Sigv ErfÓl 19I
Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 19’ 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. 687.
hǫrð ‘’
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
hǫr ‘’
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
Hǫrð ‘a hard’
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
[1] Hǫrðs (‘Hǫrð er’): ‘hǫr er’ 73aˣ, 325V, hǫrð var Tóm
var ‘’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
s ‘’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[1] Hǫrðs (‘Hǫrð er’): ‘hǫr er’ 73aˣ, 325V, hǫrð var Tóm
er ‘’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
her ‘war’
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host < hermaðr (noun m.): warrior
[1] síz hermenn: sú er menn Tóm
menn ‘riors’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person < hermaðr (noun m.): warrior
[1] síz hermenn: sú er menn Tóm
gerðu ‘’
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1. gera (verb): do, make
hlíf ‘the shield’
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hlíf (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): shield, defence
rauzt ‘’
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rjúfa (verb): break
raufi ‘’
róf ‘’
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rjúfa (verb): break
rauf ‘’
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rjúfa (verb): break
raufsk ‘was sundered’
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rjúfa (verb): break
[2] raufsk: rauzk J2ˣ, raufi 321ˣ, rauf 73aˣ, 325V, rauzt Holm4, róf Bb
fyr ‘in front’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
notes
[2] fyr gram ‘in front of the ruler’: Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) takes this instead as ‘by the king’, to give det hårde skjold kløvedes af kongen ‘the hard shield was sundered by the king’. However, this assumes a non-standard sense of fyr and sits uneasily with the otherwise elegaic tone of this stanza. A further possibility is that fyr has the sense ‘to the disadvantage or disfavour of’ (LP: fyr, fyrir B4).
gram ‘of the ruler’
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1. gramr (noun m.): ruler
notes
[2] fyr gram ‘in front of the ruler’: Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) takes this instead as ‘by the king’, to give det hårde skjold kløvedes af kongen ‘the hard shield was sundered by the king’. However, this assumes a non-standard sense of fyr and sits uneasily with the otherwise elegaic tone of this stanza. A further possibility is that fyr has the sense ‘to the disadvantage or disfavour of’ (LP: fyr, fyrir B4).
auð ‘’
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3. auðr (adj.): empty, barren
ǫnd ‘’
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2. ǫnd (noun f.; °andar, dat. ǫnd/ǫndu; andir): soul, breath
auðn ‘desolation’
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1. auðn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): wilderness, desolation
[3] auðn: ǫnd Holm2, J2ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 61, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, auð 321ˣ
notes
[1, 3] firrðu; auðn ‘removed; desolation’: Although both readings are found only in Kˣ (and papp18ˣ) they are adopted here as in previous eds. The variants in the remaining mss, respectively gerðu ‘made’ and ǫnd ‘breath’, do not give good sense. — [3] auðn ‘desolation’: Lit. ‘wilderness, desert’. For the comparison of mood and landscape, cf. Sigv Lv 24. The desolation of the land on the death of a ruler is also mentioned in Eyv Hák 21, Hfr ErfÓl 28 and ÞKolb Eirdr 10. In each case a word etymologically related to auðn (adj. auðr ‘desolate(d)’ or eyðask ‘to be/become deserted’) is used.
auðn ‘desolation’
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1. auðn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): wilderness, desolation
[3] auðn: ǫnd Holm2, J2ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 61, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, auð 321ˣ
notes
[1, 3] firrðu; auðn ‘removed; desolation’: Although both readings are found only in Kˣ (and papp18ˣ) they are adopted here as in previous eds. The variants in the remaining mss, respectively gerðu ‘made’ and ǫnd ‘breath’, do not give good sense. — [3] auðn ‘desolation’: Lit. ‘wilderness, desert’. For the comparison of mood and landscape, cf. Sigv Lv 24. The desolation of the land on the death of a ruler is also mentioned in Eyv Hák 21, Hfr ErfÓl 28 and ÞKolb Eirdr 10. In each case a word etymologically related to auðn (adj. auðr ‘desolate(d)’ or eyðask ‘to be/become deserted’) is used.
