GunnLeif Merl II 49VIII
Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Breta saga 49 (Gunnlaugr Leifsson, Merlínusspá II 49)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 176.
Þeir ‘they’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
flest ‘most’
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fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
taka ‘will take’
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2. taka (verb): take
fljóða ‘of women’
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fljóð (noun n.): woman
sveita ‘bands’
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sveit (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): host, company
hervígssamir ‘Belligerent’
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hervígssamr (adj.): beligerent
notes
[3] hervígssamir ‘belligerent’: This edn follows Kock (NN §99; Skald; cf. Merl 2012), who notes that ms. hervígssamir (a hap. leg.) makes good sense, has close analogues in formation and meaning and is in parallel structure with geirvanir ‘the spear-accustomed ones’ in l. 7. Earlier eds deviate from the ms. reading. Bret 1848-9 has hervígs ramir, translated as de kampstærke Mænd ‘the battle-strong men’. Given that ramir is not signalled as an emendation, perhaps Jón Sigurðsson read <r> where other eds have seen <s>, but occasionally he emends tacitly (cf. II 39/4). In Skj B the line is further emended to rammir horvegs ‘strong of snot-way [NOSTRIL]’, explained as meaning med stinkende næsebor ‘with stinking nostrils’, so as to enhance the correspondence with DGB. The ms. reading appears in LP (LP: hervíg) but with the comment that it is erroneous. Finnur’s emendation is ingenious, and possibly right, despite Kock’s strictures (made in ignorance of DGB), but it would be characteristic of Gunnlaugr to tone down such offensive material. Cf. II 50/5-6.
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
hóra ‘of whores’
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1. hóra (noun f.; °-u): °hore, ægteskabsbryderske; (I) skøge
mengi ‘a multitude’
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mengi (noun n.): multitude, crowd
Ok ‘And’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
sameignar ‘in common’
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sameiginn (adj.)
notes
[5] sameignar ‘in common’: Merl 2012 appears to posit a less overtly sexual reference, but Gunnlaugr is simply translating DGB at this point.
sín*ar ‘their’
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
[6] sín*ar: sinnar Hb
kvánir ‘women’
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kván (noun f.; °-ar): wife
gera ‘will have’
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1. gera (verb): do, make
geirvanir ‘the spear-accustomed’
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geirvanr (adj.)
geigr ‘peril’
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geigr (noun m.): fright, injury
es ‘that’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
slíku ‘lies’
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2. slíkr (adj.): such
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Cf. DGB 116 (Reeve and Wright 2007, 157.229-30; cf. Wright 1988, 111, prophecy 53): Fetore narium mulieres corrumpent et proprias communes facient ‘By the stench of their nostrils they will corrupt women and make the women of individual men into women shared in common’ (cf. Reeve and Wright 2007, 156). Gunnlaugr adds the final summative statement of moral condemnation.
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