Matthew Townend (ed.) 2017, ‘Hallvarðr háreksblesi, Knútsdrápa 6’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 237.
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England (noun n.): England
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
[1] ræðr: réð Holm2, 325V, J2ˣ, 321ˣ, Bæb, 61, 68, 325XI 2 g, 325VII, Flat, Tóm
[1] ræðr ‘rules’: Ms. Kˣ’s pres. tense is the minority form, with all ÓH mss except Holm4 showing pret. réð ‘ruled’. However, a tense-progression within the stanza from ræðr (first helmingr) to hefr þrungit ‘has forced’ (ll. 5, 8; second helmingr) makes more sense than one from réð to hefr þrungit.
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Yngvi (noun m.): Yngvi, prince
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hefja (verb): lift, start
[2] hefsk: hófsk 325V, J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 61, 325VII, Flat, Tóm
[2] hefsk ‘commences’: Again, pres. and pret. tense alternate in the mss, though in this case the pres. tense is (just) the majority form.
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friðr (noun m.): peace
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2. beinn (adj.; °beinan; compar. beinni, superl. beinastr/beinstr): straight
[2] beinni: beini 325V, 325VII, Flat, beinn 321ˣ, beimi Tóm
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rakkr (adj.; °compar. -ari): bold < bǫðrakkr (adj.)
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bœn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): request, prayer
[3] bœnar: ‘brꜹtar’ J2ˣ, ‘bodar’ 61
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bœn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): request, prayer
[3] bœnar: ‘brꜹtar’ J2ˣ, ‘bodar’ 61
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bœn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): request, prayer
[3] bœnar: ‘brꜹtar’ J2ˣ, ‘bodar’ 61
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1. nǫkkvi (noun m.; °-a): boat
[3] nǫkkva: nakkvat 325V, ‘nockvar’ 321ˣ, nǫkkut 61, ‘nacca’ 325VII, ‘nockuat’ Flat, ‘nauckuat’ Tóm
[3] nǫkkva ‘of the ship’: Clearly, a number of scribes took this to be a form of the adj./pron. nakkvarr ‘someone’ in their attempt to construe the helmingr. For nǫkkvi ‘ship’, see Note to Þul Skipa 1/8.
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1. nǫkkvi (noun m.; °-a): boat
[3] nǫkkva: nakkvat 325V, ‘nockvar’ 321ˣ, nǫkkut 61, ‘nacca’ 325VII, ‘nockuat’ Flat, ‘nauckuat’ Tóm
[3] nǫkkva ‘of the ship’: Clearly, a number of scribes took this to be a form of the adj./pron. nakkvarr ‘someone’ in their attempt to construe the helmingr. For nǫkkvi ‘ship’, see Note to Þul Skipa 1/8.
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1. nǫkkvi (noun m.; °-a): boat
[3] nǫkkva: nakkvat 325V, ‘nockvar’ 321ˣ, nǫkkut 61, ‘nacca’ 325VII, ‘nockuat’ Flat, ‘nauckuat’ Tóm
[3] nǫkkva ‘of the ship’: Clearly, a number of scribes took this to be a form of the adj./pron. nakkvarr ‘someone’ in their attempt to construe the helmingr. For nǫkkvi ‘ship’, see Note to Þul Skipa 1/8.
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bǫrkr (noun m.; °dat. berki/bǫrk, acc. bark(Kjaln 9¹³n.); acc. bǫrku): [bark] < barkrjóðr (noun m.)
[4] bark‑: ‘bꜹrk’ J2ˣ, ‘brack’ 321ˣ, brak‑ 325VII
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bǫrkr (noun m.; °dat. berki/bǫrk, acc. bark(Kjaln 9¹³n.); acc. bǫrku): [bark] < barkrjóðr (noun m.)
[4] bark‑: ‘bꜹrk’ J2ˣ, ‘brack’ 321ˣ, brak‑ 325VII
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1. rjóðr (noun m.): reddener < barkrjóðr (noun m.)
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Danmǫrk (noun f.): [Denmark]
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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hafa (verb): have
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Leikn (noun f.): [Leikn, of Leikn]
[5] Leiknar ‘of the Leikn <giantess>’: A giantess-name (see LP: Leikn, McKinnell 2005, 112 and Note to Þul Trollkvenna 4/7) used here as the base-word in a kenning for ‘valkyrie’.
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Leikn (noun f.): [Leikn, of Leikn]
[5] Leiknar ‘of the Leikn <giantess>’: A giantess-name (see LP: Leikn, McKinnell 2005, 112 and Note to Þul Trollkvenna 4/7) used here as the base-word in a kenning for ‘valkyrie’.
