Note to Tindr Hákdr 10^I

[1-4]: (a) The interpretation here is essentially that of Finnur Jónsson (1886b, 353-4; Skj B), including his analysis of l. 2 (see Note below) and his overall construal, in which Viðris veðrmagnanda ‘the strengthener of the storm of Viðrir <= Óðinn> [(lit. ‘storm-strengthener of Viðrir’) BATTLE > WARRIOR]’ is taken in apposition with Búa ‘Búi’. However, such apposition is rare in early skaldic poetry, and some corruption of the text is possible, given the generally garbled state of the poem in 510. Other suggestions have been the following. (b) Sveinbjörn Egilsson (Fms 12; SHI 11; cf. LP (1860): bruðr 2) explains ms. bruðar as gen. sg. from bruðr/brunnr ‘spring, well’ taken in the sense of ‘sea’ and combined with fangs (for ms. fang), taken in the sense of ‘combat’, thus yielding the interpretation ‘sea-battle’. However, this is not recognisable skaldic idiom and bruðar would be unmetrical since a long syllable (brúð-) would be required. (c) Kock (NN §§437, 1912) argues for an adverbial gen. brúðar fangs ‘into the bride’s embrace’, referring to the sea-goddess Rán, i.e. the sea into which Búi famously leaps (see Context). He notes close verbal correspondences between this stanza and Vagn Lv, though there the embrace of a woman is literal. Additionally, Kock (NN §437, citing §327D) proposes a sense of virðendr equivalent to virðar ‘men’, but such a use of agentives would not be idiomatic and accordingly these suggestions were rejected by Reichardt (1930, 245).

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. LP (1860) = Sveinbjörn Egilsson, ed. 1860. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis. Copenhagen: Societas Regia antiquariorum septentrionalium.
6. SHI = Sveinbjörn Egilsson, ed. 1828-46. Scripta historica islandorum de rebus gestis veterum borealium, latine reddita et apparatu critico instructa, curante Societate regia antiquariorum septentrionalium. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp etc. and London: John & Arthur Arch.
7. Reichardt, Konstantin. 1930. ‘Beiträge zur Skaldenforschung’. ANF 46, 32-62, 199-258.
8. Finnur Jónsson. 1886b. ‘Bidrag til en rigtigere forståelse af Tindr Hallkelssons vers’. ÅNOH, 309-68.
9. Internal references
10. Matthew Townend 2012, ‘ Vagn Ákason, 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. 366. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3058> (accessed 25 April 2024)