DOCSLIB.ORG

”Skírnismál”: Modell Eines Edda-Kommentars

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
”Skírnismál”: Modell Eines Edda-Kommentars 114 Rezensionen laus von See, Beatrice La mentary (50–101). The article on Skírnismál Farge, Eve Picard, and Maria- (“Einleitungskommentar”) contains the fol- Claudia Heß. “Skírnismál”: lowing ten rubrics, to be used throughout the Modell eines Edda-Kom- commentary: (1) “Bibliographie” [a special K bibliography for Skírnismál], (2) “Überliefe- mentars. Heidelberg: Carl Winter, rungszustand” [the manuscripts], (3) “For- 1993. 101 pages. schungsgeschichte” [the state of the art], (4) “Stoffgeschichte und literarisches Nach- A group of scholars headed by Professor von leben” [history and later reworkings of the See (Frankfurt University) has undertaken plot], (5) “Gedankliche Konzeption” [plot an ambitious project, namely, to bring out a concepts], (6) “Komposition” [composition], new detailed commentary of the Elder Edda. (7) “Strophen- und Versform” [the strophic Detter-Heinzel’s and Gering-Sijmons’s expli- makeup and meter], (8) “Wortschatz und cations are partly outdated, so the Frankfurt stilistische Eigentümlichkeiten” [vocabulary initiative deserves the support of everyone and stylistic peculiarities], (9) “Literaturge- interested in Old Norse literature. The idea schichtliche Standortbestimmung” [the liter- of updating Gering-Sijmons on selected ary-historical background], (10) “Datierung” lays has occurred to a number of people [dating]. Sections 2 and 10 are brief; the since 1927–31. The authors mention Ursula others are from one to three pages long. Al- Dronke’s The Poetic Edda, vol. 1, Heroic though the authors’ goal is not to produce a Poems (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969) variorum edition of the Edda, they summa- that was never followed by a volume 2, rize and evaluate all the reasonable ideas on David A. H. Evans’s Hávamál, Text Series 7 the text and its history. The book is charac- (Viking Society for Northern Research, terized by an excellent knowledge of the 1986), and Tim William Machan’s Vaf- subject, the subdued, courteous tone of the þrúðnismál, Durham Medieval Texts 6 polemic, and a skillful maneuvering between (Cambridge 1988). In the commentary, there the authors’ and other people’s opinions. is a brief reference to Maria Elena Rugge- Numerous references to post-1927–31 rini’s edition of Lokasenna (La invettive di sources are the best proof of how necessary Loki, Testi e studi di filologia 2 [Roma: Il a new comprehensive commentary of the Calamo, 1979]). One can add to this list Elder Edda is, and yet the ointment with Carla del Zotto’s Hymiskvidha e la pesca which I am only too happy to present the di Thórr nella tradizione nordica, Testi e authors is not without a small fly. A glance studi di filologia 1 (Roma: Il Calamo, 1979), at the research done on Skírnismál in the Bernard Kummer’s Die Lieder des Codex last sixty odd years will show that the quality regius (Edda) und verwandte Denkmäler, of this research is hardly commensurate to vol. 1, Mythische Dichtung, erster Teil: Die its bulk. Most of what has recently been Schau der Seherin (Voluspá), vol. 2, Hel- said about the dating, vocabulary, etc., of dendichtung, erster Teil: Die Dichtung von Skírnismál was in principle known to Helgi und der Walküre (Zeven: Gisela Gering-Sijmons and even to Detter-Heinzel. Lienau, 1959–61), and Ólafur Briem’s un- It seems that an encyclopedic philological pretentious but convenient edition of all work written at the end of the twentieth cen- the poems (Eddukvæði, Íslenzk úrvalsrit 5 tury should give more prominence to the [Reykjavík: Skálholt, 1968]). aspects of scholarship peculiar to our time, “Skírnismál”: Modell eines Edda-Kom- indeed not to the trendy approaches or jar- mentars is a trial volume designed to show gon that may not (let us hope: will not) sur- how the four-volume commentary will be vive their creators, but to the new expecta- organized. It consists of an introduction in tions with which we open a medieval text. which the objectives of the project are laid One can test our achievements in a out (5–18), a list of abbreviations, a general simple way. If August Schleicher, Eduard bibliography (close to fifty primary and three Sievers, and Sophus Bugge came alive, what hundred