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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Gyð 7^VII

Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Gyðingsvísur 7’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 523-4.

Anonymous Poems Gyðingsvísur

Vell ‘gold’

(not checked:)
vell (noun n.): gold < vellauðigr (adj.)

[1] Vellauðgan: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘Vell[...]d[...]’ B, ‘Vellaud(gan)’(?) BRydberg, ‘Vellbiodr’ BFJ

notes

[1] vellauðgan fór: The ms. is badly damaged, and only ‘Vell…d…r’ can be read with any degree of certainty. The 399a-bˣ copyist was sure of Vellauðgan fór, and this reading has been taken as the basis of the reconstruction here. Vellauðgan is taken as m. acc. sg. of vellauðigr (adj.) ‘well-stocked in gold, rich’, which is construed with m. acc. sg. gyðing ‘Jew’ (l. 4). The same adj. occurs in KormǪ Lv 35/4^V. Finnur Jónsson reads ‘Vellbiodr’ in Skj A, but in Skj B reconstructs the first word as m. sg. nom. adj. vellsnauður ‘poorly off for gold’, which he construes with the man-kenning viggbeitir Meita vallar ‘steerer of the horse of Meiti’s plain’ (ll. 1, 2). Kock (NN §2981) again objects to Finnur’s use of the desyllabified -ur in his reconstruction (see Note to 5/5), and emends to the synonymous vella snauðr ‘needy in respect of gold’, in an attempt to regularise the metre. Both emendations are unnecessary, however, since the 399a-bˣ reading makes both semantic and metrical sense.

auðgan ‘rich in’

(not checked:)
auðigr (adj.; °auðgan/auðigan; compar. auðgari/auðigri, superl. auðgastr/auðigastr): wealthy < vellauðigr (adj.)

[1] Vellauðgan: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘Vell[...]d[...]’ B, ‘Vellaud(gan)’(?) BRydberg, ‘Vellbiodr’ BFJ

notes

[1] vellauðgan fór: The ms. is badly damaged, and only ‘Vell…d…r’ can be read with any degree of certainty. The 399a-bˣ copyist was sure of Vellauðgan fór, and this reading has been taken as the basis of the reconstruction here. Vellauðgan is taken as m. acc. sg. of vellauðigr (adj.) ‘well-stocked in gold, rich’, which is construed with m. acc. sg. gyðing ‘Jew’ (l. 4). The same adj. occurs in KormǪ Lv 35/4^V. Finnur Jónsson reads ‘Vellbiodr’ in Skj A, but in Skj B reconstructs the first word as m. sg. nom. adj. vellsnauður ‘poorly off for gold’, which he construes with the man-kenning viggbeitir Meita vallar ‘steerer of the horse of Meiti’s plain’ (ll. 1, 2). Kock (NN §2981) again objects to Finnur’s use of the desyllabified -ur in his reconstruction (see Note to 5/5), and emends to the synonymous vella snauðr ‘needy in respect of gold’, in an attempt to regularise the metre. Both emendations are unnecessary, however, since the 399a-bˣ reading makes both semantic and metrical sense.

fór ‘went’

(not checked:)
fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel

[1] fór: so 399a‑bˣ, BFJ, ‘[...]r’ B, ‘(gǫ)r’(?) BRydberg

notes

[1] vellauðgan fór: The ms. is badly damaged, and only ‘Vell…d…r’ can be read with any degree of certainty. The 399a-bˣ copyist was sure of Vellauðgan fór, and this reading has been taken as the basis of the reconstruction here. Vellauðgan is taken as m. acc. sg. of vellauðigr (adj.) ‘well-stocked in gold, rich’, which is construed with m. acc. sg. gyðing ‘Jew’ (l. 4). The same adj. occurs in KormǪ Lv 35/4^V. Finnur Jónsson reads ‘Vellbiodr’ in Skj A, but in Skj B reconstructs the first word as m. sg. nom. adj. vellsnauður ‘poorly off for gold’, which he construes with the man-kenning viggbeitir Meita vallar ‘steerer of the horse of Meiti’s plain’ (ll. 1, 2). Kock (NN §2981) again objects to Finnur’s use of the desyllabified -ur in his reconstruction (see Note to 5/5), and emends to the synonymous vella snauðr ‘needy in respect of gold’, in an attempt to regularise the metre. Both emendations are unnecessary, however, since the 399a-bˣ reading makes both semantic and metrical sense.

vallar ‘plain’

(not checked:)
vǫllr (noun m.; °vallar, dat. velli; vellir acc. vǫllu/velli): plain, field

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

vallar ‘plain’

(not checked:)
vǫllr (noun m.; °vallar, dat. velli; vellir acc. vǫllu/velli): plain, field

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

vallar ‘plain’

(not checked:)
vǫllr (noun m.; °vallar, dat. velli; vellir acc. vǫllu/velli): plain, field

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

vigg ‘of the horse’

(not checked:)
viggr (noun m.): horse < viggbeitir (noun m.)

