Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Vagn Ákason, Lausavísa 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. 366.
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sigr (noun m.; °sigrs/sigrar, dat. sigri; sigrar): victory < Sigvaldi (noun m.): Sigvaldi
[1] Sigvaldi: The son of Strút-Haraldr of Selund (Zealand), and leader of the Jómsvíkingar after the death of Pálna-Tóki.
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svá (adv.): so, thus
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hafa (verb): have
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1. valdi (noun m.): ruler < Sigvaldi (noun m.): Sigvaldi
[1] Sigvaldi: The son of Strút-Haraldr of Selund (Zealand), and leader of the Jómsvíkingar after the death of Pálna-Tóki.
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óss (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): estuary, mouth
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sjalfr (adj.): self
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2. við (prep.): with, against
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
[2] oss: so 7, Flat, 510, ‘os’ 291
[2] und kylfu ‘under the cosh’: LP: kylfa assumes an idiom setja e-n und kylfu ‘to place sby under a club’, hence ‘to put in danger’, cf. ModE under the cosh ‘under pressure or threat’, and this would fit the situation here, where Sigvaldi and Vagn are comrades.
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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1. kylfa (noun f.; °-u; -ur): club
[2] und kylfu ‘under the cosh’: LP: kylfa assumes an idiom setja e-n und kylfu ‘to place sby under a club’, hence ‘to put in danger’, cf. ModE under the cosh ‘under pressure or threat’, and this would fit the situation here, where Sigvaldi and Vagn are comrades.
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fáhróðigr (adj.)
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fáfróðigr (adj.)
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flýja (verb): to flee, take flight
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flýja (verb): to flee, take flight
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fárhugaðr (adj.): [little-hearted]
[3] fárhugaðr: fáfróðigr Flat, fáhróðigr 510
[3] fnauði ‘coward’: A word restricted to poetry, and recorded also in Anon (Mberf) 5/5II. Fnauði is clearly the lectio difficilior compared to the readings in Flat and 7.
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aptr (adv.; °compar. -ar): back
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fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel
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til (prep.): to
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2. mǫrk (noun f.; °merkr; merkr): forest < Danmǫrk (noun f.): [Denmark]
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
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2. mǫrk (noun f.; °merkr; merkr): forest < Danmǫrk (noun f.): [Denmark]
[4] ‑markar: ‑merkr Flat, 510
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í (prep.): in, into
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faðmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): embrace
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
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falla (verb): fall
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nú (adv.): now
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ǫrr (adj.): generous, brave
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3. und (prep.): under, underneath
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2. fljótr (adj.): quick
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vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend < vinkona (noun f.)
[6] vin‑: so Flat, und 291, ǫrr 7, nú 510
[6] vinkonu ‘of his lady-friend’: Only the Flat reading gives good sense here. The cpd vinkona is also recorded in Hjalmþ Lv 3/6VIII (HjǪ 5). The reading for the first syllable in ms. 7, ǫrr ‘swift (man)’, may be an attempt to supply a m. nom. sg. adj. to function as the subject of hyggr ‘thinks’, which otherwise is understood as fnauði ‘the coward’ in l. 3.
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kona (noun f.; °-u; -ur/-r(KlmA1980 116¹¹), gen. pl. kvenna/kvinna): woman < vinkona (noun f.)
[6] vinkonu ‘of his lady-friend’: Only the Flat reading gives good sense here. The cpd vinkona is also recorded in Hjalmþ Lv 3/6VIII (HjǪ 5). The reading for the first syllable in ms. 7, ǫrr ‘swift (man)’, may be an attempt to supply a m. nom. sg. adj. to function as the subject of hyggr ‘thinks’, which otherwise is understood as fnauði ‘the coward’ in l. 3.
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
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2. en (conj.): but, and
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
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borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table
[7] borð ‘gunwale’: The sg. ‘plank, planking’ is used here in a collective sense to refer to the ship’s hull (Jesch 2001a, 140).
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2. inn (art.): the
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breiðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): broad, wide
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3. Búi (noun m.): Búi
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
[8] gekk: so 7, Flat, ‘gegc’ 291
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með (prep.): with
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2. reiði (noun f.; °-): anger < 2. hugreiði (noun f.): anger
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2. -rekki (noun f.): [rage] < hugrekki (noun f.): boldness of heart
[8] ‑rekki: ‑reiði 510
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
At a point in the battle of Hjǫrungavágr (Liavågen) when the division and defeat of the Jómsvíkingar has become apparent, and victory looks assured for the Norwegian jarls Hákon Sigurðarson and his son Eiríkr, Sigvaldi, leader of the Jómsvíkingar, flees and (in 291) calls for others to flee too. Vagn speaks the stanza (in 291 as a direct response to Sigvaldi).
[5-8]: The second helmingr sets up a familiar skaldic contrast between the coward at home with a woman, and the brave man in battle (cf., e.g., Vígf Lv, Anon Liðs 3).
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