Þsvart Lv 1^II

Vask ‘I was’

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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

[1] Vask (‘Var ek’): ‘vard ek’ Flat

í ‘in’

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í (prep.): in, into

[1] í hirð: um hríð Flat

hirð ‘the retinue’

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hirð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar(FskB— 53‡)): retinue

[1] í hirð: um hríð Flat

með ‘with’

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með (prep.): with

[1] með herði: ‘med herdín’ Flat

herði ‘the strengthener’

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herðir (noun m.): sword

[1] með herði: ‘med herdín’ Flat

kennings

hjǫr ‘of sword’

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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword < hjǫrþeyr (noun m.): sword-wind

kennings

hjǫr ‘of sword’

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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword < hjǫrþeyr (noun m.): sword-wind

kennings

þeys ‘wind’

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þeyr (noun m.; °; -jar/-ir): breeze, thawing wind < hjǫrþeyr (noun m.): sword-wind

[2] ‑þeys: ‑þyss Flat

kennings

þeys ‘wind’

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þeyr (noun m.; °; -jar/-ir): breeze, thawing wind < hjǫrþeyr (noun m.): sword-wind

[2] ‑þeys: ‑þyss Flat

kennings

í ‘in’

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(non-lexical)

Orkn ‘the Orkn’

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Orkn (noun f.): Orkn < Orkneyjar (noun f.): [Orkneys]

[2] Orkn‑: ‘ork’ Flat

eyjum ‘eys’

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1. ey (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -ju/-; -jar): island < Orkneyjar (noun f.): [Orkneys]

réð ‘went’

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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide

folk ‘of the fight’

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folk (noun n.): people < folkstari (noun m.): battle-starling

kennings

folk ‘of the fight’

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folk (noun n.): people < folkstari (noun m.): battle-starling

kennings

stara ‘starling’

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1. stari (noun m.): starling < folkstari (noun m.): battle-starling

[3] ‑stara: so Flat, ‘star’ R702ˣ

kennings

stara ‘starling’

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1. stari (noun m.): starling < folkstari (noun m.): battle-starling

[3] ‑stara: so Flat, ‘star’ R702ˣ

kennings

fœðir ‘the feeder’

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fœðir (noun m.): feeder, nourisher

kennings

fyrr ‘earlier’

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fyrr (adv.): before, sooner

[4] fyrr: so Flat, firr R702ˣ

notes

[4] fyrr of vetr ‘earlier in the winter’: If this refers to a battle fought in Orkney, it is not clear which battle is meant, but if Þorbjǫrn recalls a battle that took place in the winter before they arrived in Acre, it could well be the battle fought by Rǫgnvaldr and his men in Galicia against the castellan Guðifreyr (see Orkn chs 86-7, ÍF 34, 212-18; see also Rv Lv 17-19, Sigm Lv 1). The Flat variant, fyrr of nætr ‘earlier in the nights’, is likely to be a scribal error.

of ‘in’

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3. of (prep.): around, from; too

[4] of vetr: um nætr Flat

notes

[4] fyrr of vetr ‘earlier in the winter’: If this refers to a battle fought in Orkney, it is not clear which battle is meant, but if Þorbjǫrn recalls a battle that took place in the winter before they arrived in Acre, it could well be the battle fought by Rǫgnvaldr and his men in Galicia against the castellan Guðifreyr (see Orkn chs 86-7, ÍF 34, 212-18; see also Rv Lv 17-19, Sigm Lv 1). The Flat variant, fyrr of nætr ‘earlier in the nights’, is likely to be a scribal error.

vetr ‘the winter’

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vetr (noun m.; °vetrar/vetrs(HómHauksb³ 173²³), dat. vetri; vetr): winter

[4] of vetr: um nætr Flat

notes

[4] fyrr of vetr ‘earlier in the winter’: If this refers to a battle fought in Orkney, it is not clear which battle is meant, but if Þorbjǫrn recalls a battle that took place in the winter before they arrived in Acre, it could well be the battle fought by Rǫgnvaldr and his men in Galicia against the castellan Guðifreyr (see Orkn chs 86-7, ÍF 34, 212-18; see also Rv Lv 17-19, Sigm Lv 1). The Flat variant, fyrr of nætr ‘earlier in the nights’, is likely to be a scribal error.

til ‘to’

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til (prep.): to

styrjar ‘battle’

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styrr (noun m.; °dat. -): battle

Nú ‘Now’

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nú (adv.): now

berum ‘we [I] carry’

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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry

rǫnd ‘the shield’

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rǫnd (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; rendr/randir): shield, shield-rim

með ‘with’

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með (prep.): with

reyndum ‘the tested’

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reyna (verb): test, try, experience

raunsnarliga ‘very quickly’

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raunsnarliga (adv.): [very quickly]

[6] raunsnarliga: so Flat, ‘rannsnarpliga’ R702ˣ

notes

[6] raunsnarliga ‘very quickly’: So Flat. In compounds, raun- functions as an intensifier (see Fritzner IV: raun). The R702ˣ reading, rann snarpliga ‘ran bravely’, does not make much sense in the context. Skj B construes the adv. with með reyndum jarli ‘with the tested jarl’ as með raunsnarliga reyndum jarli, translated as med den overmåde dygtig prøvede jarl ‘with the extremely capable, tested jarl’. However, the adv. snarliga means ‘quickly, fast’, and, as Kock points out (NN §§806, 987, 1853E), the two adverbs raunsnarliga ‘very quickly’ and ǫrt ‘bravely’ must be parallel here (so also ÍF 34).

