GunnLeif Merl I 65VIII
Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Breta saga 133 (Gunnlaugr Leifsson, Merlínusspá I 65)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 103.
Svífr ‘flies’
(not checked:)
svífa (verb): sweep
it ‘The’
(not checked:)
2. inn (art.): the
kennings
‘It hvassa hagl tvíviðar‘‘The cutting hail of the bow ’
= ARROWS
‘The cutting hail of the bow → ARROWS
hvassa ‘cutting’
(not checked:)
hvass (adj.; °-an; -ari, -astr): keen, sharp
kennings
‘It hvassa hagl tvíviðar‘‘The cutting hail of the bow ’
= ARROWS
‘The cutting hail of the bow → ARROWS
hagl ‘hail’
(not checked:)
hagl (noun n.; °-s; dat. *-um): hail
kennings
‘It hvassa hagl tvíviðar‘‘The cutting hail of the bow ’
= ARROWS
‘The cutting hail of the bow → ARROWS
tvíviðar ‘of the bow’
(not checked:)
tvíviðr (noun m.): [bow]
kennings
‘It hvassa hagl tvíviðar‘‘The cutting hail of the bow ’
= ARROWS
‘The cutting hail of the bow → ARROWS
notes
[2] tvíviðar ‘of the bow’: Cf. Þul Boga l. 2III and Eil Þdr 20/5III.
hnígr ‘sinks down’
(not checked:)
hníga (verb): sink, fall
hǫlða ‘of men’
(not checked:)
hǫlðr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): man
lið ‘the troop’
(not checked:)
lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop
hart ‘hard’
(not checked:)
harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
af ‘from’
(not checked:)
af (prep.): from
strengjum ‘the strings’
(not checked:)
strengr (noun m.; °-jar; -ir): string, rope, bow-string
En ‘And’
(not checked:)
2. en (conj.): but, and
geyst ‘ferociously’
(not checked:)
geystr (adj.): violent
hinig ‘this way’
(not checked:)
hinnig (adv.): here, hence
gaflok ‘javelins’
(not checked:)
gaflak (noun n.): [javelin]
notes
[6] gaflok ‘javelins’: Sometimes spelt gaflak; word for a light spear, cf. Þul Spjóts 1. 7III.
fara ‘travel’
(not checked:)
fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel
megut ‘cannot’
(not checked:)
mega (verb): may, might
Skǫglar ‘of Skǫgul <valkyrie>’
(not checked:)
Skǫgul (noun f.): Skǫgul
kennings
ský Skǫglar‘the clouds of Skǫgul <valkyrie> ’
= SHIELDS
the clouds of Skǫgul <valkyrie> → SHIELDS
ský ‘the clouds’
(not checked:)
ský (noun n.; °-s; -): cloud
kennings
ský Skǫglar‘the clouds of Skǫgul <valkyrie> ’
= SHIELDS
the clouds of Skǫgul <valkyrie> → SHIELDS
við ‘with’
(not checked:)
2. við (prep.): with, against
skotum ‘the volleys’
(not checked:)
skot (noun n.; °-s; -): shot
halda ‘stand’
(not checked:)
halda (verb): hold, keep
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Battle commonplaces without a substantive source in Geoffrey’s text (cf. Bret 1848-9). These extend from this stanza to st. 69. Although all the events described in these stanzas are represented as taking place in the future, the present tense has been used in their translation to convey a sense of immediacy.
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