ESk Geisl 47VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 47’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 45-6.
Gerðisk ‘’
(not checked:)
1. gera (verb): do, make
hála ‘with the well’
(not checked:)
hála (adv.): vastly
kennings
hála herðum naðri véttrima*‘with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings ’
= SWORD
with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings → SWORD
herðum ‘hardened’
(not checked:)
2. herða (verb): strengthen
kennings
hála herðum naðri véttrima*‘with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings ’
= SWORD
with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings → SWORD
heldr ‘rather’
(not checked:)
heldr (adv.): rather
náliga ‘’
(not checked:)
náliga (adv.)
at ‘’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
kveldi ‘the evening’
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kveld (noun n.; °-s): evening
glaum ‘noise’
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glaumr (noun m.): noise < glaumkennandi (noun m.)
kennings
Glaðr glaumkennandi gunnar‘The happy noise-tester of battle ’
= WARRIOR
The happy noise-tester of battle → WARRIOR
vekjandr ‘’
(not checked:)
vekjandi (noun m.): [rouser]
kennandi ‘tester’
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kennandi (noun m.; °-a; kennendr): bringer, conveyor, tester < glaumkennandi (noun m.)
[3] ‑kennandi: vekjandr Bb
kennings
Glaðr glaumkennandi gunnar‘The happy noise-tester of battle ’
= WARRIOR
The happy noise-tester of battle → WARRIOR
kennings
Glaðr glaumkennandi gunnar‘The happy noise-tester of battle ’
= WARRIOR
The happy noise-tester of battle → WARRIOR
glaðr ‘The happy’
(not checked:)
2. glaðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): cheerful, glad
kennings
Glaðr glaumkennandi gunnar‘The happy noise-tester of battle ’
= WARRIOR
The happy noise-tester of battle → WARRIOR
vétt ‘of sword’
(not checked:)
vétt (noun n.): sword < vættrim (noun f.): sword-ring
[4] véttrima*: ‘vetþryma’ Flat, vettrimar Bb
kennings
hála herðum naðri véttrima*‘with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings ’
= SWORD
with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings → SWORD
notes
[4] naðri véttrima* ‘snake of sword-rings’: The meaning of véttrim is obscure, but it is usually understood to refer to a metal ring either between the sword guard and the sword handle or between the pommel and the sword handle; see LP: véttrim; LT, 290. For possible etymologies see Sijmons and Gering 1903-31, III.2, 210. Naðr véttrima is clearly a kenning for ‘sword’, and Einarr’s choice of naðr ‘snake’ as the base-word may evoke the image of the sword creeping away from the man like a serpent. The emendation adopted here requires véttrima to be gen. pl., while Bb’s reading, adopted by both Skj and Skald, makes it sg.
véttrimar ‘of sword-ring’
(not checked:)
vættrim (noun f.): sword-ring
rima* ‘rings’
(not checked:)
rim (noun f.; °; -ar): [rings] < vættrim (noun f.): sword-ring
[4] véttrima*: ‘vetþryma’ Flat, vettrimar Bb
kennings
hála herðum naðri véttrima*‘with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings ’
= SWORD
with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings → SWORD
notes
[4] naðri véttrima* ‘snake of sword-rings’: The meaning of véttrim is obscure, but it is usually understood to refer to a metal ring either between the sword guard and the sword handle or between the pommel and the sword handle; see LP: véttrim; LT, 290. For possible etymologies see Sijmons and Gering 1903-31, III.2, 210. Naðr véttrima is clearly a kenning for ‘sword’, and Einarr’s choice of naðr ‘snake’ as the base-word may evoke the image of the sword creeping away from the man like a serpent. The emendation adopted here requires véttrima to be gen. pl., while Bb’s reading, adopted by both Skj and Skald, makes it sg.
naðri ‘snake’
(not checked:)
naðr (noun m.): snake
kennings
hála herðum naðri véttrima*‘with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings ’
= SWORD
with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings → SWORD
notes
[4] naðri véttrima* ‘snake of sword-rings’: The meaning of véttrim is obscure, but it is usually understood to refer to a metal ring either between the sword guard and the sword handle or between the pommel and the sword handle; see LP: véttrim; LT, 290. For possible etymologies see Sijmons and Gering 1903-31, III.2, 210. Naðr véttrima is clearly a kenning for ‘sword’, and Einarr’s choice of naðr ‘snake’ as the base-word may evoke the image of the sword creeping away from the man like a serpent. The emendation adopted here requires véttrima to be gen. pl., while Bb’s reading, adopted by both Skj and Skald, makes it sg.
nam ‘began’
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1. nema (verb): to take
Drengr ‘soldier’
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
nam ‘’
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1. nema (verb): to take
dýrr ‘The valuable’
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
á ‘in’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
vangi ‘a field’
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
dagr ‘the day’
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dagr (noun m.; °-s, dat. degi/dag/dagi(Thom¹ 332¹n.); -ar): day
rofnaðisk ‘was waning’
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rofna (verb): broken
sofna ‘to sleep’
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sofna (verb): sleep, fall asleep
ítrs ‘of the splendid’
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ítr (adj.): glorious
kennings
ítrs landreka‘of the splendid land-ruler ’
= Byzantine emperor
the splendid land-ruler → Byzantine emperor
orm ‘serpent’
(not checked:)
ormr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): serpent
landreka ‘land-ruler’
(not checked:)
landreki (noun m.): land-ruler
kennings
ítrs landreka‘of the splendid land-ruler ’
= Byzantine emperor
the splendid land-ruler → Byzantine emperor
notes
[7] landreka ‘[of the] land-ruler’: According to Snorri Sturluson (Hkr, ÍF 28, 370), this man was the Byzantine emperor Kirjalax, who was identified by Metcalfe (1881, 76 n. 6) as Alexios I Komnenos, who reigned 1081-1118. More recently, however, Benedikz (1978, 122) has proposed an identity with Alexios’s son John II Komnenos.
undir ‘under’
(not checked:)
undir (prep.): under
orm ‘’
(not checked:)
ormr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): serpent
ógn ‘battle’
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ógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle < ógnfimr (adj.)
[8] ógn‑: so Bb, orm‑ Flat
notes
[8] ógnfimr ‘battle-deft’: The reading of Bb. Flat’s ormfimr can only make sense in context if orm- ‘snake-’ is construed as meaning ‘sword’, in connection with sword-kennings with ormr as the base-word. See Chase 2005, 155 n.
fimr ‘deft’
(not checked:)
fimr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): agile, deft < ógnfimr (adj.)
notes
[8] ógnfimr ‘battle-deft’: The reading of Bb. Flat’s ormfimr can only make sense in context if orm- ‘snake-’ is construed as meaning ‘sword’, in connection with sword-kennings with ormr as the base-word. See Chase 2005, 155 n.
berum ‘the bare’
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2. berr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): bare
himni ‘sky’
(not checked:)
himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Gyrðisk hála herðum |
The happy noise-tester of battle [WARRIOR] girded himself with the well-hardened snake of sword-rings [SWORD] rather late in the evening. The valuable, battle-deft soldier of the splendid land-ruler [= Byzantine emperor] decided to sleep in a field in the open air [lit. under the bare sky]; the day was waning.
Sts 47-50 conclude the narrative of Óláfr’s sword, Hneitir. A soldier in the army of the Greeks (44/7, 8) had the sword under his head one night, as he slept in the open air. When he woke, he found that the sword had moved and was lying on the ground some distance from him (st. 48). This miraculous happening took place on three successive nights (st. 49) and came to the attention of the Byzantine emperor, who bought it from the soldier and had it mounted over the altar of a church (st. 50).
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