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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Herv Lv 18VIII (Heiðr 44)

Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 44 (Hervǫr, Lausavísur 18)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 403.

HervǫrLausavísur
171819

mun ‘will’

(not checked:)
munu (verb): will, must

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til ‘to’

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til (prep.): to

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gjálfr ‘the sea’

(not checked:)
gjalfr (noun n.; °-s): surge, waves < gjalfrmarr (noun m.): [sea-horses]

kennings

gjálfrmara;
‘the sea-horses; ’
   = SHIPS

the sea-horses; → SHIPS

notes

[2] gjálfrmara ‘the sea-horses [SHIPS]’: Verelius emended (quite unnecessarily) to ‑manna ‘sea-men, sailors’ (Heiðr 1672, 94). Though this exact cpd gjálfrmara is unique in poetry, similar kennings occurr in Pl 48/8VII (gjalfrhestr ‘sea-stallion’), Bǫlv Hardr 8/3II (gjalfrstóð ‘surge-steed’) and HHund I 30/7 (gjalfrdýr ‘sea-beast’).

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mara ‘horses’

(not checked:)
2. marr (noun m.): horse < gjalfrmarr (noun m.): [sea-horses]

kennings

gjálfrmara;
‘the sea-horses; ’
   = SHIPS

the sea-horses; → SHIPS

notes

[2] gjálfrmara ‘the sea-horses [SHIPS]’: Verelius emended (quite unnecessarily) to ‑manna ‘sea-men, sailors’ (Heiðr 1672, 94). Though this exact cpd gjálfrmara is unique in poetry, similar kennings occurr in Pl 48/8VII (gjalfrhestr ‘sea-stallion’), Bǫlv Hardr 8/3II (gjalfrstóð ‘surge-steed’) and HHund I 30/7 (gjalfrdýr ‘sea-beast’).

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‘now’

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nú (adv.): now

[3] nú: mun corrected fromin the hand of JR R715ˣ

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er ‘the’

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2. er (conj.): who, which, when

[3] er hilmis: ei corrected from er hilmis in the hand of JR R715ˣ

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hilmis ‘prince’s’

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hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector

[3] er hilmis: ei corrected from er hilmis in the hand of JR R715ˣ

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í ‘is in’

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í (prep.): in, into

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hugum ‘spirits’

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hugi (noun m.; °-a): courage, thought

[4] hugum: huga 2845, hug R715ˣ

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góðum ‘good’

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góðr (adj.): good

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Lítt ‘little’

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lítt (adv.): a bit

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ræki ‘care’

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rœkja (verb): care, look after

[5] ræki ek: so 2845, R715ˣ, hræðumz Hb

notes

[5] ek ræki ‘I care’: Mss 2845 and R715ˣ are in agreement on this reading, similarly preferred by Skj B and Skald, against Hb’s hræðumz ‘I fear’, which also gives good sense. Either reading is possible metrically.

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ek ‘I’

(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

[5] ræki ek: so 2845, R715ˣ, hræðumz Hb

notes

[5] ek ræki ‘I care’: Mss 2845 and R715ˣ are in agreement on this reading, similarly preferred by Skj B and Skald, against Hb’s hræðumz ‘I fear’, which also gives good sense. Either reading is possible metrically.

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lofðunga ‘of rulers’

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lofðungr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, leader

[6] lofðunga: lofðunga corrected from lofðungit in the scribal hand Hb

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niðr ‘son’

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1. niðr (noun m.; °-s; niðjar/niðir, acc. niði): son, kinsman, relative

[6] niðr: vinr 2845, R715ˣ

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hvé ‘how’

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hvé (adv.): how

[7] hvé: hvat 2845, R715ˣ

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synir ‘sons’

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sonr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. syni; synir, acc. sonu, syni): son

[7] synir mínir: ‘s.’ 2845

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mínir ‘my’

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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my

[7] synir mínir: ‘s.’ 2845

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síðan ‘afterwards’

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síðan (adv.): later, then

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deila ‘contend’

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2. deila (verb; °-ld-): share out, deal

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Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses

A lacuna of one folio in 2845 begins part way through l. 7; the rest of the dialogue between Hervǫr and Angantýr is now lost from that ms. — [7-8]: Hervǫr goes on to have two sons, the good-natured and popular Angantýr and the trouble-making Heiðrekr, who is sent away to be fostered. There is no indication of sibling ‘contention’ until Heiðrekr kills his brother with an indiscriminately-thrown stone. Tyrfingr is not involved in that trouble. Tolkien (Heiðr 1960, xi) suggests a now-lost account of strife between them may have once existed. Hervǫr’s grandsons, on the other hand, the sons of Heiðrekr, contend over their inheritance in what becomes a battle between nations, resulting in one brother slaying the other (cf. Schück 1918, 79; Heiðr 1960, xi and n. 3).

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