ESk Geisl 11VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 11’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 16-17.
Þrek ‘of the strong’
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þrekr (noun m.): powerful < þreklyndr (adj.)
kennings
þreklynds þegns Krists;‘of the strong-minded thane of Christ; ’
= Óláfr
the strong-minded thane of Christ; → Óláfr
lynds ‘minded’
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lyndr (adj.; °superl. -astr): minded < þreklyndr (adj.)
kennings
þreklynds þegns Krists;‘of the strong-minded thane of Christ; ’
= Óláfr
the strong-minded thane of Christ; → Óláfr
skulu ‘should’
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skulu (verb): shall, should, must
Þrœndir ‘The Þrœndir’
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Þrœndr (noun m.; °; þrǿndir/þrǿndr): people from Tröndelag
þegns ‘thane’
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þegn (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ar): thane, man, franklin
[2] þegns prýðibrag: ‘þegn prydes brag’ Bb
kennings
þreklynds þegns Krists;‘of the strong-minded thane of Christ; ’
= Óláfr
the strong-minded thane of Christ; → Óláfr
notes
[2] prýðibrag þegns ‘splendid poem of the thane’: Previous eds have based their texts on Bb’s þegnprýðis brag ‘poem of the thane-ornamenter [RULER = Óláfr]’. This interpretation assumes a hap. leg. prýðir cognate with prýða ‘to ornament’. The hap. leg. prýðibrag ‘splendid poem’ is a more likely cpd than þegnprýðir (there are a variety of compounds with prýði-). Þegn (l. 2) is then construed with Krists (l. 3) to give a kenning for Óláfr analogous to the miles Christi ‘soldier of Christ’ familiar from Scripture (2 Tim. II.3) and hagiography (cf. Guðs ríðari ‘God’s knight’ 18/6).
prýði ‘to the splendid’
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prýði (noun f.): finery, honour < prýðibragr (noun m.)
[2] þegns prýðibrag: ‘þegn prydes brag’ Bb
notes
[2] prýðibrag þegns ‘splendid poem of the thane’: Previous eds have based their texts on Bb’s þegnprýðis brag ‘poem of the thane-ornamenter [RULER = Óláfr]’. This interpretation assumes a hap. leg. prýðir cognate with prýða ‘to ornament’. The hap. leg. prýðibrag ‘splendid poem’ is a more likely cpd than þegnprýðir (there are a variety of compounds with prýði-). Þegn (l. 2) is then construed with Krists (l. 3) to give a kenning for Óláfr analogous to the miles Christi ‘soldier of Christ’ familiar from Scripture (2 Tim. II.3) and hagiography (cf. Guðs ríðari ‘God’s knight’ 18/6).
brag ‘poem’
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bragr (noun m.; °-ar): poem, poetry < prýðibragr (noun m.)
[2] þegns prýðibrag: ‘þegn prydes brag’ Bb
notes
[2] prýðibrag þegns ‘splendid poem of the thane’: Previous eds have based their texts on Bb’s þegnprýðis brag ‘poem of the thane-ornamenter [RULER = Óláfr]’. This interpretation assumes a hap. leg. prýðir cognate with prýða ‘to ornament’. The hap. leg. prýðibrag ‘splendid poem’ is a more likely cpd than þegnprýðir (there are a variety of compounds with prýði-). Þegn (l. 2) is then construed with Krists (l. 3) to give a kenning for Óláfr analogous to the miles Christi ‘soldier of Christ’ familiar from Scripture (2 Tim. II.3) and hagiography (cf. Guðs ríðari ‘God’s knight’ 18/6).
hlýða ‘listen’
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2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
kennings
þreklynds þegns Krists;‘of the strong-minded thane of Christ; ’
= Óláfr
the strong-minded thane of Christ; → Óláfr
lifir ‘lives’
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lifa (verb): live
hann ‘he’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
hæstri ‘the highest’
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hœgri (adj. comp.): higher, highest
hǫll ‘hall’
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1. hǫll (noun f.; °hallar, dat. -u/-; hallir): hall
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Norð ‘Norwegians’
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norð- ((prefix)): northern, Norwegian < Norðmaðr (noun m.): Norwegian
menn ‘’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person < Norðmaðr (noun m.): Norwegian
allir ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
Dýrð ‘fame’
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dýrð (noun f.; °-ar/-a(NoDipl(1279) 44²); -ir): glory
es ‘has’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
ágæt ‘renowned’
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ágætr (adj.; °compar. ágǽtari/ágǽtri, superl. ágǽtastr/ágǽztr): excellent
orðin ‘become’
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orðinn (adj./verb p.p.): become
eljun ‘Energetic’
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eljun (noun f.; °eljunar): energy < eljunhress (adj.)
hress ‘’
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hress (adj.; °superl. -astr): hearty < eljunhress (adj.)
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
þessu ‘this’
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1. sjá (pron.; °gen. þessa dat. þessum/þeima, acc. þenna; f. sjá/þessi; n. þetta, dat. þessu/þvísa; pl. þessir): this
[6] þessu: so Bb, þessum Flat
þjóð ‘people’
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þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
né ‘nor’
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né (conj.): nor
þengill ‘a prince’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
fœðisk ‘will be born’
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2. fœða (verb): to feed, give food to, bring up, bear, give birth to
ríki ‘realm’
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ríki (noun n.; °-s; -): kingdom, power
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Flat and Bb’s versions of st. 11 differ significantly, especially in ll. 2, 6 and 8. — [3-4]: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) and Kock (Skald) assume an intercalary cl. hann lifir í hæstri hǫll Krists ‘he [Óláfr] lives in the highest hall of Christ’, understanding ‘the highest hall of Christ’ as a kenning for heaven. Here, however, the sup. adj. is redundant so the phrase í hæstri hǫll (cf. œztrar hallar 5/3, 4) offers a better reading. — [5-8]: Most eds (Skj B, Skald and NN §931, and Wisén 1886-9, I, 55) follow Bb’s þessu (l. 6) and omission of í (l. 8), which in Flat’s version is both hypermetrical and unmetrical. Flat’s version also requires a noun to be understood with þessum (l. 6). Eljunhress (adj.) ‘energetic’ may be either f. nom. sg. agreeing with dýrð or m. gen. sg., used substantivally, referring to Óláfr. Alternatively, it can qualify konungs, although this involves reading konungs and ríki in l. 8 separately rather than as comprising a single phrase. Skj B construes ll. 5-8 as: dýrð eljunhress þjóðkonungs es orðin ágæt; né fœðisk þvílíkr þengill í þessu ríki ‘the fame of the energetic people-king has become renowned; there will not be born [again] such a prince in this realm’. This has the advantage of avoiding the rather awkward treatment of þjóð (l. 7), necessitated by Kock’s solution below; instead þjóðkonungs is taken as a cpd with tmesis, as in a similar context in 14/3-4. Kock (NN §931) has dýrð eljunhress es orðin ágæt í þessu konungsríki; þjóð né þvílíkr ðengill fœðisk ‘the fame of the hero has become renowned in this kingdom; neither people nor such a prince will be born [elsewhere]’. Kock’s version, however, is the simplest, as far as word order is concerned, and metrically straightforward, and a variant of it is adopted here.
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