Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Vǫlsunga saga 22 (Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from Vǫlsunga saga 2)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 793.
(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire
[1] Eldr: ‘[…]lldr’ 1824b
[1] nam at æsaz ‘raged’: The ms. has man at æsaz, with man from muna, an auxiliary and modal verb used to express the future tense. This does not make sense in context, and all previous eds have assumed the copyist transposed the two consonants of nam, 3rd pers. sg. pret. of nema ‘begin’, frequently used, as here, as a pleonastic auxiliary with the inf. of another verb to indicate pret. tense. Nam is also to be understood as a pleonastic auxiliary with skjálfa (l. 2) and gnæfa (l. 4).
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
[1] nam at æsaz ‘raged’: The ms. has man at æsaz, with man from muna, an auxiliary and modal verb used to express the future tense. This does not make sense in context, and all previous eds have assumed the copyist transposed the two consonants of nam, 3rd pers. sg. pret. of nema ‘begin’, frequently used, as here, as a pleonastic auxiliary with the inf. of another verb to indicate pret. tense. Nam is also to be understood as a pleonastic auxiliary with skjálfa (l. 2) and gnæfa (l. 4).
(not checked:)
œsa (verb): surge
[1] nam at æsaz ‘raged’: The ms. has man at æsaz, with man from muna, an auxiliary and modal verb used to express the future tense. This does not make sense in context, and all previous eds have assumed the copyist transposed the two consonants of nam, 3rd pers. sg. pret. of nema ‘begin’, frequently used, as here, as a pleonastic auxiliary with the inf. of another verb to indicate pret. tense. Nam is also to be understood as a pleonastic auxiliary with skjálfa (l. 2) and gnæfa (l. 4).
(not checked:)
2. en (conj.): but, and
(not checked:)
jǫrð (noun f.; °jarðar, dat. -u; jarðir/jarðar(DN I (1367) 304)): ground, earth
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
(not checked:)
1. skjalfa (verb): shake - intrans.
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
(not checked:)
3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
(not checked:)
logi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): flame
(not checked:)
2. við (prep.): with, against
(not checked:)
himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
(not checked:)
gnæfa (verb): [towering, towered]
(not checked:)
3. fár (adj.; °compar. fǽrri/fárri(Mág² 11), superl. fǽstr): few
(not checked:)
treysta (verb): trust, believe in
(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there
(not checked:)
fylkir (noun m.): leader
(not checked:)
rekkr (noun m.; °; -ar): man, champion
(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
(not checked:)
1. ríða (verb): ride
(not checked:)
né (conj.): nor
(not checked:)
yfir (prep.): over
(not checked:)
stíga (verb): step
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
This stanza tells how the heroes Gunnarr and Sigurðr attempt to reach the former valkyrie Brynhildr through a barrier of flames surrounding her hall in order to woo her. Gunnarr first tries to ride through the flames on Sigurðr’s horse, Grani, but the horse refuses. Sigurðr then exchanges shapes with Gunnarr, rides successfully through the flames, and woos Brynhildr in the guise of Gunnarr, having apparently forgotten, due to the influence of a magical potion, that he had become betrothed to her previously in his own person. Stanzas 2 and 3 describe the power of the flames and Sigurðr’s successful penetration of them riding Grani. Stanza 2 is introduced with the words svá er kveðit ‘so it is told’.
Although the poem from which Vǫls 2 and 3 come is not known, it must have described the wooing of Brynhildr and Sigurðr’s successful penetration of the barrier of flames surrounding her hall, with its complicated consequences. Chapter 29 of Vǫls comes within that section of the saga (chs 24-31) that corresponds to the poetry that must have been in a large lacuna in the Codex Regius ms. between the end of Sigrdr and the beginning of Brot. — [1-4]: These lines are reminiscent of other poetic descriptions of cosmic disturbances caused by the movements of gods or heroes; cf. Þry 21/5-8, Þjóð Haustl 15III.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
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.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.