Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 15’ 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. 913.
(not checked:)
ǫr (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; ǫrvar/ǫrar): arrow < ǫrbjóðr (noun m.)
[1] Ǫr‑: auð‑ 53, ‘Orr‑’ Flat
(not checked:)
2. bjóðr (noun m.): inviter < ǫrbjóðr (noun m.)
[1] ‑bjóðr: ‑rjóðr 61, 53, 54, Bb(97va)
(not checked:)
átta (num. cardinal): eight
[1, 2] átta ok þrinnum skeiðum ‘eight and three warships’: The numbers of enemy ships are also detailed in the poem: fifteen (st. 16/5), sixty (st. 18/4) and a further five (st. 21/2); see also McDougall and McDougall (1998, 74) on the size of fleets in the battle.
(not checked:)
1. skeið (noun f.; °-ar; -r/-ar/-ir): ship
[1, 2] átta ok þrinnum skeiðum ‘eight and three warships’: The numbers of enemy ships are also detailed in the poem: fifteen (st. 16/5), sixty (st. 18/4) and a further five (st. 21/2); see also McDougall and McDougall (1998, 74) on the size of fleets in the battle.
(not checked:)
efri (adj. comp.; °superl. efstr/øfstr (eft- [$1653$] 13r²³, etc.)): higher, highest
(not checked:)
2. sinn (noun n.; °?dat. -): time
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
[1, 2] átta ok þrinnum skeiðum ‘eight and three warships’: The numbers of enemy ships are also detailed in the poem: fifteen (st. 16/5), sixty (st. 18/4) and a further five (st. 21/2); see also McDougall and McDougall (1998, 74) on the size of fleets in the battle.
[1, 2] átta ok þrinnum skeiðum ‘eight and three warships’: The numbers of enemy ships are also detailed in the poem: fifteen (st. 16/5), sixty (st. 18/4) and a further five (st. 21/2); see also McDougall and McDougall (1998, 74) on the size of fleets in the battle.
(not checked:)
byrr (noun m.; °-jar/-s; -ir, acc. -i/-u(SigrVal 188¹³)): favourable wind
(not checked:)
2. beita (verb; °-tt-): beat, tack
[3] beita ‘to sail ... to windward’: A technical term; see Jesch (2001a, 174).
(not checked:)
þora (verb): dare
(not checked:)
brýnn (adj.; °compar. brýnni, superl. brýnstr/brýnastr): ready, swift
[4] brýnn: ‘brynnt’ Flat
[4] brýnn ‘sharp’: Konráð Gíslason (1895-7), followed by Skj B, reads brynn ‘sharp’ to provide an exact rhyme with mynni ‘mouth’, but the hendingar in Rst are not perfectly regular (see Introduction to Rst) and unequal vowel length is found sporadically in hendingar throughout the skaldic corpus (see ‘Normalisation resulting from linguistic changes’ in General Introduction).
(not checked:)
Þrándr (noun m.): [Trønde] < Þrándheimr (noun m.): Trøndelag
[4] ór Þrándheims: at Svǫlðrar all others
[4] mynni Þrándheims ‘the mouth of Trondheimsfjorden’: Þrándheimr refers to the region of Trøndelag, and here to the fjord that is its principal waterway, and not to the city now called Trondheim, but formerly Nidaros (ON Niðaróss). This reading is compatible with the seafaring description in the stanza, while at mynni Svǫlðrar ‘to the estuary of Svǫlðr’ in the ÓT mss names the ultimate battle-site of Svǫlðr, and tallies well with a near-identical phrase in Skúli Svǫlðr 2/7III (and see Note). This and other evidence could suggest that Svǫlðr was a river or inlet (see McDougall and McDougall 1998, 74-5). It is not clear which is the original reading.
(not checked:)
heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world < Þrándheimr (noun m.): Trøndelag
[4] ór Þrándheims: at Svǫlðrar all others
[4] mynni Þrándheims ‘the mouth of Trondheimsfjorden’: Þrándheimr refers to the region of Trøndelag, and here to the fjord that is its principal waterway, and not to the city now called Trondheim, but formerly Nidaros (ON Niðaróss). This reading is compatible with the seafaring description in the stanza, while at mynni Svǫlðrar ‘to the estuary of Svǫlðr’ in the ÓT mss names the ultimate battle-site of Svǫlðr, and tallies well with a near-identical phrase in Skúli Svǫlðr 2/7III (and see Note). This and other evidence could suggest that Svǫlðr was a river or inlet (see McDougall and McDougall 1998, 74-5). It is not clear which is the original reading.
