Heil contributors to this group!
About three years ago I have undertaken to do some of the "Old Norse
for Beginners" course. I found it very entertaining as well as
instructive. I also own some of the instruction books by Gordon and
Barnes and a paper version of Zoëga's dictionary. Currently I'm
following a course on Old Germanic culture and literature ('Old
Germanic' meaning in this case pertaining to any of the Germanic
languages that are named 'Old ...', rather than Proto-Germanic as they
haven't really written anything.) at the university of Groningen. For
this course we have to write a paper, and it occurred to me that a
very interesting subject would be the figure Hallmund from Grettir's
saga. Then I stumbled about some poem called Bergbúa-þáttr, which
seems to have a lot to do with some mountain-dweller called Hallmund.
Of course it is tempting to identify the two straight away. I would
like to find out whether it can be justified to do so and, if so, what
this poem can tell us about the nature and person of Hallmund. To my
knowledge, though, this poem, which has been made publicly available
by Vigfusson in Nordiske Oldskrifter 27 in 1860, has never been
translated (except perhaps to Danish). I thought I would have a go at
it myself, and I'm going to do so next week when residing in Brittany,
but I think I could use some help. It would be wonderful if someone
with more skill and knowledge in this field could help me out by
giving his or her version of the poem and the prose preceding and
following it. If I run into particular problems myself, I hope I can
discuss these with you when I return from France by the end of next
week. The text is given below as I found it on Heimskringla.no. Below
that I will give some of the information I could find on the internet
regarding it. I hope I am not asking the impossible; if so I will
probably find out next week. Help of any kind will be greatly appreciated!
Kind regards,
Michiel Hemminga
Amstelveen, The Netherlands
===
Íslendinga sögur
Bergbúa þáttr.
Fjörðr sá gengr af Kollafirði, er heitir Djúpafjörðr. Þórðr hét maðr,
er bjó í þeim firði fyrir vestan Hallsteinsnes, er kennt er við þann
Hallstein, er þrælana átti, þá er kallaðir váru Hallsteinsþrælar.
Þórðr var þá á góðum aldri ok hafði vel fé. Þat bar til einn vetr, er
hann vildi fara til tíða fyrir einhvern hátíðardag. Hann kvaddi til
ferðar með sér húskarl sinn. Til tíða var langt at fara, svá at þat
var mikill hluti dagleiðar, ok fóru þeir snemma. Þeir fóru, þar til er
á leið daginn. Þá gerði á drífu mikla.
Þórðr sagði, at þeir fóru rangt, ok kvaðst eigi vilja ganga í
myrkri, en kvað þá skammt af veginum enn farit hafa. "Þykkir mér
hættligt í náttmyrkri, at vér gangim fyrir hamra ofan."
Þeir leituðu sér þá skjóls ok gengu undir hamar einn brattan, þann
er engi var snjór undir. Þeir hittu þar loksins hellimunna, þann er
Þórðr vissi eigi ván til. Þar reist Þórðr krossmark með broddum
stæltum, er hann hafði í hendi, í hellisdyrunum. Síðan gengu þeir þar
inn ok settust niðr á steina tvá hjá hellisdyrum, því at þeir vildu
eigi innar lengra.
En á fyrsta þriðjungi nætr þá höfðu þeir heyrt, at nökkut fór innar
eftir hellinum ok útar at þeim. Húskarl Þórðar hræddist ok hljóp út,
en Þórðr bað hann sitja kyrran, - "ok skaltú biðjast fyrir, því at þat
er hætt við villu, ok kann þat verða, ef menn hlaupa út um nætr, at þá
sýnist annan veg en er."
Þá signdu þeir sik ok báðu guð miskunnar sér, því at þeim þótti
læti mikilfenglig innar í hellinum, ok varð þeim litit inn í myrkrit.
Þeir sá þá þat, er þeim þótti því líkast sem tungl tvau full eða
törgur stórar ok var á millum arn..sn ein mikil. Ekki annat heldr
ætluðu þeir en þat væru augu tvau ok mundi sá ekki mjóleitr, er þau
skriðljós bar. Því næst heyrðu þeir kveðandi harðla ógurliga með
mikilli raust. Var þar hafit upp kvæði ok kveðinn tólf vísna flokkr,
ok kvað sá ávallt tysvar niðrlagit:
Hrynr af heiða fenri.
Höll taka björg at falla.
Fátt mun at fornu setri
fríðs aldjötuns hríðar.
Gnýr, þás gengr enn hári
gramr of dökkva hamra.
Hátt stígr höllum fæti
Hallmundr í gný fjalla,
Hallmundr í gný fjalla.
Hrýtr, áðr hauga brjóti
harðvirkr megingarða,
gnýr er of seima særi
sáman, eldr enn kámi.
