StarkSt Vík 31VIII (Gautr 39)/3 — heldr ‘rather’
Hér settu mik sveina milli,
heldr hæðinna ok hvítbránna.
Skelkja skatnar ok skaup draga,
ófs óframir, at jöfurs greppi.
Hér settu mik milli sveina, heldr hæðinna ok hvítbránna. Skatnar skelkja ok draga skaup, ófs óframir, at greppi jöfurs.
Here they set me between serving men, rather mocking and white-eyelashed. The fellows mock and, exceedingly cautious, hold the prince’s poet up to ridicule.
notes
[3-4] heldr hæðinna ok hvítbránna ‘rather mocking and white-eyelashed’: The two adjectives hæðinn ‘mocking’ and hvítbránn ‘having white eyelashes’ are in the m. nom. sg. in the only ms. of this stanza, but the noun sveina ‘serving men’ (l. 2), which they probably qualify, is m. acc. pl. For this reason, following Edd. Min. (reportedly following a suggestion of Axel Olrik), Skj B and Skald, this edn emends each adj. to m. acc. pl. It is not clear why the serving men should be described as having white eyelashes. However, Án 5 may throw some light on the matter, because the rare conjunction of heldr and hæðinn ‘rather mocking’ occurs there also in l. 7 (cf. LP: hæðinn), as does the adj. hvíthaddaðr ‘fair-haired’ (l. 3). The stanza describes how a group of girls mocks Án Bow-bender because of his outlandish clothing. It is possible that pale hair or eyelashes was somehow associated with mockery, though exactly how or why is unclear.