Anon Lil 37VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 37’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 606-7.
Vígðiz ‘consecrated himself’
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vígja (verb): to hallow, consecrate
[1] Vígðiz: Vígði hann 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ
notes
[1] vígðiz oss ‘consecrated himself to us’: The poet continues to emphasize Christ’s active and volitional role: cf. 24/7-8, 29/7-8, and 36/7-8. The Baptism of Jesus was traditionally regarded as Christ’s dedication of himself to humanity. Cf. the Meditaciones Vite Christi of Iohannis de Caulibus: Desponsat enim uniuersalem ecclesiam et singulariter omnes animas fideles. Nam in fide baptismatis desponsantur Domino Iesu Christo, dicente propheta in persona ipsius; Desponsabo te mihi in fide ‘He wedded to himself the universal Church and all faithful souls individually. In the faith of Baptism they are espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Hosea said of Christ, “I shall wed you to myself in faith” (Hos. II:20)’ (Stallings-Taney 1997, 82; Taney 2000, 71). In ON vígja ‘to consecrate’ is used in reference to priestly ordination or monastic consecration; later it came to be used also in reference to marriage (see Sigfús Blöndal 1920-4: vígja).
oss ‘to us’
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
notes
[1] vígðiz oss ‘consecrated himself to us’: The poet continues to emphasize Christ’s active and volitional role: cf. 24/7-8, 29/7-8, and 36/7-8. The Baptism of Jesus was traditionally regarded as Christ’s dedication of himself to humanity. Cf. the Meditaciones Vite Christi of Iohannis de Caulibus: Desponsat enim uniuersalem ecclesiam et singulariter omnes animas fideles. Nam in fide baptismatis desponsantur Domino Iesu Christo, dicente propheta in persona ipsius; Desponsabo te mihi in fide ‘He wedded to himself the universal Church and all faithful souls individually. In the faith of Baptism they are espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Hosea said of Christ, “I shall wed you to myself in faith” (Hos. II:20)’ (Stallings-Taney 1997, 82; Taney 2000, 71). In ON vígja ‘to consecrate’ is used in reference to priestly ordination or monastic consecration; later it came to be used also in reference to marriage (see Sigfús Blöndal 1920-4: vígja).
þá ‘’
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2. þá (adv.): then
vatni ‘with water’
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vatn (noun n.; °-s; -*): water, lake
[1] vatni: vatnið 622, vatn en Vb, 41 8°ˣ
dögðiz ‘he was sprinkled’
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dǫggva (verb; °-að-): bedew, be sprinkled
[1] dögðiz: ‘dogdir’ 622
notes
[1] dögðiz ‘was sprinkled’: The more usual iconography of the Baptism of Jesus shows him being submerged in the Jordan rather than being sprinkled. The practice of baptism by sprinkling began in Scandinavia and Iceland in C13th, and though it was resisted by the church (C14th statutes insist that infants be dipped in the font: see e.g. NGL III, 297), it became the standard custom (see Fæhn 1958).
kennings
Valdr himnanna‘The ruler of the heavens ’
= God
The ruler of the heavens → God
himnanna ‘of the heavens’
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himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
kennings
Valdr himnanna‘The ruler of the heavens ’
= God
The ruler of the heavens → God
á ‘at’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
notes
[2] á þrítugsaldri ‘at the age of thirty’: Luke III:23.
þrítugs ‘of thirty’
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þrítigr (adj.): thirty < þrítigsaldr (noun m.)
notes
[2] á þrítugsaldri ‘at the age of thirty’: Luke III:23.
aldri ‘the age’
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aldr (noun m.; °aldrs, dat. aldri; aldrar): life, age < þrítigsaldr (noun m.)
notes
[2] á þrítugsaldri ‘at the age of thirty’: Luke III:23.
