Emily Lethbridge (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni byskup Kolbeinsson, Jómsvíkingadrápa 3’ 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. 961.
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
[1] dreng ‘the fellow [I]’: The noun is in the acc. sg., as part of an impersonal construction. The connotations of the word drengr here are elusive. It normally has a positive, even heroic, sense such as ‘(young) man, (manly) man, warrior’, as frequently in Jóms (e.g. st. 8/2, and cf. snyrtidrengja ‘fine young warriors’, drengmenn ‘fighting-men’ in st. 39/2, 8), but it also appears in mock-heroic contexts; see Notes to Anon Sveinfl 1/6, Sigv Austv 5/2.
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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2. dár (adj.): [charmed]
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
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svarri (noun m.; °-a): (proud) lady
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dorg (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): trolling-line, fishing-line
[2] dorgar ‘of the fishing-line’: Or more specifically, ‘trolling-line’, a fishing-line that is drawn through water in various ways. — [2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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dorg (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): trolling-line, fishing-line
[2] dorgar ‘of the fishing-line’: Or more specifically, ‘trolling-line’, a fishing-line that is drawn through water in various ways. — [2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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dorg (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): trolling-line, fishing-line
[2] dorgar ‘of the fishing-line’: Or more specifically, ‘trolling-line’, a fishing-line that is drawn through water in various ways. — [2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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dorg (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): trolling-line, fishing-line
[2] dorgar ‘of the fishing-line’: Or more specifically, ‘trolling-line’, a fishing-line that is drawn through water in various ways. — [2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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dorg (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): trolling-line, fishing-line
[2] dorgar ‘of the fishing-line’: Or more specifically, ‘trolling-line’, a fishing-line that is drawn through water in various ways. — [2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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dorg (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): trolling-line, fishing-line
[2] dorgar ‘of the fishing-line’: Or more specifically, ‘trolling-line’, a fishing-line that is drawn through water in various ways. — [2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
[2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
[2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
[2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
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langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long
[3, 4] því skapi hefr haldit oss ‘that mood has persisted in us [me]’: An impersonal use of haldit (see LP: halda C. 3).
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hafa (verb): have
[3, 4] því skapi hefr haldit oss ‘that mood has persisted in us [me]’: An impersonal use of haldit (see LP: halda C. 3).
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
[3, 4] því skapi hefr haldit oss ‘that mood has persisted in us [me]’: An impersonal use of haldit (see LP: halda C. 3).
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
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ungr (adj.): young
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eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire < eldreið (noun f.)
[4] eldreið: ‘elld[…]’ R, ‘elbreid’ 65ˣ, eldreið RCP, ‘elld (rei)ð’(?) RFJ
[2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire < eldreið (noun f.)
[4] eldreið: ‘elld[…]’ R, ‘elbreid’ 65ˣ, eldreið RCP, ‘elld (rei)ð’(?) RFJ
[2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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1. reið (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar): riding; chariot < eldreið (noun f.)
[4] eldreið: ‘elld[…]’ R, ‘elbreid’ 65ˣ, eldreið RCP, ‘elld (rei)ð’(?) RFJ
[2, 4] dorgar vangs eldreið ‘the chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]’: Eldreið ‘fire-chariot’ is also found in KormǪ Lv 48/3V (Korm 69), in a structurally similar woman-kenning; see O’Donoghue (1991, 139-40).
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1. skap (noun n.; °-s; *-): mind, fate
[3, 4] því skapi hefr haldit oss ‘that mood has persisted in us [me]’: An impersonal use of haldit (see LP: halda C. 3).
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halda (verb): hold, keep
[3, 4] því skapi hefr haldit oss ‘that mood has persisted in us [me]’: An impersonal use of haldit (see LP: halda C. 3).
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þó (adv.): though
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yrkja (verb): compose
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
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ítr (adj.): glorious
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allfár (adj.): [very little]
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mjǫðr (noun m.; °dat. miði): mead
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þella (noun f.): fir, young pine
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vel (adv.): well, very
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2. sama (verb): befit
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2. enn (adv.): still, yet, again
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
[7] eina: ‘ei[…]’ R, eina 65ˣ, RCP, RFJ
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ǫl (noun n.; °-s; -): ale < ǫlselja (noun f.): [ale-willow]
[8] ǫlselju ‘ale-willow [WOMAN]’: The kenning also occurs in ÞBrún Lv 1/8V (Heið 6). Selja is a tree-name denoting ‘willow, sallow’ (cf. Þul Viðar 1/2III; Meissner 410; LP: 1. selja), and hence the kenning closely matches the woman-kenning þellu mjaðar ‘pine-tree of mead [WOMAN]’ in l. 6.
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1. selja (noun f.; °-u): willow < ǫlselja (noun f.): [ale-willow]
[8] ǫlselju ‘ale-willow [WOMAN]’: The kenning also occurs in ÞBrún Lv 1/8V (Heið 6). Selja is a tree-name denoting ‘willow, sallow’ (cf. Þul Viðar 1/2III; Meissner 410; LP: 1. selja), and hence the kenning closely matches the woman-kenning þellu mjaðar ‘pine-tree of mead [WOMAN]’ in l. 6.
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
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þylja (verb): recite
[8] þylja: ‘þy[…]’ R, om. 65ˣ, ‘þy[…]ia’ RCP, ‘þy(l)ia’(?) RFJ
[8] þylja ‘to recite’: CVC: þylja glosses the verb as ‘to say, read, chant’, ‘to murmur’. It can have ritual, ceremonial, performative connotations; Poole (2010a) discusses the act of þylja in Jóms with reference to the Odinic material in st. 4, as well as elsewhere in Old Norse literature.
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Dreng var dátt of svarra |
The fellow [I] was charmed by the woman long ago; that mood has persisted in us [me] in relation to the young chariot of the fire of the plain of the fishing-line [(lit. ‘fire-chariot of the plain of the fishing-line’) SEA > GOLD > WOMAN]. Yet I have composed very little about the excellent pine-tree of mead [WOMAN]; it is still very fitting for me to recite about a certain ale-willow [WOMAN].
On the ordering of sts 2-5, see Introduction.
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