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Sonatorrek
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Sonatorrek
Sonatorrek ("the irreparable loss of sons") is a skaldic poem in 25 stanzas, that appears in Egil's Saga (written c.a. 1220–1240), an Icelandic saga focusing on the life of skald and viking, Egill Skallagrímsson (ca. 910–990). The work laments the death of two of the poet's sons, Gunnar, who died of a fever, and Böðvarr, who drowned during a storm. In the assessment of Margaret Clunies Ross, Sonatorrek "has probably received, from the second half of the nineteenth century onwards, the greatest literary approbation accorded to any single skaldic poem". According to the saga, after Egill placed Böðvarr in the family burial mound, he locked himself in his bed-chamber, determined to starve himself to death. Egill’s daughter, Thorgerdr, diverted him from this plan in part by convincing him to compose a memorial poem for Böðvarr, to be carved on a rune-staff.
The first stanza of the poem is attested in all the main medieval manuscripts of the saga (or, where these are now incomplete, in copies made when they were more complete). Only the K-manuscripts have the whole poem.
The first half of st. 23 and the whole of st. 24 also appear in Snorra Edda. According to Bjarni Einarsson, 'the text of the poem is the result of a long series of copies and is in some instances corrupt beyond correction'.
Sonnatorrek is composed in kviðuháttr, a relatively undemanding meter which Egill also employed in his praise-poem, Arinbjarnarkviða. Kviðuháttr is a variant of the usual eddaic metre fornyrðislag, in which the odd lines have only three metrical positions instead of the usual four (i.e. they are catalectic), but the even lines function as usual. As in fornyrðislag, there is systematic alliteration but no rhyme.
Thus the first stanza, as edited and translated by Margaret Clunies Ross (with glosses on kennings and names in brackets), reads
Mjǫk erum tregt
tungu at hrœra
eðr loptvætt
ljóðpundara.
Esa nú vænt
of Viðurs þýfi
né hógdrœgt
ór hugar fylgsni.
It is very hard for me
to move my tongue
or the air-weight
of the song-steelyard [TONGUE > SPEECH].
It is not now promising
concerning the theft of Viðurr <=Óðinn> [POETRY]
nor easily dragged
from the hiding-place of thought [BREAST].
Sonatorrek’s 25 stanzas progress through seven stages:
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Sonatorrek AI simulator
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Sonatorrek
Sonatorrek ("the irreparable loss of sons") is a skaldic poem in 25 stanzas, that appears in Egil's Saga (written c.a. 1220–1240), an Icelandic saga focusing on the life of skald and viking, Egill Skallagrímsson (ca. 910–990). The work laments the death of two of the poet's sons, Gunnar, who died of a fever, and Böðvarr, who drowned during a storm. In the assessment of Margaret Clunies Ross, Sonatorrek "has probably received, from the second half of the nineteenth century onwards, the greatest literary approbation accorded to any single skaldic poem". According to the saga, after Egill placed Böðvarr in the family burial mound, he locked himself in his bed-chamber, determined to starve himself to death. Egill’s daughter, Thorgerdr, diverted him from this plan in part by convincing him to compose a memorial poem for Böðvarr, to be carved on a rune-staff.
The first stanza of the poem is attested in all the main medieval manuscripts of the saga (or, where these are now incomplete, in copies made when they were more complete). Only the K-manuscripts have the whole poem.
The first half of st. 23 and the whole of st. 24 also appear in Snorra Edda. According to Bjarni Einarsson, 'the text of the poem is the result of a long series of copies and is in some instances corrupt beyond correction'.
Sonnatorrek is composed in kviðuháttr, a relatively undemanding meter which Egill also employed in his praise-poem, Arinbjarnarkviða. Kviðuháttr is a variant of the usual eddaic metre fornyrðislag, in which the odd lines have only three metrical positions instead of the usual four (i.e. they are catalectic), but the even lines function as usual. As in fornyrðislag, there is systematic alliteration but no rhyme.
Thus the first stanza, as edited and translated by Margaret Clunies Ross (with glosses on kennings and names in brackets), reads
Mjǫk erum tregt
tungu at hrœra
eðr loptvætt
ljóðpundara.
Esa nú vænt
of Viðurs þýfi
né hógdrœgt
ór hugar fylgsni.
It is very hard for me
to move my tongue
or the air-weight
of the song-steelyard [TONGUE > SPEECH].
It is not now promising
concerning the theft of Viðurr <=Óðinn> [POETRY]
nor easily dragged
from the hiding-place of thought [BREAST].
Sonatorrek’s 25 stanzas progress through seven stages: