Neri Frag 1^VIII (Gautr 7)

Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Gautreks saga 7 (Neri, verses 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 251.

introduction

Gautr 7 and 8 are found in the so-called Gjafa-Refs þáttr which follows Víkars þáttr in the longer version of Gautr and the Dalafífla þáttr in the shorter version, except in 164hˣ, where it precedes it. Gautr 7 is found in the mss of the longer version of Gautr and also in 164hˣ, which is a conflation of both versions. Gautr 8 occurs in both longer (except for papp11ˣ) and shorter versions of the saga. Thus these two stanzas come towards the end of the saga in most mss. The tale of Gjafa-Refr, like that of Auðunn in Auð, is a story of a poor young man who wins powerful friends and great rewards by presenting high-ranking men with a sequence of judiciously selected gifts. In this case, Refr’s major patron is a certain Neri jarl, who is said in Gautr to be the son of King Víkarr, hence the tenuous link between Víkars þáttr and the narrative of Gjafa-Refr.

text and translation

notes and context

According to the saga prose, Refr, an unpromising young man, is thrown out of his father’s farm. In revenge he takes with him a fine ox and presents it to Neri jarl, who has a reputation for being so mean that he never receives a gift because he cannot bear to requite the giver. In spite of his reputation, Neri gives Refr hospitality overnight and is moved to present him with a shield, inlaid with gold, that hangs among numerous others that overlap along the walls of Neri’s hall. When he returns to the hall the next day, Neri regrets this generous gesture. Looking up at the gap where the shield had been, he speaks this stanza.

This stanza is in dróttkvætt, regular except for l. 1. — [1-2]: In this edn and also in Skj B, Gautr 1900 and FSGJ, l. 2 has been treated as an independent clause; however, it is possible (so Skald; NN §3294) to construe skjöldr ‘shield’ (l. 2) with inn skrautligi ‘the splendid’ (l.1) in the first clause, and take hekk áðr á tjöldum ‘it hung previously on the wall-hangings’ as a separate co-ordinate clause with the implied subject skjöldr ‘shield’.

readings

• [3] af: at papp11ˣ, 164hˣ
• [4] mest er ek lít: er horfum 164hˣ
• [5] orðit: yrði 152, virði 164hˣ
• [6] skjótt mun: þó skjótt yrði 164hˣ
• [6] af: at 164hˣ
• [7] með: mik 152, 164hˣ
• [8] grandlaust: gnauðlaust 164hˣ
• [8] randir: dauðr 164hˣ

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.

• AM 590 b-c 4°x (590b-cx) — 7v/20 - 7v/23

  Skein enn skrautlege raunar, skioll- | dr hieck ädr ä tiolldum, os verdr opt af þessu ängr mest er eg lit þangad | skard er ad skapligt orded, skiott mun eg snaudr af audi, ef braut med giof | gautar, grand laust bera randir.

  (HA)

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• AM 152 fol (152) — 200va/4 - 200va/8

  Skein inn skrautligi raunar;
  skjöldr hekk áðr á tjöldum;
  oss verðr opt af þessu
  angr mest, er ek lít þangat.
  Skarð erat skapligt yrði;
  skjótt mun ek snauðr af auði,
  ef braut mik gjöf gautar
  grandlaust bera randir.

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• Holm papp 11 8°x (papp11x) — 10v - 10v

  Skein inn skrautligi raunar;
  skjöldr hekk áðr á tjöldum;
  oss verðr opt at þessu
  angr mest, er ek lít þangat.
  Skarð erat skapligt orðit;
  skjótt mun ek snauðr af auði,
  ef braut með gjöf gautar
  grandlaust bera randir.

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• AM 164 h folx (164hx) — 1v/3 - 1v/6

  Skein inn skrautligi raunar;
  skjöldr hekk áðr á tjöldum;
  oss verðr opt at þessu
  angr er horfum, þangat.
  Skarð erat skapligt virði;
  þó skjótt yrði ek snauðr at auði,
  ef braut mik gjöf gautar
  gnauðlaust bera dauðr.

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