Kleima Lv 1^VIII (GrL 4)

Þat var fyrri,         at faðir okkarr
burtu seiddi         báru hjarðir.
Skuluð aldrigi,         nema sköp ráði,
heilir heðan         heim um komaz.

Þat var fyrri, at faðir okkarr seiddi burtu {hjarðir báru}. Skuluð aldrigi um komaz heilir heim heðan, nema sköp ráði.

That happened earlier, that our father removed {herds of the wave} [FISH] by magic. You will never return home from here in one piece, unless fate determines it that way.

Mss: 343a(58r), 471(57v) (GrL)

Readings: [5] aldrigi: aldri 471

Editions: Skj AII, 288, Skj BII, 309, Skald II, 164; FSN 2, 146, FSGJ 2, 188, Anderson 1990, 61, 112, 445; Edd. Min. 86.

Context: According to the saga, Grímr has travelled north to the place named Gandvíkr (the White Sea, north-west Russia) during a famine to hunt for food and has seen that there was plenty of fish and game to catch there, though, shortly after he arrived, it suddenly disappeared (GrL ch. 1, FSGJ 2, 186). It was after this that he encountered Feima and Kleima. They explain that their father, Hrímnir, has caused the fish to disappear by means of sorcery. Later, when Grímr has killed the giantesses and their parents, he finds not only a whale stranded on the shore there but in every bay (GrL ch. 2, FSGJ 2, 190, 194). Furthermore the giant Hrímnir turns out to be the brother of the wicked stepmother from Finnmark who has put an evil spell on Grímr’s fiancée Lopthœna, who has disappeared mysteriously (GrL chs 1 and 2, FSGJ 2, 185, 193). This stanza is introduced by the remark Kleima kvað ‘Kleima said’.

Notes: [3-4]: Some mss have the readings braut undir sik | búsveina lið or braut under sik | búkalla lið ‘trampled down the troop of farmers’ or braut undir sik | búsveina ‘trampled down the farmers’ suggesting that the giant Hrímnir conquered or attacked human settlements (cf. HHj 17). Although these readings make sense grammatically the reading of the older mss is preferable, since it accords better with the plot. — [4] hjarðir báru ‘herds of the wave [FISH]’: Meissner 116 interprets this kenning as a reference to swarms of herring; he and LP: hjǫrð adduce a supposedly similar kenning (fjarðhjǫrð ‘fjord-livestock’) of Eyv Lv 14/2^I (see Note there); but cf. Hkr (ÍF 26, 223-4 and n. to st. 104).

References

1. Bibliography
2. FSN = Rafn, Carl Christian, ed. 1829-30. Fornaldar sögur nordrlanda. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
5. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
6. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
7. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
8. Edd. Min. = Heusler, Andreas and Wilhelm Ranisch, eds. 1903. Eddica Minora: Dichtungen eddischer Art aus den Fornaldarsögur und anderen Prosawerken. Dortmund: Ruhfus. Rpt. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
9. Anderson, Sarah M. 1990. ‘The Textual Transmission of Two Fornaldarsögur: Ketils saga høings and Gríms saga loðinkinna’. Ph.D. thesis. Cornell University…
10. Internal references
11. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=4> (accessed 26 April 2024)
12. 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Gríms saga loðinkinna’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 288. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=76> (accessed 26 April 2024)
13. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Lausavísur 14’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 234.
14. Not published: do not cite ()