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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Mgr 9VII/3 — dróttins ‘of the lord’

Blíð og fögr sem björt og tígin
brúðrin sæt og drotning mætust
dróttins kom með dýrð að hitta
dægra sætis munka gæti.
Sýndiz móðir sunnu grundar
siklings þá með ljósi miklu
ítarlig með ilm og sætu
Ögustíno í skrúða fögrum.

Sæt brúðrin dróttins sætis dægra og mætust drotning, blíð og fögr, sem björt og tígin, kom með dýrð að hitta gæti munka. Móðir siklings sunnu grundar sýndiz þá Ögustíno með miklu ljósi, ítarlig, með ilm og sætu í fögrum skrúða.

The sweet bride of the lord of the seat of days and nights [SKY/HEAVEN > = God > = Mary] and the most glorious queen, gentle and fair, as well as bright and noble, came with splendour to seek the guardian of monks [BISHOP = Augustine]. The mother of the ruler of the sun’s land [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ) > = Mary] then revealed herself to Augustine with a great light, magnificent, with fragrance and sweetness in fair apparel.

readings

[3] dróttins: ‘drotten’ 713

notes

[3] dróttins (m. gen. sg.) ‘of the lord’: Dróttinn (m. nom. sg.) ‘lord’ (‘drotten’ 713) can only be construed as a form of address, which makes no sense in the present context. The kenning brúðrinn dróttins sætis dægra ‘the bride of the lord of the seat of days and nights’ (i.e. Mary) (ll. 2, 3, 4) is mirrored in the next helmingr: móðir siklings sunnu grundar ‘the mother of the ruler of the sun’s land’ [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ) > = Mary] (ll. 5-6). The emendation follows Skj B and Skald. Wrightson suggests dróttin (m. acc. sg.) ‘the lord’ as a parallel to munka gæti ‘the guardian of monks’ (i.e. Augustine) in l. 4. According to that interpretation, sætis dægra ‘of the seat of days and nights’ (i.e. ‘of heaven’, l. 4) functions as a determinant in a kenning for Mary with drotning ‘queen’ (l. 2) as the base-word. However, it is implausible that dróttinn ‘lord’ should be used to designate Augustine.

kennings

grammar

case: gen.

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