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

vigg ‘of the horse’

(not checked:)
viggr (noun m.): horse < viggbeitir (noun m.)

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

beitir ‘The steerer’

(not checked:)
beitir (noun m.): steerer < viggbeitir (noun m.)

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

þá ‘then’

(not checked:)
2. þá (adv.): then

Meita ‘of Meiti’s’

(not checked:)
Meiti (noun m.): Meiti

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[2] Meita (gen. sg.): Meiti is listed among the heiti for sea-kings in Þul Sea-kings 1/3^III and Þul Sækonunga 2/8^III.

Meita ‘of Meiti’s’

(not checked:)
Meiti (noun m.): Meiti

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[2] Meita (gen. sg.): Meiti is listed among the heiti for sea-kings in Þul Sea-kings 1/3^III and Þul Sækonunga 2/8^III.

Meita ‘of Meiti’s’

(not checked:)
Meiti (noun m.): Meiti

kennings

Meita vallar viggbeitir
‘horse-steerer of Meiti’s plain’
= SEAFARER
Meiti’s plain → SEA
the horse of the SEA → SHIP
The steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[2] Meita (gen. sg.): Meiti is listed among the heiti for sea-kings in Þul Sea-kings 1/3^III and Þul Sækonunga 2/8^III.

ein ‘’

(not checked:)
2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone < einráð (noun n.): °own decision

[3] einráð: ‘[...]rad’ all

notes

[3] einráð ‘resolution’: The beginning of the word is lost in a hole in the ms., and only ‘rad’ can be read with any certainty. In this edn Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s reconstruction (made in a note to the 444ˣ transcript) to einráð m. sg. nom. is adopted. Finnur Jónsson suggests the rather more pejorative óráð, and translates det var en dårlig beslutning af manden ‘that was a poor decision by the man’ (Skj B). Such anti-Semitism may have been a feature of the original poem (see Introduction), but it is worth noting that there is no suggestion in what remains of it that the Jew’s wealth and function as a moneylender are treated in anything but an objective manner. Kock (NN §3393) is led astray by Skj A’s incorrect reading varat ‘was not’ (l. 3), and emends to n. nom. sing. ofráð ‘too great a task’ translating det var inte någon överlägsen utväg ‘there was no better expedient’.

ráð ‘the resolution’

(not checked:)
ráð (noun n.; °-s; -): advice, plan, control, power < einráð (noun n.): °own decision

[3] einráð: ‘[...]rad’ all

notes

[3] einráð ‘resolution’: The beginning of the word is lost in a hole in the ms., and only ‘rad’ can be read with any certainty. In this edn Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s reconstruction (made in a note to the 444ˣ transcript) to einráð m. sg. nom. is adopted. Finnur Jónsson suggests the rather more pejorative óráð, and translates det var en dårlig beslutning af manden ‘that was a poor decision by the man’ (Skj B). Such anti-Semitism may have been a feature of the original poem (see Introduction), but it is worth noting that there is no suggestion in what remains of it that the Jew’s wealth and function as a moneylender are treated in anything but an objective manner. Kock (NN §3393) is led astray by Skj A’s incorrect reading varat ‘was not’ (l. 3), and emends to n. nom. sing. ofráð ‘too great a task’ translating det var inte någon överlägsen utväg ‘there was no better expedient’.

var ‘was’

(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

[3] var: varat BFJ

það ‘that’

(not checked:)
1. sá (pron.; °gen. þess, dat. þeim, acc. þann; f. sú, gen. þeirrar, acc. þá; n. þat, dat. því; pl. m. þeir, f. þǽ---): that (one), those

eyðis ‘of the destroyer’

(not checked:)
eyðir (noun m.): destroyer

kennings

eyðis armlinns.
‘of the destroyer of the arm-serpent. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the arm-serpent. → RING
the destroyer of the RING → GENEROUS MAN

arm ‘of the arm’

