Alison Finlay (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni gullbrárskáld Hallbjarnarson, Kálfsflokkr 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. 879.
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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þars (conj.): where
[1] þars (‘þar er’): ‘þarr’ 75c, þá er 325VII, þar 325XI 2 b, ‘[…]’ Kˣ
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víg (noun n.; °-s; -): battle
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biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray
[1] bað: batt 68, 325V, Flat
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1. kosta (verb): try, strive
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vápndjarfr (adj.): [weapon-bold]
[2] vápndjarfr: vígdjarfr 61, ‘[…]pndiar[…]’ 325XI 2 b, vinreifr FskAˣ, 301ˣ
[All]: The battle at Bókn (Bokn) took place in December 1027 or 1028. It is also commemorated in Sigv Erlfl, which specifies the location við þrǫm Bóknar ‘off the coast of Bokn’ (st. 3/4); for the site see Note to l. 4 below and Jesch (2001a, 207).
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kynna (verb): make known, reveal
[3] kynnisk: ‘kunnþu’ 75c, ‘kunn(þu)’(?) 325XI 2 b
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kapp (noun n.; °-s; *-): strength, vigour, courage
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þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
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2. við (prep.): with, against
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Bókn (noun f.): [Bokn]
[4] Bókn: ‘bukn’ 73aˣ, FskAˣ, ‘bo[…]’ Tóm, ‘buenn’ or ‘bucnn’ 301ˣ
[4] Bókn ‘Bokn’: A pair of islands (Vestre Bokn and Austre Bokn) in Boknafjorden, Rogaland, Norway. Útsteinn, mentioned in st. 2/4, is in the same fjord.
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3. austr (adv.; °compar. -ar, superl. -ast): east, in the east
[4] austr: of 325VII
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sjalfr (adj.): self
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2. geta (verb): to beget, give birth to, mention, speak of; to think well of, like, love
[5] gôtuð ‘you provided’: The pl. form gôtuð contrasts with the sg. vast ‘you were’ in ll. 1 and 7, as well as sg. þitt ‘your' in l. 3, but may have been chosen for metrical reasons. Such variation between pl. or formal forms and sg. or familiar ones is common in skaldic poetry; cf. Note to st. 4/1, 3.
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Gríðr (noun f.; °dat./acc. -i): [Gríðr, Gríður]
[5] Gríðar: griða Tóm, ‘g[…]ðar’ 325XI 2 b
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sóti (noun m.; °-a): steed, Sóti
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góligr (adj.): splendid
[6] gólig fǫng til jóla: ‘goli[…]til[…]’ 325XI 2 b
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fang (noun n.; °-s; *-): grasp, tunic
[6] gólig fǫng til jóla: ‘goli[…]til[…]’ 325XI 2 b
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jól (noun n.; °; -): midwinter feast
[6] gólig fǫng til jóla: ‘goli[…]til[…]’ 325XI 2 b
[6] jóla (gen. pl.) ‘Christmas’: Since the poem was composed after the reign of Óláfr Haraldsson, the reference is presumably to Christmas rather than the pre-Christian Yule; the seasonal reference is apposite, given the timing of the battle in late December.
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kenna (verb): know, teach
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[7] vast (‘vartv’): nær 321ˣ, ‘[…]tu’ Kˣ
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fundr (noun m.): discovery, meeting
[7] fundi: falli 61, 75c, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, 325XI 2 b
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flettugrjót (noun n.): [split stone]
[8] flettugrjóts: ‘flett[…]otz’ Kˣ
[8] flettugrjóts (gen. sg.) ‘of split stone’: Fletta appears to derive from *flinta- and to mean ‘slate, stone that can be split’ (AEW: fletta 1; LP: flettugrjót); cf. ModIcel. flettigrjót (ÍO: flettugrjót); see also Note to ÞjóðA Magnfl 9/1II. As part of the determinant of the kenning, this particular kind of stone represents stones in general, used as missiles in battle.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Kálfr, you were east off Bokn itself, where the weapon-bold heir of Haraldr [= Óláfr] commanded battle to be waged; your bravery becomes known to men. You provided the steed of Gríðr <giantess> [WOLF] with splendid provisions for Christmas; you were seen to be first at the meeting of split stone and of spears [BATTLE].
In ÓH-Hkr, King Óláfr heads north after the death of Erlingr Skjálgsson at Bókn (Bokn). He has learned of an uprising from Agðir, Rogaland and Hǫrðaland (Agder, Rogaland and Hordaland) but is supported by chieftains including the Árnasynir; this and st. 2 are cited as evidence of their support. In Fsk the context is briefer but the purpose of the citation similar.
Stanzas 1/1-4 and 2/3-6 form a unitary stanza in Fsk. — [2]: The FskAˣ reading vinreifr með Ôleifi ‘friend-happy with Óláfr’ seems to be a version of st. 5/2 vígreifr fyr Ôleifi and is unlikely to be the more original reading.
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