Note to Gamlkan Has 11VII
[6-7] geymirunna grálinns undgjalfrs ‘protecting bushes of the grey serpent of the wound-surge [BLOOD > SWORD > WARRIORS]’: Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson (Nj 1875-8, II, 271) suggested emendation of B’s geymirunnum (dat. pl.) to geymirunna (acc. pl), which has been adopted by all subsequent eds. Geymirunnr ‘protecting bush’ occurs elsewhere only in poetry dated to C12th: it is used twice in HSt Rst 25/3 and 32/5I in the identical man-kennings geymirunnr gunnelds ‘protecting bush of the fire of battle’ and also in a poorly-preserved st. from RvHbreiðm Hl 5III, where it seems to provide the base-word of a man-kenning. It is interesting to note that the HSt Rst examples share the basic conceit of Gamli’s more elaborate kenning here. Undgjalfr ‘wound-surge’ is not attested elsewhere, but is conceptually related to undbára ‘wound-wave’ in Geisl 54/6.
References
- Bibliography
- Nj 1875-89 = Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson. 1875-89. Njála: Udgivet efter gamle håndskrifter. Íslendingasögur udgivne efter gamle haandskrifter af Det Kongelige Nordiske Oldskrift-selskab 4. Copenhagen: Thiele.
- Internal references
- Rolf Stavnem 2012, ‘ Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja’ 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. 893. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1237> (accessed 7 May 2024)
- Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 54’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 51.
- Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 25’ 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. 927.
- Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill 5’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1012.