Bǫlv Hardr 2II
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bǫlverkr Arnórsson, Drápa about Haraldr harðráði 2’ 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. 288-9.
Hart ‘strongly’
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
kníði ‘drove’
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knýja (verb): press forward, urge, drive
[1] kníði: knúði H, Flat, ‘hnvdi’ Hr
svǫl ‘The cool’
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svalr (adj.): cool
svartan ‘the black’
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svartr (adj.): black
snekkju ‘of the warship’
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snekkja (noun f.; °-u; -ur): warship
notes
[2] snekkju ‘of the warship’: See Falk 1912, 102-4, Jesch 2001a, 126-7 and Note to Ív Sig 12/2.
brand ‘prow’
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brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire
notes
[2] brand ‘prow’: Brandr was a strip of wood running along the side of a ship’s prow (and stern). This strip could be carved or ornamented, sometimes gilded (see Falk 1912, 44-5).
fyr ‘forward along’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
landi ‘the coast’
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land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
skúr ‘rain-shower’
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1. skúr (noun f.; °; -ir): shower
en ‘and’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
skrautla ‘proudly’
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skrautla (adv.): [proudly]
[3] skrautla: ‘skavtla’ H, ‘skraula’ Flat
bôru ‘bore’
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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
skeiðr ‘warships’
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1. skeið (noun f.; °-ar; -r/-ar/-ir): ship
[4] skeiðr: so 39, F, J2ˣ, H, Hr, Flat, skeiður Kˣ, skeiði E
notes
[4] brynjaðar skeiðr ‘armoured warships’: For skeiðr, see Jesch 2001a, 123-5 and Note to Valg Har 1/2. It is not quite clear how the adj. brynjaðar ‘armoured’ should be interpreted. Falk (1912, 38) believes that it referred to a ship equipped with protective metal covering, while Jesch (2001a, 157-9) argues that there is no evidence that Viking-Age ships were protected in this manner; rather, such adjectives denote the shields carried along the shield-rim (see also Notes to ÞjóðA Har 5/7, Þfagr Sveinn 4/4 and Steinn Óldr 13/4).
brynjaðar ‘the armoured’
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2. brynja (verb; °-að-): armour
notes
[4] brynjaðar skeiðr ‘armoured warships’: For skeiðr, see Jesch 2001a, 123-5 and Note to Valg Har 1/2. It is not quite clear how the adj. brynjaðar ‘armoured’ should be interpreted. Falk (1912, 38) believes that it referred to a ship equipped with protective metal covering, while Jesch (2001a, 157-9) argues that there is no evidence that Viking-Age ships were protected in this manner; rather, such adjectives denote the shields carried along the shield-rim (see also Notes to ÞjóðA Har 5/7, Þfagr Sveinn 4/4 and Steinn Óldr 13/4).
reiði ‘tackle’
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3. reiði (noun n.; °-s): tackle, rigging
Mætr ‘The glorious’
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mætr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): honoured, respected
hilmir ‘monarch’
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hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector
sá ‘saw’
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2. sjá (verb): see
notes
[5-6] malma Miklagarðs ‘metal-roofed Constantinople’: Lit. ‘the metals of Constantinople’. Refers to the iron-covered roofs of the houses in that city (see ÍF 28, 71 n.). Skj B reads mætr hilmir Miklagarðs ‘the glorious king of Constantinople’ and sá malma fyr barði ‘saw the metal fittings on the bow’. That interpretation is tenuous, because the other sts have Haraldr as the protagonist (see NN §2035). Kock (NN §§1078, 2035) translates malma (m. acc. pl.) as ‘beaches’ and posits a meaning ‘sand’ for malmr (cf. Goth. malma ‘sand’). That meaning is not attested in ON (see Fritzner: malmr).
Mikla ‘Constantinople’
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mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large < Miklagarðr (noun m.): [Constantinople]
notes
[5-6] malma Miklagarðs ‘metal-roofed Constantinople’: Lit. ‘the metals of Constantinople’. Refers to the iron-covered roofs of the houses in that city (see ÍF 28, 71 n.). Skj B reads mætr hilmir Miklagarðs ‘the glorious king of Constantinople’ and sá malma fyr barði ‘saw the metal fittings on the bow’. That interpretation is tenuous, because the other sts have Haraldr as the protagonist (see NN §2035). Kock (NN §§1078, 2035) translates malma (m. acc. pl.) as ‘beaches’ and posits a meaning ‘sand’ for malmr (cf. Goth. malma ‘sand’). That meaning is not attested in ON (see Fritzner: malmr).
garðs ‘’
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garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard < Miklagarðr (noun m.): [Constantinople]
[6] ‑garðs: so 39, F, H, Hr, Flat, ‑garð Kˣ, E, J2ˣ
notes
[5-6] malma Miklagarðs ‘metal-roofed Constantinople’: Lit. ‘the metals of Constantinople’. Refers to the iron-covered roofs of the houses in that city (see ÍF 28, 71 n.). Skj B reads mætr hilmir Miklagarðs ‘the glorious king of Constantinople’ and sá malma fyr barði ‘saw the metal fittings on the bow’. That interpretation is tenuous, because the other sts have Haraldr as the protagonist (see NN §2035). Kock (NN §§1078, 2035) translates malma (m. acc. pl.) as ‘beaches’ and posits a meaning ‘sand’ for malmr (cf. Goth. malma ‘sand’). That meaning is not attested in ON (see Fritzner: malmr).
fyr ‘before’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
barði ‘the bow’
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barð (noun n.): prow, stern (of a ship)
mǫrg ‘many’
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2. margr (adj.; °-an): many
skriðu ‘advanced’
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skríða (verb): creep, glide
at ‘toward’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
borgar ‘of the city’
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borg (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -; -ir): city, stronghold
notes
[7, 8] armi borgar ‘rampart of the city’: Lit. ‘arm of the city’. See Anon (HSig) 2/8.
barm ‘rim-’
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barmr (noun m.; °dat. -i; *-um): rim < barmfagr (adj.)
[8] barm‑: ‘brann’ Flat
notes
[8] barmfǫgr ‘rim-fair’: Translated in Skj B as brystskinnende ‘bosom-shining’, but barmr ‘bosom’ is not attested in that meaning until after the Reformation (see Jesch 2001a, 141 n. 43; Note to ESk Lv 6/7, 8).
fǫgr ‘fair’
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fagr (adj.; °fagran; compar. fegri, superl. fegrstr): fair, beautiful < barmfagr (adj.)
notes
[8] barmfǫgr ‘rim-fair’: Translated in Skj B as brystskinnende ‘bosom-shining’, but barmr ‘bosom’ is not attested in that meaning until after the Reformation (see Jesch 2001a, 141 n. 43; Note to ESk Lv 6/7, 8).
hôum ‘the tall’
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
armi ‘rampart’
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1. armr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): arm
notes
[7, 8] armi borgar ‘rampart of the city’: Lit. ‘arm of the city’. See Anon (HSig) 2/8.
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Haraldr sailed into Constantinople.
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