Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Breta saga 139 (Gunnlaugr Leifsson, Merlínusspá I 71)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 107.
‘Eyðisk eyjar it enska nafn;
mun hon Anglía eigi kǫlluð.
Hlýtr hon at halda heiti inu forna;
kend es við Brútum Brítannía.
‘It enska nafn eyjar eyðisk; hon mun eigi kǫlluð Anglía. Hon hlýtr at halda inu forna heiti; es kend Brítannía við Brútum.
‘‘The English name of the island is expunged; it will not be called Anglia. It gets to retain the old name; it is called Britain after Brutus. ’
Cf. DGB 115 (Reeve and Wright 2007, 149.114; cf. Wright 1988, 105, prophecy 20): Nomine Bruti uocabitur insula, et nuncupatio extraneorum peribit ‘The island will be called by Brutus’ name and the naming conferred on it by the foreigners will perish’ (cf. Reeve and Wright 2007, 148). — [7-8]: The idea is familiar, but Gunnlaugr may have taken it either from a commentary or perhaps directly from DGB I (21.459-60: Reeve and Wright 2007, 28‑9). He spells out more explicitly than Geoffrey that this represents a reversion to the ancient name.
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.
Eyðiz eyiar eð enska nafn mvn | hon anglia eigi kollvð hlytr hon at hallda heiti env forna kend er við brvtvm brittania ·
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