Eskál Vell 34I
Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 34’ 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. 326.
Né ‘Nor’
(not checked:)
né (conj.): nor
sig ‘of the battle’
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
sig ‘of the battle’
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
bjarkar ‘’
(not checked:)
bjǫrk (noun f.): birch
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
serkir ‘shirts’
(not checked:)
1. serkr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ir): shirt
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
sóm ‘the bow’
kennings
sómmiðjungum‘the bow-miðjungar ’
= WARRIORS
the bow-miðjungar → WARRIORS
notes
[2] sómmiðjungum ‘the bow-miðjungar [WARRIORS]’: On miðjungr see Note to st. 28/2. The first element sóm- has been subject to various interpretations. It could be sómr ‘bow’, sómi ‘honour’ or sómi ‘sword’ (LP: sómi, sómr; Þul Boga 1/4III, Þul Sverða 1/8III and Notes). (a) The absence of a connecting vowel between sóm- and -miðjungr favours the a-stem sómr ‘bow’ assumed here. (b) Because sómr ‘bow’ and sómi ‘sword’ are only attested in the þulur, Kock (NN §412) views sóm- as an embellishment in the sense of ‘honourable’, hence sómmiðjungr as the base-word of a warrior-kenning, with rómu Hars ‘the noise of Hárr <= Óðinn> [BATTLE]’ as its determinant.
mildingum ‘’
(not checked:)
mildingr (noun m.; °-s): ruler, generous one < sómmildingr (noun m.)
niðjungum ‘’
miðjungum ‘miðjungar’
(not checked:)
Miðjungr (noun m.; °; -ar): Miðjungr, giants < sómmiðjungr (noun m.)
[2] ‑miðjungum: ‑niðjungum U, A, ‑mildingum C
kennings
sómmiðjungum‘the bow-miðjungar ’
= WARRIORS
the bow-miðjungar → WARRIORS
notes
[2] sómmiðjungum ‘the bow-miðjungar [WARRIORS]’: On miðjungr see Note to st. 28/2. The first element sóm- has been subject to various interpretations. It could be sómr ‘bow’, sómi ‘honour’ or sómi ‘sword’ (LP: sómi, sómr; Þul Boga 1/4III, Þul Sverða 1/8III and Notes). (a) The absence of a connecting vowel between sóm- and -miðjungr favours the a-stem sómr ‘bow’ assumed here. (b) Because sómr ‘bow’ and sómi ‘sword’ are only attested in the þulur, Kock (NN §412) views sóm- as an embellishment in the sense of ‘honourable’, hence sómmiðjungr as the base-word of a warrior-kenning, with rómu Hars ‘the noise of Hárr <= Óðinn> [BATTLE]’ as its determinant.
kennings
rómu Hôars.‘in the noise of Hárr. ’
= BATTLE
in the noise of Hárr. → BATTLE
notes
[2-3] rómu Hôars ‘in the noise of Hárr <= Óðinn> [BATTLE]’: (a) This is taken here as a battle-kenning used adverbially to mean ‘in battle’ (so Faulkes, SnE 1998, I, 194). (b) As with st. 10/8 drífu Hôars ‘snow-storm of Hárr’, a temporal acc. is also possible (see Note). (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B; LP: róma 2) takes Hars as the base-word and the phrase as a warrior-kenning Hôars rómu ‘of the Hárr <= Óðinn> of battle’, a reference to the enemy and source of the showers of arrows. In this he is presumably following Konráð Gíslason (Nj 1875-8, II, 276 n. 243), who rejects rómu Hars as a battle-kenning because rómu itself can already signify ‘battle’. However, their view is contradicted by SnE, which cites this stanza to illustrate battle-kennings with base-words such as veðr ‘weather’ or gnýr ‘din’. Kock conjoins this kenning to sómmiðjungr (see Note to l. 2).
hás ‘’
(not checked:)
3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
kennings
rómu Hôars.‘in the noise of Hárr. ’
= BATTLE
in the noise of Hárr. → BATTLE
notes
[2-3] rómu Hôars ‘in the noise of Hárr <= Óðinn> [BATTLE]’: (a) This is taken here as a battle-kenning used adverbially to mean ‘in battle’ (so Faulkes, SnE 1998, I, 194). (b) As with st. 10/8 drífu Hôars ‘snow-storm of Hárr’, a temporal acc. is also possible (see Note). (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B; LP: róma 2) takes Hars as the base-word and the phrase as a warrior-kenning Hôars rómu ‘of the Hárr <= Óðinn> of battle’, a reference to the enemy and source of the showers of arrows. In this he is presumably following Konráð Gíslason (Nj 1875-8, II, 276 n. 243), who rejects rómu Hars as a battle-kenning because rómu itself can already signify ‘battle’. However, their view is contradicted by SnE, which cites this stanza to illustrate battle-kennings with base-words such as veðr ‘weather’ or gnýr ‘din’. Kock conjoins this kenning to sómmiðjungr (see Note to l. 2).
við ‘against’
(not checked:)
2. við (prep.): with, against
haugnar ‘’
kennings
skúrir Hǫgna‘the showers of Hǫgni ’
= ARROWS
the showers of Hǫgni → ARROWS
skúrir ‘the showers’
(not checked:)
1. skúr (noun f.; °; -ir): shower
kennings
skúrir Hǫgna‘the showers of Hǫgni ’
= ARROWS
the showers of Hǫgni → ARROWS
hlæðu ‘’
hleiðut ‘’
fast ‘the firmly’
(not checked:)
fast (adv.)
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
of ‘’
(not checked:)
4. of (particle): (before verb)
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
seðit ‘’
reiðir ‘’
(not checked:)
2. reiða (verb): carry
kennings
fast of séðir serkir sigbjarka‘the firmly sewn shirts of the battle-birches ’
= ARMOUR
the battle-birches → WARRIORS
the firmly sewn shirts of WARRIORS → ARMOUR
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The helmingr is cited in SnE (Skm) in a passage containing examples of battle-kennings.
This dramatic moment in the battle against the Jómsvíkingar is also commemorated in Tindr Hákdr 1 and Hfr Hákdr 2III, and described by Snorri in Hkr (ÍF 26, 281). So many arrows get lodged in Hákon jarl’s armour that he is forced to remove it during the battle. These are likely to have been special arrow-heads capable of piercing armour and mail-shirts (see Paulsen 1999, 137-9).
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