ōðer swylc =
_another
fifteen_ (Sw.
Beowulf
1405.
S.
(_Beit.
_ ix.
140) supplies [þǣr hēo] gegnum fōr; B.
(_ibid.
_
xii. 14) suggests hwǣr hēo.
l. 1411. B. , Gr. , and E. take ān-paðas = paths wide enough for only one,
like Norwegian _einstig_; cf. stīge nearwe, just above. _Trail_ is the
meaning. Cf. enge ānpaðas, uncūð gelād, _Exod. _ (Hunt), l. 58.
l. 1421. Cf. oncȳð, l. 831. The whole passage (ll. 1411-1442) is replete
with suggestions of walrus-hunting, seal-fishing, harpooning of sea-animals
(l. 1438), etc.
l. 1425. E. quotes from the 8th cent. Corpus Gloss. , "_Falanx_ foeða. "
l. 1428. For other mention of nicors, cf. ll. 422, 575, 846. E. remarks,
"it survives in the phrase 'Old Nick' . . . a word of high authority . . .
Icel. _nykr_, water-goblin, Dan. _nök, nisse_, Swed. _näcken_, G. _nix,
nixe_, etc. " See Skeat, _Nick. _
l. 1440. Sw. reads gehnǣged, _prostrated_, and regards nīða as gen. pl.
"used instrumentally," = _by force. _
l. 1441. -bora = _bearer, stirrer;_ occurs in other compds. , as mund-,
rǣd-, wǣg-bora.
l. 1447. him = _for him_, a remoter dative of reference. --Sw.
l. 1455. Gr. reads brondne, = _flaming_.
l. 1457. lēon is the inf. of lāh; cf. onlāh (< onlēon) at l. 1468. līhan
was formerly given as the inf. ; cf. lǣne = lǣhne.
l. 1458. Cf. the similar dat. of possession as used in Latin.
l. 1458. H. -So. compares the Icelandic saga account of Grettir's battle
with the giant in the cave. hæft-mēce may be = Icel. _heptisax_ (_Anglia_,
iii. 83), "hip-knife. "
l. 1459. "The sense seems to be 'pre-eminent among the old treasures. ' . . .
But possibly foran is here a prep. with the gen. : 'one before the old
treasures. '". --Sw. For other examples of foran, cf. ll. 985, 2365.
l. 1460. āter-tēarum = _poison-drops_ (C. , _Beit. _ viii. 571; S. , _ibid. _
xi. 359).
l. 1467. þæt, comp. relative, = _that which_; "we testify _that_ we do
know. "
l. 1480. forð-gewitenum is in appos. to me, = _mihi defuncto_. --M.
Callaway, _Am. Journ. of Philol. _, October, 1889.
l. 1482. nime. Conditional clauses of doubt or future contingency take gif
or būton with subj. ; cf. ll. 452, 594; of fact or certainty, the ind. ; cf.
ll. 442, 447, 527, 662, etc. For būton, cf. ll. 967, 1561.
l. 1487. "findan sometimes has a preterit funde in W. S. after the manner
of the weak preterits. "--Cook's Sievers' Cram. , p, 210.
l. 1490. Kl. reads wæl-sweord, = _battle-sword_.
l. 1507. "This cave under the sea seems to be another of those natural
phenomena of which the writer had personal knowledge (ll. 2135, 2277), and
which was introduced by him into the mythical tale to give it a local
color. There are many places of this kind. Their entrance is under the
lowest level of the tide. "--Br. , p. 45.
l. 1514. B. (_Beit. _ xii. 362) explains niðsele, hrōfsele as _roof-covered
hall in the deep_; cf. Grettir Saga (_Anglia_, iii. 83).
l. 1538. Sw. , R. , and ten Br. suggest feaxe for eaxle, = _seized by the
hair_.
l. 1543. and-lēan (R. ); cf. l. 2095. The MS. has hand-lēan.
l. 1546. Sw. and S. read seax. --_Beit. _ ix. 140.
l. 1557. H. -So. omits comma and places semicolon after ȳðelīce; Sw. and S.
place comma after gescēd.
l. 1584.
