Emily Lethbridge (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorkell Gíslason, Búadrápa 6’ 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. 947.
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njóta (verb): enjoy, use
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
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hǫnd (noun f.; °handar, dat. hendi; hendr (hendir StatPáll³ 752¹²)): hand
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hríð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): time, storm
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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snarpr (adj.): sharp, keen
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brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire
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fúss (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): eager, willing
[3] fár randa vas fúst ‘the harm of shields [SWORD] was eager’: There is slight personification of a sword here and in st. 11/4; perhaps also in sungu ‘sang’, l. 7 below.
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[3] fár randa vas fúst ‘the harm of shields [SWORD] was eager’: There is slight personification of a sword here and in st. 11/4; perhaps also in sungu ‘sang’, l. 7 below.
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2. fár (noun n.; °-s): harm, danger
[3] fár randa vas fúst ‘the harm of shields [SWORD] was eager’: There is slight personification of a sword here and in st. 11/4; perhaps also in sungu ‘sang’, l. 7 below.
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rǫnd (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; rendr/randir): shield, shield-rim
[3] fár randa vas fúst ‘the harm of shields [SWORD] was eager’: There is slight personification of a sword here and in st. 11/4; perhaps also in sungu ‘sang’, l. 7 below.
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til (prep.): to
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fjǫrnir (noun m.): helmet
[4] fjǫrnis: so 53, 54, Fjǫlnis 61, Bb
[4] landa fjǫrnis ‘the lands of the helmet [HEADS]’: (a) The reading of 53 and 54, fjǫrnis ‘of the helmet’, is adopted here (as in Wisén 1870, 64, Skj B, Skald and Ólafur Halldórsson 2000). It yields a well-paralleled head-kenning (Meissner 127) which is also echoed in st. 7/8 stǫllum fjǫrnis ‘supports of the helmet’. (b) ‘Fiolnis’ in 61 and Bb would be gen. sg. of Fjǫlnir, a heiti for Óðinn, whose landa ‘lands’ could be Valhǫll, the home of the dead warriors chosen by Óðinn, and Meissner 426 does list two kennings referring to Valhǫll as Óðinn’s dwelling. However, a statement that swords desired Valhǫll would make little sense.
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land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
[4] landa fjǫrnis ‘the lands of the helmet [HEADS]’: (a) The reading of 53 and 54, fjǫrnis ‘of the helmet’, is adopted here (as in Wisén 1870, 64, Skj B, Skald and Ólafur Halldórsson 2000). It yields a well-paralleled head-kenning (Meissner 127) which is also echoed in st. 7/8 stǫllum fjǫrnis ‘supports of the helmet’. (b) ‘Fiolnis’ in 61 and Bb would be gen. sg. of Fjǫlnir, a heiti for Óðinn, whose landa ‘lands’ could be Valhǫll, the home of the dead warriors chosen by Óðinn, and Meissner 426 does list two kennings referring to Valhǫll as Óðinn’s dwelling. However, a statement that swords desired Valhǫll would make little sense.
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falla (verb): fall
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fleinn (noun m.; °dat. fleini): spear < fleinbǫrr (noun m.)
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fljúga (verb): fly
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af (prep.): from
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strengr (noun m.; °-jar; -ir): string, rope, bow-string
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ǫr (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; ǫrvar/ǫrar): arrow
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syngja (verb): sing
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword
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2. við (prep.): with, against
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hlíf (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): shield, defence
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1. gera (verb): do, make
[8] gǫrvar ‘readied’: The exact sense of the adj. (etymologically ‘made’ from gørva ‘make’, hence often ‘complete’) is uncertain. Finnur Jónsson in Skj B translates udmærkede ‘excellent, distinguished’, and in LP fuldstærke ‘very strong’ (LP: gǫrr 1). The present translation assumes the common sense ‘ready (for)’. Although most skaldic examples of this are completed by a gen. phrase, til ‘for’ + noun, or at ‘to’ + inf., there are absolute examples (LP: gǫrr 4).
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The furious battle between the Jómsvíkingar and Hákon jarl and his forces continues.
The end-rhyme extends through each of the two helmingar, rather than being restricted to couplets; see Introduction.
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