Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Øxarflokkr 6’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 146.
Frák, at Fróða meyjar
fullgóliga mólu
(lætr stillir grið golli)
Grafvitnis beð (slitna).
Mjúks (bera mínar øxar
meldr þann við hlyn feldrar)
konungs dýrkar fé (Fenju
fǫgr hlýr) bragar stýri.
Frák, at {meyjar Fróða} mólu fullgóliga {beð Grafvitnis}; stillir lætr grið slitna golli. Fé mjúks konungs dýrkar {stýri bragar}; fǫgr hlýr øxar mínar, feldrar við hlyn, bera {þann meldr Fenju}.
‘I heard that Fróði’s <legendary king’s> girls [= Fenja and Menja] very splendidly ground Grafvitnir’s <serpent’s> bed [GOLD]; the ruler lets the truce for the gold be broken. The wealth of the kind king celebrates the controller of praise [POET]; the fair cheeks of my axe, attached to the shaft, bear that flour of Fenja <giantess> [GOLD]. ’
The stanza is recorded immediately after Grott in Skm, and the imagery and kennings are used to illustrate the story told in that poem. In LaufE, beð Grafvitnis ‘Grafvitnir’s <serpent’s> bed’ is given as one of several examples of kennings for ‘gold’.
For the story of the giantesses Fenja and Menja grinding gold for King Fróði of Denmark see Note to st. 3/5, 6, 7 above. — The poet is identified as Einarr Skúlason in all mss of Skm. In 2368ˣ (LaufE) the stanza is given as two helmingar with a brief insert of prose in between, and the poet is Einarr and same ‘the same’; in 743ˣ (LaufE) the stanza is given as one and the poet’s name is added in the margin (Einarr, with Skúlason in another hand).
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Frák, at Fróða meyjar
fullgóliga mólu
(lætr stillir grið golli)
Grafvitnis beð (slitna).
Mjúks (bera mínar øxar
meldr þann við hlyn feldrat)
konungs dýrkar fé (Fenju
fǫgr hlýr) bragar stýri.
Frák, at Fróða meyjar
full-góligar mólu
(lætr stillir grið golli)
Grafvitnis beð (slitna).
Mjúks (bera mínar øxar
meldr þann við hlyn feldrar)
konungs dýrkar fé (Fenju
fǫgr hlýr) bragar stýri.
Frák, Fróða meyjar
full-góligar mólu
(lætr stillir grið golli)
Grafvitnis beð (slitna).
Mjúks (bera mínir øxar
mildr þann við hlyn feldra)
hann dýrkar fé (Fenju
fǫgr hlýr) bragar stýrir.
Frák, Fróða meyjar
full-góligar mólu
(lætr stillir grið golli)
Grafvitnis beð (slitna).
Mjúks (bera mínir øxar
meldr þann við hlyn feldrar)
hann dýrkar fé (Fenju
fǫgr hlýr) bragar stýrir.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
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.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.