Eskál Vell 14I
Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 14’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 301.
Ǫll ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
lét ‘made’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
notes
[1, 2] lét ... sǫnn mǫnnum ‘made ... lawful for men’: Sannr means ‘true, correct, rightful’ (cf. Fritzner: sannr 3, though the examples are of abstract situations). Sǫnn here denotes the opposite of ‘forbidden’ (cf. Olsen 1962a, 38-9).
sǫnn ‘’
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2. sannr (adj.; °-an; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): true
senn ‘soon’
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senn (adv.): at once
[1] senn: so 39, F, J1ˣ, 61, 53, 54, Bb, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, sǫnn Kˣ, J2ˣ
en ‘’
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4. en (conj.): than
svinni ‘wise one’
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2. svinnr (adj.): wise
sunn ‘’
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sunn- ((prefix)): [Sunn, southern]
sǫnn ‘lawful’
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2. sannr (adj.; °-an; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): true
[2] sǫnn: ‘sunn’ 39
notes
[1, 2] lét ... sǫnn mǫnnum ‘made ... lawful for men’: Sannr means ‘true, correct, rightful’ (cf. Fritzner: sannr 3, though the examples are of abstract situations). Sǫnn here denotes the opposite of ‘forbidden’ (cf. Olsen 1962a, 38-9).
notes
[2] Einriða ‘of Einriði <= Þórr>’: a name of Þórr. On its etymology, see Note to Þul Þórs 1/4III. The gen. Einriða is taken here with lǫnd hofs ‘land of the temples’. Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 121), Freudenthal (Vell 1865, 35, 38), Kock (NN §401) and Turville-Petre (1976, 61) associate it with the following mǫnnum ‘for men’ and interpret this as ‘the followers of Þórr’. However, it is unclear why the sanctuaries of the bǫnd ‘gods’ should have to be authorised for these followers of Þórr. Moreover menn ‘men, humans’, while it is used to denote the followers of a ruler (LP: maðr 3), is never used for the devotees of a god.
mǫnnum ‘for men’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
notes
[1, 2] lét ... sǫnn mǫnnum ‘made ... lawful for men’: Sannr means ‘true, correct, rightful’ (cf. Fritzner: sannr 3, though the examples are of abstract situations). Sǫnn here denotes the opposite of ‘forbidden’ (cf. Olsen 1962a, 38-9).
hverjum ‘’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
herjun ‘’
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1. herja (noun f.): Herja, female follower
herjum ‘among the peoples’
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
[3] herjum: ‘herion’ 39, F, hverjum 53, 54, Bb
notes
[3] kunn herjum ‘famous among the peoples’: The main ms. has herjum kunnr, an epithet praising Hákon jarl. The correct reading remains uncertain, and eds have been divided in their preferences.
kunnr ‘’
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kunnr (adj.): known (?)
kunn ‘famous’
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kunnr (adj.): known (?)
[3] kunn: so 39, F, J1ˣ, 61, 53, 54, Bb, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, kunnr Kˣ, J2ˣ
notes
[3] kunn herjum ‘famous among the peoples’: The main ms. has herjum kunnr, an epithet praising Hákon jarl. The correct reading remains uncertain, and eds have been divided in their preferences.
of ‘’
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4. of (particle): (before verb)
notes
[3] of herjuð ‘harried’: During his reign, Haraldr gráfeldr had the heathen temples burned down, perhaps less out of Christian zeal than in order to break the political opposition, cf. Eskál Hákdr 1/3, 4.
heruð ‘’
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herað (noun n.; °-s; heruð): district
notes
[3] of herjuð ‘harried’: During his reign, Haraldr gráfeldr had the heathen temples burned down, perhaps less out of Christian zeal than in order to break the political opposition, cf. Eskál Hákdr 1/3, 4.
hofs ‘of the temple’
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1. hóf (noun n.; °-s; -): court, temple
notes
[4] lǫnd hofs ‘the lands of the temple’: Whether hof denoted a structure solely devoted to religion, or a large hall serving both religious purposes and other uses, cannot be clearly discerned (Sundqvist 2005b, 331-4). It may be that the land surrounding the temple was somehow part of the sanctuary (Vikstrand 2001, 265).
land ‘’
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land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
lǫnd ‘lands’
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land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
[4] lǫnd: abbrev. as ‘ld’ 61, 53, Bb, land 54
notes
[4] lǫnd hofs ‘the lands of the temple’: Whether hof denoted a structure solely devoted to religion, or a large hall serving both religious purposes and other uses, cannot be clearly discerned (Sundqvist 2005b, 331-4). It may be that the land surrounding the temple was somehow part of the sanctuary (Vikstrand 2001, 265).
