Cookies on our website

We use cookies on this website, mainly to provide a secure browsing experience but also to collect statistics on how the website is used. You can find out more about the cookies we set, the information we store and how we use it on the cookies page.

Continue

skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

Menu Search

Mark Lv 1III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Markús Skeggjason, Lausavísur 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 296.

Markús SkeggjasonLausavísur
12

introduction

This lausavísa (Mark Lv 1) is transmitted in Skm (SnE; mss R (main ms.), , W, U (ll. 5-8) and A), as well as in TGT (W, ll. 5-6). It is attributed to Markús in all mss and appears to describe a sea-journey from Iceland to mainland Scandinavia (see Frank 1978, 47-8). The stanza was copied from W(80) in LaufE (see LaufE 1979, 304, 393) and from a LaufE ms. in RE 1665(Kk3). Neither LaufE nor RE 1665 has any independent value. Markús employs three different heiti for ‘bear’ in this stanza, and these heiti have been given their literal translation in the present edition (see Translation and Note to [All] below).

text and translation

Fjarðlinna óð fannir
fast vetrliði rastar;
hljóp of húna gnípur
hvalranns íugtanni.
Bjǫrn gekk framm á fornar
flóðs hafskíða slóðir;
skúrǫrðigr braut skorðu
skers glymfjǫtur bersi.

{Vetrliði rastar} óð fast {fannir {fjarðlinna}}; {íugtanni {hvalranns}} hljóp of {gnípur húna}. {Bjǫrn flóðs} gekk framm á {fornar slóðir {hafskíða}}; {skúrǫrðigr bersi skorðu} braut {glymfjǫtur skers}.
 
‘The winter-survivor <bear> of the maelstrom [SHIP] waded steadily through the snowdrifts of fjord-snakes [FISH > WAVES]; the greedy-toothed one <bear> of the whale-house [SEA > SHIP] leapt across crags of mastheads [WAVES]. The bear of the flood [SHIP] went forward on the old tracks of ocean-skis [SHIPS > WAVES]; the storm-battling little bear of the prop [SHIP] broke the resounding fetter of the skerry [SEA].

notes and context

The kennings in this stanza are given in Skm among the examples of terms for ‘ship’, and bjǫrn flóðs ‘bear of the flood’ illustrates a metaphor for ‘ship’ in TGT.

The heiti for ‘bear’ in this stanza are given in Þul Bjarnar: vetrliði lit. ‘winter-survivor’ (l. 2), íugtanni lit. ‘greedy-toothed one’ (l. 4) and bersi ‘little bear’ (l. 8). See Þul Bjarnar ll. 1, 10, 11 and Notes there. — For an excellent discussion of the imagery contained in this stanza, see Frank (1978, 46-9).

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.

editions and texts

Close

Log in

This service is only available to members of the relevant projects, and to purchasers of the skaldic volumes published by Brepols.
This service uses cookies. By logging in you agree to the use of cookies on your browser.

Close

Stanza/chapter/text segment

Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.

Information tab

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.