Note to Ótt Lv 1I
[8] íslands ‘of the ice-land [SEA]’: The kenning is paralleled by ísheimr ‘ice-world [SEA]’ in Gamlkan Has 32/2VII, but there may also be word-play here on Ísland ‘Iceland’. Vísi íslands in the sense ‘ruler of the sea’ assumed here would be an unusual ruler-kenning, but one which can accommodate the qualifying adj. mikils. Vísi Íslands would be a more familiar type of ruler-kenning (cf. Meissner 353), but the grounds on which Óláfr might claim to be ruler of Iceland are unclear (see EValg Lv and Eþver Lv 1 for his territorial ambitions in that direction). Conceivably, Íslands could qualify oss ‘us’ (i.e. Óttarr and Sigvatr), giving the sense ‘sovereign, do not humiliate those of us from mighty Iceland’.
References
- Bibliography
- Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
- Internal references
- Diana Whaley 2012, ‘ Eyjólfr Valgerðarson, Lausavísa’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 276. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1157> (accessed 3 June 2024)
- Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr þveræingr Eyjólfsson, Lausavísa 1’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 804.
- Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Gamli kanóki, Harmsól 32’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 100-1.
- Not published: do not cite ()