Bersi Ólfl 1I
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Bersi Skáld-Torfuson, Flokkr about Óláfr helgi 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. 791.
Hróðrs ‘of praise’
(not checked:)
hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
[1] Hróðrs: hróðr Holm2, Bb, ‘Horþar’ R686ˣ, ‘Hroðuss’ 325VI, ‘Hloðr’ 68
kennings
þenna hagkennanda hróðrs‘this skilled conveyor of praise ’
= POET = me
this skilled conveyor of praise → POET = me
batt ‘You bade’
(not checked:)
biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray
[1] batt (‘baðtu’): bað R686ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 68, 61, 325V, Flat, Tóm, bar 325VII
heilan ‘well’
(not checked:)
3. heill (adj.; °heilan; compar. heilli, superl. -astr/-str): healthy, hale, hail
hag ‘skilled’
(not checked:)
2. hagr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): skilful < hagkennandi (noun m.)
kennings
þenna hagkennanda hróðrs‘this skilled conveyor of praise ’
= POET = me
this skilled conveyor of praise → POET = me
kennanda ‘conveyor’
(not checked:)
kennandi (noun m.; °-a; kennendr): bringer, conveyor, tester < hagkennandi (noun m.)
[2] ‑kennanda: ‑kennandi Holm2, 325V, Bb, ‘kennannanda’ Flat
kennings
þenna hagkennanda hróðrs‘this skilled conveyor of praise ’
= POET = me
this skilled conveyor of praise → POET = me
þenna ‘this’
(not checked:)
1. sjá (pron.; °gen. þessa dat. þessum/þeima, acc. þenna; f. sjá/þessi; n. þetta, dat. þessu/þvísa; pl. þessir): this
kennings
þenna hagkennanda hróðrs‘this skilled conveyor of praise ’
= POET = me
this skilled conveyor of praise → POET = me
en ‘and’
(not checked:)
2. en (conj.): but, and
snar ‘to the keen ’
(not checked:)
snarr (adj.): gallant, bold < snarrœkir (noun m.): keen cultivator
[3] snarrœki: so J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 73aˣ, 68, Holm4, Bb, snarreki Kˣ, ‘snarøki’ Holm2, snarlæti 325VI, 75a, 78aˣ, snar rœkinn 61, sjá rekkr of 325V, svanbræði 325VII, ‘suarræde’ Flat, svaraði Tóm
kennings
snarrœki gunnar.‘to the keen cultivator of battle. ’
= WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
to the keen cultivator of battle. → WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
rœki ‘cultivator’
(not checked:)
rœkir (noun m.): [keeper] < snarrœkir (noun m.): keen cultivator
[3] snarrœki: so J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 73aˣ, 68, Holm4, Bb, snarreki Kˣ, ‘snarøki’ Holm2, snarlæti 325VI, 75a, 78aˣ, snar rœkinn 61, sjá rekkr of 325V, svanbræði 325VII, ‘suarræde’ Flat, svaraði Tóm
kennings
snarrœki gunnar.‘to the keen cultivator of battle. ’
= WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
to the keen cultivator of battle. → WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
svarat ‘to reply’
(not checked:)
svara (verb): answer
[4] svarat unnum: ‘svartvnno’ 68, ‘suarann unn’ 325VII; svarat: svarar 325V
unnum ‘managed’
(not checked:)
1. unna (verb): love
[4] svarat unnum: ‘svartvnno’ 68, ‘suarann unn’ 325VII; unnum: unnu 73aˣ, 61, Holm4, Bb
vér ‘we’
(not checked:)
vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
gunnar ‘of battle’
(not checked:)
gunnr (noun f.): battle
kennings
snarrœki gunnar.‘to the keen cultivator of battle. ’
= WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
to the keen cultivator of battle. → WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
þau ‘those’
