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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Bersi Ólfl 3^I

Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Bersi Skáld-Torfuson, Flokkr about Óláfr helgi 3’ 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. 794.

Bersi Skáld-Torfuson Flokkr about Óláfr helgi

Krýpk ‘crawl’

(not checked:)
krjúpa (verb): creep, kneel

[1] Krýpk (‘Kryp ec’): ‘kryp(or) ec’(?) 325VI, krýp 75a, 61, krýp ek ek 68, ‘Kreyp ec’ Tóm

eigi ‘I do not’

(not checked:)
3. eigi (adv.): not

svá ‘in such a way’

(not checked:)
svá (adv.): so, thus

sveigir ‘Swinger’

(not checked:)
sveigir (noun m.): brandisher

[1] sveigir: sveigr R686ˣ, síðan 325VII, Bb

kennings

Sveigir linns sára,
‘Swinger of the snake of wounds, ’
= WARRIOR
the snake of wounds, → SWORD
Swinger of the SWORD → WARRIOR

sára ‘of wounds’

(not checked:)
2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound

kennings

Sveigir linns sára,
‘Swinger of the snake of wounds, ’
= WARRIOR
the snake of wounds, → SWORD
Swinger of the SWORD → WARRIOR

sára ‘of wounds’

(not checked:)
2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound

kennings

Sveigir linns sára,
‘Swinger of the snake of wounds, ’
= WARRIOR
the snake of wounds, → SWORD
Swinger of the SWORD → WARRIOR

linns ‘of the snake’

(not checked:)
linnr (noun m.): snake

[2] linns: logs Holm4

kennings

Sveigir linns sára,
‘Swinger of the snake of wounds, ’
= WARRIOR
the snake of wounds, → SWORD
Swinger of the SWORD → WARRIOR

linns ‘of the snake’

(not checked:)
linnr (noun m.): snake

[2] linns: logs Holm4

kennings

Sveigir linns sára,
‘Swinger of the snake of wounds, ’
= WARRIOR
the snake of wounds, → SWORD
Swinger of the SWORD → WARRIOR

í ‘early on we are’

(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into

[2] í: og R686ˣ

notes

[2] í ári ‘early on’: This adverbial could be taken with either clause in the first helmingr, and its sense is somewhat elusive. Although ‘this year’ would be a natural translation, ‘early, at daybreak’, or ‘early, soon, quickly’ seem more likely in context (so Finnur Jónsson in Hkr 1893-1901, IV; he prefers the latter in Skj B and LP: 2. ár 5; cf. Kock’s case for ‘in a hurry’, NN §3222). In Hkr 1991 the phrase is taken with the krýpk-clause and understood as ‘this year, at present’. The variant í vári ‘in the spring’ is viable but seems to be secondary.

ári ‘’

(not checked:)
2. ár (noun n.; °-s; -): year, year’s abundance

[2] ári: vári 325V, 325VII, Flat, Tóm

notes

[2] í ári ‘early on’: This adverbial could be taken with either clause in the first helmingr, and its sense is somewhat elusive. Although ‘this year’ would be a natural translation, ‘early, at daybreak’, or ‘early, soon, quickly’ seem more likely in context (so Finnur Jónsson in Hkr 1893-1901, IV; he prefers the latter in Skj B and LP: 2. ár 5; cf. Kock’s case for ‘in a hurry’, NN §3222). In Hkr 1991 the phrase is taken with the krýpk-clause and understood as ‘this year, at present’. The variant í vári ‘in the spring’ is viable but seems to be secondary.

búum ‘readying’

(not checked:)
2. búa (verb; °býr (1. pers. býg NjM 330²⁴); bjó/bjuggi/bjǫggi/byggi, bjuggu/bjǫggu (præt. conj. byggi); búinn (n. sg. búit/bút)): prepare, ready, live

[3] búum: búinn Flat, Tóm

notes

[3] búum ‘we are [I am] readying’: The point about readying or preparing a ship is not entirely clear, but it seems to be a promise of service, despite not abandoning former friends (so Finnur Jónsson in Hkr 1893-1901, IV; ÍF 27). If búumk is not taken as ‘prepare’ but ‘dwell, inhabit’ it could instead be a reference to the speaker’s captivity on board ship (so Hkr 1991, which favours taking þér til handa with krýpk eigi svá, hence ‘I do not crawl thus into your power’).

