Note to Eskál Vell 24I
[5, 6, 8] ganga at hǫfðum bragna ‘to walk over the heads of men’: This phrase could be understood literally, as a grotesque image of the victor walking over the heads of his (three hundred) slain enemies. It appears to be understood thus by the Fsk author, who singles it out after his citation of the stanza. A variant on this would be to understand hǫfuð as standing for the whole body or person (cf. Note to Sigv ErfÓl 18/7). A metaphorical expression of triumph over enemies is also possible, however, cf. Fritzner: höfuð 1: stíga yfir höfuð e-m, lit. ‘tread/climb over sby’s head’, hence blive ens Overmand ‘to overcome sby, to walk all over sby’.
References
- Internal references
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=56> (accessed 8 May 2024)
- Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 18’ 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. 686.