ESk Geisl 56VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 56’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 52-3.
Eyddu ‘///’
(not checked:)
2. eyða (verb; °-dd-): destroy
gumnar ‘warriors’
(not checked:)
gumi (noun m.; °-a; gumar/gumnar): man
gladdir ‘The happy’
(not checked:)
2. glaðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): cheerful, glad
gǫfugr ‘the noble’
(not checked:)
gǫfugr (adj.; °gǫfgan/gǫfugan; compar. gǫfgari/gǫfugri, superl. gǫfgastr/gǫfugstr/gǫfugastr): noble, glorious
[2] gǫfugr: ‘gavfur gr’ Bb
þengill ‘king’
(not checked:)
þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
barg ‘saved’
(not checked:)
1. bjarga (verb; °bergr (biærgr Alk619 77⁹; biargr ÓH619 119¹); barg, burgu; borginn): to save, preserve
drengjum ‘men’
(not checked:)
drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
vagna ‘of wagons’
(not checked:)
vǫgn (noun f.; °; vagnir): wagon
notes
[3] borg vagna ‘the fortress of wagons’: Both Snorri (Hkr, ÍF 28, 371) and John Kinnamos (in Brand 1976, 16) describe the Petchenegs’ tactic of drawing their wagons into a fortified circle.
borg ‘the fortress’
(not checked:)
borg (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -; -ir): city, stronghold
notes
[3] borg vagna ‘the fortress of wagons’: Both Snorri (Hkr, ÍF 28, 371) and John Kinnamos (in Brand 1976, 16) describe the Petchenegs’ tactic of drawing their wagons into a fortified circle.
þars ‘where’
(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there
vargar ‘wolves’
(not checked:)
vargr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): wolf
vápn ‘the weapon-’
(not checked:)
vápn (noun n.; °-s; -): weapon < vápnsundraðr (adj./verb p.p.)
sundrat ‘torn’
(not checked:)
sundra (verb): shatter, sunder < vápnsundraðr (adj./verb p.p.)
[4] ‑sundrat: sundruð Bb
hræ ‘carrion’
(not checked:)
hræ (noun n.; °; -): corpse, carrion
fundu ‘found’
(not checked:)
2. finna (verb): find, meet
Nennir ‘is minded’
(not checked:)
nenna (verb): strive, be inclined
ǫld ‘///’
(not checked:)
ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age
at ‘to’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
inna ‘tell’
(not checked:)
inna (verb): to pay, discharge, relate, tell; to announce, confirm
notes
[5] inna ‘tell, relate’: A verb used frequently in religious poetry. However, the syntax of its usage in Flat, ungr nennir at inna ǫld verk ‘a young [man] is minded to tell men the works’, requires inna to be used with the dat, which is unprecedented.
ungr ‘Young’
(not checked:)
ungr (adj.): young
kennings
Øngr sløngvir brimloga‘No slinger of sea-fire ’
= GENEROUS MAN
sea-fire → GOLD
No slinger of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN
notes
[6] ungr ‘young’: The adj. in Flat must be understood as a noun, possibly referring to the skald, though, if so, the reference to youth is merely conventional, since Einarr was hardly young at the time he recited Geisl.
brim ‘of sea’
(not checked:)
brim (noun n.): surf < brimlogi (noun m.)
kennings
Øngr sløngvir brimloga‘No slinger of sea-fire ’
= GENEROUS MAN
sea-fire → GOLD
No slinger of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
brim ‘of sea’
(not checked:)
brim (noun n.): surf < brimlogi (noun m.)
kennings
Øngr sløngvir brimloga‘No slinger of sea-fire ’
= GENEROUS MAN
sea-fire → GOLD
No slinger of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
slungins ‘///’
(not checked:)
slunginn (adj./verb p.p.): encircled, coiled
loga ‘fire’
(not checked:)
logi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): flame < brimlogi (noun m.)
kennings
Øngr sløngvir brimloga‘No slinger of sea-fire ’
= GENEROUS MAN
sea-fire → GOLD
No slinger of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
loga ‘fire’
(not checked:)
logi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): flame < brimlogi (noun m.)
kennings
Øngr sløngvir brimloga‘No slinger of sea-fire ’
= GENEROUS MAN
sea-fire → GOLD
No slinger of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
slungins ‘’
(not checked:)
slunginn (adj./verb p.p.): encircled, coiled
sløngvir ‘slinger’
(not checked:)
sløngvir (noun m.): slinger
[6] sløngvir: slungins Flat, ‘slaungir’ Bb
kennings
Øngr sløngvir brimloga‘No slinger of sea-fire ’
= GENEROUS MAN
sea-fire → GOLD
No slinger of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
dǫglings ‘ruler’
(not checked:)
dǫglingr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, ruler
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
verk ‘the deeds’
(not checked:)
verk (noun n.; °-s; -): deed
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
þess ‘the one’
[7] þess’s: so Bb, ‘þau er’ Flat
dýrka ‘///’
(not checked:)
dýrka (verb; °-að-): glorify, worship
dáð ‘of the quick’
(not checked:)
dáð (noun f.; °; -ir): feat, deed < dáðsnjallr (adj.)
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
snjalls ‘acting’
(not checked:)
snjallr (adj.): quick, resourceful, bold < dáðsnjallr (adj.)
notes
[7, 8, 6] verk dáðsnjalls dǫglings slungins brimloga ‘the works of the quick-acting ruler of scattered sea-fire’: There are two reasons to be suspicious of this kenning; the first is that dǫglingr is never used as the base-word of a kenning for a secular ruler, only for God or Christ, and this is borne out by one other example in st. 5/7, and the second is that dǫglingr is not the right sort of base-word in a kenning for a generous ruler, which should belong to a category such as ‘distributor’, ‘spender’, ‘waster’ or similar.
alla ‘the whole’
(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
[1-4]: Flat is followed here, though Bb, which is followed by Skj B and Skald, also makes good sense. Differences are that Bb reads eyddu ‘they emptied, laid waste, destroyed’ in l. 1 and has pl. vápnsundruð hræ ‘the weapon-torn corpses’ in l. 4. — [5-8]: Both ms. versions of this helmingr pose problems and both may be corrupt. Here Bb has been followed (so also Skj B and Skald), and Flat’s version is discussed below. Bb’s version requires one emendation (sløngvir, l. 6; Skj A reads ‘slaungvir’, but no ‘v’ is visible in the ms.) and the sense required for dýrkar (l. 7) is somewhat unusual (Skj B som forherliger hele verden ‘who glorifies the whole world’). The problems produced by Flat’s version are as follows:
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.