secondary sources, 24–34), an ar- could we tell them that would be eye-open- ticle on Skírnismál (35–49), and the com- ing news to them? We would be able to alvíssmál 6 (1996): 114–18 Rezensionen 115 explain the difficulties of recognizing the p. 65, and 17.6: “salkynni,” p. 68), the au- Stammbaum to Schleicher; Sievers would thors discuss the stylistic function of the have to adopt a functional view of speech plural. But such plurals were lexicalized very sounds, and Bugge would learn that medi- early in Germanic, as evidenced, among eval literature is not only “antiquities” but other things, by hús (pl.) in the meaning of also art. I find it regrettable that sections 6 ‘farmstead’ (= all the buildings on a farm). and 8 of the “Einleitungskommentar” are Centuries later, it is still natural to speak so uninspiring and dry. It would be most about Kew Gardens and Hollywood Studios. interesting to read a thorough analysis of We go to the pictures/movies (for which Skírnir’s rhetoric and of the obscure words there is some justification in the technology occurring in his monologue (of their seman- of film production) and to the woods (= for- tics and emotional character, not only ety- est), come off with flying colors, etc. In mology: curses always contain frightening, Icelandic, with its numerous words like jól unintelligible words and formulas like tópi (n.pl.), the line between the singular and the ok ópi). Many details are mentioned in the plural was (is) even more blurred than in the commentary (“Stellenkommentar”), but they rest of Germanic, so it is better not to say are lost among other miscellaneous items. that the plural sali in “hví þú einn sitr enn- Consider the use of hrím in this poem: langa sali” emphasizes Freyr’s solitude. the giant who will torment Gerðr is called Skm.10.3–4 and 10 prose (60–61). In Hrímnir (28.3), Hrímgrímnir will be her the telegraphese of our etymological dictio- spouse or jailer in the kingdom of the dead naries, one often runs into curt dismissals: (35.1), and hrímþursir are invoked as wit- Walde, Feist, and Jan de Vries would cite an nesses to Skírnir’s curse (34.2). When Gerðr opinion they do not like and kill it with the gives in, Skírnir is offered a hrímkálki full peremptory abzulehnen. Against the back- of mead (37.2). The authors note the hrím- ground of the unhurried discussion charac- motif (just as they note the persistent use of teristic of this book, such unsubstantiated munr ‘desire’), but stay away from discussing verdicts sound like dissonances. The use of the artistry of the poem: they are satisfied galdralag in 10.3–4 is a problem the authors with “stylistic peculiarities.” A few stray re- cannot solve. Lönnroth suggested that 10.3– marks on the commentary are offered below 4 were part of a magical formula; he is criti- for what they are worth. cized for “probably having gone too far.” P. 40. In the section “Stoffgeschichte One expects counterarguments, but none und literarisches Nachleben,” the Icelandic are offered. Short shrift is also given to periodical Skírnir conceived as a cursor Phillpotts’s idea that Skírnir rides over the mundi could perhaps have been mentioned. wall of fire because he could not pass by the Skm.3.2 (52). In the authors’ opinion, dogs. Phillpotts may have been wrong, but fólkvaldi goða as a form of address does some refutation would have been in order. not tell us anything about Freyr’s position Skm.13.1–3 (62–63). “Kostir ro betri, among the gods and should be taken as an heldr enn (at) klökkva sé, hveim er fúss er attempt to improve Freyr’s spirits. Seeing fara” [A resolute man (literally, a man ready that Freyr usurps so many of Óðinn’s func- to set out) knows better than to whimper]. tions in Skírnismál (cf. p. 47, c), the dis- The authors suggest that Skírnir quotes a missal of fólkvaldi goða as a meaningless proverb, though no such proverb has been compliment does not carry conviction, and found. More likely, we have here a variant of the phrase cited as another expression of the poetic formula: “It is better for an [epi- fulsome flattery (“beztr allra ballriða ása thet] man to act than to mourn,” cf. Beowulf gorðom í”) is not “parallel”: to call a person 1384b–85: “Se¯ lra bið æ¯ ghwæ¯ m, þæt he¯ his the best, the wisest, the bravest, or the most fre¯ond wrece, þonne he¯ fela murne” [It is beautiful (all these forms being elatives better to avenge a friend than to lament rather than superlatives) is not the same as long]. to address him as Generalissimus. Skm.16.4–6 (66–67). The authors are Skm.3.4–5 (52–53). In connection with most probably right in stating that the shep- the form sali (see also 14.3: “ronnom í,” herd was not killed by Skírnir. In such alvíssmál 6 (1996): 114–18 116 Rezensionen scenes, the shepherd (or guard) is never the does not succumb to Freyr, there could have target of the protagonist’s wrath. Even Loki been a custom of exposing girls on a grassy does not kill Eldir, and the murder of hillock, in the middle of a swamp. In a nurs- Fimafeng is unmotivated. Incidentally, the ery rhyme known throughout the English- social status of the guard varies depending speaking world, “Little Miss Muffet/sat on a on the work’s genre: it is low in myth but tuffet/eating of curds and whey;/there came high in heroic poetry (Wulfgar in Beowulf).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Norse Myth Guide
    Norse Myth If it has a * next to it don’t worry about it for the quiz. Everything else is fair game within reason as I know this is a lot. Just make sure you know the basics. Heimdall -Characteristics -Can hear grass grow -Needs only as much sleep as a bird -Guards Bifrost -Will kill and be killed by Loki at Ragnarok -He is one of the Aesir -Has foresight like the Vanir -Other Names -Vindhler -Means "wind shelter" -The White God As -Hallinskidi -Means "bent stick" but actually refers to rams -Gullintani -Received this nickname from his golden teeth -Relationships -Grandfather to Kon the Young -Born of the nine mothers -Items -Gjallarhorn -Will blow this to announce Ragnarok -Sword Hofund -Horse Golltop -Places -Lives on "heavenly mountain" Himinbjorg -Stories -Father of mankind -He went around the world as Rig -He slept with many women -Three of these women, Edda, Amma, and Modir, became pregnant -They gave birth to the three races of mankind -Jarl, Karl, and Thrall -Recovering Brisingamen -Loki steals Brisingamen from Freya -He turns himself into a seal and hides -Freya enlists Heimdall to recover the necklace -They find out its Loki, so Heimdall goes to fight him -Heimdall also turns into a seal, and they fight at Singasteinn -Heimdall wins, and returns the necklace to Freya -Meaning of sword -A severed head was thrown at Heimdall -After this incident, a sword is referred to as "Heimdall's head" -Possession of knowledge -Left his ear in the Well of Mimir to gain knowledge Aegir* -Characteristics -God of the ocean/sea -Is sometimes said
    [Show full text]
  • Mythological Researcher and Author
    From “Viktor Rydberg, En Lefnadsteckning” by Karl Warburg, 1900. Translated by William P. Reaves © 2003 pg. 472 Mythological Researcher and Author A coincidence that became quite fateful for Rydberg’s philosophical work as well as for his poetry, at the beginning of 1880s turned his attention to Nordic mythology, which quickly proceeded to capture his soul for nearly a decade. Rydberg’s mind had long been interested in Old Norse studies. One expression of this was his interest in rune research. It captivated him in two ways: because of its patriotic significance and its quality to offer up riddles to a mind inclined to them. By 1863, he had written an article in the Handelstidning about the Gisseberg Stone. During the 1870s, he occupied himself with the mysteries of rune-interpretation and corresponded, among other things, with the shrewd and independent-thinking researcher E. Jenssen about his interpretations of the Tanum, Stentoften, and Björketorp runestones, whose translations he made public partly in contribution to Götesborg’s and Bohuslän’s ancient monuments (the first installment), and partly in the Svenska Forneminnesföreningens tidskrift [―Journal of Swedish Ancient Monuments‖], 1875.1 The Nordic myths were dear to him since childhood –a passage from the Edda’s Völuspá, besides his catechism, had constituted his first oral-reading exam. During his years as a student he had sought to bring Saxo’s and the Edda’s information into harmony and he had followed the mythology’s development with interest, although he was very skeptical toward the philosophical and nature-symbolic interpretations that appeared here and there, not least in Grundtvigian circles.
