Anon (LaufE) 1III
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Stanzas from Laufás Edda 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 637.
Hvé ‘How’
(not checked:)
hvé (conj.): how
fyr ‘’
(not checked:)
fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
notes
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
leik ‘pleasure’
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play
[1] leik: ‘lick’ 2368ˣ
notes
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
en ‘and’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
lauka ‘of leeks’
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laukr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): leek, mast
kennings
Lofn lauka‘the Lofn of leeks ’
= WOMAN
the Lofn of leeks → WOMAN
notes
[1-2] Lofn lauka ‘the Lofn <goddess> of leeks [WOMAN]’: For the goddess Lofn, see Note to Þul Ásynja 1/6. The determinant, lauka ‘of leeks’, refers to women being skilful with herbs (Meissner 418; see also Note to l. 4 below and Guðrún P. Helgadóttir 1981).
Lofn ‘the Lofn’
(not checked:)
Lofn (noun f.): Lofn
kennings
Lofn lauka‘the Lofn of leeks ’
= WOMAN
the Lofn of leeks → WOMAN
notes
[1-2] Lofn lauka ‘the Lofn <goddess> of leeks [WOMAN]’: For the goddess Lofn, see Note to Þul Ásynja 1/6. The determinant, lauka ‘of leeks’, refers to women being skilful with herbs (Meissner 418; see also Note to l. 4 below and Guðrún P. Helgadóttir 1981).
kunni ‘could’
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kunna (verb): know, can, be able
þat ‘that’
[2] þat: þar all
notes
[2] þat ‘that’: All mss have þar ‘there’, which cannot be construed to make any sense in this context. Sveinbjörn Egilsson suggested emendation to þat (see SnE 1848-87, II, 631 n. 3), which has been adopted by subsequent eds.
stofna ‘inflict’
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stofna (verb): make, inflict, begin
stórvænn ‘the mightily fair’
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stórvænn (adj.): [mightily fair]
kennings
stórvænn línapaldr‘the mightily fair linen-apple-tree ’
= WOMAN
the mightily fair linen-apple-tree → WOMAN
styrjar ‘of battle’
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styrr (noun m.; °dat. -): battle
kennings
kenni styrjar.‘on the master of battle. ’
= WARRIOR
on the master of battle. → WARRIOR
kenni ‘on the master’
(not checked:)
kennir (noun m.): teacher
kennings
kenni styrjar.‘on the master of battle. ’
= WARRIOR
on the master of battle. → WARRIOR
stendr ‘prevents’
(not checked:)
standa (verb): stand
notes
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
lín ‘linen’
(not checked:)
lín (noun n.): linen; headband < línapaldr (noun m.): [linen-apple-tree]
kennings
stórvænn línapaldr‘the mightily fair linen-apple-tree ’
= WOMAN
the mightily fair linen-apple-tree → WOMAN
notes
[4] línapaldr ‘linen-apple-tree [WOMAN]’: This kenning is untraditional, since the base-word, apaldr ‘apple-tree’, is m. rather than f. (see Note to Þul Viðar 2/5). The juxtaposition of the determinants in the two woman-kennings, lauka ‘of leeks’ (l. 1) and lín- ‘linen-’, is also striking, since both words occur together in runic magic formulas (see Heizmann 1992). See also Anon Vǫlsa 4/3-4I and Notes there.
apaldr ‘apple-tree’
kennings
stórvænn línapaldr‘the mightily fair linen-apple-tree ’
= WOMAN
the mightily fair linen-apple-tree → WOMAN
notes
[4] línapaldr ‘linen-apple-tree [WOMAN]’: This kenning is untraditional, since the base-word, apaldr ‘apple-tree’, is m. rather than f. (see Note to Þul Viðar 2/5). The juxtaposition of the determinants in the two woman-kennings, lauka ‘of leeks’ (l. 1) and lín- ‘linen-’, is also striking, since both words occur together in runic magic formulas (see Heizmann 1992). See also Anon Vǫlsa 4/3-4I and Notes there.
mínum ‘my’
(not checked:)
minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
notes
[1, 4] stendr fyr leik mínum ‘prevents my pleasure’: Leik ‘sport, game, pleasure’ has clear sexual overtones in this and similar skaldic asides (see Anon Stríðk Note to [All]; cf. also Anon (SnE) 2, which also contains the verb standa fyr ‘prevent’, and Mberf Lv 3/4II).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The helmingr is one of two half-stanzas cited to illustrate base-words in women-kennings that are masculine tree-names, here, apaldr ‘apple-tree’. The half-stanza is cited immediately before Ólhelg Lv 2I, and in 2368ˣ the two helmingar are written as one stanza.
Because the stanza begins with hvé ‘how’, it is likely to be the second helmingr of a stanza whose first helmingr is now missing. — This interpretation follows Skj B. To achieve a more straightforward word order, Kock (Skald; NN §1234) emends stórvænn (m. nom. sg.) ‘mightily fair’ (l. 3) to stórvæn (f. nom. sg.), and takes it with Lofn lauka ‘the Lofn of leeks’ (ll. 1-2). — [3]: This line is composed in the skjálfhent variant of dróttkvætt (see SnSt Ht 35/3, 7).
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