Note 27 — The Ballad of Hamther

In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth, | the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli. Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.