Anon Líkn 8VII/5 — stærðr ‘very great’
Beiðandi kveð ek bæði
bræðr ok systr at kvæði;
öll veiti þér ítran
yðarn tænað mér bæna,
vizku stærðr at virðiz
veðrskríns jöfurr mínum
— nýtr er, náð sem heitir —
nálægr vera málum.
Beiðandi kveð ek bæði bræðr ok systr at kvæði; veiti þér öll mér yðarn ítran tænað bæna, at jöfurr veðrskríns, vizku stærðr, virðiz vera nálægr mínum málum; nýtr er, sem heitir náð.
Entreating, I summon both brothers and sisters to my poem; may you all grant me your excellent help of prayers, that the prince of the storm-shrine [HEAVEN > = God], very great in wisdom, might deign to be close to my utterances; potent is [he] who promises grace.
readings
[5] stærðr: ‘s[...]dr’ B, ‘stịṛḍr’ 399a‑bˣ
notes
[5] stærðr ‘increased, very great’: B ‘s[...]dr’; 399a-bˣ stirðr ‘stiff’, but in a n. possibly stirðum even though the final ‘r’ is clear. The ‘t’ was visible at the time of the 399a-bˣ transcription; a remnant of a hook, suggesting ‘e᷎’ or ‘o᷎’, can still be seen; and skothending with virð- requires <r> before <ð>. In a marginal note to 444ˣ, Sveinbjörn Egilsson first suggested skýrðr ‘made clear’ (so Skj B), but crossed it out and replaced it with stærðr, which he employs in his edn (1844, 37); so also Rydberg 1907, 48 and Skald (cf. NN §1389). In poetry stærðr often functions as an intensive of stórr ‘great’, i.e. ‘very great’ (cf. afli stærðr ‘very strong’ Ólhv Hryn 12/1II and þrekstærðr ‘very powerful’ Bjbp Jóms 34/5I, Sturl Hrafn 12/5II), and this sense seems appropriate here.