Note to ESk Lv 2^II

[5-6, 8] jǫfra heiðar galdrs hlíðrœkjanda ‘the cultivator of the slope of the chant of the chieftains of the heath [(lit. ‘slope-cultivator of the chant of the chieftains of the heath’) GIANTS > GOLD > WOMAN > MAN]’: The interpretation of this kenning was suggested by Kock (NN §962). Skj B construes it as follows: rœkjanda galdrs hlíð-jǫfra heiðar ‘the cultivator of the chant of the slope-chieftains of the heath’ i.e. ‘the cultivator of the chant of the giants’ (‘the cultivator of gold’). The problem with that interpretation is that the first element (hlíð- ‘slope-’) of the cpd hlíðrœkjanda ‘slope-cultivator’ must be a determinant for the base-word rœkjanda ‘cultivator’, and it cannot function as a determinant for jǫfra ‘chieftains’. Although Kock’s interpretation is the only possible one, it is not completely satisfactory, because, outside of Krákumál (Anon Krm^VIII), men are not represented in kennings as ‘husband’ or ‘beloved’ (see Meissner 351). However, if we assume an agricultural/sexual sense here (see Note to Anon Nkt 8/1, 2), this objection disappears. The kenning ‘chant of the giant’ for ‘gold’ refers to the story about a giant’s wealth being measured in mouthfuls (see SnE 1998, I, 3).

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. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. 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.
5. SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
6. Internal references
7. (forthcoming), ‘ Anonymous, Gull-Ásu-Þórðar þáttr’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=20> (accessed 4 May 2024)
8. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Anonymous Poems, Nóregs konungatal 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 767.
9. Rory McTurk 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Krákumál’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 706. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1020> (accessed 4 May 2024)