ōðer swylc = _another fifteen_ (Sw. ); = _fully as many_ (Ha. ).
ll. 1592-1613 _seq. _ Cf. _Anglia_, iii; 84 (Grettir Saga).
l. 1595. blondenfeax = _grizzly-haired_ (Bright, Reader, p. 258); cf.
_Brunanb. _, l. 45 (Bright).
l. 1599. gewearð, impers. vb. , = _agree, decide = many agreed upon this,
that_, etc. (Ha. , p. 55; cf. ll. 2025-2027, 1997; B. , _Beit. _ xii. 97).
l. 1605. C. supposes wiston = wīscton = _wished_. --_Beit. _ viii. 571.
l. 1607. brōden mǣl is now regarded as a comp. noun, = _inlaid or
damascened sword_. --W. , Ho.
l. 1611. wæl-rāpas = _water-ropes = bands of frost_ (l. 1610) (? ). Possibly
the Prov. Eng. weele, _whirlpool_. Cf. wǣl, _gurges_, Wright, Voc. , _Gnom.
Verses_, l. 39. --E.
l. 1611. wǣgrāpas (Sw. ) = _wave-bands_ (Ha. ).
l. 1622. B. suggests eatna = eotena, eardas, _haunts of the giants_
(Northumbr. ea for eo).
l. 1635. cyning-holde (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 369); cf. l. 290.
l. 1650. H. , Gr. , and Ettmüller understand idese to refer to the queen.
l. 1651. Cf. _Anglia_, iii. 74, _Beit. _ xi. 167, for coincidences with the
Grettir Saga (13th cent. ).
l. 1664. B. proposes eotenise . . . èste for ēacen . . . oftost, omitting
brackets (_Zackers Zeitschr. _ iv. 206). G. translates _mighty . . . often_.
l. 1675. ondrǣdan. "In late texts the final n of the preposition on is
frequently lost when it occurs in a compound word or stereotyped phrase,
and the prefix then appears as a: abútan, amang, aweg, aright,
adr'ǣdan. "--Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 98.
ll. 1680-1682. Giants and their work are also referred to at ll. 113, 455,
1563, 1691, etc.
l. 1680. Cf. ceastra . . . orðanc enta geweorc, _Gnomic Verses_, l. 2;
Sweet's Reader, p. 186.
ll. 1687-1697. "In this description of the writing on the sword, we see the
process of transition from heathen magic to the notions of Christian times
. . . . The history of the flood and of the giants . . . were substitutes for
names of heathen gods, and magic spells for victory. "--E. Cf. Mohammedan
usage.
ll. 1703, 1704. þæt þē eorl nǣre geboren betera (B. , _Tidskr. _ 8, 52).
l. 1715. āna hwearf = _he died solitary and alone_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38); =
_lonely_ (Ha. ); = _alone_ (G. ).
l. 1723. lēod-bealo longsum = _eternal hell-torment_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38,
who compares _Ps. Cott. _ 57, līf longsum).
l. 1729. E. translates on lufan, _towards possession_; Ha. , _to
possessions_.
l. 1730. mōdgeþonc, like lig, sǣ, segn, niht, etc. , is of double gender
(m. , n. in the case of mōdgeþ. ).
l. 1741. The doctrine of nemesis following close on ὓβρις, or overweening
pride, is here very clearly enunciated. The only protector against the
things that "assault and hurt" the soul is the "Bishop and Shepherd of our
souls" (l. 1743).
l. 1745 appears dimly to fore-shadow the office of the evil archer Loki,
who in the Scandinavian mythology shoots Balder with a mistletoe twig. The
language closely resembles that of Psalm 64.
l. 1748. Kl. regards wom = wō(u)m; cf. wōh-bogen, l. 2828. See Gloss. , p.
