Anon Sveinfl 1I
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Anonymous Poems, Flokkr about Sveinn Álfífuson 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. 1029.
Vasa ‘it was not’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[1] Vasa (‘Vara’): ‘Varar’ E, ‘Varr a’ 53, var á Bb(110ra), 61(129rb), Tóm, ‘Va’ Bb(110ra), var at 73aˣ
sunnu ‘a Sun’
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sunna (noun f.): sun < sunnudagr (noun m.): Sunday
notes
[1] sunnudag ‘a Sunday’: That the battle was fought on a Sunday, i.e. that sunnudag modifies the main clause, is the most natural interpretation and is the understanding of Snorri Sturluson (see Context). Alternatively, the word could conceivably be taken with the sem-clause in ll. 3-4, so that the battle is not fought on a Sunday, but is contrasted with pleasant relaxation on a Sunday.
dag ‘day’
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dagr (noun m.; °-s, dat. degi/dag/dagi(Thom¹ 332¹n.); -ar): day < sunnudagr (noun m.): Sunday
notes
[1] sunnudag ‘a Sunday’: That the battle was fought on a Sunday, i.e. that sunnudag modifies the main clause, is the most natural interpretation and is the understanding of Snorri Sturluson (see Context). Alternatively, the word could conceivably be taken with the sem-clause in ll. 3-4, so that the battle is not fought on a Sunday, but is contrasted with pleasant relaxation on a Sunday.
svanni ‘Lady’
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svanni (noun m.): lady, woman
notes
[1] svanni ‘lady’: See Introduction.
seggr ‘man’
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seggr (noun m.; °; -ir): man
margr ‘many a’
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2. margr (adj.; °-an): many
und ‘beneath’
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3. und (prep.): under, underneath
eggjar ‘blades’
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1. egg (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -ju/-): edge, blade
morgin ‘morning’
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morginn (noun m.; °morgins, dat. morgni; morgnar): morning
notes
[3] þann morgin ‘on that morning’: This could alternatively be taken with the intercalary clause in l. 2 (so ÍF 27).
þann ‘on that’
notes
[3] þann morgin ‘on that morning’: This could alternatively be taken with the intercalary clause in l. 2 (so ÍF 27).
sem ‘as if’
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sem (conj.): as, which
mær ‘a maiden’
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mær (noun f.; °meyjar, dat. meyju; meyjar): maiden
[4] mær: ‘mor’ 61(129rb)
eða ‘or’
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eða (conj.): or
ǫl ‘ale’
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ǫl (noun n.; °-s; -): ale
bæri ‘was bringing’
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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
[4] bæri: ‘bęki’ 61(129rb)
þás ‘when’
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þás (conj.): when
[5] þás (‘þá er’): er 61(74rb), 53, Bb(110ra), Holm2, 972ˣ, 325VI, 73aˣ, Bb(204va), en Holm4, 61(129rb), Tóm, ok 325V
Sveinn ‘Sveinn’
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2. Sveinn (noun m.): Sveinn
notes
[5] Sveinn: I.e. Sveinn Álfífuson, illegitimate son of Knútr inn ríki (Cnut the Great) and the English Álfífa (Ælfgifu of Northampton). He ruled Norway 1030-5 after the fall of Óláfr Haraldsson at Stiklastaðir (Stiklestad).
konungr ‘King’
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
sína ‘his’
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
[5] sína: sinna 73aˣ, sínu Tóm
saman ‘together’
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saman (adv.): together
drengi ‘warriors’
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
[6] drengi: drengja Tóm
notes
[6] drengi ‘warriors’: Drengr m. can mean ‘(young) man, (manly) man, warrior, servant’, and at least in early usage often has connotations of belonging to a tightly-bonded group (see Fritzner, LP: drengr; SnE 1998, II, 258; Jesch 1993a; Jesch 2001a, 216-32; Goetting 2006).
hold ‘flesh’
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hold (noun n.; °-s; -): flesh
at ‘to’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
slíta ‘tear’
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slíta (verb): to tear
hrafni ‘the raven’
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hrafn (noun m.; °hrafns; dat. hrafni; hrafnar): raven
skeiðar ‘of the longship’
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1. skeið (noun f.; °-ar; -r/-ar/-ir): ship
stafna ‘the stems’
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stafn (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): prow
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Vying for power in Norway, Sveinn Álfífuson and Tryggvi, son of Óláfr Tryggvason, bring their fleets together at Bókn (Bokn in Boknafjorden, Rogaland) and engage in a fierce battle on a Sunday. The following prose records the victory of Sveinn and the death of Tryggvi and many of his men.
For this battle, see also Sigv Tryggfl and its Context; and for a suggested connection between Sigv Nesv, Sigv Tryggfl and this stanza, see Hellberg (1972, 24-30) and Introduction to Sigv Tryggfl.
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