Anon (SnE) 13III
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Stanzas from Snorra Edda 13’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 525.
Hrauð ‘were thrown’
(not checked:)
1. hrjóða (verb): clear, destroy
notes
[1] hrauð; himin ‘were thrown; heaven’: Himinhrjóðr lit. ‘sky-devastator’ (or ‘one with horns so high that they pierce the sky’) is the name of an ox (see Þul Øxna 2/1 and Note to Anon Þorgþ II l. 5). The similarity between the name and the wording of l. 1 could be coincidental, but in view of the imagery conjured up in l. 3 (‘the sea dashed against the moon’), the play on words is more likely to have been deliberate (see the next Note). — [1-2] hrauð glóðum hafs ‘the embers of the ocean were thrown’: The verb hrjóða ‘throw, fling’ is used impersonally with glóðum ‘embers’ as the dat. object. ‘The embers of the ocean’ refer to phosphorescence (ON mǫrueldr; see Context above).
Hrauð ‘were thrown’
(not checked:)
1. hrjóða (verb): clear, destroy
notes
[1] hrauð; himin ‘were thrown; heaven’: Himinhrjóðr lit. ‘sky-devastator’ (or ‘one with horns so high that they pierce the sky’) is the name of an ox (see Þul Øxna 2/1 and Note to Anon Þorgþ II l. 5). The similarity between the name and the wording of l. 1 could be coincidental, but in view of the imagery conjured up in l. 3 (‘the sea dashed against the moon’), the play on words is more likely to have been deliberate (see the next Note). — [1-2] hrauð glóðum hafs ‘the embers of the ocean were thrown’: The verb hrjóða ‘throw, fling’ is used impersonally with glóðum ‘embers’ as the dat. object. ‘The embers of the ocean’ refer to phosphorescence (ON mǫrueldr; see Context above).
í ‘towards’
(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into
himin ‘heaven’
(not checked:)
himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
notes
[1] hrauð; himin ‘were thrown; heaven’: Himinhrjóðr lit. ‘sky-devastator’ (or ‘one with horns so high that they pierce the sky’) is the name of an ox (see Þul Øxna 2/1 and Note to Anon Þorgþ II l. 5). The similarity between the name and the wording of l. 1 could be coincidental, but in view of the imagery conjured up in l. 3 (‘the sea dashed against the moon’), the play on words is more likely to have been deliberate (see the next Note).
upp ‘up’
(not checked:)
upp (adv.): up
notes
[1-2] hrauð glóðum hafs ‘the embers of the ocean were thrown’: The verb hrjóða ‘throw, fling’ is used impersonally with glóðum ‘embers’ as the dat. object. ‘The embers of the ocean’ refer to phosphorescence (ON mǫrueldr; see Context above).
hafs ‘of the ocean’
(not checked:)
haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea
notes
[1-2] hrauð glóðum hafs ‘the embers of the ocean were thrown’: The verb hrjóða ‘throw, fling’ is used impersonally with glóðum ‘embers’ as the dat. object. ‘The embers of the ocean’ refer to phosphorescence (ON mǫrueldr; see Context above).
gekk ‘moved’
(not checked:)
2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
afli ‘powerfully’
(not checked:)
2. afl (noun n.; °-s; *-): strength
bǫrð ‘prows’
(not checked:)
barð (noun n.): prow, stern (of a ship)
[3] bǫrð: borð A(13r), B, A(7v), W
notes
[3] bǫrð ‘the prows’: The A, B, W variant borð ‘board’, in the meaning ‘ship’s planking’ or even as pars pro toto for ‘ship’, is also possible, but less likely in view of the imagery of the elongated prows cast skywards as the ships toss in the heavy sea (see the previous Note).
hykk ‘I believe’
(not checked:)
2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
[3] hykk at ský (‘hygg ec at sky’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hýgg ek at ský’ 744ˣ
at ‘that’
(not checked:)
4. at (conj.): that
[3] hykk at ský (‘hygg ec at sky’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hýgg ek at ský’ 744ˣ
ský ‘the clouds’
(not checked:)
ský (noun n.; °-s; -): cloud
[3] hykk at ský (‘hygg ec at sky’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hýgg ek at ský’ 744ˣ
skerðu ‘pierced’
(not checked:)
skerða (verb): diminish
[3] skerðu: so C, ‘skorþa’ or ‘skorþi’ R, ‘scordo’ Tˣ, skerði A(13r), B, A(7v), W
notes
[3] skerðu ‘pierced’: So C. The ending of the word is difficult to make out in R, and the sg. form skerði in A, B and W was likely caused by the subject borð ‘board’ (the A, B, W variant) in the same line.
skaut ‘dashed against’
(not checked:)
skjóta (verb): shoot
Ránar ‘of Rán’
(not checked:)
Rán (noun f.): Rán
kennings
vegr Ránar‘the road of Rán ’
= SEA
the road of Rán → SEA
vegr ‘the road’
(not checked:)
1. vegr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar/-ir, gen. -a/-na, acc. -a/-i/-u): way, path, side
kennings
vegr Ránar‘the road of Rán ’
= SEA
the road of Rán → SEA
mána ‘the moon’
(not checked:)
máni (noun m.; °-a): moon
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
In Skm the helmingr illustrates that the name of Rán, wife of the sea-giant Ægir, can be used in kennings for ‘sea’ (vegr Ránar ‘the road of Rán’). In TGT it is given as an example of yperbola ‘hyperbole’ which is defined as follows (TGT 1927, 82): … yfirganga sannleiks yfir þat framm, sem trúanligt er, sem hér er kveðit … Hér er óeiginlig líking ok merking milli mǫru-elds ok náttúruligs loga ‘… the exaggeration of truth beyond that which is believable, as is said here … Here there is an improper comparison between, and an interpretation of, phosphorescence and normal fire’.
[1]: This is a Type A-line with a resolved second lift and a heavy dip in position 4, which is a metrical type that originated among the skalds of the Norwegian king Haraldr harðráði ‘Hard-rule’ Sigurðarson (d. 1066). See Note to Hharð Gamv 2/1II and Kuhn (1983, 68). Hence it is highly unlikely that the present helmingr is older than from c. 1050 (see Introduction above).
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