Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 17

Martin Chase

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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ESk Geisl 17^VII

Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 17’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 21.

Einarr Skúlason Geisli

16 17 18

notes

[1, 2] Stiklastǫðum ‘Stiklestad’: The battle of Stiklestad, in Verdalen, Trøndelag, at which Óláfr lost his life, took place on 29 July 1030. The p. n. occurs with tmesis every time it appears in poetry, doubtless because of the double alliteration on ‘st’, which would require resolution of the two short syllables (-staðir), impossible in position 3 in skaldic poetry before C14th.

víðlendr ‘the widely-landed’

(not checked:)
víðlendr (adj.): widely-landed

kennings

víðlendr lituðr almreyrs
‘the widely-landed reddener of the elm-reed ’
= WARRIOR
the elm-reed → ARROW
the widely-landed reddener of the ARROW → WARRIOR

stǫðum ‘stad’

(not checked:)
1. staðr (noun m.; °-ar/-s; -ir): place

notes

síðan ‘Then’

(not checked:)
síðan (adv.): later, then

Innþrœndum ‘of the Innþrœndir’

(not checked:)
innþrœndr (noun m.): one of the Innþrœndir

notes

[3] Innþrœndum (poss. dat. pl.): The Innþrœndir were people from the inner districts of Trøndelag.

lét ‘caused’

(not checked:)
láta (verb): let, have sth done

undir ‘the wounds’

(not checked:)
1. und (noun f.; °; -ir): wound

alm ‘of the elm’

(not checked:)
almr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): bow, elm-bow < almreyr (noun n.)

[4] almreyrs: alm reyr Flat, ‘almreys’ Bb

kennings

víðlendr lituðr almreyrs
‘the widely-landed reddener of the elm-reed ’
= WARRIOR
the elm-reed → ARROW
the widely-landed reddener of the ARROW → WARRIOR

notes

[4] lituðr almreyrs ‘reddener of the elm-reed [ARROW > WARRIOR]’: Bb’s ‘almreys’, presumably for almreyrs ‘of the elm-reed’, is preferred over Flat’s triple cpd almreyrlituðr ‘elm-reed-reddener’, which is exceptional in skaldic usage.

alm ‘of the elm’

(not checked:)
almr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): bow, elm-bow < almreyr (noun n.)

[4] almreyrs: alm reyr Flat, ‘almreys’ Bb

kennings

víðlendr lituðr almreyrs
‘the widely-landed reddener of the elm-reed ’
= WARRIOR
the elm-reed → ARROW
the widely-landed reddener of the ARROW → WARRIOR

notes

reyrs ‘reed’

(not checked:)
2. reyr (noun n.): reed < almreyr (noun n.)

[4] almreyrs: alm reyr Flat, ‘almreys’ Bb

kennings

víðlendr lituðr almreyrs
‘the widely-landed reddener of the elm-reed ’
= WARRIOR
the elm-reed → ARROW
the widely-landed reddener of the ARROW → WARRIOR

notes

reyrs ‘reed’

(not checked:)
2. reyr (noun n.): reed < almreyr (noun n.)

[4] almreyrs: alm reyr Flat, ‘almreys’ Bb

kennings

víðlendr lituðr almreyrs
‘the widely-landed reddener of the elm-reed ’
= WARRIOR
the elm-reed → ARROW
the widely-landed reddener of the ARROW → WARRIOR

notes

lituðr ‘reddener’

(not checked:)
lituðr (noun m.): colourer

kennings

víðlendr lituðr almreyrs
‘the widely-landed reddener of the elm-reed ’
= WARRIOR
the elm-reed → ARROW
the widely-landed reddener of the ARROW → WARRIOR

notes

dreyra ‘to bleed’

(not checked:)
dreyra (verb; °-rð-): bleed

Heims ‘world’

(not checked:)
heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world

þessa ‘of this’

(not checked:)
1. sjá (pron.; °gen. þessa dat. þessum/þeima, acc. þenna; f. sjá/þessi; n. þetta, dat. þessu/þvísa; pl. þessir): this

frá ‘I heard’

(not checked:)
1. fregna (verb): hear of

k ‘’

(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

hvassan ‘the brave’

(not checked:)
hvass (adj.; °-an; -ari, -astr): keen, sharp

kennings

hvassan branddríf
‘the brave sword-driver ’
= WARRIOR
the brave sword-driver → WARRIOR

hvatir ‘rash’

(not checked:)
hvatr (adj.; °-ari, -an; -astr): keen, brave

felldu ‘killed’

(not checked:)
3. fella (verb): fell, kill

gram ‘the king’

(not checked:)
1. gramr (noun m.): ruler

skatnar ‘men’

(not checked:)
skati (noun m.; °-a; -nar): chieftan, prince

þeir ‘they’

(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...

drýgðu ‘committed’

(not checked:)
drýgja (verb; °-gð-): cause, practise

bǫl ‘evil’

(not checked:)
bǫl (noun n.; °-s, dat. bǫlvi): evil

brigðu ‘from the transitory’

(not checked:)
brigðr (adj.): fickle

baug ‘’

(not checked:)
baugr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): ring

brand ‘sword-’

(not checked:)
brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire < branddrífr (noun m.)

[8] brand‑: baug‑ Bb

kennings

hvassan branddríf
‘the brave sword-driver ’
= WARRIOR
the brave sword-driver → WARRIOR

notes

[8] branddríf ‘sword-driver’: A typical warrior-kenning, but there may also be a foreshadowing of the Hneitir miracle (sts 47-50), in which the supernatural Óláfr causes his sword to move under its own power.

dríf ‘driver’

(not checked:)
1. drífr (noun m.): [strewer] < branddrífr (noun m.)

kennings

hvassan branddríf
‘the brave sword-driver ’
= WARRIOR
the brave sword-driver → WARRIOR

notes

numinn ‘was taken’

(not checked:)
1. nema (verb): to take

lífi ‘life’

(not checked:)
lífi (noun n.; °-s): life

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ESk Geisl 17VII

Vakit ‘broke out’

frák ‘I heard’

víg ‘a battle’

á ‘at’

Stikla ‘Stikle’

notes

víðlendr ‘the widely-landed’

kennings

stǫðum ‘stad’

notes

síðan ‘Then’

Innþrœndum ‘of the Innþrœndir’

notes

lét ‘caused’

undir ‘the wounds’

alm ‘of the elm’

kennings

notes

alm ‘of the elm’

kennings

notes

reyrs ‘reed’

kennings

notes

reyrs ‘reed’

kennings

notes

lituðr ‘reddener’

kennings

notes

dreyra ‘to bleed’

Heims ‘world’

þessa ‘of this’

frá ‘I heard’

k ‘’

hvassan ‘the brave’

kennings

hvatir ‘rash’

felldu ‘killed’

gram ‘the king’

skatnar ‘men’

þeir ‘they’

drýgðu ‘committed’

bǫl ‘evil’

brigðu ‘from the transitory’

baug ‘’

brand ‘sword-’

kennings

notes

dríf ‘driver’

kennings

notes

numinn ‘was taken’

lífi ‘life’

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ESk Geisl 17^VII