Note to GunnLeif Merl II 54^VIII

[3-4]: The difficulties posed by these lines have not so far been satisfactorily resolved. This edn follows Skj B (Bret 1848-9 reads similarly but with emendation of feðr to feðra) in adhering to the ms. readings (refreshed). The placement of svá is difficult, however, since regardless of whether it is assigned to l. 3 (with Bret 1848-9, also Merl 2012) or l. 4 (with Skj B) it generates an extra potentially alliterating syllable. Moreover, ll. 3-4 seem curiously repetitive of ll. 1-2. Kock suggests (NN §100) that svá synir may represent a misunderstanding of the adj. svásir, used substantivally, and proposes the emendation slíta þeir sifjum, | svásir, við feðga, translated as och frändskap slita de, de nära, med far och son ‘they sever kinship ties, the near and dear, between father and son’ (Skald is similar, with omission of þeir). He notes that ON svás, OE swǣs was particularly used with nouns denoting ‘close blood-relative’ (cf. Ásm 4/1-2), the latter often in collocation with gesibb, corresponding to sifjum here, a noun that denotes relationships by marriage (as noted by Merl 2012). De Vries (1964-7, II, 75 n. 179) compares l. 3 with Vsp 45/4.

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. Vries, Jan de. 1964-7. Altnordische Literaturgeschichte. 2 vols. 2nd edn. Grundriss der germanischen Philologie 15-16. Berlin: de Gruyter.
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.
8. Internal references
9. Not published: do not cite ()
10. Peter Jorgensen (ed.) 2017, ‘Ásmundar saga kappabana 4 (Hildibrandr, Lausavísur 4)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 18.