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jalmr (noun m.): screech, noise < jalmfreyr (noun m.)
[6] jalm‑: alm‑ J2ˣ, Bæb, 325VII, ‘jalmer’ 321ˣ
[6] jalm ‘of the noise’: This word has been re-interpreted by some scribes as almr ‘bow’, which gives an over-determined warrior-kenning, ‘the bow-Freyr of weapons’.
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jalmr (noun m.): screech, noise < jalmfreyr (noun m.)
[6] jalm‑: alm‑ J2ˣ, Bæb, 325VII, ‘jalmer’ 321ˣ
[6] jalm ‘of the noise’: This word has been re-interpreted by some scribes as almr ‘bow’, which gives an over-determined warrior-kenning, ‘the bow-Freyr of weapons’.
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Freyr (noun m.): (a god) < jalmfreyr (noun m.)
[6] Freyr: fyr 321ˣ, ‑rjóðr Bæb, frægr 61
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3. und (prep.): under, underneath
[6, 8] þrungit und sik ‘forced under him’: The locution also occurs in Þhorn Gldr 6/1, 4I, Ótt Hfl 20/8I, Arn Magndr 7/8II and elsewhere (see LP: þryngva; see also Bolton 2009, 264-9 and McKinnell 2005, 155).
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sik (pron.; °gen. sín, dat. sér): (refl. pron.)
[6, 8] þrungit und sik ‘forced under him’: The locution also occurs in Þhorn Gldr 6/1, 4I, Ótt Hfl 20/8I, Arn Magndr 7/8II and elsewhere (see LP: þryngva; see also Bolton 2009, 264-9 and McKinnell 2005, 155).
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malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal
[6] malma: malmi 325V, hjalma 61
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malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal
[6] malma: malmi 325V, hjalma 61
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hjaldrǫrr (adj.): [battle-eager one]
[7] hjaldrǫrr: ‘hlialldr’ 325VII
[7] hjaldrǫrr ‘the battle-eager one’: This word can either be a substantivised adj. (with a short vowel in the second element) or a noun (hjaldrôrr ‘battle-performer’, with a long vowel in the second element). The adj. is adopted here, as also by ÍF 27 and Jesch (2000); Skj B, Skald and Frank (1994b) prefer the noun (as does LP: hjaldrôrr for this occurrence).
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1. haukr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): hawk
[7] haukum: hauka J2ˣ, Bæb, ‘[…]’ 325XI 2 g, aukum Tóm
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1. þverra (verb): diminish
[7] þverrir: ‘[…]’ 325XI 2 g, þverrar Tóm
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2. hungr (noun n.): hunger
[8] hungr Nóregi þrungit: ‘[…]’ 325XI 2 g; hungr: ‘hungs’ J2ˣ, hungrs Bæb
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Noregr (noun m.): Norway
[8] hungr Nóregi þrungit: ‘[…]’ 325XI 2 g; Nóregi: ‘storer’ 321ˣ
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þrøngva (verb): press, throng
[8] hungr Nóregi þrungit: ‘[…]’ 325XI 2 g; þrungit: ‘þravm þrvngit’ 325V, þrungin 61, þrunginn Holm4
[6, 8] þrungit und sik ‘forced under him’: The locution also occurs in Þhorn Gldr 6/1, 4I, Ótt Hfl 20/8I, Arn Magndr 7/8II and elsewhere (see LP: þryngva; see also Bolton 2009, 264-9 and McKinnell 2005, 155).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Englandi ræðr yngvi |
The king, the battle-bold reddener of the bark of the ship of prayer [(lit. ‘bark-reddener of the ship of prayer’) BREAST > MAIL-SHIRT > WARRIOR], alone rules England and Denmark; peace commences the more easily. And the Freyr <god> of the noise of weapons [(lit. ‘noise-Freyr of weapons’) BATTLE > WARRIOR] has forced under him Norway; the battle-eager one diminishes hunger for the hawks of the Leikn <giantess> of spears [VALKYRIE > RAVENS/EAGLES].
The stanza is quoted in ÓH and Hkr following Knútr’s 1028 conquest of Norway orrostulaust ‘without a battle’.
On Knútr’s conquest, see further Bolton (2009). — [5-8]: Kock and Meissner (1931, II, 93) interpret the kennings in this second helmingr as odda Leiknar jalm-Freyr ‘the Freyr of the noise of the Leikn <giantess> of spears [VALKYRIE > BATTLE > WARRIOR]’ and haukar malma ‘hawks of weapons [RAVENS/EAGLES]’. This has the syntactic benefit of leading to only one intercalary phrase, not two, but the resultant kennings seem less satisfactory (see also NN §2265B). Other eds adopt the interpretation followed here.
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