Scandinavistica Vilnensis
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Herdís & Ólína: The Poetry of Everyday Life
Full text linkThe twin sisters Herdís Andrésdóttir and Ólína Andrésdóttir were born on the island Flatey in Breiðafjörður, western Iceland, in 1858. Following the death of their father at sea three years later, the family was dispersed and the sisters did not see each other until half a century later, when they were reunited in Reykjavík. In the intervening years both sisters had become well known as capable verse-makers in the traditional style, but it had never, it seems, occurred to them to write any of their poems down, let alone publish them. They were encouraged by friends to do so, and in 1924 they brought out a collection of their verse, entitled simply Ljóðmæli (Poems). Their poetry was highly traditional both in its form, which principally made use of rímur and ballad metres, and in terms of its subject matter, dealing with nature, reflections on life’s joys and sorrows and so on. Ólína, like her cousin Theodóra Thoroddsen, also contributed to the revival of the þula, a form of poetry traditionally associated with children. The book sold well, and a second edition, with some additional poems, came out in 1930. A third edition was brought out in 1976, long after their deaths, containing much new material; this edition has since been reprinted twice. Critical reception was overwhelmingly favourable, both in the learned and more popular press. Though somewhat at odds with the literary establishment of the day, they nevertheless had several powerful supporters among the literary and intellectual élite, foremost among them professor Sigurður Nordal. Despite having been “world-famous in Iceland” in their old age, Herdís and Ólína are little known today, and their work – much of it very fine indeed – has yet to receive the scholarly attention it deserves
The Hero and his Values
Full text linkIn this article, I argue that the portrayals of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani as a hero that emerge from the narratives about the slaying of the dragon in the Prose Edda and in the Saga of the Volsungs are rather different. A hero’s essence is not only about what actions the hero performs or what physical qualities the hero possesses, but also about what choices he makes and what values he adheres to. Therefore, one has to investigate why Sigurðr chose to agree to slay Fáfnir in order to be able to judge how heroic this deed was – or was not. A comparative analysis of the two source texts shows that while the main motivating factor for Sigurðr in the Prose Edda version of the narrative is the prospect of gaining Fáfnir’s treasure, the version contained in the Saga of the Volsungs gives a completely different picture. Here, the main motivation arises from Sigurðr’s own desire to avenge those who had killed his father, Sigmundr. In order to be able to wreak his vengeance, Sigurðr needs a suitable weapon, a sword without equal. Since Reginn is extraordinarily zealous in inciting Sigurðr to slay Fáfnir, Sigurðr promises to do so in exchange for a sword that Reginn – who is a smith with supernatural, dwarf-like competences – has to fashion using all his skill and effort. Additionally, avenging the injustice suffered by Reginn seems morally right, and is compatible with Sigurðr’s plans. The prospect of acquiring a hoard of gold may have contributed to his resolution, but in the Saga of the Volsungs it is not the main motivating factor for Sigurðr
Dreaming the Hammer Back: On Teodoras Bieliackinas’s Translation of Þrymskviða
Full text linkThe paper deals with the legacy of Teodoras Bieliackinas (1907–1947), a Lithuanian exile in Iceland, the first Lithuanian professional Scandinavianist and the first translator of Eddic poetry into Lithuanian. With its background of the “biographical turn” in translation studies and with the help of the concept of “differential margin” proposed by Theo Hermans, the paper focuses on Bieliackinas’s rendition of Þrymskviða into Lithuanian. The aim is to trace the translator’s own ideological agenda, which appears to have been inscribed by him into the Old Norse song. It is claimed that the song about the loss and recovery of Thor’s hammer has been invested by Bieliackinas with a new – allegorical – meaning and can be read as a message of hope that Bieliackinas was sending to his countrymen who, like himself, were scattered around the world and mourned the loss of their state
Den kultur- och litteraturhistoriska gestalten i den lettiska novellen “Svētā Briģita” (“Heliga Birgitta”) av Jānis Ezeriņš
