Gripla - 20.12.2017, Page 198

GRIPLA198
followed by a diplomatic and normalized edition of the text. the primary
aim is to make the poem available for further, more in-depth analysis,
particularly so that it may be compared to and examined alongside other
poems about women, which were composed, circulated, and performed in
early modern Iceland.
overview
following a presentation of the refrain (typical in vikivakakvæði, as de-
tailed below), “Sprundahrós” begins with the poet requesting the attention
of his audience (1/17) and then setting the stage for his enumeration of
praiseworthy women by calling to mind the most virtuous of all women:
the Virgin Mary. She is described as pious and as woven in fine virtues
(2/11–12); in fact, she herself is a mirror of virtue [“dyggðaspegill” (2/18)].
the poet then focuses his attention on praiseworthy women from the
Hebrew Bible. the first is Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia from the
Book of Esther who saved her people from genocide.4 She is praised for
the loving and great deed she performed for the people of Israel (3/1),
when she – a lucky and pious wife (3/6) – foiled Haman’s schemes to an-
nihilate them (3/5). the poet then treats two women from chapters 4 and
5 of the Book of Judges: first Deborah, the judge (4/1), prophetess (4/3),
and warrior who successfully led a counterattack against a Canaanite army
(4/8); and then Jael, who dealt the fatal blow to the army’s commander,
Sisera, when he came to her tent (4/11–15), and whose deeds were among
those recounted in Deborah’s song of praise to God following the victory
(4/17).
the next stanza concentrates on rahab, a prostitute from Jericho who
helped the Israelites capture the city, and whose faith and good works
redeemed her (5/1–4).5 the poet also refers to how rahab is commended
4 Esther is the subject of a rímnaflokkur in 5 fitts, Rímur af bókinni Ester, by Einar Sigurðsson
í Eydölum (1538–1626) published in the Vísnabók of 1612 (reprinted at Hólar in 1748 as
Sú gamla vísnabók). See Jón Torfason and Kristján Eiríksson, eds., Vísnabók Guðbrands
(reykjavík: Bókmenntafræðistofnun Háskóla Íslands, 2000), 169–83, 464–65. Esther
is also mentioned in Hússpostilla, see Gunnar Kristjánsson and Mörður Árnason, eds.,
Vídalínspostilla. Hússpostilla eður einfaldar predikanir yfir öll hátíða- og sunnudagaguðspjöll árið
um kring (reykjavík: Mál og menning, 1995), 179.
5 See “Kvæði af rahab” in Jón torfason and Kristján Eiríksson, eds., Vísnabók Guð brands,
131–33, 461.