Anon (FoGT) 25III
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Stanzas from the Fourth Grammatical Treatise 25’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 602.
Mætr ‘Excellent’
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mætr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): honoured, respected
Hákon ‘Hákon’
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Hákon (noun m.): Hákon
notes
[1] Hákon: King Hákon Hákonarson of Norway (r. 1217-63). Hákon was claimed as the illegitimate son of King Hákon Sverrisson (d. 1 January 1204) and Inga of Varteig. He was born after the death of his putative father, and began his rule under the regency of Skúli jarl Bárðarson, hence perhaps the emphasis of l. 5 that he won the land of his paternal ancestors.
vann ‘won’
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
en ‘but’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
Magnús ‘Magnús’
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2. Magnús (noun m.): Magnús
fann ‘gained’
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2. finna (verb): find, meet
hjörr ‘sword’
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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword
Eiríks ‘Eiríkr’s’
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Eiríkr (noun m.): Eiríkr
notes
[3] Eiríks ‘Eiríkr’s’: The elder son of Magnús Hákonarson (r. 1280-99). He gained the nickname ‘Priest-hater’ from his poor relations with the Church, but otherwise enjoyed a peaceful rule.
hiekk ‘hung’
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1. hanga (verb): hang
hans ‘his’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
notes
[4] bróðir hans ‘his brother’: This was Eiríkr’s younger brother, Hákon háleggr ‘High-leg’ Magnússon (r. 1299-1319), who succeeded him on the throne of Norway because Eiríkr died childless. Line 8 arguably alludes to Hákon’s reputation for successfully curbing the power of the Norwegian magnates. Hákon is probably also referred to in st. 7/1 above, where he is characterised as handsterkr ‘strong-handed’, doubtless another allusion to his tough domestic policies. On the implications of these references to Hákon’s reign, referred to in the past tense both here and in st. 7, for the dating of the anonymous poetry in FoGT, see st. 7 Note to [All].
bróðir ‘brother’
notes
[4] bróðir hans ‘his brother’: This was Eiríkr’s younger brother, Hákon háleggr ‘High-leg’ Magnússon (r. 1299-1319), who succeeded him on the throne of Norway because Eiríkr died childless. Line 8 arguably alludes to Hákon’s reputation for successfully curbing the power of the Norwegian magnates. Hákon is probably also referred to in st. 7/1 above, where he is characterised as handsterkr ‘strong-handed’, doubtless another allusion to his tough domestic policies. On the implications of these references to Hákon’s reign, referred to in the past tense both here and in st. 7, for the dating of the anonymous poetry in FoGT, see st. 7 Note to [All].
giekk ‘was busied’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
langfeðra ‘his paternal ancestors’’
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langfeðgi (noun m.): ancestors on the father’s side, forefathers
láð ‘land’
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2. láð (noun n.): earth, land
lögvizku ‘of legal learning’
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lǫgvizka (noun f.): [legal learning]
ráð ‘counsel’
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ráð (noun n.; °-s; -): advice, plan, control, power
á ‘upon’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
rítar ‘the shield’s’
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rít (noun f.): shield
kennings
slóð rítar;‘the shield’s track; ’
= ARM
the shield’s track; → ARM
slóð ‘track’
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slóð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): path, track
kennings
slóð rítar;‘the shield’s track; ’
= ARM
the shield’s track; → ARM
að ‘with’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
refsa ‘punishing’
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1. refsa (verb): punish
þjóð ‘people’
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þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
This stanza follows shortly after st. 24 as the fifth example of antitheton. The prose text explains that this variation comprises four clauses, each of which begins in the first helmingr and finishes in the second, in the order abcd: abcd. Stanza 26 is, as the prose also explains, a rearrangement of this sequence using almost the same wording, in the order abcd: dcba.
ÞSjár Frag 3, transmitted in mss R, Tˣ and W of SnE (Skm), provides an earlier example of exactly the same rhetorical practice as is illustrated here, with each line of the first helmingr forming an independent clause with the corresponding line of the second helmingr. It is interesting that in Þórðr Sjáreksson’s stanza the subject-matter of the clauses is taken from Old Norse myth and legend, while here it comes from Norwegian history. This may suggest that there was a requirement in all forms of what FoGT terms antitheton that the subject-matter comprise condensed references to myth, legend or, in this case, historical figures. In the Latin treatises, examples given are of Old Testament characters. Like ÞSjár Frag 3, this stanza and st. 26 are in runhent metre (here, fornyrðislag, Types E and B). — [2] Magnús: Magnús lagabœtir ‘Law-mender’ Hákonarson (r. 1263-80), son of the king mentioned in l. 1. As his nickname and l. 6 of this stanza indicate, Magnús was celebrated for having modified and unified the laws of Norway. He also promulgated a new law code for Iceland, Jónsbók ‘Jón’s book’ (see NGL IV, 183-340), which was sent to the island in 1280 and ratified by the alþingi (the general legal assembly) in 1281.
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