Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Haraldsdrápa 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 262-3.
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1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet < hjalmárr (noun m.): [helmet-envoys]
[1] lét hjalmôru heyra ‘made helmet-envoys [WARRIORS] hear’: The object is the es-cl. depicting Haraldr’s reddening of the sword, and those who hear may be the terrified and doomed enemy, or Haraldr’s own troops. Alternatively, the sense may be that news of Haraldr’s triumphs spread widely (pers. comm. P. J. Frankis gratefully acknowledged).
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1. árr (noun m.; °dat. ár; ǽrir/árar, acc. áru): messenger < hjalmárr (noun m.): [helmet-envoys]
[1] lét hjalmôru heyra ‘made helmet-envoys [WARRIORS] hear’: The object is the es-cl. depicting Haraldr’s reddening of the sword, and those who hear may be the terrified and doomed enemy, or Haraldr’s own troops. Alternatively, the sense may be that news of Haraldr’s triumphs spread widely (pers. comm. P. J. Frankis gratefully acknowledged).
[1] lét ‘made’: The 2nd pers. sg. pret. indic. ‘letz þu’ in the main ms. Mork is incongruous in the context of a memorial poem, and of the 3rd pers. sg. verbs in the st. — [1] lét hjalmôru heyra ‘made helmet-envoys [WARRIORS] hear’: The object is the es-cl. depicting Haraldr’s reddening of the sword, and those who hear may be the terrified and doomed enemy, or Haraldr’s own troops. Alternatively, the sense may be that news of Haraldr’s triumphs spread widely (pers. comm. P. J. Frankis gratefully acknowledged).
[1] lét ‘made’: The 2nd pers. sg. pret. indic. ‘letz þu’ in the main ms. Mork is incongruous in the context of a memorial poem, and of the 3rd pers. sg. verbs in the st. — [1] lét hjalmôru heyra ‘made helmet-envoys [WARRIORS] hear’: The object is the es-cl. depicting Haraldr’s reddening of the sword, and those who hear may be the terrified and doomed enemy, or Haraldr’s own troops. Alternatively, the sense may be that news of Haraldr’s triumphs spread widely (pers. comm. P. J. Frankis gratefully acknowledged).
[1] lét hjalmôru heyra ‘made helmet-envoys [WARRIORS] hear’: The object is the es-cl. depicting Haraldr’s reddening of the sword, and those who hear may be the terrified and doomed enemy, or Haraldr’s own troops. Alternatively, the sense may be that news of Haraldr’s triumphs spread widely (pers. comm. P. J. Frankis gratefully acknowledged).
[2] hizis ‘that there’: The monosyllabic ms. spellings ‘hiz/hitz’ may reflect a scribal attempt to rid the opening of the l., perhaps written ‘hizi er’, of the superfluous syllable. The syllable is better removed by the use of contracted forms (bragarmál, SnE 1999, 8), here elision of the vowel in es.
[2] hizis ‘that there’: The monosyllabic ms. spellings ‘hiz/hitz’ may reflect a scribal attempt to rid the opening of the l., perhaps written ‘hizi er’, of the superfluous syllable. The syllable is better removed by the use of contracted forms (bragarmál, SnE 1999, 8), here elision of the vowel in es.
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
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Niz (noun f.): [Nissan]
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tyrfingr (noun m.): [sword]
[3] tyrfings: so all others, ‘tyrfins’ Mork
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1. egg (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -ju/-): edge, blade
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tveir (num. cardinal): two
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áðr (adv.; °//): before
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maðr (noun m.): man, person < mannfall (noun n.)
[4] mann‑: so all others, man‑ Mork
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fall (noun n.; °-s; *-): fall < mannfall (noun n.)
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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naðr (noun m.): snake
[5] Naðrs borð: naðr borðs Flat, naðrs borði Hr
[5, 6] nýs naðrs ‘of the new serpent [ship]’: The phrase is particularly apt here, since, according to HSigHkr ch. 59, the winter before the encounter at the Nissan (Niz), Haraldr had a dragon-prowed ship built according to the dimensions of Óláfr Tryggvason’s ship Ormr inn langi ‘the Long Serpent’. In ÞjóðA Sex 14/8, which also concerns the Nissan battle, Haraldr’s ship is again referred to as naðr.
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borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table
[5] Naðrs borð: naðr borðs Flat, naðrs borði Hr
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skríða (verb): creep, glide
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norðan (adv.): from the north
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nýr (adj.; °nýjan; compar. nýrri, superl. nýjastr): new
[5, 6] nýs naðrs ‘of the new serpent [ship]’: The phrase is particularly apt here, since, according to HSigHkr ch. 59, the winter before the encounter at the Nissan (Niz), Haraldr had a dragon-prowed ship built according to the dimensions of Óláfr Tryggvason’s ship Ormr inn langi ‘the Long Serpent’. In ÞjóðA Sex 14/8, which also concerns the Nissan battle, Haraldr’s ship is again referred to as naðr.
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allvaldr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): mighty ruler
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fýsi (noun f.): urge, desire
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hljóta (verb): alot, gain
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til (prep.): to
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Halland (noun n.): Halland
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hrafnþarfr (adj.): [lavish to ravens]
[8] hrafnþarfr ‘lavish to ravens’: Lit. ‘useful to, supplying the needs of, ravens’, by providing carrion; cf. varghollr ‘gracious to wolves’, in ÞjóðA Sex 13/2 and elsewhere. The adj., a compressed equivalent of Arn Magndr 18/6 -þarfr hrafni ‘generous to the raven’, is a hap. leg.
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
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Hjalmôru lét heyra, |
The sovereign made helmet-envoys [WARRIORS] hear that he reddened the two edges of the sword there by the Nissan, before slaughter of men came about. The bulwarks of the new serpent [ship] slid from the north at the desire of the mighty ruler; lavish to ravens, the king got to speed his prow to Halland.
In Mork’s and Flat’s account of the battle at the Nissan (Niz) estuary, the Norwegians have cleared the enemy ships and Sveinn Úlfsson (Sven Estridsson) has fled ashore. ÞjóðA Sex 17 and Arn Hardr 2, 3 and 4 are added as an appendix, without any indication of the exact stage in the battle to which they refer. In H-Hr, Hardr 2 is integrated into an account of the Danes scattering after Haraldr boarded Sveinn’s ship, rushing forward and hacking to both sides.
For this battle, see also ÞjóðA Sex 13-18, Stúfr Stúfdr 7, Steinn Nizv, Steinn Úlffl and sts 3-4 below.
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