    [Show full text]
  • How Uniform Was the Old Norse Religion?
    II. Old Norse Myth and Society HOW UNIFORM WAS THE OLD NORSE RELIGION? Stefan Brink ne often gets the impression from handbooks on Old Norse culture and religion that the pagan religion that was supposed to have been in Oexistence all over pre-Christian Scandinavia and Iceland was rather homogeneous. Due to the lack of written sources, it becomes difficult to say whether the ‘religion’ — or rather mythology, eschatology, and cult practice, which medieval sources refer to as forn siðr (‘ancient custom’) — changed over time. For obvious reasons, it is very difficult to identify a ‘pure’ Old Norse religion, uncorroded by Christianity since Scandinavia did not exist in a cultural vacuum.1 What we read in the handbooks is based almost entirely on Snorri Sturluson’s representation and interpretation in his Edda of the pre-Christian religion of Iceland, together with the ambiguous mythical and eschatological world we find represented in the Poetic Edda and in the filtered form Saxo Grammaticus presents in his Gesta Danorum. This stance is more or less presented without reflection in early scholarship, but the bias of the foundation is more readily acknowledged in more recent works.2 In the textual sources we find a considerable pantheon of gods and goddesses — Þórr, Óðinn, Freyr, Baldr, Loki, Njo3rðr, Týr, Heimdallr, Ullr, Bragi, Freyja, Frigg, Gefjon, Iðunn, et cetera — and euhemerized stories of how the gods acted and were characterized as individuals and as a collective. Since the sources are Old Icelandic (Saxo’s work appears to have been built on the same sources) one might assume that this religious world was purely Old 1 See the discussion in Gro Steinsland, Norrøn religion: Myter, riter, samfunn (Oslo: Pax, 2005).
    [Show full text]
  • Hƒ›R's Blindness and the Pledging of Ó›Inn's
    Hƒ›r’s Blindness and the Pledging of Ó›inn’s Eye: A Study of the Symbolic Value of the Eyes of Hƒ›r, Ó›inn and fiórr Annette Lassen The Arnamagnæan Institute, University of Copenhagen The idea of studying the symbolic value of eyes and blindness derives from my desire to reach an understanding of Hƒ›r’s mythological role. It goes without saying that in Old Norse literature a person’s physiognomy reveals his characteristics. It is, therefore, a priori not improbable that Hƒ›r’s blindness may reveal something about his mythological role. His blindness is, of course, not the only instance in the Eddas where eyes or blindness seem significant. The supreme god of the Old Norse pantheon, Ó›inn, is one-eyed, and fiórr is described as having particularly sharp eyes. Accordingly, I shall also devote attention in my paper to Ó›inn’s one-eyedness and fiórr’s sharp gaze. As far as I know, there exist a couple of studies of eyes in Old Norse literature by Riti Kroesen and Edith Marold. In their articles we find a great deal of useful examples of how eyes are used as a token of royalty and strength. Considering this symbolic value, it is clear that blindness cannot be, simply, a physical handicap. In the same way as emphasizing eyes connotes superiority 220 11th International Saga Conference 221 and strength, blindness may connote inferiority and weakness. When the eye symbolizes a person’s strength, blinding connotes the symbolic and literal removal of that strength. A medieval king suffering from a physical handicap could be a rex inutilis.
