Gestumbl Heiðr 33VIII (Heiðr 80)/8 — stóð ‘stood’
Sá ek á sumri sólbjörgum í
verðung vaka, vilgi teita.
Drukku jarlar öl þegjandi,
en æpanda ölker stóð.
Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Ek sá verðung vaka, vilgi teita, á sumri í sólbjörgum. Jarlar drukku öl þegjandi, en ölker stóð æpanda. Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
I saw a retinue be wakeful, not at all happy, in summer at sunset. The jarls drank ale in silence, but the ale-keg stood squealing. King Heiðrekr, think about the riddle.
readings
[8] stóð: stóðu 281ˣ, 597bˣ, R715ˣ
notes
[8] stóð ‘stood’: This is the reading of 2845, while the other mss have the 3rd pers. pl. pret. indic. stóðu. The subject of the verb, ölker ‘the ale-keg’, being n., could be either sg. or pl. Ms. 2845’s 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. variant has been preferred here, even though it renders the line hypometrical, while stóðu would make it a metrical fornyrðislag line, like the rest of the stanza. However, a pl. subject and verb here make awkward sense, and go against the understanding of both prose explanations of the riddle’s meaning. Skj B and Skald emend to of stóð to give a metrical line.