(not checked:)
mynni (noun n.; °-s; gen. -a): mouth
[4] mynni: so 61, minni all others
[4] mynni Þrándheims ‘the mouth of Trondheimsfjorden’: Þrándheimr refers to the region of Trøndelag, and here to the fjord that is its principal waterway, and not to the city now called Trondheim, but formerly Nidaros (ON Niðaróss). This reading is compatible with the seafaring description in the stanza, while at mynni Svǫlðrar ‘to the estuary of Svǫlðr’ in the ÓT mss names the ultimate battle-site of Svǫlðr, and tallies well with a near-identical phrase in Skúli Svǫlðr 2/7III (and see Note). This and other evidence could suggest that Svǫlðr was a river or inlet (see McDougall and McDougall 1998, 74-5). It is not clear which is the original reading.
(not checked:)
ormr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): serpent
[5, 6] Ormr inn langi skreið ‘Ormr inn langi (“the Long Serpent”) slithered’: Óláfr’s famous warship; see also Note to st. 18/2, and see Hókr Eirfl 3/4. The ‘snake’ metaphor is extended into the verb.
(not checked:)
skríða (verb): creep, glide
[5, 6] Ormr inn langi skreið ‘Ormr inn langi (“the Long Serpent”) slithered’: Óláfr’s famous warship; see also Note to st. 18/2, and see Hókr Eirfl 3/4. The ‘snake’ metaphor is extended into the verb.
(not checked:)
1. ár (noun f.; °-ar, dat. u/-; -ar/-ir(LandslBorg 151b²¹)): oar
(not checked:)
knýja (verb): press forward, urge, drive
[5] knúði: so 61, 53, Flat, kníðu Bb(112ra), gnúði 54, gnúðu Bb(97va)
[5] knúði ‘thrust’: 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. of knýja; the older form kníða seems to be preserved in 3rd pers. pl. pret. indic. kníðu in Bb(112ra): see LP: knýja.
(not checked:)
ǫln (noun f.; °alnar; alnar/alnir): mackerel
[6] ǫlna: so all others, ‘ótna’ Bb(112ra)
(not checked:)
1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
[6] vang: so 61, 53, 54, Bb(97va), vagns Bb(112ra), menn Flat
(not checked:)
2. inn (art.): the
[5, 6] Ormr inn langi skreið ‘Ormr inn langi (“the Long Serpent”) slithered’: Óláfr’s famous warship; see also Note to st. 18/2, and see Hókr Eirfl 3/4. The ‘snake’ metaphor is extended into the verb.
(not checked:)
langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long
[5, 6] Ormr inn langi skreið ‘Ormr inn langi (“the Long Serpent”) slithered’: Óláfr’s famous warship; see also Note to st. 18/2, and see Hókr Eirfl 3/4. The ‘snake’ metaphor is extended into the verb.
(not checked:)
hirð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar(FskB 53)): retinue
(not checked:)
prúðr (adj.; °superl. -astr): magnificent, proud
[7] prúð: prúðr Flat
(not checked:)
hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector
(not checked:)
stýra (verb): steer, control
[7] stýrði: so all others, stúrði Bb(112ra)
(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
(not checked:)
konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king < konungmaðr (noun m.): king
[8] konung‑: kóng 54
(not checked:)
maðr (noun m.): man, person < konungmaðr (noun m.): king
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Ǫrbjóðr átta skeiðum |
The arrow-offerer [WARRIOR] dared a final time to sail eight and three warships to windward out from the mouth of Trondheimsfjorden; the wind became sharp. Ormr inn langi (‘the Long Serpent’) slithered over the field of fish [SEA]; the valiant retinue thrust on the oars; the ruler steered. He was the mightiest of royal men …
The sea battle in the vicinity of Svǫlðr is about to begin and King Óláfr is approaching the island with his eleven ships.
The departure of Óláfr and his fleet marks the beginning of the sequence of stanzas (sts 15-23) depicting his final battle at Svǫlðr (c. 1000). For the battle, see also Hfr ErfÓl 1-24, Skúli SvǫlðrIII, Stefnir Lv 1 (cf. OSnorr Lv), Eþsk Couplet, Hókr Eirfl, ÞKolb Eirdr 8, and the non-contemporary Anon Óldr 17-24; see further the entry on Óláfr Tryggvason in ‘Ruler biographies’ in Introduction to this volume. — [8]: For this line of the refrain, see Note to st. 9/8.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.