Bǫlv Hardr 1II
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bǫlverkr Arnórsson, Drápa about Haraldr harðráði 1’ 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. 286-8.
Mildingr ‘Generous one’
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mildingr (noun m.; °-s): ruler, generous one
[1] Mildingr: Mildr Tóm, Bb, Mildingar FskBˣ
straukt ‘you wiped’
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strjúka (verb): furbish, wipe
[1] straukt: strauk 321ˣ, Flat, ‘streytu’ FskBˣ
munn ‘mouth’
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munnr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): mouth
es ‘when’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
lézt ‘you had finished’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
[2] lézt: hann lét 321ˣ, ‘bort’ 73aˣ
af ‘’
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af (prep.): from
gunni ‘the fight’
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gunnr (noun f.): battle
holds ‘flesh’
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hold (noun n.; °-s; -): flesh
[3] holds: ‘hollz’ 39, J2ˣ, Holm2, 325V, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, Hr, Flat, ‘helldz’ 321ˣ, ‘hellzt’ 73aˣ, hollr 61, Tóm, Bb
hrafn ‘the raven’
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hrafn (noun m.; °hrafns; dat. hrafni; hrafnar): raven
of ‘’
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4. of (particle): (before verb)
hrás ‘with raw’
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hrár (adj.): raw
[4] hrás: ‘hrass’ 321ˣ, ‘hars’ 73aˣ, 325V, hræs Tóm, ‘ræss’ FskBˣ
vargr ‘the wolf’
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vargr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): wolf
[4] vargr: ‘isings’ 73aˣ, ulfr 61, Tóm, Bb
notes
[4] vargr ‘the wolf’: The variant ulfr ‘wolf’ (so 61, Tóm, Bb) renders the l. unmetrical (two alliterating staves in an even l.).
ási ‘the hill’
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1. áss (noun m.; °ásar/áss, dat. ǽsi/ás; ǽsir/ǽsar, gen. ása/ǽsa, dat. ásum/ǽsum, acc. ásu/ǽsi/ása): rafter, ridge
[4] í ási: vargi 73aˣ
fremra ‘more distinguished’
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framr (adj.; °compar. framari/fremri, superl. framastr/fremstr): outstanding, foremost
[5] fremra: ‘fremro’ 73aˣ, fremri 325V
frið ‘a peace’
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friðr (noun m.): peace < friðskerðir (noun m.): peace-diminisher
[6] friðskerði: friðskerðir 39, 61, Tóm, Bb, H, Hr, folkherði E, folkherðir J2ˣ, Flat
kennings
friðskerði‘a peace-diminisher ’
= WARRIOR
a peace-diminisher → WARRIOR
notes
[6] friðskerði ‘peace-diminisher [WARRIOR]’: The variant folkherði ‘battle-increaser’ (so E, J2ˣ, Flat) is possible but lower on the stemma.
skerði ‘diminisher’
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skerðir (noun m.): diminisher < friðskerðir (noun m.): peace-diminisher
[6] friðskerði: friðskerðir 39, 61, Tóm, Bb, H, Hr, folkherði E, folkherðir J2ˣ, Flat
kennings
friðskerði‘a peace-diminisher ’
= WARRIOR
a peace-diminisher → WARRIOR
notes
[6] friðskerði ‘peace-diminisher [WARRIOR]’: The variant folkherði ‘battle-increaser’ (so E, J2ˣ, Flat) is possible but lower on the stemma.
þér ‘than you’
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
[6] þér: þar 972ˣ(538vb), 321ˣ, þeir 73aˣ, 325V
verða ‘becoming’
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1. verða (verb): become, be
austr ‘east’
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3. austr (adv.; °compar. -ar, superl. -ast): east, in the east
vast ‘you were’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[7] vast (‘vartu’): komtu E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(538va), 972ˣ(538vb), 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 61, Tóm, Bb, vanntu Hr
ár ‘year’
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2. ár (noun n.; °-s; -): year, year’s abundance
[7] ár it næsta: r in næstu H, Hr
notes
[7] it næsta ár ‘the following year’: Most of the Hkr mss and Fsk give the reading it næsta ár vast austr í Gǫrðum ‘the following year you were east in Russia’. That information is, however, somewhat at odds with the prose, because Haraldr spent several years with Jaroslav. Some of the ÓH mss (and E, J2ˣ) try to remedy that by replacing vast ‘were’ with komt ‘came’: it næsta ár komt austr í Garða ‘the following year you came east to Russia’. The H-Hr variant r in næstu ‘the following years’ is in keeping with the prose.
notes
[7] it næsta ár ‘the following year’: Most of the Hkr mss and Fsk give the reading it næsta ár vast austr í Gǫrðum ‘the following year you were east in Russia’. That information is, however, somewhat at odds with the prose, because Haraldr spent several years with Jaroslav. Some of the ÓH mss (and E, J2ˣ) try to remedy that by replacing vast ‘were’ with komt ‘came’: it næsta ár komt austr í Garða ‘the following year you came east to Russia’. The H-Hr variant r in næstu ‘the following years’ is in keeping with the prose.
næsta ‘following’
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nærri (adj. comp.; °superl. nǽstr): near, nearer, next
[7] ár it næsta: r in næstu H, Hr
notes
[7] it næsta ár ‘the following year’: Most of the Hkr mss and Fsk give the reading it næsta ár vast austr í Gǫrðum ‘the following year you were east in Russia’. That information is, however, somewhat at odds with the prose, because Haraldr spent several years with Jaroslav. Some of the ÓH mss (and E, J2ˣ) try to remedy that by replacing vast ‘were’ with komt ‘came’: it næsta ár komt austr í Garða ‘the following year you came east to Russia’. The H-Hr variant r in næstu ‘the following years’ is in keeping with the prose.
ǫrðuglyndr ‘resolute’
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ǫrðiglyndr (adj.): [resolute]
[8] ǫrðuglyndr: ǫrðiglyndr F, E, J2ˣ, Holm4, 325V, FskAˣ, Hr, ǫrðiglundr Holm2, 61, Tóm, ‘aurdiglindr’ 972ˣ(538va), 321ˣ, 73aˣ, ‘aurdiglunder’ 972ˣ(538vb), ‘ordvnlundr’ Bb, ‘orðuglindr’ FskBˣ, ‘auro᷎glyndr’ Flat
notes
[8] ǫrðuglyndr ‘resolute’: Lit. ‘upright-minded’. The suffixes -ug and -ig (ǫrðiglyndr) represent two different grades of ablaut, and both forms are acceptable.
notes
[8] í Gǫrðum ‘in Russia’: See Note to Hharð Gamv 1/7.
Gǫrðum ‘Russia’
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Garðar (noun m.): Russia
[8] Gǫrðum: garða 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 61, Bb, garði Tóm
notes
[8] í Gǫrðum ‘in Russia’: See Note to Hharð Gamv 1/7.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
After the battle of Stiklestad in 1030, Haraldr escaped to Sweden. The next summer (1031) he sought refuge with Jaroslav of Novgorod in Russia, where he spent some years in Jaroslav’s army.
For Haraldr’s escape from Stiklestad and the ensuing events, see also Hharð Gamv 1, Hharð Lv 1-2a, 2b and ÞjóðA Sex 1. His stay with Jaroslav is documented in ÞjóðA Run 1, 3. See also Sigfús Blöndal 1978, 54-5.
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