ÞjóðA Magnfl 12II/1 — Vǫrðr ‘The guardian’
Vǫrðr gekk meir at morði
Magnús kjalar vagna
— þat vas frægt — í fagran
framstafn varar Hrafni.
Gerðum þar, svát þverrði,
þengill, en óx fengi,
— skeiðr nam herr at hrjóða —
húskarla lið jarli.
Vǫrðr vagna kjalar, Magnús, gekk meir at morði í fagran framstafn Hrafni varar; þat vas frægt. Gerðum þar, þengill, svát lið húskarla þverrði jarli, en fengi óx; herr nam at hrjóða skeiðr.
The guardian of waggons of the keel [SHIPS > SEAFARER], Magnús, went further into the slaughter in the beautiful forestem of the Hrafn <horse> of the landing-stage [SHIP]; that was renowned. We brought it about there, prince, that the jarl’s troop of housecarls reduced, and booty increased; the army started to clear the warships.
readings
[1] Vǫrðr: ‘Vardr’ Hr
notes
[1, 2] vǫrðr vagna kjalar ‘guardian of waggons of the keel [SHIPS > SEAFARER]’: (a) The phrase is here taken in apposition to Magnús, as subject to gekk. (b) Alternatively, either vǫrðr vagna kjalar could be an apostrophe (so Hkr 1991), or Magnús could be (so, seemingly, ÍF 28), but it is awkward to assume that Magnús is simultaneously being apostrophised and spoken about in the 3rd pers. (gekk ‘went’ (l. 1)). (c) The variant Kjalars coupled with regna as variant to vagna (as it is in 39 and J2ˣ) could form a battle-kenning, ‘Óðinn’s showers’ (Kjalarr is a name for Óðinn), but a ship-kenning is more likely as the determinant to vǫrðr ‘guardian’, and more likely amidst the nautical imagery of this st. Moreover, regna fails to supply the requisite aðalhending.
kennings
- Vǫrðr vagna kjalar, — The guardian of waggons of the keel, [SEAFARER]
grammar
case: nom.