295, under wam. Contrast the construction of bebeorgan a few lines below
(l. 1759), where the dat. and acc. are associated.
l. 1748. See Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 167, for declension of wōh, _wrong_
= gen. wōs or wōges, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ; pl. gen. wōra, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ;
and cf.
xii. 14) suggests hwǣr hēo.
l. 1411. B. , Gr. , and E. take ān-paðas = paths wide enough for only one,
like Norwegian _einstig_; cf. stīge nearwe, just above. _Trail_ is the
meaning. Cf. enge ānpaðas, uncūð gelād, _Exod. _ (Hunt), l. 58.
l. 1421. Cf. oncȳð, l. 831. The whole passage (ll. 1411-1442) is replete
with suggestions of walrus-hunting, seal-fishing, harpooning of sea-animals
(l. 1438), etc.
l. 1425. E. quotes from the 8th cent. Corpus Gloss. , "_Falanx_ foeða. "
l. 1428. For other mention of nicors, cf. ll. 422, 575, 846. E. remarks,
"it survives in the phrase 'Old Nick' . . . a word of high authority . . .
Icel. _nykr_, water-goblin, Dan. _nök, nisse_, Swed. _näcken_, G. _nix,
nixe_, etc. " See Skeat, _Nick. _
l. 1440. Sw. reads gehnǣged, _prostrated_, and regards nīða as gen. pl.
"used instrumentally," = _by force. _
l. 1441. -bora = _bearer, stirrer;_ occurs in other compds. , as mund-,
rǣd-, wǣg-bora.
l. 1447. him = _for him_, a remoter dative of reference. --Sw.
l. 1455. Gr. reads brondne, = _flaming_.
l. 1457. lēon is the inf. of lāh; cf. onlāh (< onlēon) at l. 1468. līhan
was formerly given as the inf. ; cf. lǣne = lǣhne.
l. 1458. Cf. the similar dat. of possession as used in Latin.
l. 1458. H. -So. compares the Icelandic saga account of Grettir's battle
with the giant in the cave. hæft-mēce may be = Icel. _heptisax_ (_Anglia_,
iii. 83), "hip-knife. "
l. 1459. "The sense seems to be 'pre-eminent among the old treasures. ' . . .
But possibly foran is here a prep. with the gen. : 'one before the old
treasures. '". --Sw. For other examples of foran, cf. ll. 985, 2365.
l. 1460. āter-tēarum = _poison-drops_ (C. , _Beit. _ viii. 571; S. , _ibid. _
xi. 359).
l. 1467. þæt, comp. relative, = _that which_; "we testify _that_ we do
know. "
l. 1480. forð-gewitenum is in appos. to me, = _mihi defuncto_. --M.
Callaway, _Am. Journ. of Philol. _, October, 1889.
l. 1482. nime. Conditional clauses of doubt or future contingency take gif
or būton with subj. ; cf. ll. 452, 594; of fact or certainty, the ind. ; cf.
ll. 442, 447, 527, 662, etc. For būton, cf. ll. 967, 1561.
l. 1487. "findan sometimes has a preterit funde in W. S. after the manner
of the weak preterits. "--Cook's Sievers' Cram. , p, 210.
l. 1490. Kl. reads wæl-sweord, = _battle-sword_.
l. 1507. "This cave under the sea seems to be another of those natural
phenomena of which the writer had personal knowledge (ll. 2135, 2277), and
which was introduced by him into the mythical tale to give it a local
color. There are many places of this kind. Their entrance is under the
lowest level of the tide. "--Br. , p. 45.
l. 1514. B. (_Beit. _ xii. 362) explains niðsele, hrōfsele as _roof-covered
hall in the deep_; cf. Grettir Saga (_Anglia_, iii. 83).
l. 1538. Sw. , R. , and ten Br. suggest feaxe for eaxle, = _seized by the
hair_.
l. 1543. and-lēan (R. ); cf. l. 2095. The MS. has hand-lēan.
l. 1546. Sw. and S. read seax. --_Beit. _ ix. 140.
l. 1557. H. -So. omits comma and places semicolon after ȳðelīce; Sw. and S.
place comma after gescēd.
l. 1584.
