Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1999, Page 132

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Part One
cclxxv), but - without Finnur’s precise dates - his datings were in faet
compatible with Finnur’s view. Conceming the discussion of origins,
Sijmons followed Mogk, ascribing the poems Alvissmål and Hyndluljod
to an artificial mythological aftermath in Iceland (Sijmons 1906:
cclxvi-cclxviii). Like Finnur Jonsson, he was inelined to ascribe to
heroic poetry a somewhat younger age than religious poetry. In general
it had its origin in the beginning of the lOth century, and as such it is
contemporary with the younger layer of mythological poems. Oldest
among the heroic poems are, according to Sijmons, VQlundarkvida,
Helgakvida Hundingsbana II (st. 13-16, 22-27, “Vglsungakvi/ta en for-
rid"), Brot af Sigurdarkvidu, Atlakvida, Hamdismdl — which comes near
to the group sometimes referred to as the five old heroic poems.11 Helga-
kvida Hundingsbana I, Sigurdarkvida in skamma, Atlamål, Helreid
Brynhildar, GudrunarhvQt, Gudrunarkvida I and II, and Oddrunargråtr
belong to a heroic aftermath, while there is unanimity among scholars,
Sijmons noted, that Gripisspå is the youngest of the whole heroic cycle
(Sijmons 1906: cclxxv-cclxxvi).
Gustav Neckel
The most ambitious attempt at exploring new methods of dating under-
taken in this period is doubtless Gustav Neckel’s Beitråge zur Eddafor-
schung (1908), a work rich in observations on different aspects of Eddie
and Old Germanic poetry, as well as in new approaches to the old prob-
lems of dating. Neckel’s most important new contribution is the study of
different forms of binding in Eddie verse, i.e. the relation between
syntax and metrical units. Andreas Heusler, to whom Neckel’s book is
dedicated, had several years earlier made a thorough investigation of
another stylistic phenomenon in Old Germanic poetry, namely the use of
dialogue (cf. pp. 132-33 below), and like him, Neckel tried to use one
aspect of Eddie style in order to get an overall picture of the historical
development of this poetry.
According to Neckel a certain number of typical forms of binding
may be distinguished in Eddie verse. Lack of binding implies a syntactic
11 The five old heroic poems are Atlakvida, Brot af Sigurdarkvidu, Hamdismdl,
HlQdskvida and VQlundarkvida. Cf. p. 309 below.