Jórdán ‘the Jordan’
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Jórdán (noun f.): River Jordan
[3] í Jórdán: Jórdánar 99a, 705ˣ, við Jórdáner 622, 4892
við ‘by’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
[3] við: so 99a, 713, 705ˣ, með Bb, om. 622, 4892
æðar ‘springs’
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1. æðr (noun f.; °-ar, dat./acc. ǽði; -ar): blood vessel
[3] æðar: æðið Vb, 41 8°ˣ
hreinar ‘pure’
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2. hreinn (adj.; °compar. hreinari/hreinni, superl. hreinastr/hreinstr): pure
Jón ‘John’
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Jón (noun m.): John, Jón
baptista ‘the baptist’
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baptista (noun ?): [Baptist]
drottni ‘the Lord’
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
[4] drottni: drottin 4892
þjónar ‘serves’
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þjóna (verb): serve
ást ‘the beloved’
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ást (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): love < ástvinr (noun m.): dear friend
kennings
ástvinr Jésú Kristi‘the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, ’
= John
the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, → John
notes
[5] ástvinr ‘the beloved friend’: John the Evangelist (rather than John the Baptist) is commonly referred to as ‘the beloved disciple’ (John XIX.26, XX.2, XXI.7, 20); cf. Ník Jóndr 3, Kolb Jónv 1.
vinr ‘friend’
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vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend < ástvinr (noun m.): dear friend
[5] ‑vinr: so 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892, ‑vinrinn Bb, 622, 713, 705ˣ
kennings
ástvinr Jésú Kristi‘the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, ’
= John
the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, → John
notes
[5] ástvinr ‘the beloved friend’: John the Evangelist (rather than John the Baptist) is commonly referred to as ‘the beloved disciple’ (John XIX.26, XX.2, XXI.7, 20); cf. Ník Jóndr 3, Kolb Jónv 1.
Jésú ‘of Jesus’
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Jésús (noun m.): Jesus
kennings
ástvinr Jésú Kristi‘the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, ’
= John
the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, → John
Kristi ‘Christ’
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Kristr (noun m.; °-s/-, dat. -i; -ar): Christ
kennings
ástvinr Jésú Kristi‘the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, ’
= John
the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ, → John
er ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[6] er: að 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892
nú ‘now’
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nú (adv.): now
váttr ‘the witness’
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váttr (noun m.; °váttar; dat. vátt/vǽtti; váttar/vǽttir, acc. vátta/váttu/vǽtta): witness
notes
[6] váttr ‘witness’: John the Baptist was the ‘witness’ who was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (John I.6-8, 36).
er ‘who’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
dag ‘day’
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dagr (noun m.; °-s, dat. degi/dag/dagi(Thom¹ 332¹n.); -ar): day
mátti ‘could’
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mega (verb): may, might
sjá ‘see’
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2. sjá (verb): see
[7] sjá skínandi: samskínandi 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, sem skínandi 713
skínandi ‘shining’
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skína (verb): shine
[7] sjá skínandi: samskínandi 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, sem skínandi 713
á ‘on’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
grænni ‘the green’
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2. grœnn (adj.; °superl. grǿnastr/grǿnstr): green
[7] grænni: grænri 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892
grundu ‘earth’
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grund (noun f.): earth, land
guðs ‘God’s’
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1. guð (noun m.; °***guðrs, guðis, gus): (Christian) God
notes
[8]: The Baptism of Christ has traditionally been understood as a revelation of the Trinity: God the Father proclaims Jesus his ‘beloved son’ as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
þrenning ‘Trinity’
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þrenning (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-): the Trinity
notes
[8]: The Baptism of Christ has traditionally been understood as a revelation of the Trinity: God the Father proclaims Jesus his ‘beloved son’ as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
með ‘among’
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með (prep.): with
notes
[8]: The Baptism of Christ has traditionally been understood as a revelation of the Trinity: God the Father proclaims Jesus his ‘beloved son’ as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
lýðum ‘men’
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lýðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir): one of the people
notes
[8]: The Baptism of Christ has traditionally been understood as a revelation of the Trinity: God the Father proclaims Jesus his ‘beloved son’ as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
notes
[8]: The Baptism of Christ has traditionally been understood as a revelation of the Trinity: God the Father proclaims Jesus his ‘beloved son’ as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The ruler of the heavens [= God (= Christ)] consecrated himself to us at the age of thirty, when he was sprinkled with water by the pure springs in the Jordan; John the baptist serves the Lord. This, the belovedfriend of Jesus Christ [= John], is now the witness, who that day could see God’s Trinity, shining on the green earth, make itself known among men.
The story of the Baptism of Jesus is told in Matt. III.13-17, Mark I.9-11, and Luke III.21-2. In liturgical tradition the Baptism is celebrated together with the visit of the Magi on the Feast of the Epiphany, so this st. follows logically on the preceding.
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