[4] af létta ‘with ease’: Andrews (Hálf 1909, 84-5) suggests á fléttum ‘on (her) plaits’, which would be a nice parallel to á höfði in l. 1 and is very close to the ms. reading. Bugge (Hálf 1864, 10) and Wimmer (1875, 200) think that the reading of l. 4 must have been a version of a Hildr-kenning, like Heðins of leika ‘Heðinn’s playmate’, i.e. Hildr; so do Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) and Heusler and Ranisch (cf. Heðins of beðja ‘Heðinn’s bed-mate’ Edd. Min.). Patzig (1924) explains af létta by presupposing the existence of an otherwise unknown f. noun aflétta, meaning ‘obliging female companion’, derived from the adj. afléttr ‘willing (to give things away)’ (see Fritzner: afléttr).
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
- Edd. Min. = Heusler, Andreas and Wilhelm Ranisch, eds. 1903. Eddica Minora: Dichtungen eddischer Art aus den Fornaldarsögur und anderen Prosawerken. Dortmund: Ruhfus. Rpt. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
- Hálf 1864 = Bugge, Sophus, ed. 1864. Saga af Hálfi ok Hálfsrekkum. Norrøne Skrifter af sagnhistorisk Indhold 1. Christiania (Oslo): Det Nordiske Oldskriftselskab.
- Hálf 1909 = Andrews, A. Le Roy, ed. 1909. Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka. ASB 14. Halle: Niemeyer.
- Patzig, Hermann. 1924. ‘Zum text der Eddica Minora’. ZDA 61, 13-16.
- Wimmer, Ludvig F. A. 1875. ‘Store Rygbjærg-Stenen’. ÅNOH, 188-208.