Anon (Vǫls) 1VIII (Vǫls 1)
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Vǫlsunga saga 1 (Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from Vǫlsunga saga 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 792.
text and translation
Ristu af magni mikla hellu,
Sigmundr hjörvi ok Sinfjötli.
Ristu mikla hellu af magni, Sigmundr hjörvi ok Sinfjötli.
‘They cut the huge stone slab with strength, Sigmundr with his sword and Sinfjǫtli. ’
notes and context
Sigmundr and his son Sinfjǫtli, the latter begotten incestuously with Sigmundr’s sister Signý, live in the forest while contriving vengeance for the death of their father Vǫlsungr at the hands of Signý’s husband Siggeirr. Siggeirr has the two Volsungs imprisoned in a huge burial-mound made of stones and turf, thinking to starve them to death. Signý contrives to send them food in the shape of a piece of pork into which Sigmundr’s sword has been thrust. Stanza 1 describes how Sigmundr and Sinfjǫtli use Sigmundr’s sword to saw through the huge stone slab that blocked the entrance to the mound. It is introduced with the words sem kveðit er ‘as it is told’.
The source of these lines is unknown, and the introductory formula, like many in Vǫls, is imprecise. ÍF Edd. does not include these lines.
sources
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
-
NKS 1824 b 4° (1824b) — 10v/2 - 10v/3
imagesRistu af magni mikla hellv. | Sigmundr hiorfi ok Sinfiotli
(TW)
editions and texts
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.