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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Mv I 11VII/8 — morð ‘murder’

Hun fyrir heimsku sína
hrygðiz viðr og iðraz
þegar, en þorði eigi
þrætu máls að sæta.
Gjörði hun öllum orðum
angrþrútin við ganga;
það mann tíðum meinar;
morð er ór vígi orðið.

Hun hrygðiz viðr fyrir heimsku sína og iðraz þegar, en þorði eigi að sæta þrætu máls. Angrþrútin gjörði hun ganga við öllum orðum; það meinar mann tíðum; ór vígi er morð orðið.

She became sorrowful because of her foolishness and repents at once, but did not dare to seek litigation in the case. Bursting with grief she admitted to every word [lit. all words]; that frequently harms a person; manslaughter has turned into murder.

notes

[8] ór vígi er morð orðið ‘manslaughter has turned into murder’: Lit. ‘from manslaughter murder has come about’. This means that the killing had now been proven to be murder, i.e. a slaying that had been done in secret and concealed. In ON society murder was considered one of the most heinous crimes that a person could commit. For the legal distinction between víg ‘manslaughter’ and morð ‘murder’ see Grg Ia, 150-4; Dennis et. al. 1980-2000, I, 146-8. According to ON law, murder was punished with full outlawry, not by being burned alive.

grammar

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