Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 48

Martin Chase

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

Menu Search

ESk Geisl 48^VII

Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 48’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 46-7.

Einarr Skúlason Geisli

47 48 49

kennings

styrks, roðins galla steindrar borgar mundriða,
‘the strong, reddened destruction of the stained stronghold of the sword-hilt ’
= SWORD
the stained stronghold of the sword-hilt → SHIELD
the strong, reddened destruction of the SHIELD → SWORD

borgar ‘stronghold’

(not checked:)
borg (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -; -ir): city, stronghold

kennings

styrks ‘the strong’

(not checked:)
2. styrkr (adj.): powerful, strong

kennings

mundriða ‘of the sword-hilt’

(not checked:)
mundriði (noun m.): [sword]

kennings

mundriða ‘of the sword-hilt’

(not checked:)
mundriði (noun m.): [sword]

kennings

styrs ‘The battle’s’

(not checked:)
styrr (noun m.; °dat. -): battle

steindrar ‘of the stained’

(not checked:)
steina (verb): to stain, colour, paint

[3] steindrar: so Bb, steindra Flat

kennings

steindrar ‘of the stained’

(not checked:)
steina (verb): to stain, colour, paint

[3] steindrar: so Bb, steindra Flat

kennings

bráðr ‘’

(not checked:)
bráðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): quick(ly)

styr ‘The battle’

(not checked:)
styrr (noun m.; °dat. -): battle < styrsnjallr (adj.)

[4] styrsnjallr: so Bb, styrs bráðr Flat

notes

[4] styrsnjallr ‘battle-bold’: Bb’s reading styrsnjallr ‘battle-bold’ is preferred here to Flat’s styrs bráðr ‘battle-quick’ and is also adopted by Skj B and Skald. Both mss’ readings (-snjallr : gall- and bráðr : váð-) provide aðalhending.

regins ‘’

(not checked:)
regin (noun n.): divine power

snjallr ‘bold’

(not checked:)
snjallr (adj.): quick, resourceful, bold < styrsnjallr (adj.)

[4] styrsnjallr: so Bb, styrs bráðr Flat

notes

regins ‘’

(not checked:)
regin (noun n.): divine power

roðins ‘reddened’

(not checked:)
roðinn (adj.): reddened

[4] roðins: so Bb, regins Flat

kennings

Þátti ‘///’

galla ‘destruction’

(not checked:)
1. galli (noun m.): destruction

[4] galla: so Bb, ‘vꜳda’ Flat

kennings

sinn ‘///’

(not checked:)
3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)

Nýtr ‘The useful’

(not checked:)
nýtr (adj.; °compar. -ri, superl. nýztr/nýtastr): useful, able

[5] Nýtr gat séð: Þátti sinn Bb

kennings

Nýtr seimþiggjandi
‘The useful gold-receiver ’
= MAN
The useful gold-receiver → MAN

gat ‘was able’

(not checked:)
2. geta (verb): to beget, give birth to, mention, speak of; to think well of, like, love

[5] Nýtr gat séð: Þátti sinn Bb

séð ‘to see’

(not checked:)
2. sjá (verb): see

[5] Nýtr gat séð: Þátti sinn Bb

á ‘on’

(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at

sléttri ‘the flat’

(not checked:)
sléttr (adj.): level, smooth

seim ‘gold’

(not checked:)
2. seimr (noun m.; °dat. -i): gold < seimþiggjandi (noun m.)

kennings

Nýtr seimþiggjandi
‘The useful gold-receiver ’
= MAN
The useful gold-receiver → MAN

þiggjandi ‘receiver’

(not checked:)
þiggjandi (noun m.): [receiver] < seimþiggjandi (noun m.)

