Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 73 (Gestumblindi, Heiðreks gátur 26)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 440.
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hvat (pron.): what
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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1. dýr (noun n.; °-s (spec.: dyʀiɴs KonrA 66⁴, etc., cf. Seip 1955 188-189); -): animal
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
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drepa (verb; °drepr; drap, drápu; drepinn): kill, strike
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fé (noun n.; °fjár/féar; -): cattle, money
[2] fé ‘flocks’: The animal imagery suggests that ‘flocks’ is the surface meaning, but plays also on the meaning ‘money, property’, suggesting that the game could be played for monetary stakes. This meaning is brought to the fore by the solution in the U redaction, which includes (Heiðr 1924, 135): hun … rænir margann fie, þann er fie legur vid tafl ‘the húnn … plunders money from many a one who lays down money on tafl’. A clause in Grágás (K §233) forbids the playing of board games for money or other property.
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
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2. kringr (adj.; °compar. -ri): [encircled]
[3] kringt: so 281ˣ, 597bˣ, kringr 2845, ‘krinkt’ R715ˣ
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útan (prep.): outside, without
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horn (noun n.; °-s; -): horn
[4] hefir átta horn ‘it has eight horns’: If the solution is to be interpreted as ‘die’ (see Note to [All] above), this line puns on two meanings of horn, ‘horns’ and ‘corners’, referring to the eight corners on a six-faced die. It is less clear what this line would refer to if the solution is ‘playing piece’, although Murray (1978, 61) suggested the solution to be the hnefi or ‘king’-piece, with the eight ‘horns’ being the eight defending pieces on a 7x7 board.
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hafa (verb): have
[4] hefir átta horn ‘it has eight horns’: If the solution is to be interpreted as ‘die’ (see Note to [All] above), this line puns on two meanings of horn, ‘horns’ and ‘corners’, referring to the eight corners on a six-faced die. It is less clear what this line would refer to if the solution is ‘playing piece’, although Murray (1978, 61) suggested the solution to be the hnefi or ‘king’-piece, with the eight ‘horns’ being the eight defending pieces on a 7x7 board.
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átta (num. cardinal): eight
[4] hefir átta horn ‘it has eight horns’: If the solution is to be interpreted as ‘die’ (see Note to [All] above), this line puns on two meanings of horn, ‘horns’ and ‘corners’, referring to the eight corners on a six-faced die. It is less clear what this line would refer to if the solution is ‘playing piece’, although Murray (1978, 61) suggested the solution to be the hnefi or ‘king’-piece, with the eight ‘horns’ being the eight defending pieces on a 7x7 board.
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2. en (conj.): but, and
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hǫfuð (noun n.; °-s; -): head
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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2. fylgja (verb): follow, accompany
[6] fylgja: rennr 281ˣ, 597bˣ, ‘filgur’ R715ˣ
[6] því: sem 281ˣ, om. 597bˣ, R715ˣ
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Heiðrekr (noun m.): Heiðrekr
[7-8] abbrev. as ‘h k̄’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘heidr. kr’ 281ˣ, abbrev. as ‘hc Kongr h·’ 597bˣ
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
[7-8] abbrev. as ‘h k̄’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘heidr. kr’ 281ˣ, abbrev. as ‘hc Kongr h·’ 597bˣ
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
[7-8] abbrev. as ‘h k̄’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘heidr. kr’ 281ˣ, abbrev. as ‘hc Kongr h·’ 597bˣ
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3. at (prep.): at, to
[7-8] abbrev. as ‘h k̄’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘heidr. kr’ 281ˣ, abbrev. as ‘hc Kongr h·’ 597bˣ
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gáta (noun f.)
[7-8] abbrev. as ‘h k̄’ 2845, abbrev. as ‘heidr. kr’ 281ˣ, abbrev. as ‘hc Kongr h·’ 597bˣ
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Heiðrekr’s response is (Heiðr 1960, 39): Þat er húnn í hnettafli ‘That is the húnn [lit. ‘bear-cub’] in hnefatafl’. The H redaction adds (Heiðr 1924, 75): hann heitir sem bjǫrn; hann rennr þegar er honum er kastat ‘he is called the same as a bear; he runs as soon as he is cast’. On hnefatafl see Heiðr 66, Note to [All]. There is some disagreement as to whether the húnn was a playing piece or a die. Fritzner: húnn cites this example, translating terning ‘die’, but hnefatafl is not thought to have been played with dice. However, the verb kasta ‘cast’ in the solution to the H redaction seems unlikely to be used of playing pieces (and cf. verpa ‘throw’, used with húnn in Þhorn Harkv 16/4I; see also Note). If the húnn is indeed a die, the riddle may refer to the game kvátrutafl or Icelandic tables, a game similar to backgammon, rather than to hnefatafl (Helmfrid 2005, 11). On the other hand, the U redaction reads þad er tafla ‘that is a playing piece’. — Cf. Heiðr 66 and 79, which also refer to aspects of the game tafl. — [6]: The H redaction has a variant half-line here: ok rennr sem hann má ‘and runs as he can’. Heiðr 1873 (254) emends to ok rennr, er renna má ‘and runs, when he can run’. This is adopted in Edd. Min. Although the line is corrupt in R715ˣ, its similarity to 2845’s reading supports 2845’s over that of the H-redaction mss.
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