Anon Líkn 22VII
George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 22’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 252-3.
Kvaliðr ‘The tormented’
(not checked:)
kvelja (verb): torment, torture
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
sté ‘descended’
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stíga (verb): step
öllum ‘than all’
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allr (adj.): all
[1] öllum æðri: ‘o᷎ll[...] ed[...]’ B, ‘öll[...]’ 399a‑bˣ
notes
[1] öllum æðri ‘higher than all’: A plausible conjecture by Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 42, adopted by all subsequent eds. In B only <e> for <æ> is visible, but the hook ‘e᷎’ was likely lost in the split above the letter.
æðri ‘higher’
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œðri (adj. comp.): nobler, higher
[1] öllum æðri: ‘o᷎ll[...] ed[...]’ B, ‘öll[...]’ 399a‑bˣ
notes
[1] öllum æðri ‘higher than all’: A plausible conjecture by Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 42, adopted by all subsequent eds. In B only <e> for <æ> is visible, but the hook ‘e᷎’ was likely lost in the split above the letter.
ítr ‘glorious’
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ítr (adj.): glorious
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
gramr ‘king’
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1. gramr (noun m.): ruler
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[2, 6] gramr ‘king’: The same noun appears, unusually, as base-word of a Christ-kenning in each helmingr, each time in the second l. Of Christ in the context of the Harrowing, the choice is also somewhat odd; deriving from the adj. gramr ‘angry, hostile’, the pl. is often used substantively of ‘fiends’ (cf. djöfla rann, l. 4), the very beings his radiance overcomes.
til ‘to’
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til (prep.): to
hel ‘Hell’
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1. hel (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -ju): death, Hel, hell < helvíti (noun n.): hell
vítis ‘’
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víti (noun n.; °-s; -): punishment < helvíti (noun n.): hell
dægra ‘of days’’
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dœgr (noun n.; °-s; -): day and night; 24h period
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[3] dægra láðs ‘of days’ land’: Just as gramr could be associated either with Christ or devils, dægr, a twelve-hour period, may technically refer either to day or night, though more typically the former. While dagr ‘day’ is common in heaven-kennings (e.g. dags reitr ‘day’s path’ 32/6, dags grund ‘day’s land’ Leið 24/8), dægr, first used thus here, occurs subsequently in only two C14th heaven-kennings (dægra sæti ‘days’ seat’ Mgr 9/4 and dægra stallr ‘days’ ridge’ Arngr Gd 41/4IV).
dægra ‘of days’’
(not checked:)
dœgr (noun n.; °-s; -): day and night; 24h period
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[3] dægra láðs ‘of days’ land’: Just as gramr could be associated either with Christ or devils, dægr, a twelve-hour period, may technically refer either to day or night, though more typically the former. While dagr ‘day’ is common in heaven-kennings (e.g. dags reitr ‘day’s path’ 32/6, dags grund ‘day’s land’ Leið 24/8), dægr, first used thus here, occurs subsequently in only two C14th heaven-kennings (dægra sæti ‘days’ seat’ Mgr 9/4 and dægra stallr ‘days’ ridge’ Arngr Gd 41/4IV).
láðs ‘land’
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2. láð (noun n.): earth, land
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[3] dægra láðs ‘of days’ land’: Just as gramr could be associated either with Christ or devils, dægr, a twelve-hour period, may technically refer either to day or night, though more typically the former. While dagr ‘day’ is common in heaven-kennings (e.g. dags reitr ‘day’s path’ 32/6, dags grund ‘day’s land’ Leið 24/8), dægr, first used thus here, occurs subsequently in only two C14th heaven-kennings (dægra sæti ‘days’ seat’ Mgr 9/4 and dægra stallr ‘days’ ridge’ Arngr Gd 41/4IV).
láðs ‘land’
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2. láð (noun n.): earth, land
kennings
Kvaliðr ítr gramr dægra láðs,‘The tormented glorious king of days’ land, ’
= God
days’ land, → SKY/HEAVEN
The tormented glorious king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[3] dægra láðs ‘of days’ land’: Just as gramr could be associated either with Christ or devils, dægr, a twelve-hour period, may technically refer either to day or night, though more typically the former. While dagr ‘day’ is common in heaven-kennings (e.g. dags reitr ‘day’s path’ 32/6, dags grund ‘day’s land’ Leið 24/8), dægr, first used thus here, occurs subsequently in only two C14th heaven-kennings (dægra sæti ‘days’ seat’ Mgr 9/4 and dægra stallr ‘days’ ridge’ Arngr Gd 41/4IV).
ept ‘after’
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eptir (prep.): after, behind
dauða ‘death’
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dauði (noun m.; °-a; -ar): death
djöfla ‘of devils’
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djǫfull (noun m.; °djǫfuls, dat. djǫfli; djǫflar/djaflar): devil
kennings
rann djöfla.‘the house of devils. ’
= HELL
the house of devils. → HELL
rann ‘the house’
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rann (noun n.): house, hall
kennings
rann djöfla.‘the house of devils. ’
= HELL
the house of devils. → HELL
at ‘to’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
kanna ‘explore’
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3. kanna (verb): know, be able
Leysti ‘freed’
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leysa (verb): release, loosen, redeem
notes
[5, 6, 7] leysti ... allan sinn lýð ‘freed all his people’: Cf. the late medieval Niðurstigningsvísur 35/6 leyste alla lydi sin and þu leyster alla lydi 37/3 (ÍM I.2, 234).