jarli ‘jarl’

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jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl

ǫrt ‘bravely’

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ǫrr (adj.): generous, brave

á ‘towards’

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3. á (prep.): on, at

notes

[7] á úrga vǫrtu ‘towards the wet gate’: So Flat. The R702ˣ reading ‘a viga po᷎rtu’ cannot be construed to make any sense: á vígaport ‘towards the battle-gates’ is possible syntactically (port ‘gate’ is n.) but unmetrical. The meaning of varta (vǫrtu f. acc. sg.) ‘gate’, is debated (see the overview in Lidén 1928, as well as ÍF 28, 253 n. 3 and ÍF 34, 230 n. f). The word, which as a common noun means ‘wart’, is otherwise attested as a heiti for a part of a ship (Þul Skipa 8/6^III; see Note to Arn Hryn 4/6) and in the name Gullvarta, the Golden Gate (Lat. Aurea porta) in Constantinople (see MsonaHkr ch.12, ÍF 28, 252). Lidén (1928, 360-1) argues convincingly that varta was the Varangian version of Russian vorotá, voróta ‘gate’, and that Þorbjǫrn must have become acquainted with the word on the voyage in the Mediterranean. It is not immediately clear why Acre should be called ‘the wet gate’, but Þorbjǫrn is likely to have perceived this heavily fortified city, which was the most important port of the Crusaders, as the (wet) harbour gate to the Holy Land.

úrga ‘the wet’

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1. úrigr (adj.): wet

[7] úrga vǫrtu: so Flat, ‘viga po᷎rtu’ R702ˣ

notes

[7] á úrga vǫrtu ‘towards the wet gate’: So Flat. The R702ˣ reading ‘a viga po᷎rtu’ cannot be construed to make any sense: á vígaport ‘towards the battle-gates’ is possible syntactically (port ‘gate’ is n.) but unmetrical. The meaning of varta (vǫrtu f. acc. sg.) ‘gate’, is debated (see the overview in Lidén 1928, as well as ÍF 28, 253 n. 3 and ÍF 34, 230 n. f). The word, which as a common noun means ‘wart’, is otherwise attested as a heiti for a part of a ship (Þul Skipa 8/6^III; see Note to Arn Hryn 4/6) and in the name Gullvarta, the Golden Gate (Lat. Aurea porta) in Constantinople (see MsonaHkr ch.12, ÍF 28, 252). Lidén (1928, 360-1) argues convincingly that varta was the Varangian version of Russian vorotá, voróta ‘gate’, and that Þorbjǫrn must have become acquainted with the word on the voyage in the Mediterranean. It is not immediately clear why Acre should be called ‘the wet gate’, but Þorbjǫrn is likely to have perceived this heavily fortified city, which was the most important port of the Crusaders, as the (wet) harbour gate to the Holy Land.

vǫrtu ‘gate’

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varta (noun f.; °; *-ur): [prow, gate]

[7] úrga vǫrtu: so Flat, ‘viga po᷎rtu’ R702ˣ

notes

[7] á úrga vǫrtu ‘towards the wet gate’: So Flat. The R702ˣ reading ‘a viga po᷎rtu’ cannot be construed to make any sense: á vígaport ‘towards the battle-gates’ is possible syntactically (port ‘gate’ is n.) but unmetrical. The meaning of varta (vǫrtu f. acc. sg.) ‘gate’, is debated (see the overview in Lidén 1928, as well as ÍF 28, 253 n. 3 and ÍF 34, 230 n. f). The word, which as a common noun means ‘wart’, is otherwise attested as a heiti for a part of a ship (Þul Skipa 8/6^III; see Note to Arn Hryn 4/6) and in the name Gullvarta, the Golden Gate (Lat. Aurea porta) in Constantinople (see MsonaHkr ch.12, ÍF 28, 252). Lidén (1928, 360-1) argues convincingly that varta was the Varangian version of Russian vorotá, voróta ‘gate’, and that Þorbjǫrn must have become acquainted with the word on the voyage in the Mediterranean. It is not immediately clear why Acre should be called ‘the wet gate’, but Þorbjǫrn is likely to have perceived this heavily fortified city, which was the most important port of the Crusaders, as the (wet) harbour gate to the Holy Land.

Akrsborg ‘Acre’

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Akrsborg (noun f.): [Acre]

notes

[8] Akrsborg ‘Acre’: Taken here as f. acc. sg. ((á) Akrsborg) and as a parallel construction to á vǫrtu ‘towards the gate’ (l. 7). Both Skj B and Skald emend to Akrsborgar (f. gen. sg. with ms. 762ˣ; see Introduction to Lv above), which they construe with úrga vǫrtu (‘the wet gate of Acre’). According to that interpretation (which has no support in the main ms. witnesses), fríamorgin ‘Friday morning’ is treated as a trisyllabic cpd (frjámorgin) rather than occupying four metrical positions (fríamorgin) (see ANG §134.2), which would be a very early example of such a contracted hiatus word. Finnbogi Guðmundsson (ÍF 34) retains the form Akrsborg, which he takes as a dat. sg. (poss. dat.). While that construction may not be impossible, it is unlikely, because poss. dat. usually occurs with body parts, pieces of clothing etc. (see NS §100 Anm. 3). Alternatively, Akrsborg could be taken as a (rare) locative dat. (‘in Acre’; cf. NS §117). For Akrsborg ‘Acre’, see also ESk Sigdr I 3/8 and Note.

fríamorgin ‘on a Friday morning’

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fríamorginn (noun m.): Friday morning