Anon Mfl 1^III

Knáttu mǫrg á mergjar
mjǫðkarms furu hvarma
hirðsamnaðar himna
hrynregn sali dynja.

{Mǫrg hrynregn hvarma} {furu mjǫðkarms} knáttu dynja á {sali mergjar} {{himna hirð}samnaðar}.

{Many streaming rains of eyelids} [TEARS] {of the fir-tree of the mead-vessel} [WOMAN = Mary] gushed onto {the halls of marrow} [LIMBS] {of the convener {of the retinue of the heavens}} [(lit. ‘heavens’ retinue-convener’) ANGELS > = Christ].

Mss: W(169) (SnE)

Editions: Skj AI, 627, Skj BI, 634, Skald I, 308; SnE 1848-87, II, 500, III, 181.

Context: This helmingr and the next stanza are cited without intervening prose to illustrate that tears and weeping can be paraphrased as ‘hail, rain, drops, showers, waterfalls of the eyes, cheeks, forehead, eyelids’.

Notes: [All]: The helmingr, which describes Mary’s lament next to the body of Christ, recalls such later Marian poems as Anon Mgr^VII, although the diction of Mfl is very different from that of Mgr. The present poem is called flokkr, which means it must have been a long poem without a refrain (stef). — [1, 4] á sali mergjar ‘onto the halls of marrow [LIMBS]’: For this kenning, see Bjbp Jóms 31/6^I. Cf. also Sturl Hákkv 31/4^II (á himin mergs ‘on the heaven of marrow [ARM]’) and Sturl Frag 2/4 (á himin mergjar ‘on the heaven of marrow [ARM]’). It is not clear whether the kenning denotes ‘arms’ or ‘legs’ in the present context. — [2] furu mjǫðkarms ‘of the fir-tree of the mead-vessel [WOMAN = Mary]’: This is a traditional woman-kenning, which, according to Meissner (Meissner 423), is highly unusual as a kenning for Mary (although he does not mention the present kenning): Eine Anknüpfung an die alten, allgemeinen Frauenkenningar war hier ausgeschlossen ‘A tie to the old general women-kennings was excluded here [i.e. among kennings for Mary]’. See also Note to st. 2 [All]. — [3] himna hirðsamnaðar ‘of the convener of the retinue of the heavens [(lit. ‘heavens’ retinue-convener’) ANGELS > = Christ]’: A somewhat peculiar kenning for Christ (for kennings with an agent noun ending in -uðr as a base-word, see Meissner 376 as well Note to st. 2 [All] below).

References

1. Bibliography
2. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
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. Internal references
6. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Máríuflokkr’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 507. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1027> (accessed 25 April 2024)
7. Kari Ellen Gade 2007, ‘ Anonymous, Drápa af Máríugrát’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 758-95. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1028> (accessed 25 April 2024)
8. Emily Lethbridge (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni byskup Kolbeinsson, Jómsvíkingadrápa 31’ 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. 986.
9. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 31’ 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. 722.
10. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Fragments 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 393.