Anonymous Poems, Brúðkaupsvísur 20

Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Brúðv 20^VII

Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Brúðkaupsvísur 20’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 542-3.

Anonymous Poems Brúðkaupsvísur

19 20 21

notes

[1] enn ‘in addition’: Jón Sigurðsson suggested the reading eðr in the margin of 399a-bˣ, which the scribe of 2166ˣ adopted in his main text, mentioning the original reading in the margin.

elsku ‘for love’

(not checked:)
1. elska (noun f.; °-u): love

meðan ‘while’

(not checked:)
meðan (conj.): while

notes

[2] meðan boðið dvelz ‘while the feast is delayed’: That is, the wedding feast in contrast to the betrothal feast, referred to in st. 10. Mary’s strategy is to persuade the young man to abandon his fiancée before the second part to his marriage, the wedding, could be finalised and the union thus consummated. On the two distinct steps in a legitimated Icel. marriage, see Foote and Wilson 1980, 111-14; Jochens 1995, 20-52.

boðið ‘the feast’

(not checked:)
bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite

notes

dvelz ‘is delayed’

(not checked:)
dvelja (verb; °dvalði; dvalðr/dvalinn (præs. sg. 3. pers. dvel [$1138$], [$1140$])): delay, stay, dwell

notes

[2] dvelz: Jón Helgason suggested the normalisation of 721’s ‘duelzt’ to dvelsk to produce an aðalhending. — [2] meðan boðið dvelz ‘while the feast is delayed’: That is, the wedding feast in contrast to the betrothal feast, referred to in st. 10. Mary’s strategy is to persuade the young man to abandon his fiancée before the second part to his marriage, the wedding, could be finalised and the union thus consummated. On the two distinct steps in a legitimated Icel. marriage, see Foote and Wilson 1980, 111-14; Jochens 1995, 20-52.

dvelz ‘is delayed’

(not checked:)
dvelja (verb; °dvalði; dvalðr/dvalinn (præs. sg. 3. pers. dvel [$1138$], [$1140$])): delay, stay, dwell

notes

stýrir ‘steerer’

(not checked:)
stýrir (noun m.): ruler, controller

kennings

stýrir stagþjórs,
‘steerer of the ox of the fore-stay, ’
= SEAFARER
the ox of the fore-stay, → SHIP
steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

ef ‘if’

(not checked:)
3. ef (conj.): if

stoðar ‘that is of any use’

(not checked:)
stoða (verb): to stay, support, back

mier ‘to me’

(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

stag ‘of the fore-stay’

(not checked:)
stag (noun n.; °-s; *-): forestay, stay < stagþjórr (noun m.)

kennings

stýrir stagþjórs,
‘steerer of the ox of the fore-stay, ’
= SEAFARER
the ox of the fore-stay, → SHIP
steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

stag ‘of the fore-stay’

(not checked:)
stag (noun n.; °-s; *-): forestay, stay < stagþjórr (noun m.)

kennings

stýrir stagþjórs,
‘steerer of the ox of the fore-stay, ’
= SEAFARER
the ox of the fore-stay, → SHIP
steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

þjórs ‘of the ox’

(not checked:)
þjórr (noun m.; °; -ar): [ox] < stagþjórr (noun m.)

kennings

stýrir stagþjórs,
‘steerer of the ox of the fore-stay, ’
= SEAFARER
the ox of the fore-stay, → SHIP
steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

þjórs ‘of the ox’

(not checked:)
þjórr (noun m.; °; -ar): [ox] < stagþjórr (noun m.)

kennings

stýrir stagþjórs,
‘steerer of the ox of the fore-stay, ’
= SEAFARER
the ox of the fore-stay, → SHIP
steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

og ‘and’

(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

vin ‘friend’

(not checked:)
vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend < vinlag (noun n.)

lags ‘ship’

(not checked:)
lag (noun n.; °-s; *-): layer; (pl.) law < vinlag (noun n.)

