Anon Sól 62VII/6 — ó ‘the mis’
Menn sá ek þá marga ófegna;
þeir váru villir vega;
þat kaupir sá, er þessa heims
apaz at óheillum.
Ek sá marga ófegna menn þá; þeir váru villir vega; sá kaupir þat, er apaz at óheillum þessa heims.
I saw many unhappy men then; they had gone astray [lit. were erring with regard to ways]; he purchases that [unhappiness], who fools himself into the misfortunes of this world.
notes
[6] óheillum ‘misfortunes’: Being unfortunate is not one of the usual sins, unlike öfund ‘envy’ (st. 61), covetousness (st. 63), theft (st. 64), failure to attend divine service (st. 65), pride (st. 66) and slander (st. 67) which can be paralleled in other visions of Hell, and in sermon exempla. The word produces an unmetrical l., so it is possible that originally a different noun stood in its place. NN §2147D and Skald change the w.o. of the l. to at óheillum apask. Njörður Njarðvík (1991, 92) suggests that worldliness has led these men from the path of righteousness.