Glúmr Geirason, Gráfeldardrápa 8

Alison Finlay

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Glúmr Gráf 8^I

Alison Finlay (ed.) 2012, ‘Glúmr Geirason, Gráfeldardrápa 8’ 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. 258.

Glúmr Geirason Gráfeldardrápa

7 8 9

[1] mætra: mettra J1ˣ, motra Flat

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

[1-2] mætra hjalta malm- ‘metal ... of the splendid hilt [SWORD]’: On pl. hjǫlt meaning ‘hilt’, see Note to Anon Ól 1/5; for parallels to malmr ‘metal’ as the base-word in a sword-kenning, see Meissner 155, and for hjalta or other sword-parts as determinant, see Meissner 162-3.

mætra ‘of the splendid’

(not checked:)
mætr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): honoured, respected

[1] mætra: mettra J1ˣ, motra Flat

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

hjalta ‘hilt’

(not checked:)
hjalt (noun n.; °; *-): hilt

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

hjalta ‘hilt’

(not checked:)
hjalt (noun n.; °; *-): hilt

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

malm ‘of the metal’

(not checked:)
malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal < malmóðinn (noun m.)

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

malm ‘of the metal’

(not checked:)
malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal < malmóðinn (noun m.)

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

Óðinn ‘That Óðinn’

(not checked:)
Óðinn (noun m.): Óðinn < malmóðinn (noun m.)

kennings

mætra hjalta malm-Óðinn,
‘metal-Óðinn of the splendid hilt’
= WARRIOR
the metal of the splendid hilt, → SWORD
That Óðinn of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

[2] -Óðinn ‘Óðinn <god>’: This is the only known instance of Óðinn, as opposed to numerous heiti for the god, as the base-word of a kenning; see further Note to st. 13 [All].

þá ‘’

(not checked:)
1. sá (pron.; °gen. þess, dat. þeim, acc. þann; f. sú, gen. þeirrar, acc. þá; n. þat, dat. því; pl. m. þeir, f. þǽ---): that (one), those

sá ‘who’

(not checked:)
1. sá (pron.; °gen. þess, dat. þeim, acc. þann; f. sú, gen. þeirrar, acc. þá; n. þat, dat. því; pl. m. þeir, f. þǽ---): that (one), those

[2] sá: þá FskBˣ

blóði ‘with the blood’

(not checked:)
blóð (noun n.; °-s): blood

þróttar ‘forceful’

(not checked:)
þróttr (noun m.): strength, might, valour < þróttarorð (noun n.): [forceful words]

notes

[3] þróttarorð ‘forceful words’: Lit. ‘words of power, endurance’. Since this combination recurs it is treated here as a cpd, while Skj B, ÍF 26 and ÍF 29 print it as two words; see Note to Hfr ErfÓl 3/7-8.

en ‘’

(not checked:)
4. en (conj.): than

orð ‘words’

(not checked:)
orð (noun n.; °-s; -): word < þróttarorð (noun n.): [forceful words]

notes

es ‘’

(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when

[3] es (‘er’): en 62, Flat

þjóðu ‘’

(not checked:)
þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people

bjóðum ‘’

(not checked:)
bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite

þorði ‘dared’

(not checked:)
þora (verb): dare

þjóðum ‘of troops’

(not checked:)
þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people

[4] þjóðum: þjóðu Bb, bjóðum FskBˣ

notes

[4] þjóðum ‘of troops’: The context suggests a military sense here (as also, e.g., in Hfr ErfÓl 14/4, ÞjóðA Lv 11/3^II), though ‘people’ is a more usual sense of þjóð. Syntactically, this dat. pl. form is capable of several interpretations. (a) The phrase blóði þjóðum ‘blood of troops’ is assumed here (as in Skj B), as the most natural in both sense and word order. The usage is comparable with the dat. of respect (almost of possession) common with parts of the body (NS §100 Anm. 3), though the gen. pl. þjóða might be expected (cf. manna ‘of men’ and synonyms qualifying blóð ‘blood’, e.g. in Eyv Hák 6/8, Eyv Hál 8/4, Anon Liðs 2/5-6). (b) Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 26) also attaches þjóðum to the subordinate clause, but reads rjóða þjóðum vǫll blóði ‘redden the field with blood for men’. Þjóðum is explained as a type of dativus ethicus, with the sense ‘before men’, i.e. ‘where men fought/stood’. ÍF 29 has the same construal, as does Hkr 1991, though with a different word order. (c) Kock (NN §1061) takes þjóðum as the indirect object of mælti in the main clause, hence ‘addressed forceful words to men’, but mæla e-m e-t normally means ‘to stipulate sth for sby’.

vǫll ‘the field’

(not checked:)
vǫllr (noun m.; °vallar, dat. velli; vellir acc. vǫllu/velli): plain, field

at ‘to’

(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)

rjóða ‘redden’

(not checked:)
rjóða (verb): to redden

lend ‘’