Betri ‘a better’

(not checked:)
betri (adj. comp.; °superl. beztr/baztr; pos. góðr adj.): better, best

[5] Betri: so 1032ˣ, 399a‑bˣ, 2166ˣ, ‘beitri’ 721

kennings

betri fit falds
‘a better meadow of the head-dress’
= WOMAN
a better meadow of the head-dress → WOMAN

mun ‘will’

(not checked:)
munu (verb): will, must

eigi ‘not’

(not checked:)
3. eigi (adv.): not

fjalls ‘’

(not checked:)
1. fjall (noun n.): mountain

falds ‘of the head-dress’

(not checked:)
faldr (noun m.; °; -ar): headdress

[5] falds: fjalls 721

kennings

betri fit falds
‘a better meadow of the head-dress’
= WOMAN
a better meadow of the head-dress → WOMAN

notes

[5] falds ‘of the head-dress’: Jón Helgason emended the original reading fjalls to produce an appropriate determinant in the kenning fit falds ‘meadow of the head-dress’ [WOMAN].

fit ‘meadow’

(not checked:)
1. fit (noun f.; °; -jar): meadow

kennings

betri fit falds
‘a better meadow of the head-dress’
= WOMAN
a better meadow of the head-dress → WOMAN

finnaz ‘be found’

(not checked:)
2. finna (verb): find, meet

þier ‘you’

(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you

vinr ‘friend’

(not checked:)
vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend

minn ‘my’

(not checked:)
minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my

hæfa ‘suit’

(not checked:)
2. hœfa (verb): hit, suit, befit

nein ‘none’

(not checked:)
neinn (pron.): any, none

heldr ‘on the contrary’

(not checked:)
heldr (adv.): rather

víf ‘A wife’

(not checked:)
víf (noun n.): woman, wife

hittaz ‘will be met’

(not checked:)
hitta (verb): meet, encounter

þóttu ‘although’

(not checked:)
þó (adv.): though

farir ‘you travel’

(not checked:)
fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel

vítt ‘widely’

(not checked:)
víðr (adj.): far

Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses

verse
prose

[5-8]: It is hard to make good sense of the second half of the st. The general sense is clear, that no earthly wife will be good enough for the young man, but the syntax and relationship between the clauses is awkward and the text may be corrupt. Jón Helgason suggested another reading of the helmingr by emending some words (ÍM II, 133 n.). His version can be construed like this: betri fit falds muna finnask þér, vinr minn, né heldr in hœfra víf hittask, þótt þú farir vítt ‘A better land of the head-dress [WOMAN] will not be found for you, my friend, nor a more suited wife be met either, although you travel widely’.

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Anon Brúðv 20VII

Biðja ‘to ask’

vil ‘want’

eg ‘I’

yðr ‘you’

enn ‘in addition’

notes

elsku ‘for love’

meðan ‘while’

notes

boðið ‘the feast’

notes

dvelz ‘is delayed’

notes

dvelz ‘is delayed’

notes

stýrir ‘steerer’

kennings

ef ‘if’

stoðar ‘that is of any use’

mier ‘to me’

stag ‘of the fore-stay’

kennings

stag ‘of the fore-stay’

kennings

þjórs ‘of the ox’

kennings

þjórs ‘of the ox’

kennings

og ‘and’

vin ‘friend’

lags ‘ship’

Betri ‘a better’

kennings

mun ‘will’

eigi ‘not’

fjalls ‘’

falds ‘of the head-dress’

kennings

notes

fit ‘meadow’

kennings

finnaz ‘be found’

þier ‘you’

vinr ‘friend’

minn ‘my’

hæfa ‘suit’

nein ‘none’

heldr ‘on the contrary’

víf ‘A wife’

hittaz ‘will be met’

þóttu ‘although’

farir ‘you travel’

vítt ‘widely’

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Anon Brúðv 20^VII