Lausavísur from Haralds saga Sigurðarsonar §
Edited by Kari Ellen Gade
við ‘with’
[3, 4] við marga prúða knútu ‘with many splendid knuckles’: Knútu m. acc. pl. ‘knuckles, knuckle bones’, used pars pro toto for ‘(dead) men’, anticipating the carnage after the battle.
Closemarga ‘many’
[3, 4] við marga prúða knútu ‘with many splendid knuckles’: Knútu m. acc. pl. ‘knuckles, knuckle bones’, used pars pro toto for ‘(dead) men’, anticipating the carnage after the battle.
Closeknútu ‘knuckles’
knúta (noun f.; °-u): knuckle-bone
[3, 4] við marga prúða knútu ‘with many splendid knuckles’: Knútu m. acc. pl. ‘knuckles, knuckle bones’, used pars pro toto for ‘(dead) men’, anticipating the carnage after the battle.
Closeþat ‘that’
Closeprúða ‘splendid’
prúðr (adj.; °superl. -astr): magnificent, proud
[3, 4] við marga prúða knútu ‘with many splendid knuckles’: Knútu m. acc. pl. ‘knuckles, knuckle bones’, used pars pro toto for ‘(dead) men’, anticipating the carnage after the battle.
CloseKná ‘can’
knega (verb): to know, understand, be able to
[5] valþiðurr kná velja ‘the carnage-grouse [RAVEN/EAGLE] can choose’: In the Mork, H, Hr variant (þar á valþiðurr velja ‘there the carnage-grouse can choose’), the verb á (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic. of eiga) is used as an auxiliary with the inf. velja ‘choose’. A þiðurr is a capercaillie or wood-grouse.
Closeval ‘The carnage’
1. valr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ir): corpse, the slain < valþiðurr (noun m.): [carnage-grouse]
[5] valþiðurr kná velja ‘the carnage-grouse [RAVEN/EAGLE] can choose’: In the Mork, H, Hr variant (þar á valþiðurr velja ‘there the carnage-grouse can choose’), the verb á (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic. of eiga) is used as an auxiliary with the inf. velja ‘choose’. A þiðurr is a capercaillie or wood-grouse.
Closeþiðurr ‘grouse’
nom.
þiðurr (noun m.; °þiðurs; þiðrar): grouse, capercaillie < valþiðurr (noun m.): [carnage-grouse]
[5] valþiðurr kná velja ‘the carnage-grouse [RAVEN/EAGLE] can choose’: In the Mork, H, Hr variant (þar á valþiðurr velja ‘there the carnage-grouse can choose’), the verb á (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic. of eiga) is used as an auxiliary with the inf. velja ‘choose’. A þiðurr is a capercaillie or wood-grouse.
Closevelja ‘choose’
[5] valþiðurr kná velja ‘the carnage-grouse [RAVEN/EAGLE] can choose’: In the Mork, H, Hr variant (þar á valþiðurr velja ‘there the carnage-grouse can choose’), the verb á (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic. of eiga) is used as an auxiliary with the inf. velja ‘choose’. A þiðurr is a capercaillie or wood-grouse.
Closeaf ‘from’
[7, 8] af haukum stafns stillis ‘from the hawks of the leader’s prow’: I.e. from the champions of the leader’s prow, from the leader’s forecastle-men (stafnbúar). Haukr ‘hawk’ was a term for a brave young man (see LP: 1. haukr 2 and Anon (MErl) l. 7) Skj B takes it as a base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (so also ÍF 28), which is also possible: af stillis haukum stafns ‘from the leader’s hawks of the prow’, i.e. ‘from the leader’s ships’. The variant in Hb and E, af stóði stafns Gjúka ‘from the stud-horses of the prow of Gjúki <sea-king>’, is hyperdetermined (stóð Gjúka ‘stud-horses of Gjúki’ and stóð stafns ‘stud-horses of the prow’ both mean ‘ship’) and is of little help.
Closestillis ‘of the leader’s’
[7, 8] af haukum stafns stillis ‘from the hawks of the leader’s prow’: I.e. from the champions of the leader’s prow, from the leader’s forecastle-men (stafnbúar). Haukr ‘hawk’ was a term for a brave young man (see LP: 1. haukr 2 and Anon (MErl) l. 7) Skj B takes it as a base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (so also ÍF 28), which is also possible: af stillis haukum stafns ‘from the leader’s hawks of the prow’, i.e. ‘from the leader’s ships’. The variant in Hb and E, af stóði stafns Gjúka ‘from the stud-horses of the prow of Gjúki <sea-king>’, is hyperdetermined (stóð Gjúka ‘stud-horses of Gjúki’ and stóð stafns ‘stud-horses of the prow’ both mean ‘ship’) and is of little help.
Closehaukum ‘the hawks’
1. haukr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): hawk
[7, 8] af haukum stafns stillis ‘from the hawks of the leader’s prow’: I.e. from the champions of the leader’s prow, from the leader’s forecastle-men (stafnbúar). Haukr ‘hawk’ was a term for a brave young man (see LP: 1. haukr 2 and Anon (MErl) l. 7) Skj B takes it as a base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (so also ÍF 28), which is also possible: af stillis haukum stafns ‘from the leader’s hawks of the prow’, i.e. ‘from the leader’s ships’. The variant in Hb and E, af stóði stafns Gjúka ‘from the stud-horses of the prow of Gjúki <sea-king>’, is hyperdetermined (stóð Gjúka ‘stud-horses of Gjúki’ and stóð stafns ‘stud-horses of the prow’ both mean ‘ship’) and is of little help.
Closestafns ‘prow’
stafn (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): prow
[7, 8] af haukum stafns stillis ‘from the hawks of the leader’s prow’: I.e. from the champions of the leader’s prow, from the leader’s forecastle-men (stafnbúar). Haukr ‘hawk’ was a term for a brave young man (see LP: 1. haukr 2 and Anon (MErl) l. 7) Skj B takes it as a base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (so also ÍF 28), which is also possible: af stillis haukum stafns ‘from the leader’s hawks of the prow’, i.e. ‘from the leader’s ships’. The variant in Hb and E, af stóði stafns Gjúka ‘from the stud-horses of the prow of Gjúki <sea-king>’, is hyperdetermined (stóð Gjúka ‘stud-horses of Gjúki’ and stóð stafns ‘stud-horses of the prow’ both mean ‘ship’) and is of little help.
Closeþví ‘that’
CloseTeaching text: text section
Here you can see a piece of text. Clicking on words in the text will show you the dictionary headword, grammatical information and notes on how the word is used.
You should pay careful attention to the explanation of each word. You can test your knowledge using the translation and other exercises.
In some cases there may be audio of a modern Icelandic rendition of the text on this page.