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
vé ‘the sanctuaries’
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1. vé (noun n.): house, sanctuary
notes
[4] vé banda ‘the sanctuaries of the gods’: On the function of the bǫnd, see Note to st. 8/2. In skaldic poetry they appear especially often in conjunction with Þórr (Þjóð Haustl 17/2III, ÚlfrU Húsdr 3/2III, Steinunn Lv 1-2V, Anon (ÓTHkr) 1; see Marold 1992, 705-6).
banda ‘of the gods’
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band (noun n.; °-s; *-): band, bond
notes
[4] vé banda ‘the sanctuaries of the gods’: On the function of the bǫnd, see Note to st. 8/2. In skaldic poetry they appear especially often in conjunction with Þórr (Þjóð Haustl 17/2III, ÚlfrU Húsdr 3/2III, Steinunn Lv 1-2V, Anon (ÓTHkr) 1; see Marold 1992, 705-6).
at ‘’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
notes
[5] áðr ‘before’: (a) The word order in ll. 5-8, with the finite verb farði ‘ferried’ in final position, favours the conj. áðr ‘before’ in l. 5, which is also the reading of all mss except Kˣ (see Kuhn 1971b, 5-6). This means that Hákon is said to re-authorise the heathen cult before bringing news of the fall of Haraldr gráfeldr to Norway, although the reverse sequence of events would be expected. There is no evident solution to this difficulty. (b) This problem is presumably the reason why at ‘to’ is adopted in most eds, but both the ms. evidence and the word order tell against at.
ví ‘’
vé ‘’
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1. vé (noun n.): house, sanctuary
út ‘’
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út (adv.): out(side)
veg ‘to the path’
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1. vegr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar/-ir, gen. -a/-na, acc. -a/-i/-u): way, path, side
[5] veg: út 39, F, vé J1ˣ, 61, 53, 54, ‘ví’ Bb
kennings
veg jǫtna‘to the path of the giants ’
= MOUNTAINS = Norway?
to the path of the giants → MOUNTAINS = Norway?
eiðma ‘’
jǫtna ‘of the giants’
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jǫtunn (noun m.; °jǫtuns, dat. jǫtni; jǫtnar): giant
[5] jǫtna: ‘eidma’ Bb
kennings
veg jǫtna‘to the path of the giants ’
= MOUNTAINS = Norway?
to the path of the giants → MOUNTAINS = Norway?
val ‘of slaughter’
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1. valr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ir): corpse, the slain < valfall (noun n.): slaughter
falls ‘’
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fall (noun n.; °-s; *-): fall < valfall (noun n.): slaughter
of ‘across’
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
sæ ‘the sea’
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sjór (noun m.): sea
allan ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
þeim ‘him’
notes
[7] goð stýra þeim ‘the gods guide him’: On this, cf. st. 31.
stýra ‘guide’
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stýra (verb): steer, control
notes
[7] goð stýra þeim ‘the gods guide him’: On this, cf. st. 31.
goð ‘the gods’
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goð (noun n.): (pagan) god
notes
[7] goð stýra þeim ‘the gods guide him’: On this, cf. st. 31.
geira ‘of spears’
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geirr (noun m.): spear
kennings
Hlórriði garðs geira‘the Hlórriði of the fence of spears ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
the fence of spears → SHIELD
the Hlórriði of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
notes
[7-8] Hlórriði garðs geira ‘the Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’: Hlórriði is a name for Þórr; for an explanation see Note to Þul Þórs 1/5III. Normally Þórr does not serve as a base-word for kennings of this type (see Meissner 1913, 28, 49-50). This unique instance may be explained by the special significance of Þórr for the rulers of Hlaðir (Lade), which is apparent from the analogies drawn between the deity and the ruler in KormǪ SigdrIII and Eil ÞdrIII (see Marold 1990a, 113‑129).
geira ‘of spears’
(not checked:)
geirr (noun m.): spear
kennings
Hlórriði garðs geira‘the Hlórriði of the fence of spears ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
the fence of spears → SHIELD
the Hlórriði of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
notes
[7-8] Hlórriði garðs geira ‘the Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’: Hlórriði is a name for Þórr; for an explanation see Note to Þul Þórs 1/5III. Normally Þórr does not serve as a base-word for kennings of this type (see Meissner 1913, 28, 49-50). This unique instance may be explained by the special significance of Þórr for the rulers of Hlaðir (Lade), which is apparent from the analogies drawn between the deity and the ruler in KormǪ SigdrIII and Eil ÞdrIII (see Marold 1990a, 113‑129).
garðs ‘of the fence’
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garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard
kennings
Hlórriði garðs geira‘the Hlórriði of the fence of spears ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
the fence of spears → SHIELD
the Hlórriði of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
notes
[7-8] Hlórriði garðs geira ‘the Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’: Hlórriði is a name for Þórr; for an explanation see Note to Þul Þórs 1/5III. Normally Þórr does not serve as a base-word for kennings of this type (see Meissner 1913, 28, 49-50). This unique instance may be explained by the special significance of Þórr for the rulers of Hlaðir (Lade), which is apparent from the analogies drawn between the deity and the ruler in KormǪ SigdrIII and Eil ÞdrIII (see Marold 1990a, 113‑129).