Full text linkCultural-historical and literary gestalt in the Latvian short story “Saint Birgitta” (“Heliga Birgitta”) by Jānis EzeriņšThe Latvian author Jānis Ezeriņš’s (1891–1924) literary heritage includes, among other texts, the collection of short stories Fantastiska novele un citas (Fantastic short story and others, 1923). The collection contains the short story “Svētā Briģita” (“Saint Birgitta”), in which the author has used the image of a saint, which is very well known in the history of culture, literature and religion. The image can be related both to Celtic mythology and the historical Swedish personality, who had been the founder of Vadstena monastery and a literary author herself (approx. 1303–1373). The aim of the article is to explore the function of the image in the prose text by the Latvian author Ezeriņš and its connections with the cultural and historical personality of St. Birgitta. It is not typical of Ezeriņš’s writings to make such an explicit and direct association with this kind of legendary phenomena, therefore the inclusion of the text in the collection may suggest a connection between St. Birgitta’s individual destiny and enduring human values. This writer’s choice can also be seen as his own claim to international recognition
That Rune Will Unlock Time’s Labyrinth…: Old Norse Themes and Motifs in George Mackay Brown’s Poetry
Full text linkGeorge Mackay Brown (1921–1996), an Orcadian poet, author and dramatist, was undoubtedly one of the finest Scottish creative voices of the twentieth century. He was greatly influenced by Old Norse literature, and this is reflected in his writings in many ways. The present article aims to trace and discuss Old Norse themes and motifs in Brown’s poetry. His rune poems, translations of the twelfthcentury skaldic verse, experimentation with skaldic kennings, as well as choosing saga personalities, such as Saint Magnus, Earl Rognvald of Orkney and others, as protagonists of the poems show the poet’s in-depth interest in the historical and literary legacy of his native Orkney and Old Norse culture in general
Norvegų kalbos gramatika / Norwegian Grammar
No full textThe publication is a revised and expanded edition of Norwegian Grammar published in 2012. It is aimed at Lithuanian students of Norwegian. It describes Norwegian word classes and the sentence structure and pronunciation in detail, and provides explanations of a number of linguistic features that are not characteristic of the Lithuanian language. The book contains quite a few examples of language usage and illustrations of grammatical constructions that are all translated into Lithuanian.
Ši knyga – papildytas ir atnaujintas 2012 m. išleistos „Norvegų kalbos gramatikos“ leidimas. Tai praktinė gramatika, skirta besimokantiems norvegų kalbos. Joje išsamiai aprašomos norvegų kalbos dalys, sakinio struktūra, tarimas, paaiškinama nemažai kalbos reiškinių, kurie nebūdingi lietuvių kalbai. Knygoje gausu kalbos vartosenos pavyzdžių, gramatinių konstrukcijų iliustracijų. Kad skaitytojui būtų lengviau suprasti, visi pavyzdžiai išversti į lietuvių kalbą
Norvegų-lietuvių kalbų žodynas / Norsk-litauisk ordbok
No full textThe dictionary is the first lexicographic work of this size devoted to the Norwegian and Lithuanian languages. It describes nearly 30,000 most common words and technical terms as well as relevant abbreviations. It also explains a number of untranslatable Norwegian concepts and contains abundant illustrations that allow not only to understand the meaning of Norwegian words, but also to get acquainted with their usage and stylistic connotations, as well as the principles of Norwegian grammar. Although the dictionary is primarily intended for Lithuanian users, there is some useful information about the Lithuanian accentuation and grammar for the speakers of the Scandinavian languages.
Šiame pirmajame tokio dydžio norvegų ir lietuvių kalboms skirtame leksikografjos veikale aprašoma beveik 30 000 dažniausių ir aktualių dalykinių sričių žodžių, svarbių santrumpų, paaiškinamos neišverčiamos norvegiškos sąvokos. Straipsniuose gausiai pateikiama vartosenos iliustracijų, tad žodynas leidžia ne tik pažinti norvegų kalbos žodžių reikšmes, bet ir susipažinti su jos gramatika, stilistine žodžių verte. Nors žodynas pirmiausia skirtas lietuvių vartotojams, skandinavai jame taip pat ras naudingos informacijos apie lietuvių kalbos kirčiavimą ir gramatiką
Summary
Full text linkSnorri Sturluson. Edda. Translated from Old Icelandic by Rasa Ruseckienė. (Edited by Ieva Steponavičiūtė Aleksiejūnienė). (Akademinė leidyba, 2017).
This is an annotated translation of Snorri Sturluson’s mythopoetic treatise Edda (~1220) into Lithuanian. The book includes translator’s commentary, the introductory essay about Snorri Sturluson, his Edda and the Skalds, the index of proper names, place names and texts, and the bibliography