Note to Hróksv Hrkv 20VIII (Hálf 70)
[5-8]: The second helmingr of this stanza is difficult to understand without considerable emendation, and it lacks alliteration in ll. 5-6. The word allir ‘all’ in l. 6 shows that it is vocalic alliteration that is lacking, and so earlier eds have sought to emend muna ‘remember’ (l. 5) to una ‘be happy’ and allir ‘all’ to aldri ‘never’, giving the sense ‘we think that we shall never be happy again’. In the present edn, as in others (e.g. Skj B), the pl. number is taken to refer to Hrókr himself, since almost all the other Hálfsrekkar are dead. Bugge (Hálf 1864) and Skj B further emend the verb máttum ‘we were able’ in l. 7 to the negated máttuma ‘we were not able’ on grounds of sense, given that the cause of Hrókr’s sadness appears to be his inability to follow his loyal kinsmen. This edn has also adopted the emendation to máttuma.
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.
- Hálf 1864 = Bugge, Sophus, ed. 1864. Saga af Hálfi ok Hálfsrekkum. Norrøne Skrifter af sagnhistorisk Indhold 1. Christiania (Oslo): Det Nordiske Oldskriftselskab.