Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Óláfsdrápa 6’ 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. 398.
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1. gera (verb): do, make
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sveimr (noun m.): [commotion, surge]
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með (prep.): with
[1] með sverði ‘with the sword’: This may well qualify both clauses in ll. 1-4. It could be taken specifically with the rest of ll. 1-2, but the effect would be slightly banal.
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
[1] með sverði ‘with the sword’: This may well qualify both clauses in ll. 1-4. It could be taken specifically with the rest of ll. 1-2, but the effect would be slightly banal.
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sund (noun n.; °-s; -): sound, strait; swimming
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword < sverðleikr (noun m.): sword-playsverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword < sverðleikr (noun m.): sword-play
[2] sverð‑: sund‑ 62, Flat
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play < sverðleikr (noun m.): sword-play
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play < sverðleikr (noun m.): sword-play
[2] ‑leik: leiks 53, 54, Bb
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í (prep.): in, into
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munr (noun m.; °-ar/-s, dat. -/-i; -ir, acc. -i): mind, pleasure
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grund (noun f.): earth, land
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skerða (verb): diminish
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skerðir (noun m.): diminisher
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skerðir (noun m.): diminisher
[2] skerðir: skerði 53, 62, skerðisk 54, Bb, grundar Flat
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2. eyða (verb; °-dd-): destroy
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1. ulfr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): wolf
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grœða (verb): heal
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grœðir (noun m.): ?healer, ?ocean
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2. bræða (verb; °-dd-): tar
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grœða (verb): heal
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greddir (noun m.): feeder
[3] greddir: græddir 39, 54, Bb, 62, 310, græddi 53, bræddir Flat, grœðir FskBˣ
[3] greddir ‘feeder’: There are discrepant readings here, and the etymology is somewhat uncertain. However, a base-word with the sense ‘feeder’ is clearly needed, and greddir co-occurs elsewhere with terms for beasts of battle (see LP: greddir). It may be related to OE gereordian ‘feed’ (AEW: greddir; ÍF 26, 259 n.).
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ógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle < ógnblíðr (adj.): battle-happyógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle
[4] ógn‑: ‘og‑’ 39
[4] ‑blíðr: ‘blyð’ FskBˣ
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skip (noun n.; °-s; -): ship
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lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop
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víðr (adj.): far
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1. ver (noun n.; °-s; dat. -jum/-um): sea < verdraugr (noun m.)
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ýr (noun m.): yew, yew-bow, bow < ýdróg (noun f.)
[5] Ý‑: ver‑ J1ˣ, ‘V‑’ 54, Bb
[5] œgir ýdrógar ‘the terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR]’: Either of the readings -drógar or -drauga(r) could form a warrior-kenning with ýr ‘yew’, hence ‘bow’, and œgir ‘terrifier’; cf. Gsind Hákdr 7/1 œgir almdrógar ‘terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR]’, where the majority of mss have -draug. (a) Dróg f. is recorded in prose with the sense ‘stripe’ but with the sense ‘string’ only in poetry; drógar is the reading of the main ms. and is adopted by most eds in this stanza. (b) Draugr elsewhere, probably in the sense ‘log’, combines with determinants referring to weapons, treasure or battle to form warrior-kennings (Meissner 264-5, and cf. Note to ÞHjalt Lv 1/5). This reading in the present stanza would yield ýdrauga œgir ‘terrifier of bow-logs [WARRIORS > RULER/WARRIOR]’.
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1. draugr (noun m.; °; -ar): tree
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1. draugr (noun m.; °; -ar): tree < verdraugr (noun m.)
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dróg (noun f.; °; -ir): string < ýdróg (noun f.)
[5] ‑drógar: ‑draugar J1ˣ, ‑drauga 61, 53, 54, Bb, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, 310
[5] œgir ýdrógar ‘the terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR]’: Either of the readings -drógar or -drauga(r) could form a warrior-kenning with ýr ‘yew’, hence ‘bow’, and œgir ‘terrifier’; cf. Gsind Hákdr 7/1 œgir almdrógar ‘terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR]’, where the majority of mss have -draug. (a) Dróg f. is recorded in prose with the sense ‘stripe’ but with the sense ‘string’ only in poetry; drógar is the reading of the main ms. and is adopted by most eds in this stanza. (b) Draugr elsewhere, probably in the sense ‘log’, combines with determinants referring to weapons, treasure or battle to form warrior-kennings (Meissner 264-5, and cf. Note to ÞHjalt Lv 1/5). This reading in the present stanza would yield ýdrauga œgir ‘terrifier of bow-logs [WARRIORS > RULER/WARRIOR]’.
