumanna saga ok Breta sögur, efter Hauksbók, med dansk Oversættelse’. ÅNOH 1848, 3-215; 1849, 3-145.
7. Merl 2012 = Horst, Simone, ed. 2012. Merlínússpá. Merlins Prophezeiung. Munich: Herbert Utz Verlag.