[6] ‑þiggjandi: ‑þiggjandr Bb

kennings

Nýtr seimþiggjandi
‘The useful gold-receiver ’
= MAN
The useful gold-receiver → MAN

liggja ‘lying’

(not checked:)
liggja (verb): lie

grundu ‘ground’

(not checked:)
grund (noun f.): earth, land

gylðis ‘of the wolf’s’

(not checked:)
gylðir (noun m.): wolf

kennings

gómsparra gylðis kindar
‘the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring ’
= SWORD
the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring → SWORD

notes

[7-8] gómsparra gylðis kindar ‘the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring [GOLD]’: An allusion to a story told in the Gylf section of SnE (1982, 29): the Æsir fended off the wolf Fenrir by wedging a sword between his gaping jaws. This is the only such sword-kenning in skaldic poetry.

kindar ‘offspring’

(not checked:)
kind (noun f.; °-ar; -r): offspring, race

kennings

gómsparra gylðis kindar
‘the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring ’
= SWORD
the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring → SWORD

notes

gómsparra ‘the gum-spar’

(not checked:)
gómsparri (noun m.)

kennings

gómsparra gylðis kindar
‘the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring ’
= SWORD
the gum-spar of the wolf’s offspring → SWORD

notes

sér ‘from him’

(not checked:)
sik (pron.; °gen. sín, dat. sér): (refl. pron.)

fjarri ‘far’

(not checked:)
fjarri (adv.): far, far from it, unlikely

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

verse
prose

[1-4]: There is a considerable disparity between Flat’s and Bb’s texts of the first helmingr, but Bb’s must be preferred as Flat’s ll. 3-4 are ungrammatical as they stand and the sword-kenning possible in these ll. is unsatisfactory. One would have to read styrks steindrar mundriða borgar Regins váða ‘(the man missed) the strong sword hilt of the fortress of Reginn’s peril [SWORD > SHIELD > SWORD]’, with Bb’s steindrar for Flat’s steindra (gen. pl.), understanding mundriði (lit. ‘that which causes the hand to move quickly’) as a metonym for a sword. Borgar Regins váða would provide both a sword- and a shield-kenning. According to the Vǫlsung legends, the dwarf Reginn made his foster son Sigurðr a powerful sword named Gramr, with which Sigurðr killed the dragon Fáfnir and later Reginn himself. ‘Reginn’s peril’ would thus be a kenning for sword; its fortress is the shield. The mundriði of the shield is in turn another sword-kenning. But this is not very plausible, and Bb’s reading of ll. 3-4 is better on several counts, even though galla (l. 4; nom. galli), which normally means ‘defect, fault’ has to be taken in the more abstract sense of ‘destruction’.

© Skaldic Project Academic Body and Brepols, unless otherwise noted. Database structure and interface developed by Tarrin Wills. All users of material on this database are reminded that its content may be either subject to copyright restrictions or is the property of the custodians of linked databases that have given permission for members of the skaldic project to use their material for research purposes. Those users who have been given access to as yet unpublished material are further reminded that they may not use, publish or otherwise manipulate such material except with the express permission of the individual editor of the material in question and the General Editor of the volume in which the material is to be published. Applications for permission to use such material should be made in the first instance to the General Editor of the volume in question. All information that appears in the published volumes has been thoroughly reviewed. If you believe some information here is incorrect please contact Tarrin Wills with full details.

Stanza/chapter/text segment

Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.

Information tab

text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant

Interactive tab

The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.

Full text tab

This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.

Chapter/text segment

This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.

Cookies on our website

ESk Geisl 48VII

Missti ‘missed’

maðr ‘man’

es ‘when’

lýsti ‘it grew light’

morginn ‘morning’

vas ‘it was’

þá ‘then’

borgar ‘stronghold’

kennings

borgar ‘stronghold’

kennings

styrks ‘the strong’

kennings

mundriða ‘of the sword-hilt’

kennings

mundriða ‘of the sword-hilt’

kennings

styrs ‘The battle’s’

steindrar ‘of the stained’

kennings

steindrar ‘of the stained’

kennings

bráðr ‘’

styr ‘The battle’

notes

regins ‘’

snjallr ‘bold’

notes

regins ‘’

roðins ‘reddened’

kennings

Þátti ‘///’

galla ‘destruction’

kennings

sinn ‘///’

Nýtr ‘The useful’

kennings

gat ‘was able’

séð ‘to see’

á ‘on’

sléttri ‘the flat’

seim ‘gold’

kennings

þiggjandi ‘receiver’

kennings

liggja ‘lying’

grundu ‘ground’

gylðis ‘of the wolf’s’

kennings

notes

kindar ‘offspring’

kennings

notes

gómsparra ‘the gum-spar’

kennings

notes

sér ‘from him’

fjarri ‘far’

Log in

Stanza/chapter/text segment

Information tab

Interactive tab

Full text tab

Chapter/text segment

ESk Geisl 48^VII