Eimyrju lætk áma
upp skjótliga hrjóta.
Verðr of Hrungnis hurðir
hljóðsamt við fok glóða,
hljóðsamt við fok glóða.
Laugask lyftidraugar
liðbáls at þat síðan,
vötn koma heldr of hölda
heit, í foldar sveita.
Þat spretta upp und epla
aur þjóð vitu jóða.
Hyrr munat höldum særi
heitr, þars fyrða teitir,
heitr, þars fyrða teitir.
Springa björg ok bungur
berg, vinnask þá, stinnar,
stór, ok hörga hrærir
hjaldrborg, firar margir.
Þytr er um Þundar glitni.
Þrammak á fyr skömmu,
en magna þys þegnar
þeir hvívetna fleiri,
þeir hvívetna fleiri.
Þýtr í þungu grjóti
þyrr eskinnar svíra.
Undr láta þar ýtar
enn, er jöklar brenna.
Þó mun stórum mun meira
morðlundr á Snjógrundu
undr, þats æ mun standa,
annat fyrr of kannask
annat fyrr of kannask.
Spretta kámir klettar.
Knýr víðis böl hríðir.
Aurr tekr upp at færask
undarligr ór grundu.
Hörgs munu höldar margir,
himinn rifnar þá, lifna.
Rignir mest. At regni
rökkr, áðr heimrinn slökkvisk,
rökkr, áðr heimrinn slökkvisk.
Stíg ek fjall af fjalli.
Ferk oft litum þofta.
Dást ferk norðr et nyrðra
niðr í heim enn þriðja.
Skegg beri oft, sás uggir,
ámr, við minni kvámu,
brýtk við bjarga gæti
bág, í Élivága,
bág, í Élivága.
Várum húms í heimi,
hugðak því, svá er dugði,
vér nutum verka þeira,
vallbingr, saman allir.
Undr er, hví örvar mundi
eitr hríðin mér heita,
þó ef ek þangat kæma,
þrekrammr við hlynglamma,
þrekrammr við hlynglamma.
Dauðan mér frá morði,
mun ván ara kvánar,
handan hrímnis kindar
hárskeggjaðan báru.
En steinnökkva styrkvan
stafns plóglimum gröfnum,
járni fáðan Aurni,
auðkenndan, réðk senda,
auðkenndan, réðk senda.
Sterkr, kveða illt at einu
oss við þann at senna,
Þórr veldr flotna fári.
Felldr er, sás jöklum eldir.
Þverrðr er áttbogi urðar.
Ek fer gneppr af nekkvi
niðr til Surts ens svarta
sveit í eld enn heita,
sveit í eld enn heita.
Veðk sem mjöll í milli,
margt er einmyrkligt, heima.
Springr jörð, því at þangat
Þór einn kveðk svá fóru.
Breitt er und brún at líta
bjargálfa, mér sjálfum.
Heldr skek ek hvarma skjöldu.
Harmstríð, er ek fer víða,
harmstríð, er ek fer víða.
Einn ák hús í hrauni.
Heim sóttu mik beimar,
fimr vark fyrðum gamna
fyrr aldrigi, sjaldan.
Flokk nemið it eða ykkat,
élherðar, mun verða,
enn er at Aurnis brunni
ónyt, mikit víti,
ónyt, mikit víti.
Þessi tíðendi bar fyrir þá þrem sinnum, ok þetta var kveðit á hverjum
þriðjungi nætr, ok sá þeir ávallt tunglin, meðan kveðit var, en ella
eigi. En þá er kvæðinu var lokit it þriðja sinn, þá leið frá þeim
innar í hellinn allt saman, enda sá þeir þá lýsa af degi, ok hvötuðu
þeir þá út ór hellinum. En áðr þeir gengi á brott, brá Þórðr fæti
sínum á krossmarkit, er hann hafði í hellisdyrum gert. Síðan fóru þeir
ok kómu til kirkju, ok var þá lokit tíðum. Síðan fóru þeir heim ok
kómu þar til, er þeir þóttust verit hafa um nóttina, ok fundu engan þá
hellinn, ok þótti þat undr mikil. Síðan gengu þeir heim. Þórðr mundi
flokk þenna allan, en húskarl mundi ekki orð í.
En ári síðar eftir þetta þá færði Þórðr byggð sína nær kirkju, en
at jafnlengd þessa atburðar önnur misseri þá andaðist húskarl,
förunautr Þórðar. En hann lifði lengi síðan, ok urðu honum engir
hlutir kynligar en áðr, en þó eru slíkt fáheyrðir hlutir.
