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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Bjbp Jóms 36^I

Emily Lethbridge (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni byskup Kolbeinsson, Jómsvíkingadrápa 36’ 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. 990.

Bjarni byskup Kolbeinsson Jómsvíkingadrápa

Bað ‘commanded’

(not checked:)
biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray

fyr ‘over’

(not checked:)
fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.

borð ‘board’

(not checked:)
borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table

at ‘that’

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

skyldi ‘should’

(not checked:)
skulu (verb): shall, should, must

bǫð ‘The battle’

(not checked:)
bǫð (noun f.; °-s; -): battle < bǫðsvellandi (noun m.)

kennings

Bǫðsvellandi
‘The battle-sweller ’
= WARRIOR = Búi
The battle-sweller → WARRIOR = Búi

notes

[2] bǫðsvellandi ‘the battle-sweller [WARRIOR = Búi]’: Presumably Búi, who according to Jvs (1879, 85) shouts ‘Firer bord allir Bua þegnar’ ‘“overboard all Búi’s men”’ as he leaps off the ship with his two chests of gold (cf. st. 37/3-4).

svellandi ‘sweller’

(not checked:)
svellandi (noun m.): [Sweller] < bǫðsvellandi (noun m.)

kennings

Bǫðsvellandi
‘The battle-sweller ’
= WARRIOR = Búi
The battle-sweller → WARRIOR = Búi

notes

[2] bǫðsvellandi ‘the battle-sweller [WARRIOR = Búi]’: Presumably Búi, who according to Jvs (1879, 85) shouts ‘Firer bord allir Bua þegnar’ ‘“overboard all Búi’s men”’ as he leaps off the ship with his two chests of gold (cf. st. 37/3-4).

allir ‘all’

(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all

áðr ‘before that’

(not checked:)
áðr (adv.; °//): before

frák ‘I have heard that’

(not checked:)
1. fregna (verb): hear of

vápnum ‘with weapons’

(not checked:)
vápn (noun n.; °-s; -): weapon

verjask ‘defended themselves’

(not checked:)
3. verja (verb): defend

Vagns ‘Vagn’s’

(not checked:)
2. Vagn (noun m.): [Vagn, with Vagn]

lið ‘troop’

(not checked:)
lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop

Búa ‘Búi’s’

(not checked:)
3. Búi (noun m.): Búi

þegnar ‘men’

(not checked:)
þegn (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ar): thane, man, franklin

[4] þegnar: ‘þ[...]’ R, þegnar RCP, RFJ

Ok ‘And’

(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

hregg ‘of the storm’

(not checked:)
hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggboði (noun m.)

kennings

hraustr hjǫrva hreggboði
‘storm-offerer of swords’
= WARRIOR = Búi
the storm of swords → BATTLE
the valiant offerer of the BATTLE → WARRIOR = Búi

hregg ‘of the storm’

(not checked:)
hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggboði (noun m.)

kennings

hraustr hjǫrva hreggboði
‘storm-offerer of swords’
= WARRIOR = Búi
the storm of swords → BATTLE
the valiant offerer of the BATTLE → WARRIOR = Búi

boði ‘offerer’

(not checked:)
boði (noun m.; °-a; -ar): messenger, breaker < hreggboði (noun m.)

kennings

hraustr hjǫrva hreggboði
‘storm-offerer of swords’
= WARRIOR = Búi
the storm of swords → BATTLE
the valiant offerer of the BATTLE → WARRIOR = Búi

hjǫrva ‘of swords’

(not checked:)
hjǫrr (noun m.): sword

kennings

hraustr hjǫrva hreggboði
‘storm-offerer of swords’
= WARRIOR = Búi
the storm of swords → BATTLE
the valiant offerer of the BATTLE → WARRIOR = Búi

hjǫrva ‘of swords’

(not checked:)
hjǫrr (noun m.): sword

kennings

hraustr hjǫrva hreggboði
‘storm-offerer of swords’
= WARRIOR = Búi
the storm of swords → BATTLE
the valiant offerer of the BATTLE → WARRIOR = Búi

hraustr ‘the valiant’

