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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Vitn 14VII

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Vitnisvísur af Máríu 14’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 749-50.

Anonymous PoemsVitnisvísur af Máríu
131415

Spurði ‘asked’

(not checked:)
spyrja (verb; spurði): ask; hear, find out

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hringa ‘of rings’

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1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword

kennings

hirði hringa
‘the keeper of rings ’
   = MAN

the keeper of rings → MAN
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hirði ‘the keeper’

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hirðir (noun m.; °hirðis/hirðirs, dat. & acc. hirði; hirðar/hirðir): guardian, keeper, pastor

kennings

hirði hringa
‘the keeper of rings ’
   = MAN

the keeper of rings → MAN
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herra ‘lord’

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1. herra (noun m.; °herra; herrar): lord

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ríkr ‘The powerful’

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ríkr (adj.): mighty, powerful, rich

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‘about’

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3. at (prep.): at, to

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slíku ‘this’

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2. slíkr (adj.): such

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sætu ‘of the woman’

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sœtr (adj.): sweet

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í ‘’

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í (prep.): in, into

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móti ‘against’

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móti (prep.): against

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sór ‘swore’

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1. sverja (verb): swear

[4] sór: svór 721

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eiða ‘oaths’

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eið (noun n.; °-s; -): ?oath/headland

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stóra ‘great’

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stórr (adj.): large, great

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Guðs ‘of God’

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1. guð (noun m.; °***guðrs, guðis, gus): (Christian) God

[5] Guðs: guði 713, 721

notes

[5] guðs (m. gen. sg.) ‘of God’: Guði (m. dat. sg.) ‘for God’ is ungrammatical.

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fyrir ‘Because of’

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fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of

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nefndur ‘the afore-mentioned’

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2. nefna (verb): mention, name, call

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stefndi ‘summoned’

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2. stefna (verb): aim, summon

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vænn ‘good’

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vænn (adj.): beautiful, expected

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til ‘to’

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til (prep.): to

notes

[7] til vátta sinna ‘to his witnesses’: This interpretation is conjectural. The refl. pron. ought to refer back to the subject (the bishop), in which case the phrase should translate ‘to his (own) witnesses’, which makes little sense. However, the refl. pron. can also refer back to the object of the cl. (see NS §330), but the object of the verb stefndi ‘summoned’ (l. 6) is suppressed, and we do not know whether the bishop summoned the woman or the man or both. Skj B has ‘summoned them’ and ‘her witnesses’ (so also apparently Skald; see NN §1677a), which is ungrammatical, and Wrightson has ‘summoned him’ and ‘his witnesses’. The latter interpretation is supported by the corresponding passage in Mar (1871, 301): Ok þvi biðr ek yðr í gvðs nafni, at þer stefnit honvm þingdag til þeirar sømu kirkjv ‘And therefore I ask you in the name of God that you stipulate a court-date for him to the same church’.

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vátta ‘witnesses’

(not checked:)
váttr (noun m.; °váttar; dat. vátt/vǽtti; váttar/vǽttir, acc. vátta/váttu/vǽtta): witness

notes

[7] til vátta sinna ‘to his witnesses’: This interpretation is conjectural. The refl. pron. ought to refer back to the subject (the bishop), in which case the phrase should translate ‘to his (own) witnesses’, which makes little sense. However, the refl. pron. can also refer back to the object of the cl. (see NS §330), but the object of the verb stefndi ‘summoned’ (l. 6) is suppressed, and we do not know whether the bishop summoned the woman or the man or both. Skj B has ‘summoned them’ and ‘her witnesses’ (so also apparently Skald; see NN §1677a), which is ungrammatical, and Wrightson has ‘summoned him’ and ‘his witnesses’. The latter interpretation is supported by the corresponding passage in Mar (1871, 301): Ok þvi biðr ek yðr í gvðs nafni, at þer stefnit honvm þingdag til þeirar sømu kirkjv ‘And therefore I ask you in the name of God that you stipulate a court-date for him to the same church’.

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sinna ‘his’

(not checked:)
3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)

notes

[7] til vátta sinna ‘to his witnesses’: This interpretation is conjectural. The refl. pron. ought to refer back to the subject (the bishop), in which case the phrase should translate ‘to his (own) witnesses’, which makes little sense. However, the refl. pron. can also refer back to the object of the cl. (see NS §330), but the object of the verb stefndi ‘summoned’ (l. 6) is suppressed, and we do not know whether the bishop summoned the woman or the man or both. Skj B has ‘summoned them’ and ‘her witnesses’ (so also apparently Skald; see NN §1677a), which is ungrammatical, and Wrightson has ‘summoned him’ and ‘his witnesses’. The latter interpretation is supported by the corresponding passage in Mar (1871, 301): Ok þvi biðr ek yðr í gvðs nafni, at þer stefnit honvm þingdag til þeirar sømu kirkjv ‘And therefore I ask you in the name of God that you stipulate a court-date for him to the same church’.

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virkr ‘considerate’

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virkr (adj.): considerate

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í ‘in’

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í (prep.): in, into

[8] í: om. 721

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Máríu ‘of Mary’

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María (noun f.): Mary < máríukirkja (noun f.)

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kirkju ‘the Church’

(not checked:)
kirkja (noun f.): church < máríukirkja (noun f.)

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