ōðer swylc = _another fifteen_ (Sw. ); = _fully as many_ (Ha. ).
ll. 1592-1613 _seq. _ Cf. _Anglia_, iii; 84 (Grettir Saga).
l. 1595. blondenfeax = _grizzly-haired_ (Bright, Reader, p. 258); cf.
_Brunanb. _, l. 45 (Bright).
l. 1599. gewearð, impers. vb. , = _agree, decide = many agreed upon this,
that_, etc. (Ha. , p. 55; cf. ll. 2025-2027, 1997; B. , _Beit. _ xii. 97).
l. 1605. C. supposes wiston = wīscton = _wished_. --_Beit. _ viii. 571.
l. 1607. brōden mǣl is now regarded as a comp. noun, = _inlaid or
damascened sword_. --W. , Ho.
l. 1611. wæl-rāpas = _water-ropes = bands of frost_ (l. 1610) (? ). Possibly
the Prov. Eng. weele, _whirlpool_. Cf. wǣl, _gurges_, Wright, Voc. , _Gnom.
Verses_, l. 39. --E.
l. 1611. wǣgrāpas (Sw. ) = _wave-bands_ (Ha. ).
l. 1622. B. suggests eatna = eotena, eardas, _haunts of the giants_
(Northumbr. ea for eo).
l. 1635. cyning-holde (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 369); cf. l. 290.
l. 1650. H. , Gr. , and Ettmüller understand idese to refer to the queen.
l. 1651. Cf. _Anglia_, iii. 74, _Beit. _ xi. 167, for coincidences with the
Grettir Saga (13th cent. ).
l. 1664. B. proposes eotenise . . . èste for ēacen . . . oftost, omitting
brackets (_Zackers Zeitschr. _ iv. 206). G. translates _mighty . . . often_.
l. 1675. ondrǣdan. "In late texts the final n of the preposition on is
frequently lost when it occurs in a compound word or stereotyped phrase,
and the prefix then appears as a: abútan, amang, aweg, aright,
adr'ǣdan. "--Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 98.
ll. 1680-1682. Giants and their work are also referred to at ll. 113, 455,
1563, 1691, etc.
l. 1680. Cf. ceastra . . . orðanc enta geweorc, _Gnomic Verses_, l. 2;
Sweet's Reader, p. 186.
ll. 1687-1697. "In this description of the writing on the sword, we see the
process of transition from heathen magic to the notions of Christian times
. . . . The history of the flood and of the giants . . . were substitutes for
names of heathen gods, and magic spells for victory. "--E. Cf. Mohammedan
usage.
ll. 1703, 1704. þæt þē eorl nǣre geboren betera (B. , _Tidskr. _ 8, 52).
l. 1715. āna hwearf = _he died solitary and alone_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38); =
_lonely_ (Ha. ); = _alone_ (G. ).
l. 1723. lēod-bealo longsum = _eternal hell-torment_ (B. , _Beit. _ xii. 38,
who compares _Ps. Cott. _ 57, līf longsum).
l. 1729. E. translates on lufan, _towards possession_; Ha. , _to
possessions_.
l. 1730. mōdgeþonc, like lig, sǣ, segn, niht, etc. , is of double gender
(m. , n. in the case of mōdgeþ. ).
l. 1741. The doctrine of nemesis following close on ὓβρις, or overweening
pride, is here very clearly enunciated. The only protector against the
things that "assault and hurt" the soul is the "Bishop and Shepherd of our
souls" (l. 1743).
l. 1745 appears dimly to fore-shadow the office of the evil archer Loki,
who in the Scandinavian mythology shoots Balder with a mistletoe twig. The
language closely resembles that of Psalm 64.
l. 1748. Kl. regards wom = wō(u)m; cf. wōh-bogen, l. 2828. See Gloss. , p.
295, under wam. Contrast the construction of bebeorgan a few lines below
(l. 1759), where the dat. and acc. are associated.
l. 1748. See Cook's Sievers' Gram. , p. 167, for declension of wōh, _wrong_
= gen. wōs or wōges, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ; pl. gen. wōra, dat. wō(u)m, etc. ;
and cf.
