Arn Hryn 9II
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda, Magnússdrápa 9’ 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. 193-4.
Síðan ‘Later’
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síðan (adv.): later, then
vas ‘it happened’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[1] vas þats (‘var þat er’): vann þá Flat
sunnr ‘south’
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sunnr (adv.): south
með ‘along’
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með (prep.): with
siklingr ‘the sovereign’
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siklingr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, ruler
ýtti ‘launched’
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ýta (verb): launch
flota ‘fleet’
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floti (noun m.): fleet
miklum ‘a great’
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mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large
skíði ‘the ski’
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skíð (noun n.; °; -): ski
kennings
skíði skorðu‘the ski of the ship’s prop ’
= SHIP
the ski of the ship’s prop → SHIP
vas ‘was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
þá ‘then’
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2. þá (adv.): then
skriðar ‘motion’
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skriðr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -): motion, speed
auðit ‘granted’
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auðinn (adj.; °compar. auðnari): fated, decreed
skorðu ‘of the ship’s prop’
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1. skorða (noun f.; °-u; -ur): prop
kennings
skíði skorðu‘the ski of the ship’s prop ’
= SHIP
the ski of the ship’s prop → SHIP
renndi ‘charged’
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3. renna (verb): let run (weak)
Visundr ‘Visundr (‘Bison’)’
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vísundr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): bison
notes
[4] Visundr ‘(“Bison”)’: The ship built by Óláfr helgi and inherited by Magnús; see Note to ÞjóðA Magnfl 4/8.
norðan ‘from the north’
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norðan (adv.): from the north
Samnask ‘to rally’
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safna (verb): gather
til ‘at’
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til (prep.): to
hverrar ‘every’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
hǫmlu ‘rowing position’
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1. hamla (noun f.; °*-u; *-ur): rowing position
notes
[5] hǫmlu ‘rowing position’: The term hamla has been taken to refer to a rowlock—a loop of leather or rope which holds the oar in place (e.g. Skj B has hamlebåndene for hǫmlur in ÞjóðA Sex 14/3, although til hverrar hǫmlu in the present st. is translated til hver åre ‘to every oar’). Jesch observes that C11th warships ‘did not use such simple devices as loops to control their oars’ and, noting that skaldic examples of hamla are normally in the context of the gathering of a troop, suggests ‘oarsman’s place’ (2001, 156-7).
hræðask ‘fear’
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3. hræða (verb): fear, be afraid
notes
[6] hræðask ‘fear’: This interesting use of the pres. tense is established by the rhyme hræðask : klæði.
menn ‘men’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
við ‘’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
ættar ‘of the offspring’
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1. ætt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): family
kennings
klæði ættar Gjúka;‘the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki; ’
= ARMOUR
the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki; → ARMOUR
klæði ‘the raiment’
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klæði (noun n.; °-s; -): clothes
kennings
klæði ættar Gjúka;‘the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki; ’
= ARMOUR
the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki; → ARMOUR
kennings
klæði ættar Gjúka;‘the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki; ’
= ARMOUR
the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki; → ARMOUR
þótti ‘seemed’
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2. þykkja (verb): seem, think
gǫfugt ‘splendid’
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gǫfugr (adj.; °gǫfgan/gǫfugan; compar. gǫfgari/gǫfugri, superl. gǫfgastr/gǫfugstr/gǫfugastr): noble, glorious
girzkum ‘with its Russian’
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girzkr (adj.): Greek; Russian
[8] girzkum: so Hr, ‘gorðzkvm’ H, ‘gerzskum’ Flat
notes
[8] girzkum malmi ‘Russian metal’: The ms. form ‘g᷎ðzkv̄’ (i.e. gǫrðzkvm, cf. ‘dām᷎k’ beside ‘danmǫrk’ elsewhere in H) is here assumed to be a graphic variant of gerzkr/gerðskr, cf. the variant forms ‘ger(ð)zki’, ‘gærzke’ and ‘gørzci’ for (Guðleikr) gerzki in mss of ÓH 1941, I, 120. Another, less likely, possibility is that it represents the m. dat. sg. of an adj. *garzkr ‘from Garðar’. Girzkr could mean either ‘Russian, from Garðar’ or ‘Greek’ (cf. Note to st. 4/4). The girzkr malmr which adorns the ship could be weapons which the warriors carry on board along with their armour, or perhaps, since málmr elsewhere in ON poetry means ‘gold’, ornament on the prow, stern and / or mast-head. In the main ms., ‘hialmi’ is clearly a case of dittography from ‘hialma’ later in the l.
