Anon Heildr 9VII
Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Heilags anda drápa 9’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 459.
Mærr ‘The great’
(not checked:)
2. mærr (adj.): famous
kennings
Mærr valdi mildi‘The great ruler of mercy ’
= God
The great ruler of mercy → God
valdr ‘’
(not checked:)
valdr (noun m.): ruler
kennings
Mærr valdi mildi‘The great ruler of mercy ’
= God
The great ruler of mercy → God
notes
[1] valdi ‘ruler’: B has valdr, a m. noun with the same meaning as valdi. However, all eds (following Nj 1875-8, II, 27-9) emend to give a two-syllable word, as the l. would otherwise be too short.
gefr ‘gives’
(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give
mildi ‘of mercy’
(not checked:)
mildi (noun f.): generosity, mercy
kennings
Mærr valdi mildi‘The great ruler of mercy ’
= God
The great ruler of mercy → God
mein ‘the sin’
(not checked:)
mein (noun n.; °-s; -): harm, injury < meinlauss (adj.)
lausum ‘less’
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lauss (adj.; °compar. lausari): loose, free, without < meinlauss (adj.)
her ‘army’
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
beinan ‘the helpful’
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2. beinn (adj.; °beinan; compar. beinni, superl. beinastr/beinstr): straight
guðs ‘of God’
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1. guð (noun m.; °***guðrs, guðis, gus): (Christian) God
þeim ‘’
notes
[3] þeim er niðrar ‘the one which supresses’: The ms. reading ‘þeim er … nidra’ gives a sg. subject with a pl. verb. Skj B emends to niðrar, 3rd pers. sg., but retains the pl. form niðra in the prose order (most likely a typographical error). Hræzlu ‘through fear’ (l. 4) is understood as an instrumental dat. referring to the fear of God, which the army of righteous Christians uses to suppress the damage caused by sin. Kock (NN §2339) sees the Holy Spirit, rather than Christian people, as the motive force. Kock’s reading requires the emendation of þeim (dat.) to þann (acc.), construing gefr meinlausum her beinan anda guðs, þanns niðrar grimmu grandi hræzlu ‘gives the sinless army the helpful spirit of God, which suppresses the terrible damage of fear’.
er ‘which’
(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when
notes
[3] þeim er niðrar ‘the one which supresses’: The ms. reading ‘þeim er … nidra’ gives a sg. subject with a pl. verb. Skj B emends to niðrar, 3rd pers. sg., but retains the pl. form niðra in the prose order (most likely a typographical error). Hræzlu ‘through fear’ (l. 4) is understood as an instrumental dat. referring to the fear of God, which the army of righteous Christians uses to suppress the damage caused by sin. Kock (NN §2339) sees the Holy Spirit, rather than Christian people, as the motive force. Kock’s reading requires the emendation of þeim (dat.) to þann (acc.), construing gefr meinlausum her beinan anda guðs, þanns niðrar grimmu grandi hræzlu ‘gives the sinless army the helpful spirit of God, which suppresses the terrible damage of fear’.
grimmu ‘terrible’
(not checked:)
grimmr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): fierce
niðra ‘’
(not checked:)
niðra (verb): surpress, humiliate
notes
[3] þeim er niðrar ‘the one which supresses’: The ms. reading ‘þeim er … nidra’ gives a sg. subject with a pl. verb. Skj B emends to niðrar, 3rd pers. sg., but retains the pl. form niðra in the prose order (most likely a typographical error). Hræzlu ‘through fear’ (l. 4) is understood as an instrumental dat. referring to the fear of God, which the army of righteous Christians uses to suppress the damage caused by sin. Kock (NN §2339) sees the Holy Spirit, rather than Christian people, as the motive force. Kock’s reading requires the emendation of þeim (dat.) to þann (acc.), construing gefr meinlausum her beinan anda guðs, þanns niðrar grimmu grandi hræzlu ‘gives the sinless army the helpful spirit of God, which suppresses the terrible damage of fear’.
grandi ‘damage’
(not checked:)
grand (noun n.): injury
hræzlu ‘through fear’
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hræzla (noun f.; °-u): fear, terror
anda ‘spirit’
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andi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): spirit, soul
er ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
prýði ‘magnificent’
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prýði (noun f.): finery, honour < prýðigjǫf (noun f.)
gjöf ‘gift’
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gjǫf (noun f.): gift < prýðigjǫf (noun f.)
góðum ‘good’
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góðr (adj.): good
grund ‘foundation’
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grund (noun f.): earth, land < grundvǫllr (noun m.): foundation
stöðugr ‘a secure’
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stǫðugr (adj.): [a secure]
[6] stöðugr: so 399a‑bˣ, BRydberg, BFJ, ‘sto᷎ðug[...]’ B
undir ‘beneath’
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undir (prep.): under
náir ‘will obtain’
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1. ná (verb): reach, get, manage
gipt ‘grace’
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gift (noun f.): gift
en ‘’
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4. en (conj.): than
krefr ‘calls on’
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krefja (verb): request
kröptum ‘powers’
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1. kraftr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/- ; -ar): power
Krist ‘Christ’
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Kristr (noun m.; °-s/-, dat. -i; -ar): Christ
af ‘from’
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af (prep.): from
hjarta ‘heart’
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hjarta (noun n.; °-; *-u): heart
tvistu ‘a repentant [lit. sorrowful]’
(not checked:)
2. tvistr (adj.): repentant, muted
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