GunnLeif Merl I 57VIII
Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Breta saga 125 (Gunnlaugr Leifsson, Merlínusspá I 57)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 95.
text and translation
‘Sá bjartar brýtr borgir Íra
ok foldar til fellir skóga.
Gerir ræsir eitt ríki margra;
tekr léónis lávarðr hǫfuð.
‘Sá brýtr bjartar borgir Íra ok fellir skóga til foldar. Ræsir gerir eitt ríki margra; lávarðr tekr hǫfuð léónis.
‘‘He will destroy the splendid cities of the Irish and fell the forests to the ground. The leader will create one kingdom out of many; the lord will take on the head of a lion. ’
notes and context
Cf. DGB 114 (Reeve and Wright 2007, 149.99-100; cf. Wright 1988, 105, prophecy 17): Sextus Hiberniae moenia subuertet et nemora in planiciem mutabit. Diuersas portiones in unum reducet et capite leonis coronabitur ‘The sixth will overthrow the city walls of Ireland and turn its forests into a plain. He will reduce various shares to one and be crowned with the lion’s head’ (Reeve and Wright 2007, 148). This prophecy relates to the strong Norman king referred to in st. 56. Henry II did indeed successfully invade Ireland in 1171, lending credence to Geoffrey’s prophecy.
readings
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.
-
AM 544 4° (Hb) — 52r/10 - 52r/11
images‘Sá bjartar brýtr
borgir Íra
ok foldar til
fellir skóga.
Gerir ræsir eitt
ríki margra;
tekr léónis
lávarð hǫfuð.Sa biartar brytr borgir ira ok folldar til fellir skoga gerir ræsir eitt ʀiki | margra tekr leonis lavarð havfvð
(VEÞ)
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.