Gsind Hákdr 1^I

Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Guthormr sindri, Hákonardrápa 1’ 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. 157.

text and translation

notes and context

Learning that the fall of his brother Eiríkr in England has removed any threat from that direction, Hákon moves to counter Danish raiders in Vík (Viken). He pursues them to Jótland (Jutland), where they regroup and a major battle is fought. Hákon fights valiantly, has the victory and pursues the fleeing enemy inland.

The source of the stanza is identified as Guthormr sindri’s Hákdr in Hkr and ÓT, except that ms. Flat lacks the title at this point, while it identifies st. 6, erroneously, as coming from Gráfeldardrápa ‘Drápa about [Haraldr] gráfeldr’ (Flat 1860-8, I, 58). — [1-2]: Interpretations have varied. (a) In this edn, following NN §1928 (cf. ÍF 26; Hkr 1991), bekkjar ‘of the rowing-bench’ is taken with -rauknum ‘draught animals’ to form a ship-kenning; cf. the similar use of þopta ‘rowing-bench’ in HólmgB Lv 9/6^V (Korm 44); also Meissner 216. Bekkjar meaning ‘of the stream’ might also yield a ship-kenning, but the parallels involve named rivers (Meissner 214, 217). The element bif- in bifrauknum probably represents bifa ‘quake, tremble’, referring to the shuddering or trembling of a ship at sea. The verb trað ‘trod’ maintains consistency of image with rauknum ‘draught animals’. The cpd blárǫst ‘blue trail’ is treated as a heiti for ‘sea’, similar to a kenning but with an adj. rather than a noun as the first element (cf. CPB II, 30; Meissner 3; ÍF 26; Hkr 1991; cf. also Notes to Eyv Lv 2/4 and Þloft Tøgdr 5/6). (b) Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) takes bekkjar as a determinant for blárǫst, thus ‘blue trail of the sea’ or similar, and emends ôrum to ára (gen. pl.) ‘of oars’ to supply a determinant for bifrauknum, but this is unnecessary. (c) Reichardt (1928, 31) and Kock (NN §1928) accept the emendation but assume the opposite pairing of determinants and base-words. — [5-8]: One component, containing a subject, a finite verb, an object, and adverbials, is clearly defined: Hrafnvíns svangœðir rak síðan flótta at mun sínum ‘The benefactor of the swan of the raven-wine [(lit. swan-benefactor of the raven-wine) BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR] then pursued those who fled at his pleasure’. Remaining, as more intractable components, are sótt Jalfaðar and hrót Giljaðar hylja. No definitive solution seems attainable. (a) The interpretation tentatively adopted here posits that the helmingr contains two clauses. The first of these, cited above, appears to include the kenning sótt Jalfaðar ‘illness of Jǫlfuðr’, where Jalfaðar is gen. sg. of the Óðinn-heiti Jǫlfuðr or Jalfaðr: see AEW: jǫlfuðr; Note to Þul Óðins 8/4^III. His sótt ‘illness’ may be ‘spear’, the god’s characteristic weapon and that by which he sacrificed himself to himself (Hávm 138). Alternatively the kenning might conceivably mean ‘battle’, based on the idea of an affliction (for others) brought about by Óðinn (for battle-kennings with base-words meaning ‘harm, damage’ see Meissner 200, but the examples there are problematic). If the f. sg. noun sótt is taken as dat. or instr., as here, rather than nom. or acc., the phrase as a whole