malmi ‘metal’
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malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal
[8] malmi: so Hr, Flat, hjalmi H
notes
[8] girzkum malmi ‘Russian metal’: The ms. form ‘g᷎ðzkv̄’ (i.e. gǫrðzkvm, cf. ‘dām᷎k’ beside ‘danmǫrk’ elsewhere in H) is here assumed to be a graphic variant of gerzkr/gerðskr, cf. the variant forms ‘ger(ð)zki’, ‘gærzke’ and ‘gørzci’ for (Guðleikr) gerzki in mss of ÓH 1941, I, 120. Another, less likely, possibility is that it represents the m. dat. sg. of an adj. *garzkr ‘from Garðar’. Girzkr could mean either ‘Russian, from Garðar’ or ‘Greek’ (cf. Note to st. 4/4). The girzkr malmr which adorns the ship could be weapons which the warriors carry on board along with their armour, or perhaps, since málmr elsewhere in ON poetry means ‘gold’, ornament on the prow, stern and / or mast-head. In the main ms., ‘hialmi’ is clearly a case of dittography from ‘hialma’ later in the l.
notes
[8] hjalma Peitu ‘helmets from Poitou’: The phrase is probably used metonymically here to refer to Magnús’s helmeted warriors. This is not paralleled elsewhere, although the personal names Hjálmr and Hjálmarr may have arisen from the notion that a man was the ‘helmet’ of his people. There is a precedent for the mention of a ‘Poitou-made helmet’, in Sigv Nesv 15/3, 4I (1016), and a French helmet appears in Sigv Nesv 5/6I. Arms from Poitou were apparently renowned, for peita came to be used in poetry as an appellative for ‘spear’.
hjalma ‘helmets’
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1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet
notes
[8] hjalma Peitu ‘helmets from Poitou’: The phrase is probably used metonymically here to refer to Magnús’s helmeted warriors. This is not paralleled elsewhere, although the personal names Hjálmr and Hjálmarr may have arisen from the notion that a man was the ‘helmet’ of his people. There is a precedent for the mention of a ‘Poitou-made helmet’, in Sigv Nesv 15/3, 4I (1016), and a French helmet appears in Sigv Nesv 5/6I. Arms from Poitou were apparently renowned, for peita came to be used in poetry as an appellative for ‘spear’.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Later it happened that the sovereign launched a great fleet south along the coast; then the ski of the ship’s prop [SHIP] was granted motion; Visundr (‘Bison’) charged from the north. He [Magnús] urged helmets from Poitou to rally at every rowing position; men fear the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki <legendary king> [ARMOUR]; the oaken vessel seemed splendid with its Russian metal.
Stanzas 9 and 10, concerning Magnús’s voyage south, are quoted as a prelude to the legendary account of a feast in Denmark at which Hǫrðaknútr entertained Magnús, only to be himself poisoned by a draught which Álfífa, mother of Sveinn, had intended for the Norw. guest. Snorri in Hkr omits reference to the poisoning. He does not quote st. 9 but sets st. 10 within an account of Magnús’s voyage south to claim Denmark after the death of Hǫrðaknútr in England.
[3-4]: Parallels with Bjhit Lv 2/7-8V are noted in the context of the biographical link between the two skalds by Frank (1978, 114-5).
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