Anonymous Poems, Málsháttakvæði 9

Roberta Frank

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Mhkv 9^III

Roberta Frank (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Málsháttakvæði 9’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1223.

Anonymous Poems Málsháttakvæði

8 9 10

Friggjar ‘of Frigg’

(not checked:)
Frigg (noun f.): Frigg

kennings

syni Friggjar;
‘the son of Frigg; ’
= Baldr
the son of Frigg; → Baldr

notes

[1] Friggjar ‘of Frigg <goddess>’: Chief goddess, consort of Óðinn and mother of Baldr. Vsp 33 confirms her weeping at Baldr’s death.

kennings

syni Friggjar;
‘the son of Frigg; ’
= Baldr
the son of Frigg; → Baldr

sá ‘he’

(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

var ‘was’

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

taldr ‘reckoned’

(not checked:)
telja (verb): tell, count

ór ‘from’

(not checked:)
3. ór (prep.): out of

miklu ‘a great’

(not checked:)
mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large

kyni ‘family’

(not checked:)
1. kyn (noun n.; °-s; -): kin

Hermóðr ‘Hermóðr’

(not checked:)
Hermóðr (noun m.): Hermóðr, War-weary

notes

[3] Hermóðr: Son of Óðinn (see Þul Ása I l. 6 and Note there) or servant of Óðinn (SnE 2005, 46-7). At Frigg’s command he rides to Hel’s compound in an attempt to restore Baldr to life.

vildi ‘wanted’

(not checked:)
vilja (verb): want, intend

auka ‘to extend’

(not checked:)
1. auka (verb; °eykr; jók, jóku/juku): (str. intrans.) increase

aldr ‘his life’

(not checked:)
aldr (noun m.; °aldrs, dat. aldri; aldrar): life, age

Éljúðnir ‘Éljúðnir’

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

notes

[4] Éljúðnir ‘Éljúðnir <hall of Hel>’: Lit. ‘rain-damp’ (the first element of the cpd is él- ‘storm, rain’; cf. AEW: Éljúðnir). Hel’s residence, a name recorded elsewhere only in Gylf (SnE 2005, 27).

vann ‘had’

(not checked:)
2. vinna (verb): perform, work

sólginn ‘swallowed up’

(not checked:)
1. svelgja (verb): swallow

Baldr ‘Baldr’

(not checked:)
Baldr (noun m.): [Baldr, Baldur]

Ǫll ‘all’

(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all

grétu ‘wept’

(not checked:)
2. gráta (verb): weep

þau ‘They’

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

eptir ‘for’

(not checked:)
eptir (prep.): after, behind

hann ‘him’

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

aukit ‘grew’

(not checked:)
1. auka (verb; °eykr; jók, jóku/juku): (str. intrans.) increase

notes

[6] bann hlátrar var þeim aukit ‘their ban of laughter [SORROW] grew’: Lit. ‘the ban of laughter [SORROW] grew for them’. The kenning occurs again only in GSúrs Lv 5/4^V (Gísl 7). The word bann has juridical connotations and is found chiefly in legal and theological texts (ONP: bann). It appears in datable verse only from C11th on: e.g. hungrbann ‘ban on hunger’ i.e. ‘feasting’ (ÞjóðA Magnfl 7/4^II); fjǫrbann ‘ban on life’ i.e. ‘death’ (Sigv Víkv 12/4^I); friðbann ‘ban on peace’ i.e. ‘strife’ (Sigv ErfÓl 10/2^I; Ólhv Hryn 6/2^II).

var ‘’

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

notes

þeim ‘’

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

notes

hlátrar ‘of laughter’

(not checked:)
hlátr (noun m.; °hlátrs/hlátrar, dat. hlátri): laughter

kennings

bann hlátrar
‘their ban of laughter ’
= SORROW
their ban of laughter → SORROW

notes

bann ‘their ban’

(not checked:)
bann (noun n.; °-s; *-): ban

kennings

bann hlátrar
‘their ban of laughter ’
= SORROW
their ban of laughter → SORROW

notes

heyrinkunn ‘very well known’

(not checked:)
heyrinkunnr (adj.): well known

notes

[7] heyrinkunn ‘very well known’: The cpd is attested in poetry only in Mhkv; see also st. 29/2.

er ‘is’

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

frá ‘about’

(not checked:)
frá (prep.): from

hánum ‘him’

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

saga ‘the tale’

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1. saga (noun f.; °*-u; *-ur): story, saga

hvat ‘why’

(not checked:)
hvat (pron.): what

þarf ‘do I need’

(not checked:)
2. þurfa (verb): need, be necessary

ek ‘’

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

of ‘on’

(not checked:)
3. of (prep.): around, from; too

slíkt ‘it’

(not checked:)
2. slíkr (adj.): such

at ‘to’

(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)

jaga ‘harp’

(not checked:)
jaga (verb): [harp]

notes

[8] jaga ‘harp on’: The verb occurs in the sense ‘chatter on, jabber, prattle’ in Orkney, Shetland and northern England (AEW: jaga).

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verse
prose

Snorri Sturluson’s version of Baldr’s end in Gylf (SnE 2005, 45-9) includes Hermóðr’s journey to Hel’s hall to rescue Óðinn’s son, a mission that failed when all creation did not lament the slain god. The Mhkv version of the myth portrays the tragic death of Baldr as an ordinary domestic tragedy rather than the beginning of the last days of the world. — [1-2]: Guðbrandur Vigfússon (CPB II, 365) emended this couplet to Friggjar þótti svipr at sveini | sá var tældr af Mistilteini ‘Frigg’s boy was snatched away, he was done to death by Mistiltoe’. — [5]: This suggestion of universal lamentation differs from Snorri’s account, in which one female figure (Loki in disguise) refuses to join in; but see Anon (Hrafn) 2/4^IV dated 1196.

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Anon Mhkv 9III

Friggjar ‘of Frigg’

kennings

notes

þótti ‘It seemed’

svipr ‘a sudden loss’

at ‘concerning’

syni ‘the son’

kennings

sá ‘he’

var ‘was’

taldr ‘reckoned’

ór ‘from’

miklu ‘a great’

kyni ‘family’

Hermóðr ‘Hermóðr’

notes

vildi ‘wanted’

auka ‘to extend’

aldr ‘his life’

Éljúðnir ‘Éljúðnir’

notes

vann ‘had’

sólginn ‘swallowed up’

Baldr ‘Baldr’

Ǫll ‘all’

grétu ‘wept’

þau ‘They’

eptir ‘for’

hann ‘him’

aukit ‘grew’

notes

var ‘’

notes

þeim ‘’

notes

hlátrar ‘of laughter’

kennings

notes

bann ‘their ban’

kennings

notes

heyrinkunn ‘very well known’

notes

er ‘is’

frá ‘about’

hánum ‘him’

saga ‘the tale’

hvat ‘why’

þarf ‘do I need’

ek ‘’

of ‘on’

slíkt ‘it’

at ‘to’

jaga ‘harp’

notes

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Anon Mhkv 9^III