(not checked:)
hraustr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): strong, valiant

kennings

hraustr hjǫrva hreggboði
‘storm-offerer of swords’
= WARRIOR = Búi
the storm of swords → BATTLE
the valiant offerer of the BATTLE → WARRIOR = Búi

með ‘with’

(not checked:)
með (prep.): with

þungar ‘heavy’

(not checked:)
þungr (adj.): heavy

kistur ‘chests’

(not checked:)
kista (noun f.; °-u; -ur): coffin, chest

sá ‘that one’

(not checked:)
1. sá (pron.; °gen. þess, dat. þeim, acc. þann; f. sú, gen. þeirrar, acc. þá; n. þat, dat. því; pl. m. þeir, f. þǽ---): that (one), those

var ‘was’

(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

illr ‘mean’

(not checked:)
illr (adj.): bad, evil, unwell

notes

[7] illr ‘mean’: Búi’s impulse to sink his treasure-chests in the sea rather than surrender them presumably lies behind this aside that he is mean with money.

af ‘with’

(not checked:)
af (prep.): from

aurum ‘money’

(not checked:)
eyrir (noun m.; °eyris, dat. eyri; aurar): ounce, money, property

ótrauðr ‘unhesitating’

(not checked:)
ótrauðr (adj.): not reluctant

á ‘into’

(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at

notes

[8] réði … á kaf ‘plunged ... into the sea’: Kaf n. is taken here in the sense ‘sea, the deep’. The phrase could alternatively mean ‘determined on a plunge’ (with kaf in the sense ‘dive, plunge’; cf. Note to ÞjóðA Lv 2/3^II). Réði is 3rd pers. sg. pret. subj. of ráða, though indic. rather than subj. would be expected here. It is possible that the subj. communicates a sense that the event is reported tentatively and at second hand, perhaps influenced by l. 3 frák ‘I have heard’. Some eds (Jvs 1879; Skj B; Skald) emend l. 5 ok ‘and’ to áðr ‘before’, which is commonly followed by subj., and they consequentially emend l. 3 áðr to þá ‘then’. However, in the absence of other indicators of corruption, emendation is better avoided.

kaf ‘the sea’

(not checked:)
kaf (noun n.; °; *-): deep sea

notes

[8] réði … á kaf ‘plunged ... into the sea’: Kaf n. is taken here in the sense ‘sea, the deep’. The phrase could alternatively mean ‘determined on a plunge’ (with kaf in the sense ‘dive, plunge’; cf. Note to ÞjóðA Lv 2/3^II). Réði is 3rd pers. sg. pret. subj. of ráða, though indic. rather than subj. would be expected here. It is possible that the subj. communicates a sense that the event is reported tentatively and at second hand, perhaps influenced by l. 3 frák ‘I have heard’. Some eds (Jvs 1879; Skj B; Skald) emend l. 5 ok ‘and’ to áðr ‘before’, which is commonly followed by subj., and they consequentially emend l. 3 áðr to þá ‘then’. However, in the absence of other indicators of corruption, emendation is better avoided.

réði ‘plunged’

(not checked:)
ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide

notes

[8] réði … á kaf ‘plunged ... into the sea’: Kaf n. is taken here in the sense ‘sea, the deep’. The phrase could alternatively mean ‘determined on a plunge’ (with kaf in the sense ‘dive, plunge’; cf. Note to ÞjóðA Lv 2/3^II). Réði is 3rd pers. sg. pret. subj. of ráða, though indic. rather than subj. would be expected here. It is possible that the subj. communicates a sense that the event is reported tentatively and at second hand, perhaps influenced by l. 3 frák ‘I have heard’. Some eds (Jvs 1879; Skj B; Skald) emend l. 5 ok ‘and’ to áðr ‘before’, which is commonly followed by subj., and they consequentially emend l. 3 áðr to þá ‘then’. However, in the absence of other indicators of corruption, emendation is better avoided.

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verse
prose

In some versions of the legend (e.g. ÓT 1958-2000, I, 195; Jvs 1962, 38) Búi’s hands have been chopped off in the fighting, so it is with the stumps that he grasps the treasure chests. — [3-4]: These lines are closely similar to st. 28/1-2.

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