Northumbrian aelda recension

A critical edition of the probable recension archetype

Based on M with collations from P.

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Poem

    Nu scylun[1] hergan      hefaenricaes uard,

    metudæs maecti,      end his modgidanc,

    uerc uuldurfadur—      sue[2] he uundra gihuaes,

    eci dryctin,      or astelidæ!

5     He aerist scop      aelda barnum

    heben til hrofe,      haleg sceppend;

    tha[3] middungeard,      moncynnæs uard,

    eci dryctin,      æfter tiadæ

    firum foldu,      frea allmectig.

Apparatus (All witness readings (analytic))

1a Nu] {([Nu M Nu P])}.

1a scylun] {([scylun M][scılun P])}.

1a hergan] {([herge\a/n M][herga P])}.

1b hefaenricaes] {([hefaen rıcaes M][hefen rıcæs P])}.

1b uard] {([uard M uard P])}.

2a metudæs] {([metudæs M metudæs P])}.

2a maecti] {([maectı M][mehtı P])}.

2b end] {([end M])([and P])}.

2b his] {([hıs M hıs P])}.

2b modgidanc] {([modgıdanc M][mod gıthanc P])}.

3a uerc] {([uerc M uerc P])}.

3a uuldurfadur] {([⟨uul⟩dur fadur| M uuldur fadur P])}.

3b sue] {([sue M sue P])}.

3b he] {([he M he P])}.

3b uundra] {([uundra M uundra| P])}.

3b gihuaes] {([gıhuaes M][gı huæs P])}.

4a eci] {([ecı M ecı P])}.

4a dryctin] {([drın{yc}tın M dryctın P])}.

4b or] {([or M or P])}.

4b astelidæ] {([astelıdæ M astelıdæ P])}.

5a He] {([he M he P])}.

5a aerist] {([aerıst M][ærıst P])}.

5a scop] {([scop M scop P])}.

5b aelda] {([aelda M])([aeldu P])}.

5b barnum] {([barnum P][barnū M])}.

6a heben] {([heben M][hefen P])}.

6a til] {([tıl M])}{([to P])}.

6a hrofe] {([hrofe| M][hrofæ P])}.

6b haleg] {([h[a]leg M][halıg P])}.

6b sceppend] {([sceppend| P])}{([scepen· M])}.

7a tha] {([tha M tha P])}.

7a middungeard] {([mın{d}dun geard M][mıddıngard P])}.

7b moncynnæs] {([moncynnæs M moncynnæs P])}.

7b uard] {([uard M uard P])}.

8a eci] {([ecı M ecı P])}.

8a dryctin] {([dryctın M dryctın P])}.

8b æfter] {([æf⟨ter⟩ M æfter P])}.

8b tiadæ] {([tıadæ M tıadæ P])}.

9a firum] {([fırum M fırum P])}.

9a foldu] {([fold\u/ M foldu P])}.

9b frea] {([frea M frea P])}.

9b allmectig] {([allmectıg| M][all mehtıg·| P])}.

Notes

[1]scylun] scylun is either first person plural with an unexpressed subject (i.e. [ƿue/ƿe] scylun), or third person plural with uerc uuldurfadur, 3a, as subject. The former interpretation is supported by the form in Bede’s paraphrase, debemus; but the latter interpretation is suggested by a lack of convincing syntactic parallels in Old English (see especially Mitchell 1985b), and, perhaps, similar syntax in the Benedicite (Stanley 2002, 3). See above, §§ 5.18-5.20 and 2.43. scylun (and variant spellings) appears without a pronominal subject in all witnesses to the Northumbrian aelda recension (i.e. P and M) and the earliest witnesses to the West-Saxon eorðan recension (N, O [Pre-Correction], and T1). All other recensions and later manuscripts of the West-Saxon eorðan recension have a variant of ƿue/ƿe as subject.

[2]sue] Howlett suggests that sue may be intended as an adverb (“thus”) rather than a causal conjunction (“as, because”). For a discussion of the evidence, see above, § C.9. The punctuation here assumes sue is a conjunction.

[3]tha] tha can be construed as either a causal conjunction (“when”) or an adverb (“then”). While the reading has considerable effect on our understanding of the poem’s structure and theology (see above, § C.9, and esp. Blockley 1998, 20-26), neither reading can be ruled out conclusively. The punctuation in this edition follows that of most modern editions in treating tha as an adverb.