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
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œgir (noun m.): terrifier
[5] œgir ýdrógar ‘the terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR]’: Either of the readings -drógar or -drauga(r) could form a warrior-kenning with ýr ‘yew’, hence ‘bow’, and œgir ‘terrifier’; cf. Gsind Hákdr 7/1 œgir almdrógar ‘terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR]’, where the majority of mss have -draug. (a) Dróg f. is recorded in prose with the sense ‘stripe’ but with the sense ‘string’ only in poetry; drógar is the reading of the main ms. and is adopted by most eds in this stanza. (b) Draugr elsewhere, probably in the sense ‘log’, combines with determinants referring to weapons, treasure or battle to form warrior-kennings (Meissner 264-5, and cf. Note to ÞHjalt Lv 1/5). This reading in the present stanza would yield ýdrauga œgir ‘terrifier of bow-logs [WARRIORS > RULER/WARRIOR]’.
[6] eyverskan ‘from the Isles’: Generally, and in the context of the stanza, this adj. is most likely to refer to the Northern Isles off Scotland, especially Orkney (cf. Fritzner: eyverskr) or else the Hebrides. The latter would be encouraged by their proximity to Ireland (Íra ‘the Irish’, l. 8) and is suggested in ÍF 26 and ÍF 29.
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
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1. deyja (verb; °deyr; dó, dó(u); dá(i)nn): die
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Týr (noun m.): Týr
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[7] vas (‘var’): batt Bb, vann FskBˣ
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tjǫrvi (noun m.; °-a)
[7] tjǫrva dýrra ‘of precious spears’: Tjǫr ‘spear’ is rare and not entirely secure (see LP: 2. tjǫr), and it is puzzling that the reading dýrra appears only in 53, against a significant consensus in favour of dýra. Storm (MHN 113, n. 19) assumed Tjǫrvi to be an unrecorded sea-king heiti which would produce dýr Tjǫrva ‘Tjǫrvi’s animals [SHIPS]’ here.
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
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burr (noun m.; °; -ir): son
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
[7] dýrra: so 53, dýra Kˣ, 39, F, 61, 54, Bb, 62, FskAˣ, 310, bura J1ˣ, ‘dýran’ FskBˣ
[7] tjǫrva dýrra ‘of precious spears’: Tjǫr ‘spear’ is rare and not entirely secure (see LP: 2. tjǫr), and it is puzzling that the reading dýrra appears only in 53, against a significant consensus in favour of dýra. Storm (MHN 113, n. 19) assumed Tjǫrvi to be an unrecorded sea-king heiti which would produce dýr Tjǫrva ‘Tjǫrvi’s animals [SHIPS]’ here.
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tígn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): honour
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tírr (noun m.; °-s): glory, honourtírr (noun m.; °-s): glory, honour < tírargarmr (noun m.)
[8] tírar‑: so F, J1ˣ, 61, 53, 54, 310, ‘týar’ Kˣ, ‘tiran’ 39, tígnar FskBˣ, ‘tinar’ FskAˣ
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garmr (noun m.): dog < tírargarmr (noun m.)
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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írar (noun m.): Irishmen
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Gerði seims (með sverði) |
The diminisher of gold [GENEROUS MAN] made sword-sport [BATTLE] in Man; the battle-glad feeder of wolves [WARRIOR] destroyed the Scots widely with the sword. The terrifier of the bow-string [WARRIOR] caused the army from the Isles and the Irish to die; the Týr <god> of precious spears [WARRIOR] was eager for glory.
see Introduction.
The pairing of helmingar here follows Fsk and 310. In Hkr and ÓT, st. 5/1-4 (beginning Gerðisk) + st. 6/7-8 (Eyddi), 5-6 (Gerði) form a stanza, and st. 6/1-4 (Ýdrógar) + st. 5/5-8 (Barði) form a stanza. Thus the two couplets of ll. 1-4 (Gerði; Eyddi) are in reverse order in Hkr and ÓT. Although it remains uncertain which arrangement of the poem is the more original, the evidence tends to favour Fsk and 310 (see Introduction).
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