(not checked:)
lendr (adj.): landed < víðlendr (adj.): widely-landed

Víð ‘Ruling extensive’

(not checked:)
víðr (adj.): far < víðlendr (adj.): widely-landedvíðr (adj.): far < víðlendr (adj.): widely-landed

notes

[5] víðlendr ‘ruling extensive lands’: Lit. ‘broad-landed’.

ok ‘’

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

lendr ‘lands’

(not checked:)
lendr (adj.): landed < víðlendr (adj.): widely-landed

[5] ‑lendr: ‑lend FskAˣ

notes

[5] víðlendr ‘ruling extensive lands’: Lit. ‘broad-landed’.

of ‘’

(not checked:)
4. of (particle): (before verb)

[5] of (‘um’): ok 53

bað ‘bade’

(not checked:)
biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray

verþing ‘’

(not checked:)
verþing (noun n.)

verðungr ‘’

vinda ‘draw’

(not checked:)
2. vinda (verb): wind, twist

notes

[5] vinda ‘draw’: Strictly, ‘wind, twist, turn’, but the sense ‘draw’ is suggested by the preceding prose in Hkr and Fsk, which has Haraldr ordering his men to bregða sverðum sínum ‘draw their swords’ (cf. also LP: 2. vinda 2 and previous eds).

Haralds ‘’

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

Haraldar ‘’

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

verðung ‘the retinue’

(not checked:)
verðung (noun f.): troop, retinue

[6] verðung: ‘verþing’ 54, Bb, verðungr FskBˣ

Haraldr ‘Haraldr’

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

[6] Haraldr: Haralds 39, F, Haraldar 62

frétt ‘’

(not checked:)
frétta (verb): ask, enquire

frekt ‘’

(not checked:)
2. frekr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): greedy

framm ‘’

(not checked:)
fram (adv.): out, forth, forwards, away

frǫgt ‘’

sverðum ‘swords’

(not checked:)
sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword

frægt ‘glorious’

(not checked:)
frægr (adj.; °-jan/-an; compar. -ri, superl. -jastr/-astr/-str): famous, renowned

[7] frægt: ‘frǫgt’ J2ˣ, frekt 53, Flat, frétt Bb, framm FskBˣ

þótti ‘seemed’

(not checked:)
2. þykkja (verb): seem, think

flot[…] ‘’

flótta ‘’

(not checked:)
flótti (noun m.): flight, fleeing

þat ‘that’

(not checked:)
1. sá (pron.; °gen. þess, dat. þeim, acc. þann; f. sú, gen. þeirrar, acc. þá; n. þat, dat. því; pl. m. þeir, f. þǽ---): that (one), those

flotnum ‘to seafarers’

(not checked:)
flotnar (noun m.): mariners

[7] flotnum: ‘flot[…]’ 39, flótta FskBˣ, FskAˣ

fylkis ‘of the leader’

(not checked:)
fylkir (noun m.): leader

orð ‘speech’

(not checked:)
orð (noun n.; °-s; -): word

at ‘in’

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

morði ‘battle’

(not checked:)
1. morð (noun n.; °-s; -): killing, battle

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

verse
prose

Haraldr, on his way to Denmark to accept an offer of rights to revenues from King Haraldr Gormsson, is intercepted at Háls in Limafjǫrðr (Limfjorden) by Gull-Haraldr Knútsson, who has been encouraged by Hákon jarl Sigurðarson to seize the kingdom of Norway. Despite having the smaller force, Haraldr accepts the challenge to do battle.

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Glúmr Gráf 8I

Mælti ‘spoke’

motra ‘’

mettra ‘’

mætra ‘of the splendid’

kennings

notes

mætra ‘of the splendid’

kennings

notes

hjalta ‘hilt’

kennings

notes

hjalta ‘hilt’

kennings

notes

malm ‘of the metal’

kennings

notes

malm ‘of the metal’

kennings

notes

Óðinn ‘That Óðinn’

kennings

notes

þá ‘’

sá ‘who’

blóði ‘with the blood’

þróttar ‘forceful’

notes

en ‘’

orð ‘words’

notes

es ‘’

þjóðu ‘’

bjóðum ‘’

þorði ‘dared’

þjóðum ‘of troops’

notes

vǫll ‘the field’

at ‘to’

rjóða ‘redden’

lend ‘’

Víð ‘Ruling extensive’

notes

ok ‘’

lendr ‘lands’

notes

of ‘’

bað ‘bade’

verþing ‘’

verðungr ‘’

vinda ‘draw’

notes

Haralds ‘’

Haraldar ‘’

verðung ‘the retinue’

Haraldr ‘Haraldr’

frétt ‘’

frekt ‘’

framm ‘’

frǫgt ‘’

sverðum ‘swords’

frægt ‘glorious’

þótti ‘seemed’

flot[…] ‘’

flótta ‘’

þat ‘that’

flotnum ‘to seafarers’

fylkis ‘of the leader’

orð ‘speech’

at ‘in’

morði ‘battle’

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Glúmr Gráf 8^I