Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1967, Page 70

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TÍMARIT ÞJÓÐRÆKNISFÉLAGS ÍSLENDINGA
in - laws he relaxes his Christian
observances: Þat hafði hann helzi iil
irúar, ai hann blés í kross yfir drykk
sínum, áðr hann drakk — “he prac-
ticed religion to the extent that he
would form the sign of the cross by
blowing over his drink before he
drank it.”
In Egils Saga, where one might
expect a description of the quantity
and quality of the silver that Egill
receives from a king in England, as
a compensation for his fallen
brother, it is simply reported that
epiir þai léi konungr bera inn kisiur
ivær; báru iveir menn hvára; váru
báðar fullar af silfri — “after that
the king had two chests carried in;
two men carried each; both chests
were full of silver.” An understate-
ment is used in a similar vein in
Njáls Saga as the reaction of the
wise Njál is described when he has
just been told of a super-natural
phenomenon. His friend Gunnar,
who has been dead for some time,
has been seen in his barrow and
appears to be cheerful and in the
process of reciting poetry. Njál’s
reaction to this, according to the
saga, is simply: en hann léí segja
sér þrimr sinnum — “he insisted on
being told this three times,” which
presumably suggests a very high
degree of surprise, particularly as
the speaker is wise enough to have
foreknowledge of the future.
In the Prosa Edda Snorri Sturlu-
son uses a similar emphatic under-
statement to tell an amusing but
bawdy tale involving the god Thor.
The situation is that Thor is wading
across the greatest of rivers, on his
way to visit a certain giant of ques-
tionable friendliness:
Ok þá er Þórr kom á miðja
ána, þá óx svá mjök áin, at
uppi braui á öxl honum . . .
þá sér Þórr uppi í gljúfrum
nokkvörum, ai Gjálp, dóiiir
Geirröðar, s i ó ð þar iveim
megin árinnar, ok gerði hon
árvöxiinn. Þá iók Þórr upp ór
ánni slein mikinn ok kaslaði
ai henni, ok mælli svá: ai ósi
skal á siemma. E i g i misii
hann, þar er hann kaslaði iil.
The river is rising, already up
to his shoulder, and as Thor is in
the middle of it, he notices that the
giant’s daughter is standing “on
both sides of the river, causing the
flood.” Thor hurls a large rock at
her, and Snorri describes the out-
come with one brief remark: “He
did not miss what he aimed at.”
The context shows clearly the intent
of the understatements he uses; they
correspond to punchlines in modern
jokes.
The u s e of understatement to
achieve such humorous effect does
not appear in Old English texts.
Examples of more serious effects
however, can be found. The follow-
ing passage f r o m “The Battle of
Brunanburh” might serve as an il'
lustration:
Hé wæs his mæga sceard,/fré-
onda gefylled on folcsíede/be-
slagen æt sæcce, and his sunu
forléí/on wælsiówe wundum
fergrunden./giungne æt gúðe.
Gelpan ne þorfte/beorn blan-
denfax bilgesleahies./eorl in-
widda, ne Anláf þý má,/mid
heora hereláfum hlehhan ne
þorftun/þæt héó beaduweorca