Source:
http://www.heimskringla.no/original/islendingesagaene/bergbuathattr.php
===
www.hib.is/fornritabaekl_enska.pdf states:
"Bergbúa þáttr and Kumlbúa þáttr are found together in manuscripts and
in both stories we find supernatural beings reciting poetry for
humans. In the first tale Hallmundr the mound-dweller recites a set of
verses which offer a remarkable description of a volcanic eruption. In
the second story a man called Þorsteinn takes a sword from a grave.
Its owner then appears to him in a dream and in a verse warns him to
return the weapon, but Þorsteinn replies with a defiant verse of his own."
http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/falk.htm states:
"Gestures towards the inclusion of volcanic activity in the
generalized supernatural arsenal may be found in verse. Sigurður
Nordal long ago posited Völuspá as a distinctively Icelandic
apocalypse, alluding to the poet's familiarity with hot springs (st.
35), flames shooting sky-high from the ground (st. 57), and ash-clouds
veiling the face of the sun (st. 41).6 A more clear-cut description
of volcanic unrest appears in `Hallmundarkviða', a twelve-stanza
flokkr tentatively dated to the thirteenth-century (ÍF 13, ccv, ccxi).
Here, we hear how jöklar brenna [ ] spretta kámir klettar; knýr víðis
böl hríðir; aurr tekr upp at frask undarligr ór grundu `Glaciers
blaze [ ] coal-black crags burst; the curse of wood (i.e. fire)
unleashes storms; a marvellous mud begins to flow from the ground,'
and so on.7 It is noteworthy that the song is put into the mouth of a
cave-dwelling giant: two men took shelter from foul weather and heyrðu
þeir kveðandi harðla ógurliga með mikilli raust `they heard singing,
very awful and hugely loud'. What was being sung was evidently
autobiographical: Stíg ek fjall af fjalli [ ] Einn ák hús í hrauni `I
step from mountain to mountain [ ] I have a solitary home in the
lava-field' (Bergbúa þáttr, including `Hallmundarkviða', ÍF 13, 442,
446, 449). If Völuspá arguably appropriates vulcanicity to its vision
of how the world comes apart at the seams, `Hallmundarkviða' describes
geological upheaval as a by-product of seemingly everyday giantish
conduct. Unlike the usual saga procedure, neither poem insists that
the disruption of the landscape is an exercise of supernaturally
endowed will. Whereas Stígandi had to train his malevolent gaze
deliberately on a patch of fair earth in order to wither it, the giant
Hallmundr seems to roil the mountains simply by hiking through them.
As a fourth general principle, we might thus propose that medieval
Icelanders classified the causes of seismic and volcanic activity, be
it voluntary or incidental, as lying just beyond the margins of
workaday sensory reality, alongside dwarfs, draugar and dragons."
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12747/12747-h/12747-h.htm#NOTES_AND_CORRECTIONS
states:
"P. 169. Hallmund. Our saga is one among the historic sagas of Iceland
which deals with traditions of ancient belief in the spirits of the
unknown regions of the land that are interested in the well-being of
the mere men who dwell near them. Hallmund and the giant Thorir are
the representatives of these powers in our saga. Of these Hallmund is
the more interesting of the two, both for his human sympathies, his
tragic end, and the poetry ascribed to him. At one time or other he
has had a great name in the Icelandic folk-lore among the spirits of
the land, the so-called land wights (land-voetir), and there is still
existing a poem of ancient type, the refrain of which is closely
similar to that of Grettir's song on Hallmund, but which is stated to
be by some cave-wight that lived in a deep and gloomy cavern somewhere
in Deepfirth, on the north side of Broadfirth. In the so-called
Bergbúaþáttr or cave-dweller's tale (Edited by G. Vigfússon in
Nordiske Old-skrifter, xxvii., pp. 123-128, and 140-143, Copenhagen,
1860), this song is said to have been heard by two men, who, on their
way to church, had lost their road, and were overtaken by the darkness
of night, and, in order to escape straying too far out of their way,
sought shelter under the lee of a sheer rock which chanced to be on
their way. They soon found a mouth of a cave where they knew not that
any cave was to be looked for, whereupon one of the wayfarers set up a
cross-mark in the door of the cave, and then with his fellow-traveller
sat down on two stones at the mouth of the cave, as they did not dare
to risk themselves too far in the gloomy abode away from the cross.
When the first third part of the night was spent they heard something
come along from within the cave doorwards out to them.[20] They signed
themselves with the sign of the cross, and prayed God's mercy to be on
them, for they thought the doings within the deep of the cavern now
grew big enough. On looking into the darkness they saw a sight like
unto two full-moons, or huge targets, with some monstrous figure
(unreadable in the MS.) between them. They thought this was nothing
but two eyes, and that nowise narrow of face might he be who bore such
torches. Next they heard a chanting of a monstrous kind and in a big
voice. A lay there was sung of twelve staves, with the final refrain
of each twice repeated."