[5] þau: vér Holm2, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 78aˣ
elda ‘of the fires’
(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
elda ‘of the fires’
(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
úthauðrs ‘of the outlying land’
(not checked:)
úthauðr (noun n.): [outlying land]
[6] úthauðrs: úthauðs or úthauðrs Holm2, út haugs J1ˣ, úthaugs J2ˣ, ‘vravðs’ or ‘vtavðs’ 325VI, ‘ythavðs’ 75a, úthauðs 78aˣ, út hauðr 325VII, ‘vt hredrs’ Bb
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
úthauðrs ‘of the outlying land’
(not checked:)
úthauðr (noun n.): [outlying land]
[6] úthauðrs: úthauðs or úthauðrs Holm2, út haugs J1ˣ, úthaugs J2ˣ, ‘vravðs’ or ‘vtavðs’ 325VI, ‘ythavðs’ 75a, úthauðs 78aˣ, út hauðr 325VII, ‘vt hredrs’ Bb
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
úthauðrs ‘of the outlying land’
(not checked:)
úthauðr (noun n.): [outlying land]
[6] úthauðrs: úthauðs or úthauðrs Holm2, út haugs J1ˣ, úthaugs J2ˣ, ‘vravðs’ or ‘vtavðs’ 325VI, ‘ythavðs’ 75a, úthauðs 78aˣ, út hauðr 325VII, ‘vt hredrs’ Bb
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
boða ‘offerer’
(not checked:)
boði (noun m.; °-a; -ar): messenger, breaker
[6] boða: blóða Bb, bjóða Tóm
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
notes
[6] boða ‘offerer’: This weak m. noun, and hence the warrior-kenning of which it is the base-word, is construed here as dat. sg., the indirect object of seldum ‘we [I] sold’ (l. 5). It could alternatively be gen. sg. qualifying þau orð (l. 5), hence ‘those words of the offerer ...’.
notes
[6, 7] trauðir hapts ‘reluctant for hindrance’: Trauðir ‘reluctant’ is n. pl. qualifying vér ‘we [I]’, even though the reference is to the skald alone. (a) It is here construed, as in Skj B, with hapts, gen. sg. of hapt n., though this makes for a disjointed word order. The speaker’s reluctance must relate to the incident described retrospectively in the stanza, his exchange of greetings with King Óláfr, but the precise nature of the reluctance is uncertain. Hapt could mean ‘stasis, hindrance’ or ‘fetter’ (LP: hapt 1), perhaps referring to Bersi’s fear of being captured, which later materialised, or else to the rapidity with which he returned the king’s greeting (so Finnur Jónsson in Hkr 1893-1901, IV, translating uden tøven ‘without delay’). (b) Trauðir could stand alone, referring to the speaker’s reluctance to return the greeting, in which case hapts (which has clearly baffled some scribes) would appear to have its alternative sense ‘deity’ and to be part of the man-kenning in ll. 5-7. This is the analysis preferred by Kock (Skald and NN §684, followed in ÍF 27), reading boði elda úthauðrs hapts knarrar ‘offerer of the fires of the outer land of the deity of the ship [SEAFARER > SEA > GOLD > GENEROUS RULER]’. This departs from normal kenning usage in several ways, however. Although hapt knarrar ‘deity of the ship’ resembles a known pattern of kenning (see Meissner 278), such kennings denote ‘man’ rather than specifically ‘seafarer’, and even if ‘seafarer’ is correct there do not appear to be other sea-kennings on the pattern ‘land of the seafarer’. ‘Sea’ is normally determined by names of sea-kings or maritime terms of various sorts, not by words for sailors (Meissner 95-7). Further, hapt is not otherwise recorded as a base-word, and when used in the sense ‘gods’ it is normally pl.
