Note to Ggnæv Frag 1III
[4] aflgerð ‘the powerful activity’: Aflgerð is a hap. leg. Ms. Tˣ’s aflgjǫrð ‘strength-girdle’ offers a variant form of the second element, as do R’s and C’s ‑gjóðr ‘eagle’. Neither of these variants fits the context. Here the cpd is understood as a metaphorical way of referring to battle, in combination with the two kennings, both of which have base-words meaning ‘language’ or ‘words’. The underlying concept is that of a debate or altercation at a þing or assembly. So both kennings belong to the pattern ‘speech/debate of weapons’ (cf. Meissner 176-8). Marold (1994c, 575) understands a different syntactical arrangement, ungr ǫðlingr drap sér ungum innanborðs naglfara á tungu ok orða aflgerð meðalkafla ‘the young ruler devoted himself in his youth on board ship to the powerful action of speech and of the words of the sword [BATTLE]’.
References
- Bibliography
- Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
- Marold, Edith. 1994c. ‘“Nagellose Masten”. Die Sage von Hamðir und Sörli in der Ragnarsdrápa’. In Gísli Sigurðsson et al. 1994, II, 565-79.