A puzzle from Lacnunga CV

Here is an untranslated incantation from a healing charm in an Anglo-Saxon medical manuscript:

Ecce dolgula medit dudum bethegunda brethegunda

elecunda eleuachia mottem mee renum ortha fuetha

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic. alleluiah •

Can anyone help translate this, you would be the first!

I have tried an online translator, Latin produces a few words (see my notes below). It may include elements of Old Irish (this was common in Saxon times to add power to the charm) these words may then have been miscopied. Anyone having any knowledge of Old Irish of even modern Irish may be able to see a word or two.

My notes:

Lacnunga CV

In the Lacnunga this is written as one paragraph, without a heading, I have separated the text into two paragraphs for clarity.

Ecce dolgula medit dudum bethegunda brethegunda

elecunda eleuachia mottem mee renum ortha fuetha

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic. alleluiah •

Singe man this gebed on th se man drmcan wille nygan sithan. 7(&) pater noster nigan fithan.

Translation of the second paragraph

Let one sing this prayer over that which a man is about to drink, nine times, and the Paternoster nine times.

The first paragraph

Although one can find a few Latin words and even two OE words in this charm it refuses to be translated, nevertheless we can however find metre, alliteration and indication of  half lines; all the hall marks of Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Possibly the meaning has been lost through an accumulation of errors coming from many copying’s of the text.

One can imagine a læce (healer) or galdre (wizard) chanting this galdor (charm/spell) rhythmically nine times over the sick to induce a healing state.

We notice again the use of the number nine which was to the Anglo-Saxon’s the most sacred number.

If we add Caesuras (breaks in the lines) we get:

Ecce dolgula medit dudum    bethegunda brethegunda

Elecunda eleuachia    mottem mee renum ortha fuetha

Letaues noeues terre dolge   drore uhic. alleluiah .

Which I think gives a metre:

9 8

8 9

8 8                              

The use of the charm is lost without its heading and the location in the manuscripts offers little help: it is found between CIV ‘For a woman who cannot rear her child’ and

CVI. ‘Against churnels’ (swollen glands).

Using Latin

Ecce dolgula medit dudum bethegunda brethegunda

See               eats   lately

elecunda eleuachia mottem mee renum ortha        fuetha

motto of my kidneys orthodox

letaues noeues terre dolge drore uhic. alleluiah •

     land                              alleluia