    [Show full text]
  • In Merovingian and Viking Scandinavia
    Halls, Gods, and Giants: The Enigma of Gullveig in Óðinn’s Hall Tommy Kuusela Stockholm University Introduction The purpose of this article is to discuss and interpret the enig- matic figure of Gullveig. I will also present a new analysis of the first war in the world according to how it is described in Old Norse mythic traditions, or more specifically, how it is referred to in Vǫluspá. This examination fits into the general approach of my doctoral dissertation, where I try to look at interactions between gods and giants from the perspective of a hall environment, with special attention to descriptions in the eddic poems.1 The first hall encounter, depending on how one looks at the sources, is described as taking place in a primordial instant of sacred time, and occurs in Óðinn’s hall, where the gods spears and burns a female figure by the name of Gullveig. She is usually interpreted as Freyja and the act is generally considered to initiate a battle between two groups of gods – the Æsir and the Vanir. I do not agree with this interpretation, and will in the following argue that Gullveig should be understood as a giantess, and that the cruelty inflicted upon her leads to warfare between the gods (an alliance of Æsir and Vanir) and the giants (those who oppose the gods’ world order). The source that speaks most clearly about this early cosmic age and provides the best description is Vǫluspá, a poem that is generally considered to have been composed around 900– 1000 AD.2 How to cite this book chapter: Kuusela, T.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Genre: Short and Long Forms in the Saga Literature
    Gender and Genre: Short and Long Forms in the Saga Literature Ma9r er manns gaman. Havamal The male world of the p&ttir (singular: pattr) or short stories of the Old Norse-Icelandic saga literature can be exemplified in a telling form by the thirteenth- or fourteenth-century tale about Gestr of the Norns, Norna-Gests pattr. 1 The guest, a visitor from the distant pagan and heroic past, finds his way to the court of the first Christian king of Norway, Olafr Tryggvason (the year would have been 998). An atmosphere of tension accompanies the stranger, who is not Christian but has been primesigned; and the mystery peaks when Gestr, chal­ lenged by a wager, produces a fragment of a golden saddle buckle that had belonged to the ancient hero SigurSr Fafnisbani. Pressed for an explanation, the old man begins his reminiscences of the heroic age with the story of Sigurd’s youth, including a minor incident in i . Critical text in Ernst Wilken, ed., Die prosaische Edda im Auszuge nebst Vglsunga- saga undNornagests-thattr, Theil I: Text (Paderborn, 1877), pp. 2 35-26 1. (Wilken’s 2nd ed. rev. of 19 12 omits the introductory discussions; cf. there pp. vi-vii.) There are two versions: Flateyjarbok: En samling af norske konge-sagaer mid indskudte mindre fort&l-linger, [ed. C. R. Unger and G. Vigfusson] 3 vols. (Christiania, 1860-68), I, 346-359; and Norrone skrifter af sagnhistorisk indhold, ed. Sophus Bugge, I [=Det norske oldskriftselskabs samlinger, VI] (Christiania, 1864), 47-80 [from “ S” (= MS. AM 62) with readings from Flateyjarbok].
    [Show full text]
  • The Spirit of Lachmann, the Spirit of Bédier: Old Norse Textual Editing in the Electronic Age by Odd Einar Haugen
    The spirit of Lachmann, the spirit of Bédier: Old Norse textual editing in the electronic age by Odd Einar Haugen Paper read at the annual meeting of The Viking Society, University College London, 8 November 2002 Electronic version, 20 January 2003 Introduction In this paper I would like to discuss some central aspects of textual editing, as it has been practised in Old Norse studies for the past century, and since we now are at the beginning of a new century, I shall venture some opinions on the direction of textual editing in the digital age. I shall do so by beginning with two key figures of modern textual history, the German scholar Karl Lachmann (1793–1851) and the French scholar and author Joseph Bédier (1864–1938). Their approaches to the art and science of editing are still highly relevant. Lachmann The scientific foundation of textual editing has been credited to Karl Lachmann and other classical scholars such as Karl Gottlob Zumpt (1792–1849), Johan Nicolai Madvig (1804–1886) and Friedrich Ritschel (1806–1876). Lachmann himself was active in the fields of Medieval editing, with Nibelungen lied (1826), in Biblical studies, with his new edition of the Greek New testament (1831), and in Classical scholarship, with his edition of Lucrets’ De rerum natura (1850). This made Lachmann’s name known throughout all fields of textual editing, and with some reservations it is probably fair to attach his name to the great changes of editorial techniques made in the begin- ning of the 19th century. However, as Sebastiano Timpanaro (1923–2000) points out in his important study of Lachmann’s contribution, Die Entstehung der Lachmannschen Methode (1971), the method was basically a method of genealogical analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • The God-Semantic Field in Old Norse Prose and Poetry
