Re: Ragnarsdrápa

--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "William Calhoun"
<wcalhoun13@...> wrote:

>
> I am trying to read Ragnarsdrápa. I have found it to be rather

difficult but what I have been able to read is quite lovely. The
eleventh verse is the first place I encountered difficulty. Could
anyone clarify this part?

You must have better sources than I, given that you made it to the
eleventh stanza without having to ask any questions ;) Here are a
select few insights and thoughts about these verses, mostly from a
phonological and language-history perspective.

> Ragnarsdrápa
>
> 1.
> Vilið Hrafnketill heyra,
> hvé hreingróit steini
> Þrúðar skalk auk þengil
> þjófs ilja blað leyfa!

It could just be *hrafnkell, later corrected to the full edition of
the name. 'hreingróit steini' could refer to the precess whereby a
metal is extracted 'from stone' - that is, if the shield was made of
metal, or mostly metal, and not of wood. Keep in mind, however, that
I can barely read Danish and am not aware of any explanations by the
likes of Finnur Jónsson or others here. On a more positive note, the
word þjófr is from *þeubaz. The change from *þiúfr to þiófr is very
typically West Norse. Depending on the dating of Bragi, we could be
looking at *þiúfr here, in which case the verb leyfa (=lofa) could
have assonated with *þiúfr (i.e.*liúfa, compare adj. liúfr). Bragi
is usually dated to the 9th century, somewhere in Norway. Arinbjörn,
Egils Norwegian friend in Egils saga, claims to be related to Bragi.
Enough on this half-verse for now.

> 2.
> Nema svát góð ens gjalla
> gjöld baugnafaðs vildi
> meyjar hjóls enn mæri
> mögr Sigurðar Högna.

Bragi would have said *SigvarðaR in the genitive, not *Sigurðar. A
note about R: R disappears in West Norse by about 900. There is only
one example of R in a clearly West Norse area from after 900, and it
is highly controversial. However, Bragi is usually dated to pre-900,
opening up the possibility of R in his language. Notice that the u
causing u-mutation has disappeared in both mögr and Högna, from the
eariler *maguz and *Haguna, likewise in the plural gjöld.

> 3.
> Knátti eðr við illan - Bragi would have had *viðr
> Jörmunrekr at vakna - '-rekr' probably not e yet (from *rîkaz)
> með dreyrfáar dróttir - fáðar
> draum í sverða flaumi. -
> Rósta varð í ranni
> Randvés haufuðniðja, - masc. names in -vér? Examine -vir and viðr.
> þás er hrafnbláir hefndu - just 'þás, no 'er'; hefnðu
> harma Erps of barmar.
>
> 4.
> Flaut of set við sveita - again, viðr
> sóknar álfs, í golfi, - alfs
> hræva dögg, þars höggnar
> hendr sem fœtr of kendu. +sk, or where is the subject?
> Fell í blóði blandinn
> brunn ölskákki runna - no comment
> - þat 's á Leifa landa
> laufi fátt - at haufði.

Short on time, so a few quotes more only:

> 7.
> Þat segik fall á fögrum - sék
> flotna randar botni.
> Ræs göfumk reiðar mána - no comment
> Ragnarr auk fjölð sagna.

> bœti-Þrúðr at móti - examine *bóti at this stage

> hringa þeir of fingi. - notice fingi, see below
>
> 11.
> fordæða nam ráða. - examine *fordáðja at thi stage

> raðalfs af mari bróðum. - ráð?; bráðum by retained u at this stage.

> 13.

> glöð djúpröðuls, auðla, - djúpröðul accus.

> ennitungl, þars gingu - see fingi above
> fyr vinjeyjar viðri - vineyjar
> vallrauf, fjögur haufuð. - valrauf

> 14.
> Þat erum sýnt, at snimma - es + (u)mk (from *original dat. mez)
> sonr Aldaföðrs vildi - Bragi would have had sunr, not sonr
> afls við úri þœfðan - viðr
> jarðar reist of freista.

This section thus beginning was in all likelihood the first section
of the drápa, not the last. Compare the first words of each of the 3
major sections.

> 17.

> brautar þvengr enn ljóti - examine the braut-from-brjóta issue.

> 18.

> hekk Völsunga drekku. - Bragi would have said 'hink' and 'drinku'.

Although the runic spelling could not show it (fik = fink or fekk),
even in the 10th century *ink was still in use. See also above.

> 19.

> mœrar skar fyr Þóri. - examine gen. mórjar. About + j, compare

forms like the *faikian on the Rök stone, etc.. Bragi would be even
older, if the usual dating is correct.

> Thank you,
> William Calhoun

Interesting topic, William. Unfortunately, I am short on time and
have to run. This will have to do for now. Bragi interests me very
much, though, as he is the oldest identifiable nordic poet (Eddic
verse being older, but common/traditional. Bragi must have been
greatly admired by his many successors ;)

Regards,
Konrad

>
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