Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 43

Martin Chase

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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ESk Geisl 43^VII

Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 43’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 42-3.

Einarr Skúlason Geisli

42 43 44

kennings

ilbleikum orra hjaldrs
‘to the pale-footed blackcock of battle ’
= RAVEN
to the pale-footed blackcock of battle → RAVEN

af ‘’

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

at ‘at’

(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to

[2] at: af Bb

vápna ‘of weapons’

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

kennings

galdri vápna,
‘the chant of weapons, ’
= BATTLE
the chant of weapons, → BATTLE

galdri ‘the chant’

(not checked:)
galdr (noun m.): chant, incantation

kennings

galdri vápna,
‘the chant of weapons, ’
= BATTLE
the chant of weapons, → BATTLE

ǫðlings ‘’

(not checked:)
ǫðlingr (noun m.; °; -ar): prince, ruler

Óláfs ‘of Óláfr’

(not checked:)
Óláfr (noun m.): Óláfr

[3] Óláfs: ǫðlings Bb

hjǫrr ‘the sword’

(not checked:)
hjǫrr (noun m.): sword

þess ‘’

(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

s ‘who’

(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when

orra ‘blackcock’

(not checked:)
orri (noun m.; °-a; -ar): [blackcock, grouse]

kennings

ilbleikum orra hjaldrs
‘to the pale-footed blackcock of battle ’
= RAVEN
to the pale-footed blackcock of battle → RAVEN

il ‘to the pale’

(not checked:)
il (noun f.; °; -jar): footsole < ilbleikr (adj.)

kennings

ilbleikum orra hjaldrs
‘to the pale-footed blackcock of battle ’
= RAVEN
to the pale-footed blackcock of battle → RAVEN

bleikum ‘footed’

(not checked:)
2. bleikr (adj.): pale < ilbleikr (adj.)

kennings

ilbleikum orra hjaldrs
‘to the pale-footed blackcock of battle ’
= RAVEN
to the pale-footed blackcock of battle → RAVEN

gaf ‘gave’

(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give

steikar ‘meat’

(not checked:)
steik (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): steak, meat, roasting

[4] steikar: so Bb, ‘stikar’ Flat

Þeim ‘With that’

(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

kennings

Þeim rǫðli valbastar
‘With that sun of the sword-hilt ’
= SWORD
With that sun of the sword-hilt → SWORD

klauf ‘clove’

(not checked:)
kljúfa (verb): cleave

þengill ‘the king’

(not checked:)
þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler

kennings

þengill Rauma
‘the king of the Raumar ’
= Óláfr
the king of the Raumar → Óláfr

Rauma ‘of the Raumar’

(not checked:)
2. Raumar (noun m.; °-s; -ar): the Raumar

kennings

þengill Rauma
‘the king of the Raumar ’
= Óláfr
the king of the Raumar → Óláfr

þunn ‘the thin’

(not checked:)
þunnr (adj.): slender, thin < þunnvaxinn (adj./verb p.p.)

kennings

þunnvaxin ský gunnar
‘the thin-grown clouds of battle ’
= SHIELDS
the thin-grown clouds of battle → SHIELDS

notes

[6] þunnvaxin (n. acc. pl.) ‘thin-grown’: This adj. presumably implies that the shields became thinner as they were hacked by swords.

vaxin ‘grown’

(not checked:)
-vaxinn (adj.): [set] < þunnvaxinn (adj./verb p.p.)

[6] ‑vaxin: vaxins Bb

kennings

þunnvaxin ský gunnar
‘the thin-grown clouds of battle ’
= SHIELDS
the thin-grown clouds of battle → SHIELDS

notes

[6] þunnvaxin (n. acc. pl.) ‘thin-grown’: This adj. presumably implies that the shields became thinner as they were hacked by swords.

ský ‘clouds’

(not checked:)
ský (noun n.; °-s; -): cloud

kennings

þunnvaxin ský gunnar
‘the thin-grown clouds of battle ’
= SHIELDS
the thin-grown clouds of battle → SHIELDS

gunnar ‘of battle’

(not checked:)
gunnr (noun f.): battle

kennings

þunnvaxin ský gunnar
‘the thin-grown clouds of battle ’
= SHIELDS
the thin-grown clouds of battle → SHIELDS

rekin ‘inlaid’

(not checked:)
rekinn (noun m.): [inlaid, Rekinn]

bitu ‘bit’

(not checked:)
bíta (verb; °bítr; beit, bitu; bitinn): bite

stôl ‘steel weapons’

(not checked:)
1. stál (noun n.; °-s; -): steel, weapon, prow

á ‘at’

(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at

Stikla ‘Stikle’

(not checked:)
stikill (noun m.; °dat. stikli; stiklar): (Stikle-) < Stiklastaðir (noun m.)

