[5] hafs ‘to the sea’: This edn and most others interpret hafs as a gen. of direction modifying ganga ‘to walk, go’. A possible parallel is eggþings, which could mean ‘in the blade-assembly [BATTLE]’ in st. 22/6, 8 (see Note above, and Hkr 1893-1901, IV). (b) Hafs and bragna ‘men’s’ could be construed together in the sense ‘men of the sea’, referring to Ragnfrøðr’s men (Fms 12; Vell 1865, 64; Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, I, 154-5). However, this would be an unusual expression, and to judge from the prose sources Ragnfrøðr was a landed ruler with no particular affiliation to the sea.
References
- Bibliography
- Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
- Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
- Konráð Gíslason. 1895-7. Efterladte skrifter. 2 vols. I: Forelæsninger over oldnordiske skjaldekvad. II: Forelæsninger og videnskablige afhandlinger. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
- Vell 1865 = Freudenthal, Axel Olof. 1865. Einar Skålaglams Vellekla / öfversatt och förklarad af Axel Olof Freudenthal. Helsingfors: Frenckell.