Hergunnr Lv 3VIII (HjǪ 21)
Richard L. Harris (ed.) 2017, ‘Hjálmþés saga ok Ǫlvis 21 (Hergunnr, Lausavísur 3)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 514.
Hvar ertu Margerðr, mær in öflgasta?
Vinnr þú sigr lítinn á siklings liði.
Hryggr er hálflaminn en herðar brotnar,
sterkr er stafnbúi; stökkva mun nú verða.
Hvar ertu Margerðr, in öflgasta mær? Þú vinnr lítinn sigr á liði siklings. Hryggr er hálflaminn en herðar brotnar, stafnbúi er sterkr; nú mun verða stökkva.
Where are you Margerðr, most powerful maiden? You are gaining small victory over the prince’s company. [My] back is half crippled, and my shoulders broken, the forecastle-man [Hjálmþér] is strong; now we must take flight.
Mss: 109a IIIˣ(271r), papp6ˣ(51v), ÍBR5ˣ(92) (HjǪ)
Readings: [2] in: om. papp6ˣ [3] sigr lítinn: lítinn sigr papp6ˣ [5] hálflaminn: hálflestr corrected from hálflestr eðr hálflaminn in another hand papp6ˣ [8] nú: þú papp6ˣ
Editions: Skj AII, 337, Skj BII, 358, Skald II, 193; HjǪ 1720, 40, FSN 3, 485, FSGJ 4, 210, HjǪ 1970, 33-4, 90, 149.
Context: Seriously injured by Hjálmþér, with whom she fights a single combat, Hergunnr calls to her sisters for retreat.
Notes: [3] lítinn sigr ‘small victory’: That is, no victory, an example of litotes. — [5-8]: These lines are structurally similar to ll. 5-8 of the previous stanza and emphasise the powerlessness of the ogresses, for all their grotesque bodily strength, in the face of the heroes’ aggression.
References
- Bibliography
- FSN = Rafn, Carl Christian, ed. 1829-30. Fornaldar sögur nordrlanda. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
- HjǪ 1720 = Peringskiöld, Johann, ed. 1720. Hialmters och Olvers saga, Handlande om trenne Konungar i Manahem eller Sverige, Inge, Hialmter, och Inge, samt Olver Jarl och om theras uthresor til Grekeland och Arabien. Stockholm: Horn.
- HjǪ 1970 = Harris, Richard L., ed. 1970. ‘Hjálmþérs saga: A Scientific Edition’. Ph.D. thesis. University of Iowa.
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