Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/109

Rh versions have instead of. is skreið, the past tense of skriða,, to creep; slide; glide, Here the meaning is — (he) let his hand glide, stroked.

In line 2, gɛ‘msma is gemsanda,   of gemsa,, to gibe; scoff; behave wantonly.

Line 3 shows how one and the same line can appear very different in the different versions, thus: a) and b).

Line 5: is an older “allr mínn kærleiki”, or (in ) “allan mínn kærleika”,  all my love.

Line 6:. málhús, literally — “speech-house,” — a periphrasis for “mouth”. : “my sweet!” (In this verse several parts of the body are referred to by periphrasis.)

Line 7: “fae” is  = from. milk- is mjólkfat, milk-vat.

Line 8: possibly denotes the stick with which malt is stirred in mashing. draf,, draff, and gaddr, , goad; spike,  gaud = gad,, a goad, pointed stick.

Line 9: ( glóandi viðr), “glowing wood” (firewood).

Line 10: : is possibly “crushed (or broken) krak” (a three-legged stool); knakk,

The rest is unintelligible, though in the variant versions a few words and phrases may be explained; variant b, line 3:, here probably = stakkr,, skirt and bodice in one. : the grey fur overcoat (cape), feldinn grá.


 * the good foot, fótinn góða.

A corresponding rigmarole “þula”, is found in Icelandic, beginning:

Hann tók upp og hann tók niðr, og svo tók hann á frúinni.

In this rigmarole, as in the Shetland fragment, occurs “málhús” as a periphrasis for mouth.

The following folk-verse, originating from and dictated by R. Cogle, is supposed to be a charm with which to drive away lung-disease from cattle.

Æŋgə båŋgə lô̄ra bæl skola rina bæl skola bēti ândru wɩstras güd to bid to bræ̆ti gitᶊə gitᶊə gåŋgi bitᶊə bitᶊə bēti.

Here several different things seem to have run together.

The last line is probably part of a lullaby. can be explained as biss(a), biss(a) = hush-a-bye, and accordingly the same