garðs ‘of the fence’
(not checked:)
garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard
kennings
Hlórriði garðs geira‘the Hlórriði of the fence of spears ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
the fence of spears → SHIELD
the Hlórriði of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
notes
[7-8] Hlórriði garðs geira ‘the Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’: Hlórriði is a name for Þórr; for an explanation see Note to Þul Þórs 1/5III. Normally Þórr does not serve as a base-word for kennings of this type (see Meissner 1913, 28, 49-50). This unique instance may be explained by the special significance of Þórr for the rulers of Hlaðir (Lade), which is apparent from the analogies drawn between the deity and the ruler in KormǪ SigdrIII and Eil ÞdrIII (see Marold 1990a, 113‑129).
floriði ‘’
loriði ‘’
hloðriði ‘’
Hlórriði ‘the Hlórriði’
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Hlóriði (noun m.): [Hlórriði]
[8] Hlórriði: ‘loriþi’ 39, ‘hloðriðe’ J1ˣ, ‘floriði’ 53, 54, Bb
kennings
Hlórriði garðs geira‘the Hlórriði of the fence of spears ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
the fence of spears → SHIELD
the Hlórriði of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Hákon jarl
notes
[7-8] Hlórriði garðs geira ‘the Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’: Hlórriði is a name for Þórr; for an explanation see Note to Þul Þórs 1/5III. Normally Þórr does not serve as a base-word for kennings of this type (see Meissner 1913, 28, 49-50). This unique instance may be explained by the special significance of Þórr for the rulers of Hlaðir (Lade), which is apparent from the analogies drawn between the deity and the ruler in KormǪ SigdrIII and Eil ÞdrIII (see Marold 1990a, 113‑129).
sparði ‘’
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2. spara (verb): spare, withhold
varði ‘’
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3. verja (verb): defend
farði ‘ferried’
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3. ferja (verb): [to ferry, ferried]
[8] farði: varði 61, sparði 53, 54, Bb
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
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Ǫll lét senn inn svinni |
The wise one soon made all the harried lands of the temple of Einriði <= Þórr> and the sanctuaries of the gods, famous among the peoples, lawful for men, before the Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl] ferried evidence of slaughter to the path of the giants [MOUNTAINS = Norway?] across all the sea; the gods guide him.
In Hkr and ÓT, Hákon jarl, after driving the Eiríkssynir (Gunnhildarsynir) from Norway, orders his subjects to maintain the temples and sacrifices. Hkr cites sts 14-16 in unbroken sequence, whereas ÓT cites only sts 14 and 16. Fsk cites only the first helmingr, also to illustrate Hákon’s restoration of sacrifices, but much later in the narrative, after Hákon’s return from Denmark.
The overall understanding of the stanza in this edn matches that of the medieval sources and most eds, and appears to be the best solution available, but given the difficulties, especially of ll. 5-8, it can only be tentative. — [5-8]: All eds regard Hlórriði garðs geira ‘Hlórriði <= Þórr> of the fence of spears [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Hákon jarl]’ as the subject of farði of allan sæ ‘ferried all across the sea (lit. across all the sea)’. The remainder of this difficult helmingr is subject to several interpretations. (a) The construal shown above follows Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) in taking together veg jǫtna ‘path of the giants [MOUNTAINS]’, which could refer to Norway, and taking valfall ‘slaughter’ to refer to the death of Haraldr gráfeldr in the battle in Limafjǫrðr (Limfjorden, c. 970). Hence the helmingr appears to mean that Hákon, returning to Norway with this news, at the same time has a claim to authority there. In this edn, veg jǫtna is further taken as part of a construction ferja e-m e-t ‘to ferry/bring sby sth.’, parallel to similar constructions using færa ‘bring’ or senda ‘send’. Finnur Jónsson reads at ‘to’ rather than áðr ‘before’ in l. 5, and this forms a satisfactory prepositional phrase with veg jǫtna, but is problematic in other ways (see Note to l. 5). (b) Kock (NN §402, followed by ÍF 26 and Hkr 1991) interprets vitnir valfalls ‘wolf of death in battle’ as a kenning referring to a sword that Hákon jarl brought across the sea to the mountains (to Norway), but this is unsatisfactory because it would indicate an attack on Norway by Hákon. (c) Kuhn (1971b, 5), on the basis of vé (l. 5) in some mss, interprets vitni valfalls véjǫtna to mean ‘evidence of the death of the sanctuary-giants [DESECRATORS OF THE TEMPLE]’. Only one instance of jǫtunn in the sense of ‘harmful being’ is attested, however, in Egill Lv 25/4V (Eg 32) jǫtunn vandar ‘giant of the mast [WIND]’.
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