[7] Stikla‑: ‘stika’ Flat, ‘stiklar’ Bb

stǫðum ‘stad’

(not checked:)
1. staðr (noun m.; °-ar/-s; -ir): place < Stiklastaðir (noun m.)

valbastar ‘of the sword-hilt’

(not checked:)
valbǫst (noun f.): [sword-hilts]

kennings

Þeim rǫðli valbastar
‘With that sun of the sword-hilt ’
= SWORD
With that sun of the sword-hilt → SWORD

notes

[8] rǫðli valbastar ‘with the sun of the sword-hilt [SWORD]’: Valbǫst f. is the name of a decorative metal plate on the handle of a sword (cf. LT, 275); cf. Egill Lv 42/8^V eld valbasta ‘fire of sword-hilts [SWORD]’. Schrodt 1975 argues that valbǫst is a sword-heiti meaning ‘corpse-striker’.

rǫðli ‘sun’

(not checked:)
rǫðull (noun m.; °dat. rǫðli): heavenly body

kennings

Þeim rǫðli valbastar
‘With that sun of the sword-hilt ’
= SWORD
With that sun of the sword-hilt → SWORD

notes

Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses

verse
prose

Sts 43-50 are occupied with the story of the fate of King Óláfr’s sword Hneitir ‘cutter’. According to Óláfs þáttr Geirstaðaálfs (Flat 1860-8, II, 6-9; Fms 4, 37-8), this sword had belonged to Óláfr Geirstaðaálfr. When he died, it was buried with him, but he later appeared in a dream to Hrani Hróason and instructed him to break into the burial mound, take the sword, and give it to Ásta, then in labour with the birth of her son, S. Óláfr, who received it from his mother at the age of eight. Some versions of Óláfs saga report that after killing a huge boar with the sword, Óláfr changed its name from Bæsingr ‘son of an exiled mother’ to Hneitir ‘cutter’, þvíat honum þótti þat hneita önnur sverð fur hvassleika sakir ‘because it seemed to him to outdo other swords where sharpness is concerned’ (Fms 4, 57-8). The story of what happened to Hneitir after S. Óláfr’s death is the longest miracle account in Geisl and is not found in any of the prose legends. Einarr may well have known of it from oral tradition (see Chase 2005, 41-2 and nn. 121-6) and Snorri Sturluson evidently knew it from Einarr’s drápa, which he mentions specifically in Hkr (ÍF 28, 369-71). Hneitir is there said to have been picked up after the battle at Stiklestad by a Swedish soldier and to have passed down in his family until it came into the possession of a member of the Varangian guard in Byzantium. The sword was bought by the Byzantine emperor after it appeared to have miraculous powers and was hung over the altar of a church the Varangians had dedicated to S. Óláfr.

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ESk Geisl 43VII

Hneitir ‘Hneitir’

frák ‘I heard’

at ‘that’

héti ‘was called’

hjaldrs ‘of battle’

kennings

af ‘’

at ‘at’

vápna ‘of weapons’

kennings

galdri ‘the chant’

kennings

ǫðlings ‘’

Óláfs ‘of Óláfr’

hjǫrr ‘the sword’

þess ‘’

s ‘who’

orra ‘blackcock’

kennings

il ‘to the pale’

kennings

bleikum ‘footed’

kennings

gaf ‘gave’

steikar ‘meat’

Þeim ‘With that’

kennings

klauf ‘clove’

þengill ‘the king’

kennings

Rauma ‘of the Raumar’

kennings

þunn ‘the thin’

kennings

notes

vaxin ‘grown’

kennings

notes

ský ‘clouds’

kennings

gunnar ‘of battle’

kennings

rekin ‘inlaid’

bitu ‘bit’

stôl ‘steel weapons’

á ‘at’

Stikla ‘Stikle’

stǫðum ‘stad’

valbastar ‘of the sword-hilt’

kennings

notes

rǫðli ‘sun’

kennings

notes

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ESk Geisl 43^VII