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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Vagn Lv 1I

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.

Vagn ÁkasonLausavísa1

Sig ‘Sig’

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sigr (noun m.; °sigrs/sigrar, dat. sigri; sigrar): victory < Sigvaldi (noun m.): Sigvaldi

notes

[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 ‘’

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svá (adv.): so, thus

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hefir ‘’

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hafa (verb): have

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valdi ‘valdi’

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1. valdi (noun m.): ruler < Sigvaldi (noun m.): Sigvaldi

notes

[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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settda ‘’

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hefr ‘has’

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hafa (verb): have

[1] hefr: hefir svá 510

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setta ‘put’

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setja (verb): place, set, establish

[1] setta: ‘sett⸜d⸝a’ Flat

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sjalfa ‘ourselves’

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sjalfr (adj.): self

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við ‘’

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2. við (prep.): with, against

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oss ‘us’

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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our

[2] oss: so 7, Flat, 510, ‘os’ 291

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und ‘under’

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3. und (prep.): under, underneath

[2] und: við Flat

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[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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ok ‘’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

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kylfu ‘the cosh’

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1. kylfa (noun f.; °-u; -ur): club

notes

[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 ‘’

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fáhróðigr (adj.)

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fáfróðigr ‘’

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fáfróðigr (adj.)

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en ‘but’

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2. en (conj.): but, and

[3] en: og 510

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flœði ‘’

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flýja (verb): to flee, take flight

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flýði ‘’

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flýja (verb): to flee, take flight

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fárhugaðr ‘the little-hearted’

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fárhugaðr (adj.): [little-hearted]

[3] fárhugaðr: fáfróðigr Flat, fáhróðigr 510

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fnauði ‘coward’

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fnauði (noun m.): [coward]

[3] fnauði: flœði 7, flýði Flat, 510

notes

[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 ‘’

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aptr (adv.; °compar. -ar): back

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heim ‘home’

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heim (adv.): home, back

[4] heim: so 7, Flat, ‘⸜heim⸝ aptr’ 291

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til ‘to’

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til (prep.): to

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hyggst ‘’

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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider

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markar ‘mark’

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2. mǫrk (noun f.; °merkr; merkr): forest < Danmǫrk (noun f.): [Denmark]

[4] ‑markar: ‑merkr Flat, 510

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Hyggr ‘He thinks’

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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider

[5] Hyggr: ‘hygzt’ 510

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í ‘into’

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í (prep.): in, into

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faðm ‘the embrace’

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faðmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): embrace

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at ‘to’

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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)

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falla ‘fall’

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falla (verb): fall

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‘’

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nú (adv.): now

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ǫrr ‘’

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ǫrr (adj.): generous, brave

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fljótt ‘swiftly’

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2. fljótr (adj.): quick

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vin ‘lady’

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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

notes

[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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konu ‘friend’

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kona (noun f.; °-u; -ur/-r(KlmA1980 116¹¹), gen. pl. kvenna/kvinna): woman < vinkona (noun f.)

notes

[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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en ‘but’

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2. en (conj.): but, and

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borð ‘gunwale’

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borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table

notes

[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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it ‘the’

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2. inn (art.): the

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gegc ‘’

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Búi ‘Búi’

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3. Búi (noun m.): Búi

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[8] Búi: According to Jvs, the son of Véseti of Bornholm, and uncle of Vagn. The preceding prose of Jvs (1962, 37) records that Búi shouted ‘Fyrir borð allir Búa liðar’, ‘Overboard all Búi’s men’ and leapt off the ship with his treasure-chests.

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gekk ‘has gone’

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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 ‘with’

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með (prep.): with

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rekki ‘rage’

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2. -rekki (noun f.): [rage] < hugrekki (noun f.): boldness of heart

[8] ‑rekki: ‑reiði 510

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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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