sinn ‘his’
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
notes
[5, 6, 7] leysti ... allan sinn lýð ‘freed all his people’: Cf. the late medieval Niðurstigningsvísur 35/6 leyste alla lydi sin and þu leyster alla lydi 37/3 (ÍM I.2, 234).
at ‘’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
[5] at sönnu: ‘[...]t s[...]nnu’ B, ‘at sẹ⸜o᷎⸝nnu’ 399a‑bˣ
notes
[5] sönnu ‘in truth, truly’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ, including superscript notation; either <o> (<o᷎>) or <e> is possible from the remnants.
sönnu ‘truly’
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1. sannr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i;): true
[5] at sönnu: ‘[...]t s[...]nnu’ B, ‘at sẹ⸜o᷎⸝nnu’ 399a‑bˣ
notes
[5] sönnu ‘in truth, truly’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ, including superscript notation; either <o> (<o᷎>) or <e> is possible from the remnants.
sól ‘of sun’s’
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sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun < sólhǫll (noun f.)
[6] sólhallar: ‘[...]hallar’ B, ‘s[...]hallar’ 399a‑bˣ
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
sól ‘of sun’s’
(not checked:)
sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun < sólhǫll (noun f.)
[6] sólhallar: ‘[...]hallar’ B, ‘s[...]hallar’ 399a‑bˣ
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
hallar ‘hall’
(not checked:)
1. hǫll (noun f.; °hallar, dat. -u/-; hallir): hall < sólhǫll (noun f.)
[6] sólhallar: ‘[...]hallar’ B, ‘s[...]hallar’ 399a‑bˣ
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
hallar ‘hall’
(not checked:)
1. hǫll (noun f.; °hallar, dat. -u/-; hallir): hall < sólhǫll (noun f.)
[6] sólhallar: ‘[...]hallar’ B, ‘s[...]hallar’ 399a‑bˣ
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
gramr ‘king’
(not checked:)
1. gramr (noun m.): ruler
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
allan ‘all’
(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all
notes
[5, 6, 7] leysti ... allan sinn lýð ‘freed all his people’: Cf. the late medieval Niðurstigningsvísur 35/6 leyste alla lydi sin and þu leyster alla lydi 37/3 (ÍM I.2, 234).
lýð ‘people’
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lýðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir): one of the people
notes
[5, 6, 7] leysti ... allan sinn lýð ‘freed all his people’: Cf. the late medieval Niðurstigningsvísur 35/6 leyste alla lydi sin and þu leyster alla lydi 37/3 (ÍM I.2, 234).
fyr ‘by means of’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
lífs ‘the life’
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líf (noun n.; °-s; -): life < lífstré (noun n.)
kennings
lífstré þjóðar.‘the life-tree of mankind.’
= CROSS
the life-tree of mankind. → CROSS
tré ‘tree’
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tré (noun n.; °-s; tré/trjó, gen. trjá, dat. trjóm/trjám): tree < lífstré (noun n.)
kennings
lífstré þjóðar.‘the life-tree of mankind.’
= CROSS
the life-tree of mankind. → CROSS
þjóðar ‘of mankind’
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þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
kennings
lífstré þjóðar.‘the life-tree of mankind.’
= CROSS
the life-tree of mankind. → CROSS
líknar ‘The mercy’
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líkn (noun f.; °-ar; gen. -a): grace, mercy < líknarstyrkr (adj.)
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[8] líknarstyrkr ... frá myrkrum ‘mercy-strong ... from darkness’: Cf. Leið 31/8, also of the Harrowing.
styrkr ‘strong’
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1. styrkr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -ir): strength < líknarstyrkr (adj.)
kennings
Líknarstyrkr gramr sólhallar‘The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall ’
= God
sun’s hall → SKY/HEAVEN
The mercy-strong king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
notes
[8] líknarstyrkr ... frá myrkrum ‘mercy-strong ... from darkness’: Cf. Leið 31/8, also of the Harrowing.
frá ‘from’
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frá (prep.): from
notes
[8] líknarstyrkr ... frá myrkrum ‘mercy-strong ... from darkness’: Cf. Leið 31/8, also of the Harrowing.
myrkrum ‘darkness’
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1. myrkr (noun n.; °myrkrs/myrks; -): darkness
notes
[8] líknarstyrkr ... frá myrkrum ‘mercy-strong ... from darkness’: Cf. Leið 31/8, also of the Harrowing.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Kvaliðr sté öllum æðri |
The tormented glorious king of days’ land [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ)], higher than all, descended after death to Hell to explore the house of devils [HELL]. The mercy-strong king of sun’s hall [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ)] freed truly all his people from darkness by means of the life-tree of mankind [CROSS].
A frequent motif in representations of the Harrowing of Hell is that of light – associated here with Christ through sól ‘sun’ (l. 6) and perhaps dægra láð ‘days’ land’ (l. 3) in the kennings – penetrating the darkness (myrkrum, dat. pl., l. 8) as it moves from the highest realm to the lowest. See, e.g., Niðrst1 I.7: Cristr ferr her nu oc rekr a braut meþ liose guþdoms sins dauþa myrcr... ‘Now Christ goes here and dispels the darkness of death with the light of his godhead...’ (Hms II, 6).
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