Eskál Hardr 2III
R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2017, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Haraldsdrápa blátannar 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 138.
Né ‘not’
(not checked:)
né (conj.): nor
ætt ‘a lineage’
(not checked:)
1. ætt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): family < ættstuðill (noun m.): family-pillar
[1] ætt‑: ‘et‑’ Tˣ, átt‑ W
kennings
ættstuðill ættar Hilditanns‘a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) ’
= DANISH KING
a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) → DANISH KING
stuðill ‘pillar’
(not checked:)
stuðill (noun m.; °; stuðlar): pillar, prop < ættstuðill (noun m.): family-pillar
kennings
ættstuðill ættar Hilditanns‘a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) ’
= DANISH KING
a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) → DANISH KING
ættar ‘of the family’
(not checked:)
1. ætt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): family
kennings
ættstuðill ættar Hilditanns‘a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) ’
= DANISH KING
a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) → DANISH KING
ógn ‘the terror’
(not checked:)
ógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle < ógnherðir (noun m.)
kennings
ógnherði;‘the terror-enhancer; ’
= WARRIOR
the terror-enhancer; → WARRIOR
notes
[2, 4] in mildri ógnherði ‘more generous than the terror-enhancer [WARRIOR]’: The word ógn ‘terror’ is frequently used as a heiti for ‘battle’; the cpd thus characterises the king as successful in war. In the construction in mildri ógnherði, the word in is a colourless adjunct of the comparative (probably originally ‘yet’ in meaning) common in verse (LP: enn 4), and the use of the dat. for ógnherði ‘terror-enhancer’ is the older method of expressing the comparand in comparative constructions. The reading inn mildi ógnherðir ‘the generous terror-enhancer’ of R, W is a plausible noun phrase (and adopted in SnE 1848-87), but it would have to be the subject of the verb of the main clause, with the resulting meaning that the generous warrior is not (or will not be) a pillar of the family. This is not the sort of sentiment normally expressed in panegyric.
herði ‘enhancer’
(not checked:)
herðir (noun m.): sword < ógnherðir (noun m.)
[2] ‑herði: herðir all others
kennings
ógnherði;‘the terror-enhancer; ’
= WARRIOR
the terror-enhancer; → WARRIOR
notes
[2, 4] in mildri ógnherði ‘more generous than the terror-enhancer [WARRIOR]’: The word ógn ‘terror’ is frequently used as a heiti for ‘battle’; the cpd thus characterises the king as successful in war. In the construction in mildri ógnherði, the word in is a colourless adjunct of the comparative (probably originally ‘yet’ in meaning) common in verse (LP: enn 4), and the use of the dat. for ógnherði ‘terror-enhancer’ is the older method of expressing the comparand in comparative constructions. The reading inn mildi ógnherðir ‘the generous terror-enhancer’ of R, W is a plausible noun phrase (and adopted in SnE 1848-87), but it would have to be the subject of the verb of the main clause, with the resulting meaning that the generous warrior is not (or will not be) a pillar of the family. This is not the sort of sentiment normally expressed in panegyric.
mun ‘There will’
(not checked:)
munu (verb): will, must
verða ‘be’
(not checked:)
1. verða (verb): become, be
skyldr ‘bound’
(not checked:)
2. skyldr (adj.): obliged
emk ‘I am’
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
hróðri ‘praise’
(not checked:)
hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
at ‘to’
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
halda ‘uphold’
(not checked:)
halda (verb): hold, keep
Hilditanns ‘of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’)’
(not checked:)
Hilditannr (noun m.): War-tooth
kennings
ættstuðill ættar Hilditanns‘a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) ’
= DANISH KING
a lineage-pillar of the family of Hilditann (‘War-tooth’) → DANISH KING
notes
[4] Hilditanns ‘of Hilditann (“War-tooth”)’: The reference is to Haraldr hilditǫnn Hrœreksson, a Danish king of legendary times (see Note to SnSt Lv 5/1, 4). His family is thus the line of Danish kings. The form is unusual, as the epithet is usually f. hilditǫnn. Masculine -tanns has certain parallels (e.g. Sigurðr sýr ‘Sow’ (f.) could be sýrr (m.) as well); and -tanns rather than ‑tannar is required by the metre.
in ‘more’
(not checked:)
2. inn (art.): the
notes
[2, 4] in mildri ógnherði ‘more generous than the terror-enhancer [WARRIOR]’: The word ógn ‘terror’ is frequently used as a heiti for ‘battle’; the cpd thus characterises the king as successful in war. In the construction in mildri ógnherði, the word in is a colourless adjunct of the comparative (probably originally ‘yet’ in meaning) common in verse (LP: enn 4), and the use of the dat. for ógnherði ‘terror-enhancer’ is the older method of expressing the comparand in comparative constructions. The reading inn mildi ógnherðir ‘the generous terror-enhancer’ of R, W is a plausible noun phrase (and adopted in SnE 1848-87), but it would have to be the subject of the verb of the main clause, with the resulting meaning that the generous warrior is not (or will not be) a pillar of the family. This is not the sort of sentiment normally expressed in panegyric.
mildri ‘generous than’
(not checked:)
mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous
[4] mildri: mildi R, W
notes
[2, 4] in mildri ógnherði ‘more generous than the terror-enhancer [WARRIOR]’: The word ógn ‘terror’ is frequently used as a heiti for ‘battle’; the cpd thus characterises the king as successful in war. In the construction in mildri ógnherði, the word in is a colourless adjunct of the comparative (probably originally ‘yet’ in meaning) common in verse (LP: enn 4), and the use of the dat. for ógnherði ‘terror-enhancer’ is the older method of expressing the comparand in comparative constructions. The reading inn mildi ógnherðir ‘the generous terror-enhancer’ of R, W is a plausible noun phrase (and adopted in SnE 1848-87), but it would have to be the subject of the verb of the main clause, with the resulting meaning that the generous warrior is not (or will not be) a pillar of the family. This is not the sort of sentiment normally expressed in panegyric.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The helmingr is cited to illustrate the point that persons may be referred to in skaldic verse by their descent. In the present instance, the person addressed is identified simply as a descendant of Haraldr hilditǫnn (see Note to l. 4 below).
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