signifies ‘with the spear’ and modifies rak flótta, thus ‘pursued those who fled with the spear’. The second finite verb is hylja (3rd pers. pl. pres. indic.) ‘(they) conceal’, with the tacit object flótta ‘those who fled’ understood from the other clause (for this syntactic feature, see NS §21; cf. Sigv Nesv 1/8; Hharð Gamv 2/1^II; SnH Lv 8^II; ÞjóðA Lv 8^II). The pres. tense in an otherwise entirely pret. narration, while uncommon, has clear analogues in other C10th poetry (e.g. Þjóð Haustl 13/3^III; cf. Poole 1991, 44-55). The subject of the verb must be hrót Giljaðar ‘the roofs of Giljaðr’, adopting the n. noun hrót ‘roof, space under the roof’ (Fritzner IV; AEW: hrót), the majority reading in the mss. Giljaðr appears to be an Óðinn-heiti (see Note to l. 7), and Óðinn’s hrót ‘roof(s)’ would be ‘shield(s)’, on the same pattern as þekja Gauts ‘roof of Gautr’ (Þmáhl Máv 17/8^V (Eb 19)) and hrót Fjǫlnis ‘roof of Fjǫlnir’ (Hskv Útdr 1/2^II; cf. Meissner 170). The pursuit of a (ship-borne) enemy who use shields to cover their backs is described in Þhorn Harkv 11/1-4. (b) Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 26, followed by Hkr 1991) posits a kenning sótt Jalfaðar hrótgiljaðar ‘illness of the betrayer of Óðinn’s roof [(lit. illness of Óðinn’s roof-betrayer) SHIELD > SWORD > (another) SWORD]’. The logical basis would be that in combat one sword may damage another. Bjarni interprets hylja as a form of hylr ‘deep pool (in a stream)’, following Finnur Jónsson (1884, 83; Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; cf. Skald), and reads it as part of a kenning hrafnvíns hylja svangœðir ‘benefactor of the swan of the pools of raven-wine [(lit. swan-benefactor of the pools of raven-wine) POOLS OF BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR]’. The sense of the whole sentence is then ‘the warrior then drove those who fled with his sword’. The element hylja ‘of pools’ is, however, superfluous. (c) Finnur Jónsson (1884, 84; Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) emends sótt to sótti ‘sought’, Jalfaðar to Jalfaðs, and hrót to hrókr, in arriving at the following solution: Jalfaðs svangœðir rak síðan flótta; hrókr hylja hrafnvíns sótti ‘giljaðar’ at mun sínum ‘The benefactor of the swan of Jalfaðr <= Óðinn> [RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR] then pursued those who fled; the cormorant of the pools of raven-wine [POOLS OF BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE] sought the enticing food at his own pleasure.’ This, aside from being overly drastic, yields an unmetrical l. 6 and leaves giljaðar, tentatively glossed as ‘enticer, betrayer’, or ‘enticing food’, not fully accounted for. (d) Kock (NN §250) tentatively emends ms. sótt to sóttr ‘attacked’, adopts the Bb reading hlaut ‘obtained’ in place of hrót, and emends gyljaðar to gyljaðr ‘howler (wolf)’, with þá ‘then’ added to restore the correct number of syllables. He interprets this as follows: Jalfaðar svangœðir sóttr rak síðan flótta; gyljaðr hlaut þá hylja, vín hrafns at mun sínum ‘The benefactor of the swan of Jalfaðr <= Óðinn> [RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR], attacked, then pursued those who fled; the howler [wolf] then obtained the pools, the wine of the raven [BLOOD] at his pleasure’.

