GunnLeif Merl I 97VIII
Russell Poole (ed.) 2017, ‘Breta saga 165 (Gunnlaugr Leifsson, Merlínusspá I 97)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 129.
‘ ’
Virði ‘think’
(not checked:)
2. virða (verb): value, appraise
engi ‘Let nobody’
(not checked:)
2. engi (pron.): no, none
vitlausu ‘nonsense’
(not checked:)
vitlauss (adj.)
þótt ‘if’
(not checked:)
þótt (conj.): although
hann ‘he’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
hodd ‘treasure’
(not checked:)
1. hodd (noun f.): gold, treasure < hoddskati (noun m.): treasure-chieftain
kennings
hoddskǫtum‘treasure-chieftains ’
= RULERS
treasure-chieftains → RULERS
notes
[3] hoddskǫtum ‘treasure-chieftains [RULERS]’: Attested only here and in II 29/5.
skǫtum ‘chieftains’
(not checked:)
skati (noun m.; °-a; -nar): chieftan, prince < hoddskati (noun m.): treasure-chieftain
kennings
hoddskǫtum‘treasure-chieftains ’
= RULERS
treasure-chieftains → RULERS
notes
[3] hoddskǫtum ‘treasure-chieftains [RULERS]’: Attested only here and in II 29/5.
heiti ‘the name’
(not checked:)
heiti (noun n.): name, promise
gæfi ‘gives’
(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give
viðar ‘of a wood’
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1. viðr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -u/-i): wood, tree
notes
[5] viðar ‘of a wood’: Conceivably the gen. pl. viða ‘of woods/trees’ should be read here, for better match with vatna and because Merl refers to a variety of trees, e.g. oaks and linden‑trees; Bret 1848-9 has ‘tree’ and Skj B, followed by Merl 2012, has ‘trees’, but without emendation. Gunnlaugr may also be referring to woods or forests collectively, with e.g. viðr inn danski ‘Danish wood’ (II 15/6) in mind.
eða ‘or’
(not checked:)
eða (conj.): or
vatna ‘lakes’
(not checked:)
vatn (noun n.; °-s; -*): water, lake
notes
[5] vatna ‘lakes’: It is not clear which prophecies are referred to here, unless Gunnlaugr was thinking of the idealisation of the boar of commerce as a refreshing stream (I 82-3) or of the inundation of the mouths of the Severn (I 89/2-3).
eða ‘or’
(not checked:)
eða (conj.): or
veðrs ‘storm’
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2. veðr (noun n.; °-s; -): weather, wind, storm
mikils ‘a great’
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mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large
eða ‘or’
(not checked:)
eða (conj.): or
alls ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
konar ‘kinds’
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konr (noun m.; °-ar): kind, descendant
orma ‘of serpents’
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ormr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): serpent
eða ‘or’
(not checked:)
eða (conj.): or
dýra ‘beasts’
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1. dýr (noun n.; °-s (spec.: dyʀiɴs KonrA 66⁴, etc., cf. Seip 1955 188-189); -): animal
Táknar ‘signifies’
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tákna (verb)
eðli ‘The nature’
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eðli (noun n.; °-s; dat. -um): nature
talðrar ‘described’
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telja (verb): tell, count
skepnu ‘of the creature’
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skepna (noun f.; °-u; -ur): creation
spjǫr ‘of the spear’
(not checked:)
spjǫr (noun n.): spear
kennings
spjǫrráðanda.‘of the wielders of the spear. ’
= WARRIORS
the wielders of the spear. → WARRIORS
ráðanda ‘of the wielders’
(not checked:)
ráðandi (noun m.; °-a; ráðendr): ruler < spjǫrráðandi (noun m.): [wielders spear]ráðandi (noun m.; °-a; ráðendr): ruler
kennings
spjǫrráðanda.‘of the wielders of the spear. ’
= WARRIORS
the wielders of the spear. → WARRIORS
spjǫll ‘the flaws’
(not checked:)
1. spjall (noun n.): story
eða ‘or’
(not checked:)
eða (conj.): or
kosti ‘strengths’
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1. kostr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -i/-u): choice, food, goods, good quality
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Here, following up on the preceding stanza, Gunnlaugr succinctly explains Geoffrey’s system of allegory and foreshadows that some members of his audience might find it nonsensical. — [3]: The pron. hann is omitted in Skj B and Skald for metrical reasons. — [6]: Cf. the mentions of the landnyrðingr ‘northeast wind’ in I 44/3, I 84/2.
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