Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1979, Page 92

100
The Case of »Hernilds kvæði
his heart, he didn’t dare bloody a man. (7) Aksal was so cowardly in his
heart, as many tales are told, he didn’t dare swing a sword or wear a
blue byrnie. (8) The younger is called Hernild, he was mighty strong,
when he was fourteen years old, he struck whatever he saw. (9) The
younger is called Hernild, and he was stronger, when he was fourteen
years old, then he struck whatever he found. (10) The younger is called
Hernild, who knows how to handle himself, whatever came before his
eyes, he felled it to the ground. (11) Whcn he was fourteen years old,
then he gave many a thrashing, when he was fifteen years old, then he
struck whatever he got.
24 Trans.: (5) The earl has two sons, begotten of good fortune, one is
called Heiðrikur and the other Bad Hermundur.
25 Trans.: (4) Earl Atil has two sons, begotten of great vigor, one is
called Aksal and the other is called Hernild.
28 See note 19. Jón Helgason has pointed out that our earliest trace of
»Hermundur illi« is from 1639 — it was one of the ballads sent to Pro-
fessor Ole Worm in Copenhagen in that year. This MS has since been lost,
but Peder Syv cited several stanzas from it in his ballad edition from
1695. See Helgason’s »Færøiske studier,« Maal og minne (1924), 29—37.
27 The rhyming words of Danish origin in »Hernilds kvæði« are as
follows: pá, st. 8; knekk, st. 11; bý, st. 19; vold, st. 72; makt, st. 74;
akt, st. 74.
28 The rhyming words of Danish origin in variants of »Hermundur illi«
are as follows: (A) none; (B) none; (C) 2 °/o — gár in sst. 46 and 79;
(D) 4 %> — stár in st. 36; gá in sst. 68 and 69 and sans in st. 74;
(E) 1 °/o bý in st. 45 and tvang in st. 89; and (F) 1 °/o — gá in st. 34.
29 This dating of »Hernilds kvæði« supports Svale Solheim’s view that
Faroese heroic ballad tradition was productive long after it had ceased
receiving fresh impulses from Norway. See his »Færoysk-norsk i folkevise-
diktinga,« Fróðskaparrit, 18 (1970), 297—306.
ÚRTAK
Onkuntíð fyri 1854, tá Hanús Hanusson hevði skrivað sína Fugloyar-
bók, fekk ein maður, helst eisini norður á landi, hugskot til at yrkja
eitt nýtt kvæði, »Hernilds kvæði«, eftir einum avbrigdi av tí víða kenda
kvæðinum »Hermundi illa«. Hóast tey, sum granska føroysk kvæði hava
sjáldan fastari um at halda til tíðarfestingar enn terminus ante quem, sum
eitt nú í hesum føri, eru kortini góðar grundir til at ætla, at »Hernilds
kvæði« er rættiliga ungt í gøtuni. Tað, at kvæði er til bert í einari upp-
skrift er, hóast tað í sjálvum sær einki prógv er, kortini ein ábending um
styttri heldur enn longri lív á mannamunni. Berið her »Hernilds kvæði«