Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 51 (Gestumblindi, Heiðreks gátur 4)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 413.
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
[1] hverr er sá inn … ‘who is that …’: Lit. ‘Who is that, the …’. This formula also begins the following two riddles, as well as Gestumbl Heiðr 30 (Heiðr 77). A similar formula occurs in Lok 44/1 (NK 105) Hvat er þat iþ litla ‘What is that, the little one’. The stanza, which is riddling in form, describes Freyr’s servant Byggvir, who replies, identifying himself, in the following stanza.
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[1] hverr er sá inn … ‘who is that …’: Lit. ‘Who is that, the …’. This formula also begins the following two riddles, as well as Gestumbl Heiðr 30 (Heiðr 77). A similar formula occurs in Lok 44/1 (NK 105) Hvat er þat iþ litla ‘What is that, the little one’. The stanza, which is riddling in form, describes Freyr’s servant Byggvir, who replies, identifying himself, in the following stanza.
[1] hverr er sá inn … ‘who is that …’: Lit. ‘Who is that, the …’. This formula also begins the following two riddles, as well as Gestumbl Heiðr 30 (Heiðr 77). A similar formula occurs in Lok 44/1 (NK 105) Hvat er þat iþ litla ‘What is that, the little one’. The stanza, which is riddling in form, describes Freyr’s servant Byggvir, who replies, identifying himself, in the following stanza.
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2. inn (art.): the
[1] hverr er sá inn … ‘who is that …’: Lit. ‘Who is that, the …’. This formula also begins the following two riddles, as well as Gestumbl Heiðr 30 (Heiðr 77). A similar formula occurs in Lok 44/1 (NK 105) Hvat er þat iþ litla ‘What is that, the little one’. The stanza, which is riddling in form, describes Freyr’s servant Byggvir, who replies, identifying himself, in the following stanza.
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hvellr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): shrill
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
[2] gengr: gengr um R715ˣ
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
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gata (noun f.): path, road
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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hafa (verb): have
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
[3] þær fyrr: so 281ˣ, 597bˣ, 203ˣ, fyrrum 2845, R715ˣ
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fyrr (adv.): before, sooner
[3] þær fyrr: so 281ˣ, 597bˣ, 203ˣ, fyrrum 2845, R715ˣ
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2. um (particle): (particle)
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fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel
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mjǫk (adv.): very, much
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fast (adv.)
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kyssa (verb): kiss
[5] sá er: sá R715ˣ, ok 281ˣ, 597bˣ, 203ˣ
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
[5] sá er: sá R715ˣ, ok 281ˣ, 597bˣ, 203ˣ
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hafa (verb): have
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munnr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): mouth
[5] tvá munna ‘two mouths’: Archaeological finds and pictorial depictions across Scandinavia and the North from the C9th to C12th are consistent in revealing that hammers, both practical smiths’ tools and ceremonial instruments, such as the so-called Thor’s hammers, were symmetrical in the shape of a T or (particularly in symbolic depictions) an elongated cross. Each side of its double-head is described as a ‘mouth’ in the present riddle. See, for example, the depiction of Weland (ON Vǫlundr) on the front panel of the Franks Casket (Anglo-Saxon, C8th Northumbrian); that of Reginn the smith, foster-father of Sigurðr, on the church at Hylestad, Norway (c. 1200); the Viking Age tool-chest found at Mästermyr, Gotland, Sweden (e.g. Arwidsson and Berg 1983); for Thor’s hammers see e.g. Staecker (1999), Perkins (2001); on finds of possible smiths’ graves see e.g. Wallander (1989).
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tveir (num. cardinal): two
[5] tvá munna ‘two mouths’: Archaeological finds and pictorial depictions across Scandinavia and the North from the C9th to C12th are consistent in revealing that hammers, both practical smiths’ tools and ceremonial instruments, such as the so-called Thor’s hammers, were symmetrical in the shape of a T or (particularly in symbolic depictions) an elongated cross. Each side of its double-head is described as a ‘mouth’ in the present riddle. See, for example, the depiction of Weland (ON Vǫlundr) on the front panel of the Franks Casket (Anglo-Saxon, C8th Northumbrian); that of Reginn the smith, foster-father of Sigurðr, on the church at Hylestad, Norway (c. 1200); the Viking Age tool-chest found at Mästermyr, Gotland, Sweden (e.g. Arwidsson and Berg 1983); for Thor’s hammers see e.g. Staecker (1999), Perkins (2001); on finds of possible smiths’ graves see e.g. Wallander (1989).
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3. á (prep.): on, at
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gull (noun n.): gold
[6] gulli einu: ‘gullheine’ 281ˣ, ‘gullheine’ corrected from ‘gullheinu’ in another hand 597bˣ
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1. einn (num. cardinal; °f. ein, n. eitt; pl. einir; superl. debil. -asti(Anna238(2001) 155³²)): one; alone
[6] gulli einu: ‘gullheine’ 281ˣ, ‘gullheine’ corrected from ‘gullheinu’ in another hand 597bˣ
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
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Heiðrekr (noun m.): Heiðrekr
[7-8] so 203ˣ, abbrev. as ‘h k̄r. h·’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘H k h: at g:’ R715ˣ
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
[7-8] so 203ˣ, abbrev. as ‘h k̄r. h·’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘H k h: at g:’ R715ˣ
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
[7-8] so 203ˣ, abbrev. as ‘h k̄r. h·’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘H k h: at g:’ R715ˣ
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3. at (prep.): at, to
[7-8] so 203ˣ, abbrev. as ‘h k̄r. h·’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘H k h: at g:’ R715ˣ
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gáta (noun f.)
[7-8] so 203ˣ, abbrev. as ‘h k̄r. h·’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘H k h: at g:’ R715ˣ
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
In the H redaction (including 203ˣ), before propounding the riddle Gestumblindi says, in response to Heiðrekr’s comment after the previous riddle (see Gestumbl Heiðr 3 (Heiðr 50) Note to [All]) (Heiðr 1924, 59): þat er ván at mik þrjóti brátt, en þó vilda ek enn, at þér hlýðið ‘The expectation is that they [i.e. words] will fail me soon, but yet I still wish that you would listen’.
Heiðrekr’s response reads (Heiðr 1960, 34): þat er hamarr sá, er hafðr er at gullsmið; hann kveðr hátt við, er hann kømr á harðan steðja, ok þat er hans gata ‘that is that hammer, which is used in goldsmithing; he shrieks loudly when he comes down onto the hard anvil, and that is his path’.
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