Fw: Publication Announcement: Translation of Grettis rímur
Burrows, Hannah
Dear Colleagues,
The editorial team from Apardjón Journal for Scandinavian Studies is delighted to announce the publication of Lee Colwill’s translation of Grettis rímur! The publication is now available on the journal’s website:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/translations-2006.php
A note from the translator:
‘Grettis rímur is a fifteenth-century poetic account of the early life of saga-hero Grettir Ásmundarson. It opens with his father Ásmundur establishing the family farm at Bjarg and concludes at the end of Grettir’s first period of exile in Norway. In between, it tells the story of Grettir’s unpleasant childhood, his initial outlawry, and the various adventures by which he proves his worth in Norway, including his defeat of a gang of violent berserkers, single combat with a bear, and his chilling battle in a burial mound with the revenant Kár.
There are very few translations of rímur into English, or indeed any language. Theo Homan's 1975 edition and translation of Skíðaríma was the earliest, followed by Matthew Driscoll's 1999 translation of Skikkjurímur. The last few years have seen a relative flurry of rímur translations, with 'relative' being the key word: in 2015, Hannah Hethmon included a translation of Völsungs rímur as part of her MA thesis; in 2018, Ellis Wylie edited and translated a portion of Lokrur in her BA thesis; and earlier this year, Lee Colwill and Haukur Þorgeirsson published an edition and translation of Þrymlur. This translation of Grettis rímur is therefore an addition to a small group, but one that will hopefully continue to expand in the future, making these influential texts accessible to a wider audience.’
Congratulations to Lee, and to everyone involved in the publication process!
Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Hemphill
On behalf of the Apardjón Editorial Board
Apardjón Journal for Scandinavian Studies
Centre for Scandinavian Studies, University of Aberdeen
Contact: apar...@abdn.ac.uk; Webpage
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Tha Oilthigh Obar Dheathain na charthannas clàraichte ann an Alba, Àir. SC013683.