Bragi Rdr 1III
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Bragi inn gamli Boddason, Ragnarsdrápa 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 28.
unnit ‘accomplished’
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
hrafnk[…]ll ‘’
Hrafnketill ‘Hrafnketill’
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Hrafnkell (noun m.): [Hrafnketill]
[1] Hrafnketill: ‘hrafnk[…]ll’ C
notes
[1] Hrafnketill: The unsyncopated, older form of the pers. n. Hrafnkell (cf. ANG §359.2) is required by metre and present in all mss. The poet addresses this man directly and urges him to listen to his poem, which is evidently about both a painted shield (see below) and an unnamed prince. Internal evidence thus indicates that this is an opening helmingr of a shield poem. However, if it forms part of the same poem as st. 2, which seemingly alludes to Ragnarr loðbrók, and if both belong to Rdr, then who is Hrafnketill? It is unusual for an early Viking-Age skald to address a messenger, who has arguably brought the shield from his patron to the poet (so Gísli Brynjúlfsson 1860, 5; CPB II, 2; cf. Wood 1960a) in his opening stanza, rather than the patron himself, although this remains a possibility and presupposes either oral memorisation of the poem or a written text inscribed on a rune stick. There is early Viking-Age evidence for the use of runic message sticks from both Hedeby and Staraja Ladoga (cf. Liestøl 1971) and the missionary Ansgar, after a visit to Birka in 831, is said to have delivered a letter from the Swedish king, possibly in runes, to the Emperor Louis the Pious (Trillmich, Buchner and Scior 2000, 42). Another view (Marold 1986b, 445-6) is that Bragi and Hrafnketill are rival poets engaged in some form of competition. This idea is dependent upon the mention of a certain ‘Brahi’ and ‘Rankil’ in Saxo Grammaticus’s account of the battle of Brávellir (Saxo 2015, I, viii. 3. 10, pp. 540-1), where they are named as being among the Icelandic supporters of King Sigurðr hringr ‘Ring’ (see Note to st. 2/4).
he[…] ‘’
hvé ‘how’
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hvé (conj.): how
grjótin ‘’
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grjót (noun n.): rock, stone
grot ‘’
hreingróit ‘bright-planted’
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hreingróinn (adj./verb p.p.): [bright-planted]
[2] hreingróit: ‘hrein grot’ Tˣ, ‘rein griotinn’ C
notes
[2] hreingróit steini ‘bright-planted with colour’: Bragi’s shield-kenning (see Note to ll. 3, 4 below) is elaborated by means of this adjectival phrase, which qualifies blað ‘leaf’ (l. 4). There is a pun on the noun steinn, which means both ‘stone’ and ‘mineral colour, paint’ (cf. LP: steinn), and points both in the direction of the Hrungnir myth (see below) and towards the immediate object of the poet’s gaze, the brightly painted shield covered with images of myths and legends, which he is about to turn into literary capital. The sense of gróa (p. p. gróit) ‘grow, cover with growth’ nicely carries through the image of the shield as a leaf (blað) in a clever nýgerving that plays on the antithesis between the animate and inanimate poles of the kenning. On Bragi’s use of nýgervingar, see Marold (1993b, 297-9).
steini ‘with colour’
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steinn (noun m.; °steins; steinar): stone, colour
notes
[2] hreingróit steini ‘bright-planted with colour’: Bragi’s shield-kenning (see Note to ll. 3, 4 below) is elaborated by means of this adjectival phrase, which qualifies blað ‘leaf’ (l. 4). There is a pun on the noun steinn, which means both ‘stone’ and ‘mineral colour, paint’ (cf. LP: steinn), and points both in the direction of the Hrungnir myth (see below) and towards the immediate object of the poet’s gaze, the brightly painted shield covered with images of myths and legends, which he is about to turn into literary capital. The sense of gróa (p. p. gróit) ‘grow, cover with growth’ nicely carries through the image of the shield as a leaf (blað) in a clever nýgerving that plays on the antithesis between the animate and inanimate poles of the kenning. On Bragi’s use of nýgervingar, see Marold (1993b, 297-9).
