Einarr Skúlason, Fragments 17

Kari Ellen Gade

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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ESk Frag 17^III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Fragments 17’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 167.

Einarr Skúlason Fragments

16 17 18

Œsir ‘stir up’

(not checked:)
œsa (verb): surge

notes

[1] œsir ‘stir up’: Lit. ‘stirs up’: The verb is in the sg. but it has a coordinate subject (see NS §70).

hvasst ‘the howling’

(not checked:)
hvass (adj.; °-an; -ari, -astr): keen, sharp

at ‘against’

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

[1] at: so R, C, af A, B

hraustum ‘the valiant’

(not checked:)
hraustr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): strong, valiant

kennings

hraustum grenni skúfs Gǫndlar;
‘the valiant feeder of Gǫndul’s skua; ’
= WARRIOR
Gǫndul’s skua; → RAVEN/EAGLE
the valiant feeder of the RAVEN/EAGLE → WARRIOR

Himinglæva ‘Himinglæva’

(not checked:)
himinglæva (noun f.): himinglæva

notes

[2] Himinglæva: One of Ægir’s daughters, ‘heaven-bright one’ (i.e. reflections of the sky on the surface of the sea). See also Þul Waves l. 3 and Þul Sjóvar 4/4.

þyt ‘violently’

[2] þyt: ‘þvt’ R, þýtr C

sævar ‘of the sea’

(not checked:)
sjór (noun m.): sea

glymr ‘the roar’

(not checked:)
glymr (noun m.): noise

[3] glymr Unnar: ‘[…]’ B, ‘glýmrunnar’ 744ˣ

Unnar ‘of Unnr’

(not checked:)
Unnr (noun m.): Unnr

[3] glymr Unnar: ‘[…]’ B, ‘glýmrunnar’ 744ˣ

notes

[3] Unnar ‘of Unnr’: Unnr means ‘wave’. See also Þul Waves l. 7 and Þul Sjóvar 4/5.

vex ‘increases’

(not checked:)
vaxa (verb): grow, increase

grenni ‘feeder’

(not checked:)
1. grennir (noun m.): feeder

[3] grenni: ‘[…]e’ B, ‘gre᷎nne’ 744ˣ

kennings

hraustum grenni skúfs Gǫndlar;
‘the valiant feeder of Gǫndul’s skua; ’
= WARRIOR
Gǫndul’s skua; → RAVEN/EAGLE
the valiant feeder of the RAVEN/EAGLE → WARRIOR

Gǫndlar ‘of Gǫndul’s’

(not checked:)
2. Gǫndul (noun f.): Gǫndul

kennings

hraustum grenni skúfs Gǫndlar;
‘the valiant feeder of Gǫndul’s skua; ’
= WARRIOR
Gǫndul’s skua; → RAVEN/EAGLE
the valiant feeder of the RAVEN/EAGLE → WARRIOR

Gǫndlar ‘of Gǫndul’s’

(not checked:)
2. Gǫndul (noun f.): Gǫndul

kennings

hraustum grenni skúfs Gǫndlar;
‘the valiant feeder of Gǫndul’s skua; ’
= WARRIOR
Gǫndul’s skua; → RAVEN/EAGLE
the valiant feeder of the RAVEN/EAGLE → WARRIOR

skúfs ‘skua’

(not checked:)
2. skúfr (noun m.): [skua]

[4] skúfs: ‘[…]ufs’ B, ‘skufs’ 744ˣ

kennings

hraustum grenni skúfs Gǫndlar;
‘the valiant feeder of Gǫndul’s skua; ’
= WARRIOR
Gǫndul’s skua; → RAVEN/EAGLE
the valiant feeder of the RAVEN/EAGLE → WARRIOR

notes

[4] skúfs ‘skua’: An arctic bird of prey (Stercorarius skua). See also Note to Þul Fugla 3/5-6.

skúfs ‘skua’

(not checked:)
2. skúfr (noun m.): [skua]

[4] skúfs: ‘[…]ufs’ B, ‘skufs’ 744ˣ

kennings

hraustum grenni skúfs Gǫndlar;
‘the valiant feeder of Gǫndul’s skua; ’
= WARRIOR
Gǫndul’s skua; → RAVEN/EAGLE
the valiant feeder of the RAVEN/EAGLE → WARRIOR

notes

[4] skúfs ‘skua’: An arctic bird of prey (Stercorarius skua). See also Note to Þul Fugla 3/5-6.

ok ‘and’

(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

Dúfa ‘Dúfa’