(not checked:)
1. armr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): arm < armlinnr (noun m.): arm-snake

kennings

eyðis armlinns.
‘of the destroyer of the arm-serpent. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the arm-serpent. → RING
the destroyer of the RING → GENEROUS MAN

arm ‘of the arm’

(not checked:)
1. armr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): arm < armlinnr (noun m.): arm-snake

kennings

eyðis armlinns.
‘of the destroyer of the arm-serpent. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the arm-serpent. → RING
the destroyer of the RING → GENEROUS MAN

linns ‘serpent’

(not checked:)
linnr (noun m.): snake < armlinnr (noun m.): arm-snake

kennings

eyðis armlinns.
‘of the destroyer of the arm-serpent. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the arm-serpent. → RING
the destroyer of the RING → GENEROUS MAN

linns ‘serpent’

(not checked:)
linnr (noun m.): snake < armlinnr (noun m.): arm-snake

kennings

eyðis armlinns.
‘of the destroyer of the arm-serpent. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the arm-serpent. → RING
the destroyer of the RING → GENEROUS MAN

gyðing ‘a Jew’

(not checked:)
gyðingr (noun m.): Jew

finna ‘to find’

(not checked:)
2. finna (verb): find, meet

[4, 5] finna Beiddi: ‘fi[...]ide’ B, ‘finn(a bei)ddi’(?) 399a‑bˣ, ‘fi(nn)[...](æ)ide’(?) BRydberg, ‘fi[...]e’ BFJ

Beiddi ‘asked’

(not checked:)
biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray

[4, 5] finna Beiddi: ‘fi[...]ide’ B, ‘finn(a bei)ddi’(?) 399a‑bˣ, ‘fi(nn)[...](æ)ide’(?) BRydberg, ‘fi[...]e’ BFJ

blára ‘of dark’

(not checked:)
blár (adj.): black

[5] blára: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘bla[...]’ B, BRydberg, BFJ

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

blára ‘of dark’

(not checked:)
blár (adj.): black

[5] blára: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘bla[...]’ B, BRydberg, BFJ

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

odda ‘spear-points’

(not checked:)
oddr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): point of weapon

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

odda ‘spear-points’

(not checked:)
oddr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): point of weapon

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

brak ‘of the crash’

(not checked:)
brak (noun n.): clash, noise < braknjǫrðr (noun m.)

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

brak ‘of the crash’

(not checked:)
brak (noun n.): clash, noise < braknjǫrðr (noun m.)

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

Njörðr ‘Njǫrðr’

(not checked:)
Njǫrðr (noun m.): Njǫrðr < braknjǫrðr (noun m.)

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

… ‘’

(not checked:)
(non-lexical)

notes

[6] …: B is completely illegible here, and it has not been possible to reconstruct the text satisfactorily. The essential sense of the st. is clear from what remains, and the missing word is most probably an adj. or adv. qualifying the rich man’s approach to the Jew. Kock proposes that a cpd with n. megin- ‘strength’, such as adv. meginharðla ‘very powerfully’ be inserted.

hodda ‘of gold’

(not checked:)
1. hodd (noun f.): gold, treasure

láns ‘for a loan’

(not checked:)
lán (noun n.; °-s; -): loan, gift

[7] láns: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]ns’ B, ‘[...](an)s’(?) BRydberg, ‘[...]us’ BFJ

af ‘from’

(not checked:)
af (prep.): from

hánum ‘him’

(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...

hugprúðr ‘The noble’

(not checked:)
hugprúðr (adj.): proud

kennings

Hugprúðr blára odda brak-Njörðr
‘crash-Njǫrðr of dark spear-points’
= WARRIOR
the crash of dark spear-points → BATTLE
The noble Njǫrðr of the BATTLE → WARRIOR

og ‘and’

(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

fie ‘of money’

(not checked:)
fé (noun n.; °fjár/féar; -): cattle, money < fésnúðr (noun m.)

[8] fiesnúðar: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘fe[...]dar’ B, BRydberg, ‘fesnud[...]’ BFJ

snúðar ‘for the favour’

(not checked:)
snúðr (noun m.; °-ar; -ar): fortune, favour < fésnúðr (noun m.)

[8] fiesnúðar: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘fe[...]dar’ B, BRydberg, ‘fesnud[...]’ BFJ

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