þurðar ‘’
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þurðr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/-i): decrease
kennings
blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar,‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr, ’
= SHIELD
the thief of Þrúðr, → Hrungnir
the leaf of the footsoles of HRUNGNIR → SHIELD
notes
[3, 4] blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar ‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr <goddess> [= Hrungnir > SHIELD]’: Skm’s commentary indicates that ‘the thief of Þrúðr’ (lit. ‘strength’) refers to the giant Hrungnir, who is the god Þórr’s antagonist in a myth narrated in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20-2), which is also one subject of another shield-poem, Þjóð Haustl sts 14-20 (SnE 1998, I, 22-4). This myth tells how Hrungnir was persuaded to stand on his shield, which was made of stone, because, he was informed, Þórr was going to attack him from underground. Þrúðr is the name of Þórr’s daughter, so it seems that Hrungnir may have abducted her from her father. Although no telling of Hrungnir’s theft of Þrúðr has survived (but see Alv 2 for a possible allusion; Clunies Ross 1994a; Frank 1978, 113-14), the kenning requires us to understand that such a myth existed, which may in one version have motivated Þórr’s and Hrungnir’s single combat.
kennings
blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar,‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr, ’
= SHIELD
the thief of Þrúðr, → Hrungnir
the leaf of the footsoles of HRUNGNIR → SHIELD
notes
[3, 4] blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar ‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr <goddess> [= Hrungnir > SHIELD]’: Skm’s commentary indicates that ‘the thief of Þrúðr’ (lit. ‘strength’) refers to the giant Hrungnir, who is the god Þórr’s antagonist in a myth narrated in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20-2), which is also one subject of another shield-poem, Þjóð Haustl sts 14-20 (SnE 1998, I, 22-4). This myth tells how Hrungnir was persuaded to stand on his shield, which was made of stone, because, he was informed, Þórr was going to attack him from underground. Þrúðr is the name of Þórr’s daughter, so it seems that Hrungnir may have abducted her from her father. Although no telling of Hrungnir’s theft of Þrúðr has survived (but see Alv 2 for a possible allusion; Clunies Ross 1994a; Frank 1978, 113-14), the kenning requires us to understand that such a myth existed, which may in one version have motivated Þórr’s and Hrungnir’s single combat.
skalk ‘I shall’
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skulu (verb): shall, should, must
þengill ‘’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
þengils ‘’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
þjófs ‘of the thief’
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þjófr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): thief
kennings
blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar,‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr, ’
= SHIELD
the thief of Þrúðr, → Hrungnir
the leaf of the footsoles of HRUNGNIR → SHIELD
notes
[3, 4] blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar ‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr <goddess> [= Hrungnir > SHIELD]’: Skm’s commentary indicates that ‘the thief of Þrúðr’ (lit. ‘strength’) refers to the giant Hrungnir, who is the god Þórr’s antagonist in a myth narrated in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20-2), which is also one subject of another shield-poem, Þjóð Haustl sts 14-20 (SnE 1998, I, 22-4). This myth tells how Hrungnir was persuaded to stand on his shield, which was made of stone, because, he was informed, Þórr was going to attack him from underground. Þrúðr is the name of Þórr’s daughter, so it seems that Hrungnir may have abducted her from her father. Although no telling of Hrungnir’s theft of Þrúðr has survived (but see Alv 2 for a possible allusion; Clunies Ross 1994a; Frank 1978, 113-14), the kenning requires us to understand that such a myth existed, which may in one version have motivated Þórr’s and Hrungnir’s single combat.
