Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1981, Side 174
only significant vocabulary is selected as alliterating, to preclude the
possibility of chance or of syntactic inevitability in such alliterating com-
binations as i augat. Nonetheless, once alliteration has been established
for a significant semantic group, there is no doubt but that further alliter-
ation with such relatively insignificant grammatical elements as preposi-
tions or possessive adjectives lends greater impact to the alliteration that
is intentional and that rests on essential semantic elements.
Alliteration frequently characterizes heated verbal exchange. For ex-
ample, in Januals Ijod the queen accuses Janual of preferring the love of
boys to that of women. At the unexpected attack, Janual suffers harm oc
angr af ordum hennar (‘grief and sorrow at her words’), and his distress
is swiftly converted into a reply both imprudent and unpremeditated:
1) “Fru,” kvad hann, “Jjesskonar tdn nam ec alldre,
oc alldre fer ec at fjeirre illzku.
2) helldr em ec vnnasti jjeirrar,
er ein er verdug /ofs oc frægdar er ec veit /ifannde.”
3) “Vittu oc, fru,” kvad hann, “f>ér berlega at segia
at hin fatækazta i hennar jaionasto er fridare
en ftér, fru drotning.” (p. 70)
(“Lady,” he said, “I have never learned this craft and I never have
anything to do with such wickedness. Rather, I am the lover of the
only woman alive whom I know to be worthy of praise and renown.
Know also, lady,” he said, “to speak openly to you, the most
wretched maiden in her service is more beautiful than you, my
queen.”)
Janual’s emotional State is translated into alliterative patterns that at
once give unity to each of the three thoughts expressed while also provid-
ing a connecting link to the following utterance. The vowel alliteration in
1) occurs again at the beginning of 2); there, the alliteration on v- is
carried in turn to the first word in 3). The repetition of fru, that punctu-
ates the passage, further unifies Janual’s speech by alliterating with other
significant vocabulary.
both a Norwegian and Icelandic perspective. The Icelandic hristi would have alliterated in
Norwegian (risti) with reiddist/réttistlriddaranum. Heilinn and hnakkann alliterate only in
Icelandic. We cannot determine whether the redactor perceived both Norwegian and Ice-
landic alliterative patterns.
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