Eskál Vell 36I
Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 36’ 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. 328.
Goll ‘The gold’
(not checked:)
gull (noun n.): gold < gullsendir (noun m.): [gold-dispenser]
[1] Gollsendir lætr: ‘[…]l sendir l[…]tr’ U
kennings
Gollsendir‘The gold-distributor ’
= GENEROUS MAN = Einarr, I
The gold-distributor → GENEROUS MAN = Einarr, I
notes
[1] gollsendir ‘the gold-distributor [GENEROUS MAN = Einarr, I]’: (a) A kenning designating someone other than a ruler as a ‘generous man’ is unusual in a C10th drápa, but there is a parallel in Jór Send 5/1, where the poet Guthormr sindri is referred to as stríðir hringa ‘enemy of rings [GENEROUS MAN]’. (b) Ohlmarks (1958, 387-8) and Davidson (1983, 396-8), following Kock (NN §410), take a different approach, reading Gollsendir lætr hljót mjaðar Yggs njóta grundar ... ‘The gold-distributor [GENEROUS MAN = Hákon jarl] lets the owner of the mead of Yggr [POEM > POET] enjoy land ...’. However, there is little or no evidence for skalds being rewarded with land.
sendir ‘distributor’
(not checked:)
sendir (noun m.): sender, distributor < gullsendir (noun m.): [gold-dispenser]
[1] Gollsendir lætr: ‘[…]l sendir l[…]tr’ U
kennings
Gollsendir‘The gold-distributor ’
= GENEROUS MAN = Einarr, I
The gold-distributor → GENEROUS MAN = Einarr, I
notes
[1] gollsendir ‘the gold-distributor [GENEROUS MAN = Einarr, I]’: (a) A kenning designating someone other than a ruler as a ‘generous man’ is unusual in a C10th drápa, but there is a parallel in Jór Send 5/1, where the poet Guthormr sindri is referred to as stríðir hringa ‘enemy of rings [GENEROUS MAN]’. (b) Ohlmarks (1958, 387-8) and Davidson (1983, 396-8), following Kock (NN §410), take a different approach, reading Gollsendir lætr hljót mjaðar Yggs njóta grundar ... ‘The gold-distributor [GENEROUS MAN = Hákon jarl] lets the owner of the mead of Yggr [POEM > POET] enjoy land ...’. However, there is little or no evidence for skalds being rewarded with land.
lætr ‘lets’
(not checked:)
láta (verb): let, have sth done
[1] Gollsendir lætr: ‘[…]l sendir l[…]tr’ U
grundar ‘of land’
(not checked:)
grund (noun f.): earth, land
kennings
hljót grundar‘the recipient of land ’
= RULER
the recipient of land → RULER
gleðr ‘’
(not checked:)
gleðja (verb): gladden, rejoice
glaðr ‘’
(not checked:)
2. glaðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): cheerful, glad
glaðar ‘gladdens’
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glaða (verb): gladden, rejoice, be merry
[2] glaðar: glaðr A, gleðr C
þengill ‘the ruler’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
her ‘the host’
(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
lengi ‘’
(not checked:)
lengi (adv.): for a long time
drengi ‘’
(not checked:)
drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
drengja ‘of warriors’
(not checked:)
drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
[2] drengja: so C, drengi R, Tˣ, W, A, ‘[…]’ U, lengi B
hans ‘his’
(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
mætti ‘’
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máttr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. mǽtti/mátt; mǽttir, dat. -um): power
mæti ‘precious gifts’
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mæti (noun n.; °; -): precious thing
[3] mæti: ‘[...]’ U, mætti B, C
knák ‘I can’
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knega (verb): to know, understand, be able to
[3] knák (‘kna ec’): ‘[...]na ek’ U, kná B
hlýða ‘’
(not checked:)
2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
hljó ‘’
(not checked:)
hlaupa (verb): leap, run
kennings
hljót grundar‘the recipient of land ’
= RULER
the recipient of land → RULER
ygg ‘’
(not checked:)
1. Yggr (noun m.): Yggr
kennings
mjaðar Yggs;‘the mead of Yggr; ’
= POEM
the mead of Yggr; → POEM
mjaðar ‘the mead’
(not checked:)
mjǫðr (noun m.; °dat. miði): mead
kennings
mjaðar Yggs;‘the mead of Yggr; ’
= POEM
the mead of Yggr; → POEM
njóta ‘enjoy’
(not checked:)
njóta (verb): enjoy, use
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The helmingr is quoted in SnE (Skm) to illustrate how ‘gold’ is used in kennings for ‘man’ (specifying gollsendir ‘gold-distributor’).
The stanza, with its unequivocal presumption of a reward for the composition, is part of the conclusion of the drápa. Krömmelbein (1983, 175) views it as a stef stanza on the basis of the poetry-kenning, but this is insufficient evidence. Referring to an episode of Jvs, Ohlmarks (1958, 387) claims that the stanza introduced the section about the battle with the Jómsvíkingar (see Introduction).
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