    The God-semantic Field in Old Norse Prose and Poetry A Cognitive Philological Analysis Petra Mikolić Masteroppgave ved Instittut for lingvistiske og nordiske studier Det humanistiske fakultetet Universitetet i Oslo Oslo, Norway 29.05.2013 II The God-semantic Field in Old Norse Prose and Poetry: A Cognitive Philological Analysis III © Petra Mikolić 2013 The God-semantic Field in Old Norse Prose and Poetry: A Cognitive Philological Analysis Petra Mikolić http://www.duo.uio.no/ Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo IV Abstract The thesis under the title ―The God-semantic Field: A Cognitive Philological Analysis‖ analyses eight different lexemes that belong to the same semantic field – god. The research is a comparative and contrastive analysis of the lexemes within Old Norse prose and poetry according to their use and funcion withing texts with Christian and non-Christian topic.The aim was to use a different approach in the analysis of the words in question in order to give a better structured semantic field according to the use of the words. V Table of Contents 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………….…………..……1 1.1. Aim of the thesis…………………………………………………………………1 1.2. Method…………………………………………………………….……………..2 1.3. Theory of the semantic fields…………………………………………………….2 1.4. Primary and secondary sources………………………………………………......3 1.5. Problems encountered in the research……………………………………………4 1.6. Division of the analysis………………………………………….……………….5 2. History in the Middle Ages – The treatment of the Old Norse traditions and beliefs in the texts……………………………………………………………………………….……..……6 3. Dating the primary sources………………………………………………………….……..11 4. Analysis of the semantic field: the lexemes in the dyēus-semantic field……………….....17 4.1. The lexeme týr……………………………………………………………….......17 4.2.
    [Show full text]
  • Skaldskaparmal.1.Unicode.Pdf
    Snorri Sturluson Edda Skáldskaparmál 1 Snorri Sturluson Edda Skáldskaparmál 1. Introduction, Text and Notes Edited by ANTHONY FAULKES VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON 1998 © Anthony Faulkes 1998 First published by Viking Society for Northern Research 1998 Reprinted with minor corrections 2007 ISBN: 978 0 903521 36 9 Volume 1 978 0 903521 38 3 Volume 2 Printed by Short Run Press Limited, Exeter Contents of Volume 1 Introduction ............................................................................. vii Title ....................................................................................... vii Synopsis...............................................................................viii The composition of the work ............................................... x Date and authorship.............................................................. xi The verse quotations ..........................................................xiii The þulur .............................................................................. xv The dialogue frame...........................................................xviii The prose narratives ..........................................................xxii The analysis of poetic diction.......................................... xxv Purpose............................................................................xxxvii Manuscripts .....................................................................xxxix This edition ...........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Den Ældre Edda
    DEN ÆLDRE EÐDA SAMLING AF NORRONE ÖLDIÍVAD, indcholdende NORDENS ÆLDSTE GUDE- og HELTE-SAGN. Ved det akademiskc Collcgiums Foranstaltning u d g i v e t cí'tcr de ældste og bcdsle Ilaandskrifter, og forsynet med fuldstændigt Variant-Apparat a f JP. »1. JVÆuncli* Professor i líistorien veii Univcr.sitelet i Chrisliunia. Ledsager Forelæsnings^Catalogen for lst.c Halvaar 1847. CHRISTIANIA. Trykt i 1». t. Mallings Officin- 1847. « . ‘ . » / V • < r F 0 R T A L E. Iþeu œldre Edddj hiris Text her forelœgges Publikum i en kritisk, efter Originalhaandskrifterne nöiagtigen bearbeidet Udgave, er, som bekjendt, en Samting af de Oldkvad om Nordens Gude- og Helte-Sagn, hvis Affattelse er at henföre til en saa fjærn Tidsalder, at man kan belragte dem som Levninger af Folkets Urpoesi, og som Hovedkilden lil vor Kundskab om Forfœdrenes Mythologi. Saaledes betragtedes de og af Forfatteren til den yngre Edda, eller den systematiske Frem- siilling af Gudelœren og Skaldekunsten. Han anforer nemlig hyppigt som Bevissteder Vers af dcn œldre Edda; de citeres uden at For- falterne blive nœvnte, medens lœngere henne i Verket, eller i den saa- kaldte Skálda, navngivne Skaldes Vers anföres som Mönstre. „Heraf", siger P. E. Múller rigtigt i Sagabibliotheket 2 Deel S. 122, „kunne vi slutte, at Forfatteren af den yngre Edda maa have benyttet disse til hans Tid almenbekjendte Sange, uden at have vidst deres Forfat- teres Navne, da lian ellers ei mod sin Sœdvane havde gaaet dem forbi; lian maa alligevel have anseet disse anonyme Sange for en bedre Hjemmel, end de Strofer af berömte Skaldes Vers, det ellers havde staaet i hans Magt at anföre.
