Gestumbl Heiðr 29VIII (Heiðr 76)/2 — ganga ‘go’
Fjórir hanga, fjórir ganga,
tveir veg vísa, tveir hundum varða,
einn eptir drallar ok jafnan heldr saurugr.
Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Fjórir hanga, fjórir ganga, tveir vísa veg, tveir varða hundum, einn drallar eptir ok jafnan heldr saurugr. Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Four hang, four go, two point the way, two ward off dogs, one trails after and [is] always rather dirty. King Heiðrekr, think about the riddle.
readings
[2] ganga: hanga 281ˣ, hanga added in the margin in another hand 597bˣ
notes
[All]: Versions of this riddle are found across European tradition; Tomasek (1999, 261-2) claims that the Old Norse is the earliest recorded instance in the vernacular. A cosmological variation, in which heaven and earth, day and night, and sun and moon are the referents, can be found in classical tradition. For parallels and further references see Taylor (1951, 610-21).
grammar
Verbs: Strong Verbs
The stem of the subjunctive pl. is i-mutation of the indicative pl..
lúka ‘shut, end’
| Indicative | Subjunctive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | Past | Present | Past | ||
| Active voice | |||||
| sing. | 1 2 3 | lýk lýkr lýkr | lauk laukt lauk | lúka lúkir lúki | lyka lykir lyki |
| pl. | 1 2 3 | lúkum lúkið lúka | lukum lukuð luku | lúkim lúkið lúki | lykim lykið lyki |
| infinitive pres. part. past part. | lúka lúkandi lúkinn, lúkin, lúkit | ||||
| Middle voice | |||||
| sing. | 1 2 3 | lýkumk lýksk lýksk | laukumk laukzk lauksk | lúkumk lúkisk lúkisk | lykumk lykisk lykisk |
| pl. | 1 2 3 | lúkumk lúkizk lúkask | lukumk lukuzk lukusk | lúkimk lúkizk lúkisk | lykimk lykizk lykisk |
| infinitive pres. part. past part. | lúkask lúkandisk lúkizk | ||||