Hi Freydis,
 
many thanks for this bit of background information.  I find that kind of context makes translating so much more interesting.
 
Kveðja,
Sarah.
----- Original Message -----
From: lgp477@...
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 4:51 PM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Hrafnkel 152 - 176/ Sarah


Daniel wrote:

>This may be apocryphal, but I've been told that when heroes die in the
>sagas, they are most often wearing blue. Coincidence, or is there some
>deeper significance?

Heil all,

You folks are way past me in language studies, but Palsson in his introduction to the Penguin edition mentions the association of the color blue with assassins.  Apparently, the word bla-r (sorry, no good font here for email) could denote anything from sky-blue to raven-black, and is frequently associated with Hel, goddess of the underworld.  A person going out to kill often dons a blue or black cloak or tunic, though there are also incidences of blue garments in sagas being associated with wisdom or power.  Occasionally, the person about to be killed (as Daniel points out) is also wearing blue.

Freydis





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