ólítinn ‘a not small’

(not checked:)
ólítill (adj.): not small

[3] ólítinn: ‘ollyit(um)’(?) R686ˣ

kennings

ólítinn ǫndur Áta
‘a not small ski of Áti ’
= SHIP
a not small ski of Áti → SHIP

Áta ‘of Áti’

(not checked:)
Áti (noun m.): Áti

[3] Áta: úti Holm2, R686ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 68, 61, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm

kennings

ólítinn ǫndur Áta
‘a not small ski of Áti ’
= SHIP
a not small ski of Áti → SHIP

notes

[3] Áta ‘of Áti <sea-king>’: Only this, the reading of Kˣ, makes sense of ǫndur ‘ski’ in l. 4 by providing the necessary determinant for a ship-kenning; the majority variant úti must have arisen because the name Áti was relatively unfamiliar.

ǫndur ‘ski’

(not checked:)
andr (noun m.; °; andrar): ski

[4] ǫndur: endr Flat, Tóm

kennings

ólítinn ǫndur Áta
‘a not small ski of Áti ’
= SHIP
a not small ski of Áti → SHIP

þér ‘you’

(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you

til ‘for’

(not checked:)
til (prep.): to

handa ‘’

(not checked:)
handa (prep.): [for]

[4] handa: halda Holm2

at ‘that’

(not checked:)
4. at (conj.): that

her ‘army’

(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host < herstefnir (noun m.): army-leader

kennings

heiðmildr herstefnir,
‘reward-generous army commander, ’
= RULER
reward-generous army commander, → RULER

stefnir ‘commander’

(not checked:)
stefnir (noun m.): commander < herstefnir (noun m.): army-leader

[5] ‑stefnir: ‑stefni Holm2, R686ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 325V, 325VII, Flat

kennings

heiðmildr herstefnir,
‘reward-generous army commander, ’
= RULER
reward-generous army commander, → RULER

hafnak ‘I forsake’

(not checked:)
1. hafna (verb): abandon, reject

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

heið ‘reward’

(not checked:)
2. heið (noun n.; °; -): clear sky < heiðmildr (adj.)

kennings

heiðmildr herstefnir,
‘reward-generous army commander, ’
= RULER
reward-generous army commander, → RULER

mildr ‘generous’

(not checked:)
mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous < heiðmildr (adj.)

[6] ‑mildr: ‘‑millr’ 325VII

kennings

heiðmildr herstefnir,
‘reward-generous army commander, ’
= RULER
reward-generous army commander, → RULER

eða ‘or else’

(not checked:)
eða (conj.): or

[6] eða: er 325VI, en 75a, né 68, 61

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

þá ‘then’

(not checked:)
2. þá (adv.): then

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

leiðumk ‘tire of’

(not checked:)
2. leiða (verb; -dd): lead; (-sk) grow tired

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

ungr ‘young’

(not checked:)
ungr (adj.): young

kunnak ‘I got to know’

(not checked:)
kunna (verb): know, can, be able

[7] kunnak (‘kunna ec’): kunnig Flat

þar ‘there’

(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there

[7] þar: þá Holm2, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, Holm4, Bb, Tóm, þat 68, 61, þann Flat

notes

[7] þar ‘there’: This may well mean ‘among them’ (so Hkr 1893-1901, IV; ÍF 27). It is taken, rather awkwardly, with ll. 5-6 in Skj B.

þrøngvi ‘enemy’

(not checked:)
þrøngvi (noun m.; °-a): enemy, oppressor

[7] þrøngvi (‘þreyngvi’): ‘þrǫngar’ 325VI, þengill 68, þrøngvir 61

notes

[7] þrøngvi ‘enemy’: Lit. ‘forcer, oppressor’; this is among heiti for ‘enemy’ in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 107).

þínn ‘your’

(not checked:)
þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your

holl ‘loyal’

(not checked:)
hollr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): loyal < hollvinr (noun m.): loyal friend

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

vini ‘friends’

(not checked:)
vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend < hollvinr (noun m.): loyal friend

[8] ‑vini mína: ‑vina minna 68

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

mína ‘my’

(not checked:)
minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my

[8] ‑vini mína: ‑vina minna 68

notes

[5, 6, 8] hafnak, eða þá leiðumk, hollvini mína ‘I forsake, or else then tire of, my loyal friends’: Hafna ‘forsake’ normally takes a dat. object; the acc. pl. object hollvini mína ‘my loyal friends’ is determined by leiðumk ‘I tire of’.

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