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF EPUB} Myth and Fiction in Early Norse Lands by Ursula Dronke Ursula Dronke Obituary
    Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Myth and Fiction in Early Norse Lands by Ursula Dronke Ursula Dronke obituary. Ursula Dronke, who has died aged 91, was an inspirational scholar and teacher of Old Norse literature, and a specialist in the sagas and poetry of medieval Iceland. In 1969, she published the first volume of her monumental edition of the Poetic Edda, a medieval anthology of the great Icelandic mythological and heroic poems. The second volume, published in 1997, includes her translation of the poem Völuspá, whose textual complexity and allusive obscurity are unparalleled. Völuspá is spoken by a mysterious prophetess, summoned, as it seems, by the god Odin, and she transmits, unwillingly, the arcane knowledge she alone knows: about the creation of the world (and a time even before that), and then about its end, Ragnarök, the great Norse apocalypse, which she describes in dramatic detail. Ursula, with endless patience, and after years of study, developed a confident understanding of the text's literary dynamic, with its interplay of mediumistic voices, and its sudden switches between past, present and future. For Old Norse scholars, Völuspá had been a challenge; Ursula restored it as a work of art. The third volume of the Poetic Edda went to press in Ursula's 90th year; the projected four volumes now remain incomplete. Nevertheless, this series has completely dominated Eddaic studies worldwide, with the sophistication of its literary analyses and the tremendous breadth of background knowledge brought to bear on the poetry. As Vigfússon reader in Old Icelandic literature and antiquities at Oxford University from 1976 to 1988, Ursula supervised many graduate students and I was privileged to be one of them; the vast majority have gone on to teach Old Norse-Icelandic at universities around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Correspondence of Just Qvigstad, 1.0 and 2.0 – the Ongoing Story of a Digital Edition
    The correspondence of Just Qvigstad, 1.0 and 2.0 – the ongoing story of a digital edition UiT Digital Humanities Conference Tromsø, 30 November – 1 December 2017 Øyvind Eide, University of Cologne, Germany Per P. Aspaas & Philipp Conzett, UiT The Arctic University of Norway Outline • Just Qvigstad • Qvigstad’s correspondence 1.0 – Documentation Project in the 1990s • Qvigstad’s correspondence 2.0 – digital edition(s) project • The role of university libraries in digital edition/humanities projects Just Knud Qvigstad Born 4th of April 1853 in Lyngseidet, near Tromsø Died 15th of March 1957 in Tromsø Norwegian philologist, linguist, ethnographer, historian and cultural historian Headmaster at Tromsø Teacher Training College (= one of UiTs “predecessors”) Expert on Sami language and culture (“lappologist”) (Photo: Wikimedia Commons – S. Blom (ed.): Extensive correspondence with other experts Den Kongelige Norske St. Olavs Orden, A. M. on Sami Hanches Forlag, 1934) The Documentation Project “From Drawer to Screen” Nationwide digitisation project aiming at transferring the various university collections from paper to computers Started in 1991 at the University of Oslo. Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø joined in 1992 Range of disciplines: archaeology, ethnography, history, lexicography, folklore studies, literature, medieval studies, place names, coins/numismatics Qvigstad’s correspondence 1.0 Qvigstad to Magnus Olsen 1909-1956 (65 letters). National Library of Norway. Qvigstad to K. B. Wiklund 1891-1936 (96 letters). Uppsala University Library. Qvigstad til Emil N. Setälä 1887-1935 (96 letters). National Archives of Finland, prof. Setälä’s private archive. http://www.dokpro.uio.no/perl/historie/ qvigstadtxt.cgi?hand=Ja&id=setele066&fr http://www.dokpro.uio.no/qvigstad/setele-faks/set004.jpg ames=Nei Qvigstad’s correspondence 1.0 20 years have passed ..
    [Show full text]