þjófs ‘of the thief’
(not checked:)
þjófr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): thief
kennings
blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar,‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr, ’
= SHIELD
the thief of Þrúðr, → Hrungnir
the leaf of the footsoles of HRUNGNIR → SHIELD
notes
[3, 4] blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar ‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr <goddess> [= Hrungnir > SHIELD]’: Skm’s commentary indicates that ‘the thief of Þrúðr’ (lit. ‘strength’) refers to the giant Hrungnir, who is the god Þórr’s antagonist in a myth narrated in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20-2), which is also one subject of another shield-poem, Þjóð Haustl sts 14-20 (SnE 1998, I, 22-4). This myth tells how Hrungnir was persuaded to stand on his shield, which was made of stone, because, he was informed, Þórr was going to attack him from underground. Þrúðr is the name of Þórr’s daughter, so it seems that Hrungnir may have abducted her from her father. Although no telling of Hrungnir’s theft of Þrúðr has survived (but see Alv 2 for a possible allusion; Clunies Ross 1994a; Frank 1978, 113-14), the kenning requires us to understand that such a myth existed, which may in one version have motivated Þórr’s and Hrungnir’s single combat.
ilja ‘of the footsoles’
(not checked:)
il (noun f.; °; -jar): footsole
kennings
blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar,‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr, ’
= SHIELD
the thief of Þrúðr, → Hrungnir
the leaf of the footsoles of HRUNGNIR → SHIELD
notes
[3, 4] blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar ‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr <goddess> [= Hrungnir > SHIELD]’: Skm’s commentary indicates that ‘the thief of Þrúðr’ (lit. ‘strength’) refers to the giant Hrungnir, who is the god Þórr’s antagonist in a myth narrated in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20-2), which is also one subject of another shield-poem, Þjóð Haustl sts 14-20 (SnE 1998, I, 22-4). This myth tells how Hrungnir was persuaded to stand on his shield, which was made of stone, because, he was informed, Þórr was going to attack him from underground. Þrúðr is the name of Þórr’s daughter, so it seems that Hrungnir may have abducted her from her father. Although no telling of Hrungnir’s theft of Þrúðr has survived (but see Alv 2 for a possible allusion; Clunies Ross 1994a; Frank 1978, 113-14), the kenning requires us to understand that such a myth existed, which may in one version have motivated Þórr’s and Hrungnir’s single combat.
blað ‘the leaf’
(not checked:)
blað (noun n.; °; *-): blade, leaf
kennings
blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar,‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr, ’
= SHIELD
the thief of Þrúðr, → Hrungnir
the leaf of the footsoles of HRUNGNIR → SHIELD
notes
[3, 4] blað ilja þjófs Þrúðar ‘the leaf of the footsoles of the thief of Þrúðr <goddess> [= Hrungnir > SHIELD]’: Skm’s commentary indicates that ‘the thief of Þrúðr’ (lit. ‘strength’) refers to the giant Hrungnir, who is the god Þórr’s antagonist in a myth narrated in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20-2), which is also one subject of another shield-poem, Þjóð Haustl sts 14-20 (SnE 1998, I, 22-4). This myth tells how Hrungnir was persuaded to stand on his shield, which was made of stone, because, he was informed, Þórr was going to attack him from underground. Þrúðr is the name of Þórr’s daughter, so it seems that Hrungnir may have abducted her from her father. Although no telling of Hrungnir’s theft of Þrúðr has survived (but see Alv 2 for a possible allusion; Clunies Ross 1994a; Frank 1978, 113-14), the kenning requires us to understand that such a myth existed, which may in one version have motivated Þórr’s and Hrungnir’s single combat.
leyfa ‘praise’
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leyfa (verb): permit; praise
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
This helmingr and Rdr 2 are cited in sequence in a section of Skm (SnE 1998, I, 69-70) exemplifying kennings for weapons and armour. They provide examples of shield-kennings. Rdr 1 is preceded by the statement Ilja blað Hrungnis, sem Bragi kvað ‘The footsoles’ leaf of Hrungnir, as Bragi said’.
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