at ‘after’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
Engla ‘of the English’
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Englar (noun m.): English people
kennings
stríði Engla,‘the opponent of the English, ’
= Óláfr
the opponent of the English, → Óláfr
sendi ‘’
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sendir (noun m.): sender, distributor
stríði ‘the opponent’
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stríðir (noun m.): opponent, fighter
[3] stríði: sendi J2ˣ, Holm4, 61, Flat, strindi 73aˣ
kennings
stríði Engla,‘the opponent of the English, ’
= Óláfr
the opponent of the English, → Óláfr
ómjúk ‘unyielding’
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ómjúkr (adj.): [unyielding]
notes
[4] ómjúk ‘unyielding’: Following Kock (NN §1117) and ÍF 27, the adj. is construed with auðn ‘desolation’. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) construes it with hlíf ‘shield’.
konung ‘king’
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
sjúkan ‘the wounded’
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sjúkr (adj.): ill, sick
notes
[4] sjúkan ‘wounded’: Lit. ‘sick, ill’. Kock (NN §§1117, 2480E) points out that the adj. can have both meanings; cf., e.g., Blakkr Lv 2/6II.
brá ‘destroyed’
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bregða (verb; °bregðr/brigðr; brá, brugðu; brugðinn/brogðinn): pull, jerk, break; change
Ôleifs ‘of Óláfr’
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Óláfr (noun m.): Óláfr
fjǫrvi ‘the life’
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fjǫr (noun n.): life
ǫld ‘troop’
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ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age
þars ‘where’
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þars (conj.): where
herr ‘the army’
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
skjǫldu ‘shields’
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skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield
notes
[7] fylkir folks ‘the leader of the army’: Folk can mean either ‘army’ or ‘battle’ (LP: folk 1, 2). (a) Kock’s suggestion (NN §2479) is adopted here, of construing folks ‘army’ with fylkir ‘leader’. (b) Alternatively, ǫld ǫr folks would give ‘the troop bold in battle’ (as in Skj B and ÍF 27). This entails a more complex word order.
odda ‘of points’
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oddr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): point of weapon
kennings
fund odda,‘the meeting of points, ’
= BATTLE
the meeting of points, → BATTLE
gekk ‘advanced into’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
[7] gekk: komsk 321ˣ, fekk 73aˣ, Tóm
fylkir ‘the leader’
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fylkir (noun m.): leader
notes
[7] fylkir folks ‘the leader of the army’: Folk can mean either ‘army’ or ‘battle’ (LP: folk 1, 2). (a) Kock’s suggestion (NN §2479) is adopted here, of construing folks ‘army’ with fylkir ‘leader’. (b) Alternatively, ǫld ǫr folks would give ‘the troop bold in battle’ (as in Skj B and ÍF 27). This entails a more complex word order.
kennings
fund odda,‘the meeting of points, ’
= BATTLE
the meeting of points, → BATTLE
en ‘but’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
Dagr ‘Dagr’
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2. Dagr (noun m.): Dagr
notes
[8] Dagr: Dagr Hringsson, a distant relative of the king (ÍF 27, 348), fought with his troop on Óláfr’s side (cf. Þorm Lv 22/4), but was eventually overpowered by the farmers’ army in a phase of the battle known as Dagshríð ‘Dagr’s blizzard’ (ÍF 27, 386; cf. Þorm Lv 24/8).
helt ‘headed’
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halda (verb): hold, keep
undan ‘away’
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undan (adv.): away, away from
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
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Hǫrðs, síz hermenn firrðu |
There is a hard, unyielding desolation after [the death of] the opponent of the English [= Óláfr], since warriors removed the wounded king from life; the shield was sundered in front of the ruler. The bold troop destroyed the life of Óláfr, where the army clove shields; the leader of the army advanced into the meeting of points [BATTLE], but Dagr headed away.
Stanzas 19 and 20 follow on from some comments on the date and time of Óláfr’s death and are introduced as Sigvatr’s words about the close of the battle.
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