Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Vígfúss Víga-Glúmsson, Poem about Hákon jarl(?) 1’ 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. 363.
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2. varða (verb): defend
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þar (adv.): there
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4. at (conj.): that
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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1. verða (verb): become, be
[1] Varðat: so FskAˣ, var at þar FskBˣ, varðar 510
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1. hœgr (adj.; °acc. -an/-jan; comp. hǿgri, superl. hǿgstr/hǿgastr): convenient, calm, pleasant
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
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þar (adv.): there
[1] þás ‘when’: Þars ‘where’ in 510 would be equally acceptable, and it is adopted by Konráð Gíslason (1892, 19).
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hurð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): door
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hjǫrklofinn (adj./verb p.p.): [sword-riven]
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
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hrørna (verb)
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horn (noun n.; °-s; -): horn
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2. heita (verb): be called, promise
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
[3] hôtt: ‘het’ FskAˣ
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syngja (verb): sing
[3] Hǫgna ‘of Hǫgni <legendary hero>’: The 510 variant hjǫrva ‘of swords’ would also form a battle-kenning with hregg ‘storm’.
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gátt (noun f.): door, gate
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Geitir (noun m.): Geitir
[3] Geitis: so 510, ‘giætte’ FskBˣ, ‘gattar’ FskAˣ
[3] Geitis ‘of Geitir <sea-king>’: Geitir appears among heiti for sea-kings in Þul Sækonunga 1/7III, and in a shield-kenning garðr Geitis ‘enclosure of Geitir’ in Þjóð Haustl 20/5III. Kock (Skald; NN §385), pointing out the awkwardness of the word order assumed here and in previous eds, opts for the FskAˣ reading gáttar and reads hregg gáttar Hǫgna ‘storm of the door of Hǫgni [SHIELD > BATTLE]’. This, however, leaves hurðir ‘doors’ in l. 1 as a shield-kenning without a determinant, and Kock’s suggestion that a determinant is supplied in the following adj. hjǫrklofnar ‘sword-riven’ does not entirely convince.
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
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til (prep.): to
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2. Vagn (noun m.): [Vagn, with Vagn]
[4] Vagns ‘Vagn’: Vagn Ákason, one of the leaders of the force known in later tradition as the Jómsvíkingar; see skald Biography of Vagn.
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
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leggja (verb): put, lay
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þar (adv.): there
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
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þrøngvir (noun m.): forcer
[5] þrøngvar (‘þro᷎nguar’ or ‘þio᷎nguar’): so 510, ‘þrongann’ FskBˣ, ‘þrꝍngrar’ FskAˣ
[5] þrøngvar ‘forcers’: Emendation to nom. sg. þrøngvir would produce an apostrophe to a single warrior, presumably to Hákon jarl (see Introduction), but if this straightforward nomen agentis were the original reading it would be difficult to account for its corruption. The pl. form leads Fidjestøl (1982, 165) to suggest that the stanza is a lausavísa addressed after the battle to Vígfúss’s comrades. It could alternatively be taken in apposition to vér ‘we’.
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin
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íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice
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2. enn (adv.): still, yet, again
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íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite
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borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table
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í (prep.): in, into
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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gunnr (noun f.): battle
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3. at (prep.): at, to
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bǫð (noun f.; °-s; -): battle
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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Gunnr (noun f.): Gunnr
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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Gunnr (noun f.): Gunnr
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
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strangr (adj.): strong
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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danskr (adj.): Danish
[7] danskra drengja ‘of the Danish warriors’: This phrase could instead be taken with darra flaug ‘flight of spears’ (l. 8), as by Kock in Skald and NN §386, though Kock does not rule out the arrangement above, which is adopted by most eds. Jesch (2001a, 130, cf. 232) finds the use of the word drengr to refer to opponents ‘rather odd’ since in early usage it generally refers to fellow-warriors on the same side, and she counts the stanza’s authenticity as ‘doubtful on other grounds’, but drengr could be honorific, showing how tough the opposition was. An ironic use of drengr is possible (e.g. Þvíðf Lv 1/2IV), but unlikely here. On the word, see Jesch (2001a, 216-32) and Goetting (2006).
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
[7] danskra drengja ‘of the Danish warriors’: This phrase could instead be taken with darra flaug ‘flight of spears’ (l. 8), as by Kock in Skald and NN §386, though Kock does not rule out the arrangement above, which is adopted by most eds. Jesch (2001a, 130, cf. 232) finds the use of the word drengr to refer to opponents ‘rather odd’ since in early usage it generally refers to fellow-warriors on the same side, and she counts the stanza’s authenticity as ‘doubtful on other grounds’, but drengr could be honorific, showing how tough the opposition was. An ironic use of drengr is possible (e.g. Þvíðf Lv 1/2IV), but unlikely here. On the word, see Jesch (2001a, 216-32) and Goetting (2006).
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flaug (noun f.): flight
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til (prep.): to
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knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
It was not easy to attack Vagn, when I saw the sword-riven doors of Geitir <sea-king> [SHIELDS] split; the storm of Hǫgni <legendary hero> [BATTLE] sang loudly. There we advanced into battle towards the vessel of the Danish warriors, forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr <valkyrie> [SWORD > WARRIORS]; the flight of spears was mighty.
Hákon jarl, though prevailing against the Jómsvíkingar at Hjǫrungavágr (Liavågen), has not yet captured Vagn Ákason’s high-sided ship. He orders his larger ships to be advanced and the smaller ones withdrawn. Fsk introduces the stanza, Um þat orti Vígfúss Víga-Glúmsson ‘Vígfúss Víga-Glúmsson composed about that’, while 510 seems to set its composition more explicity within the time of the action (Fms 11): kvað […] þá, er menn sóktu at skeiðinni Vagns Ákasonar ‘then, as men attacked Vagn Ákason’s warship, [he] said’.
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