GunnLeif Merl I 49VIII/8 — at ‘against’
‘Ríkir enn at þat ormar tvennir;
missir annarr þar aldrs fyr skeyti,
en annarr mun aptr of hverfa
und skugga nafns at skǫpum vinna.
‘Ríkir enn at þat ormar tvennir; annarr missir þar aldrs fyr skeyti, en annarr mun of hverfa aptr und skugga nafns at vinna skǫpum.
‘After that two more snakes will rule; one will lose his life there to an arrow, but the other will return under the cover of a name to contend against the fates.
notes
[8] at vinna skǫpum ‘to contend against the fates’: To resist the fates was an adynaton in Old Norse (cf. Gríp 53/2, Am 48/3). This element in the characterisation of Robert Curthose appears to be derived not from DGB but from the following account in William of Malmesbury (Mynors et al. 1998-9, I, 706-7): … sed nullo impetrato ad bellum publicum uenit, ultimam fortunam experturus. Qua illum infelici pede prosequente … ‘ … he was reduced to overt war, to try a last throw with Fortune. But she pursued him with hostile intent ...’. Such a passage might have appealed to Gunnlaugr, who had already invoked skǫp ‘fate’ in I 42/6. Related in substance but not so close in wording is Henry of Huntingdon, who speaks of divine determination to thwart Robert’s wishes and efforts (HA 1996, 452-5, s. a. 1106).