(not checked:)
2. dúfa (noun f.): dove

notes

[4] Dúfa: The third daughter of Ægir, ‘rocking one’. See also Þul Waves l. 8 and Þul Sjóvar 4/6.

notes

[5] Blóðughadda: This daughter’s name translates as ‘bloody-haired one’. It is not clear why a wave should be bloody-haired, unless it refers to the colour of the sea at sunset. See also Þul Waves l. 6 and Þul Sjóvar 4/8.

brimsolgin ‘sea-swollen’

(not checked:)
brimsolginn (adj.): [sea-swollen]

fellr ‘falls’

(not checked:)
falla (verb): fall

Kolga ‘Kólga’

(not checked:)
kolga (noun f.): breaker, wave

notes

[6] Kolga ‘Kólga’: Ægir’s fifth daughter is ‘cool one’. See also Þul Waves l. 7 and Þul Sjóvar 4/3.

hlýr ‘bows’

(not checked:)
2. hlýr (noun n.; °-s; -): cheek, bow

[7] hlýr þars Hefring stœrir (‘hlyr þar ær hæfring stærir’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hlýr skilr hefring st u er’ 744ˣ

þars ‘where’

(not checked:)
þars (conj.): where

[7] hlýr þars Hefring stœrir (‘hlyr þar ær hæfring stærir’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hlýr skilr hefring st u er’ 744ˣ

Hefring ‘Hefring’

(not checked:)
hefring (noun f.): hefring

[7] hlýr þars Hefring stœrir (‘hlyr þar ær hæfring stærir’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hlýr skilr hefring st u er’ 744ˣ

notes

[7] Hefring: The sixth and last daughter of Ægir named here is ‘self-lifting one’. See also Þul Waves l. 3 and Þul Sjóvar 4/1.

stœrir ‘increases’

(not checked:)
stœra (verb): increase, strengthen

[7] hlýr þars Hefring stœrir (‘hlyr þar ær hæfring stærir’): ‘[…]’ B, ‘hlýr skilr hefring st u er’ 744ˣ

haflauðr ‘the sea-foam’

(not checked:)
haflauðr (noun n.): [sea-foam]

of ‘around’

(not checked:)
3. of (prep.): around, from; too

notes

[8] of rauðan við ‘around the red wood’: Or ‘around the red ship’ if við ‘wood’ is taken as pars pro toto for ‘ship’ (see Note to Frag 16/2 above). This prepositional phrase could also go with the second clause of the helmingr (so Skj B; Skald).

við ‘wood’

(not checked:)
1. viðr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -u/-i): wood, tree

notes

rauðan ‘the red’

(not checked:)
rauðr (adj.; °compar. -ari): red

[8] rauðan: ‘rauða[…]’ B, ‘raudan’ 744ˣ

notes

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

verse
prose

In Skm the stanza is cited because it enumerates the names of six of the nine daughters of Ægir, a sea-giant in Old Norse myth. Ægir is a personification of the sea, and his daughters are the waves.

All of the heiti for ‘wave’ found in this stanza are also listed in Þul Waves, and the two stanzas are indeed so similar that it is tempting to suggest that the latter, which is anonymous, may have been composed by Einarr as well. The heiti are also listed in Þul Sjóvar 4 and in the prose of Skm (SnE 1998, I, 36).

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ESk Frag 17III

Œsir ‘stir up’

notes

hvasst ‘the howling’

at ‘against’

hraustum ‘the valiant’

kennings

Himinglæva ‘Himinglæva’

notes

þyt ‘violently’

sævar ‘of the sea’

glymr ‘the roar’

Unnar ‘of Unnr’

notes

vex ‘increases’

grenni ‘feeder’

kennings

Gǫndlar ‘of Gǫndul’s’

kennings

Gǫndlar ‘of Gǫndul’s’

kennings

skúfs ‘skua’

kennings

notes

skúfs ‘skua’

kennings

notes

ok ‘and’

Dúfa ‘Dúfa’

notes

Brædd ‘the tarred’

strýkr ‘strokes’

Blóðughadda ‘Blóðughadda’

notes

brimsolgin ‘sea-swollen’

fellr ‘falls’

Kolga ‘Kólga’

notes

hlýr ‘bows’

þars ‘where’

Hefring ‘Hefring’

notes

stœrir ‘increases’

haflauðr ‘the sea-foam’

of ‘around’

notes

við ‘wood’

notes

rauðan ‘the red’

notes

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ESk Frag 17^III