knarrar ‘of the ship’
(not checked:)
knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
[7] knarrar: knarrir J1ˣ, knarra Tóm
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
knarrar ‘of the ship’
(not checked:)
knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
[7] knarrar: knarrir J1ˣ, knarra Tóm
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
knarrar ‘of the ship’
(not checked:)
knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
[7] knarrar: knarrir J1ˣ, knarra Tóm
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
hapts ‘for hindrance’
(not checked:)
haft (noun n.; °; *-): fetter
[7] hapts: ‘haptzt’ R686ˣ, ‘hap⸜d⸝z’ 325VI, ‘kaptz’ 78aˣ, happs 68, Flat, ‘kaps’ 325VII, hefsk Tóm
notes
[6, 7] trauðir hapts ‘reluctant for hindrance’: Trauðir ‘reluctant’ is n. pl. qualifying vér ‘we [I]’, even though the reference is to the skald alone. (a) It is here construed, as in Skj B, with hapts, gen. sg. of hapt n., though this makes for a disjointed word order. The speaker’s reluctance must relate to the incident described retrospectively in the stanza, his exchange of greetings with King Óláfr, but the precise nature of the reluctance is uncertain. Hapt could mean ‘stasis, hindrance’ or ‘fetter’ (LP: hapt 1), perhaps referring to Bersi’s fear of being captured, which later materialised, or else to the rapidity with which he returned the king’s greeting (so Finnur Jónsson in Hkr 1893-1901, IV, translating uden tøven ‘without delay’). (b) Trauðir could stand alone, referring to the speaker’s reluctance to return the greeting, in which case hapts (which has clearly baffled some scribes) would appear to have its alternative sense ‘deity’ and to be part of the man-kenning in ll. 5-7. This is the analysis preferred by Kock (Skald and NN §684, followed in ÍF 27), reading boði elda úthauðrs hapts knarrar ‘offerer of the fires of the outer land of the deity of the ship [SEAFARER > SEA > GOLD > GENEROUS RULER]’. This departs from normal kenning usage in several ways, however. Although hapt knarrar ‘deity of the ship’ resembles a known pattern of kenning (see Meissner 278), such kennings denote ‘man’ rather than specifically ‘seafarer’, and even if ‘seafarer’ is correct there do not appear to be other sea-kennings on the pattern ‘land of the seafarer’. ‘Sea’ is normally determined by names of sea-kings or maritime terms of various sorts, not by words for sailors (Meissner 95-7). Further, hapt is not otherwise recorded as a base-word, and when used in the sense ‘gods’ it is normally pl.
sem ‘just as’
(not checked:)
sem (conj.): as, which
keyptak ‘I had bought’
[7] keyptak (‘ec keypta’): keyptu 73aˣ
kyn ‘to the kin’
(not checked:)
1. kyn (noun n.; °-s; -): kin < kynstórr (adj.): high-born
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
stórs ‘mighty’
(not checked:)
stórr (adj.): large, great < kynstórr (adj.): high-born
[8] ‑stórs: ‑stór 61, Holm4, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, ‘‑s(to)ra’(?) 325V
kennings
kynstórs boða elda úthauðrs knarrar,‘to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship ’
= GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
the outlying land of the ship → SEA
the fires of the SEA → GOLD
to the kin-mighty offerer of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr
at ‘from’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
[8] at við: á vit 73aˣ, 68, 61, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, vítt 325V
við ‘the tree’
(not checked:)
1. viðr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -u/-i): wood, tree
[8] at við: á vit 73aˣ, 68, 61, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, vítt 325V
kennings
við brynju.‘the tree of the mail-shirt.’
= WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
the tree of the mail-shirt. → WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
brynju ‘of the mail-shirt’
(not checked:)
1. brynja (noun f.; °-u (dat. brynnoni Gibb 38⁹); -ur): mailcoat
kennings
við brynju.‘the tree of the mail-shirt.’
= WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
the tree of the mail-shirt. → WARRIOR = you, Óláfr
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Hróðrs batt heilan líða |
You bade this skilled conveyor of praise [POET = me] to fare well, and we [I] managed to reply in kind to the keen cultivator of battle [WARRIOR = you, Óláfr]. Reluctant for hindrance, we [I] sold those words to the kin-mighty offerer of the fires of the outlying land of the ship [SEA > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN = you, Óláfr] just as I had bought [them] from the tree of the mail-shirt [WARRIOR = you, Óláfr].
ÓH-Hkr describes how Bersi (not previously mentioned) is fighting in the fore-stem of Sveinn jarl’s ship in his battle at Nesjar against King Óláfr Haraldsson (1016). He is distinctive – handsome and well armed – and King Óláfr recognises him; they exchange shouted greetings. The three stanzas of Ólfl are then cited, with the explanation that Bersi composed a flokkr for Óláfr after he had come into his power and was sitting in fetters.
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