Note to Þjóðólfr Frag 1^III

[2] heiðsæi ‘reverence’: Heiðsæi is an abstract f. noun derived from the adj. heiðsær, attested only once, as an epithet for Óláfr Haraldsson (Jǫk Lv 2/8^I). The noun heiðsæi is otherwise found only in Christian contexts (cf. ONP: heiðsæi): Anon Hsv 5/3^VII renders the Lat. verecundiam serva ‘preserve modesty’ as halt þú heiðsæi ‘preserve your reverence’. The word also occurs in prose sources as veita heiðsæi ‘show reverence’ (Lat. timor) (Benedikts saga; Unger 1877, I, 194); meþ litillǽte micklo, oc meþ frambære (h)eiþsæi ‘with great humility and proper reverence’ (HómÍsl 1872, 130). The phrases halda heiðsæi ‘preserve reverence’ and veita heiðsæi ‘show reverence’ used in these sources are comparable to drýgja heiðsæi ‘show reverence’ (lit. ‘perform reverence’) (Detter 1896, 211). The interpretations of drýgja heiðsæi in LP: heiðsæi as udføre hæderfulde handlinger ‘perform honourable actions’ and in LP: drýgja 3. as udøve gavmildhet ‘show generosity’ contradict both one another and the previously mentioned attestations. Apparently the translations in LP were prompted by the assumption that this helmingr was part of Yt. Bugge (1894, 129) interpreted heiðsæi as a Christian word and believed that the helmingr must have been composed in a Christian context. Detter (1896, 211), Storm (1899, 138) and Finnur Jónsson (LP: heiðsær) raised objections to the helmingr’s alleged Christian character, but they ignored the fact that the word heiðsæi is otherwise attested only in Christian contexts.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Unger, C. R., ed. 1877. Heilagra manna søgur. Fortællinger og legender om hellige mænd og kvinder. 2 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Bentzen.
3. 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.
4. ONP = Degnbol, Helle et al., eds. 1989-. A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose / Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog. 1-. Copenhagen: The Arnamagnæan Commission.
5. HómÍsl 1872 = Wisén, Theodor, ed. 1872. Homiliu-bók: Isländska homilier efter en handskrift från tolfte århundredet. Lund: Gleerup.
6. Hms = Heilagra manna søgur.
7. Bugge, Sophus. 1894. Bidrag til den ældste skaldedigtnings historie. Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug.
8. Storm, Gustav. 1899. ‘Ynglingatal, dets forfatter og forfattelsestid’. ANF 15, 107-41.
9. Detter, Ferdinand. 1896. Review of Sophus Bugge. 1894. Bidrag til den ældste skaldedigtnings historie. Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug. ANF 12, 204-13.
10. Internal references
11. Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 5’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 363-4.
12. Edith Marold with the assistance of Vivian Busch, Jana Krüger, Ann-Dörte Kyas and Katharina Seidel, translated from German by John Foulks 2012, ‘ Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Ynglingatal’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 3. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1440> (accessed 24 April 2024)
13. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Jǫkull Bárðarson, Lausavísur 2’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 815.
14. Not published: do not cite ()