readings

• [1] ‑rauknum: ‑roknum 61, Flat
• [2] ‑rǫst: ‘‑raustr’ Bb
• [2] ôrum: austan Bb
• [3] Jótum: ýtum 61
• [5] ‑gœðir: ‑brœðir Flat
• [6] sótt: skjótt F
• [6] Jalfaðar: almveðrs Flat
• [7] hrót: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 61, Flat, hvat‑ Kˣ, hlaut‑ Bb
• [7] Giljaðar: Gyljaðar J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 61, Bb, ‘geliadar’ Flat
• [7] hylja: ‘hyliaþar’ J1ˣ, ‘hvliaþra’ J2ˣ, hyljar Flat
• [8] hrafn‑: hrafns Bb
• [8] at: af Flat

sources

Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.

• AM 35 folx (Kx) — 86v/10 - 86v/17

  Bifrauknum trað bekkjar
  blárǫst konungr ôrum;
  mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svangœðir rak síðan
  sótt Jalfaðar flótta
  — hvat- Giljaðar hylja —
  hrafnvíns at mun sínum.

  Bifrꜹ́cnom trað beckiar | blárꜹst konungr árom | mætr hloð milldingr jotum | mistar vifs ⸌nifs⸍ i drifo . | svangøþir rac siþan | sott (suott) jalfaþar flótta | (kvatgiliaþar (hrottgiliadar)[1] hylia | hrafn[2] víns) at mun sinom |

  (VEÞ)

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• AM 45 fol (F) — 15ra/30 - 15ra/33

  Bifrauknum trað bekkjar
  blárǫst konungr ôrum;
  mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svangœðir rak síðan
  skjótt Jalfaðar flótta
  — hrót Giljaðar hylja —
  hrafnvíns at mun sínum.

  Bif rꜹknom tráð | beckíar blá rꜹst konungr árom mø̨tr hloð milldingr íotvm mis | tar vífs i drifo · svangø̨ðir rȧk siðan skíott ialfaðar flótta | hrót giliaðar hylía hramn víns at mvn sínom ·

  (VEÞ)

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• AM 37 folx (J1x) — 51v/2 - 51v/6

  Bifrauknum trað bekkjar
  blárǫst konungr ôrum;
  mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svangœðir rak síðan
  sótt Jalfaðar flótta
  — hrót Gyljaðar †hyliaþar† —
  hrafnvíns at mun sínum.

  Bifr | ꜹknvm trað bekiar bla rꜹst konungr arum mætr hloð mil | dingr iotom mistar vifs i drifu · Svangǫþir rak | siþan sott i alfaðar flotta hrot gyliaðar hyliaþar hra | fn vins at mun sinom ·

  (VEÞ)

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• AM 38 folx (J2x) — 48v/18 - 48v/25

  Bifrauknum trað bekkjar
  blárǫst konungr ôrum;
  mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svangœðir rak síðan
  sótt Jalfaðar flótta
  — hrót Gyljaðar †hvliaþra† —
  hrafnvíns at mun sínum.

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• AM 61 fol (61) — 4rb/11 - 4rb/13

  Bif-roknum trað bekkjar
  blárǫst konungr ôrum;
  mætr hlóð mildingr ýtum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svangœðir rak síðan
  sótt Jalfaðar flótta
  — hrót Gyljaðar hylja —
  hrafnvíns at mun sínum.

  Bif roknum trað beckiar . blꜳ raust konungr ꜳrum . mœtr hloð m | illdingr ytum mistar uífs idrifu . suangiœðir rak siþan sott ial | faþar flotta . hrot gyliaþar hylia hrafn víns at mun sínum . |

  (VEÞ)

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• Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) — 5va/5 - 5va/9

  Bifrauknum trað bekkjar
  blá†-raustr† konungr austan;
  mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svangœðir rak síðan
  sótt Jalfaðar flótta
  — hlaut- Gyljaðar hylja —
  hrafnsvíns at mun sínum.

  Bifraucknum trad | beckiar blaraustr konungr austann mętr hlod mil | díngr jotum . mistar vífs j drífo . svangædir rak | sidan sott Jalfadar flotta . hlaut gyljadar | hylía hrafns víns ath mun sinum .

  (VEÞ)

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• GKS 1005 fol (Flat) — 7rb/30 - 7rb/33

  Bif-roknum trað bekkjar
  blárǫst konungr ôrum;
  mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
  Mistar vífs í drífu.
  Svan-brœðir rak síðan
  sótt almveðrs flótta
  — hrót †geliadar† hyljar —
  hrafnvíns af mun sínum.

  Bífroknnum trad bekkiar blaraust konung | arum mętr hlod milldíngr íotum mistar vífs idrífu suan brœdir ra | k sidan sott alm vedrs flotta hrot geliadar hyliar . hrafnn víns af mun | sínum ·

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