Refr Þorst 1III
Edith Marold (ed.) 2017, ‘Hofgarða-Refr Gestsson, From a poem about Þorsteinn 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 250.
Grjót ‘of the rock’
(not checked:)
grjót (noun n.): rock, stone < grjótǫld (noun f.)
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
Grjót ‘of the rock’
(not checked:)
grjót (noun n.): rock, stone < grjótǫld (noun f.)
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
aldar ‘people’
(not checked:)
ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age < grjótǫld (noun f.)
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
aldar ‘people’
(not checked:)
ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age < grjótǫld (noun f.)
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
ték ‘I offer’
(not checked:)
tjá (verb): to put in order, prepare
[1] ték: rær R, tér Tˣ, W, B, tel ek U
notes
[1] ték ‘I offer’: The emendation, which is in keeping with earlier eds, is necessary here because, though most of the other readings point to tér ‘you offer/he offers’ rather than rœr ‘you row/he rows’ (so R), neither makes sense in this context.
gildi ‘the drink’
(not checked:)
2. gildi (noun n.): feast, banquet
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
reinar ‘land’
(not checked:)
rein (noun f.): strip of land < geðrein (noun f.)
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
reinar ‘land’
(not checked:)
rein (noun f.): strip of land < geðrein (noun f.)
kennings
gildi geðreinar grjótaldar;‘the drink of the mind-land of the rock-people; ’
= POEM
the rock-people; → GIANTS
the drink of the mind-land of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[1-2] gildi geðreinar grjótaldar ‘the drink of the mind-land [BREAST] of the rock-people [GIANTS > POEM]’: Gildi means ‘feast, banquet’, but it is taken here as a variation for ‘drink’. To the poem-kenning gildi grjótaldar ‘the drink of the rock-people’, which could stand on its own, Refr adds geðreinar ‘of the mind-land [BREAST]’. Such an addition only makes sense, however, with poem-kennings whose determinant is Óðinn, because Óðinn carried the mead of poetry out of the land of giants in his breast. The additional word, which does not fit here, indicates that a blending of the two kenning types ‘drink of giants’ and ‘liquid of Óðinn’s breast’ has occurred.
Þórsteini ‘Þorsteinn’
(not checked:)
Þórsteinn (noun m.): Þorsteinn
berg ‘of the mountain’
(not checked:)
berg (noun n.; °-s; -): rock, cliff < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
kennings
bára berg-Mœra‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir ’
= POEM
the mountain-Mœrir → GIANTS
the wave of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[3] bára berg-Mœra glymr ‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir <people of Mœrr> [GIANTS > POEM] resounds’: The metaphor of the recitation of the poem as the rush of a wave of the mead of poetry is strongly reminiscent of the opening stanzas of Vellekla (Eskál Vell 1-4I).
berg ‘of the mountain’
(not checked:)
berg (noun n.; °-s; -): rock, cliff < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
kennings
bára berg-Mœra‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir ’
= POEM
the mountain-Mœrir → GIANTS
the wave of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[3] bára berg-Mœra glymr ‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir <people of Mœrr> [GIANTS > POEM] resounds’: The metaphor of the recitation of the poem as the rush of a wave of the mead of poetry is strongly reminiscent of the opening stanzas of Vellekla (Eskál Vell 1-4I).
Mœra ‘Mœrir’
(not checked:)
1. Mœrir (noun m.; °; -ir): pl. Mœrir < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
kennings
bára berg-Mœra‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir ’
= POEM
the mountain-Mœrir → GIANTS
the wave of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[3] bára berg-Mœra glymr ‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir <people of Mœrr> [GIANTS > POEM] resounds’: The metaphor of the recitation of the poem as the rush of a wave of the mead of poetry is strongly reminiscent of the opening stanzas of Vellekla (Eskál Vell 1-4I).
Mœra ‘Mœrir’
(not checked:)
1. Mœrir (noun m.; °; -ir): pl. Mœrir < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
kennings
bára berg-Mœra‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir ’
= POEM
the mountain-Mœrir → GIANTS
the wave of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[3] bára berg-Mœra glymr ‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir <people of Mœrr> [GIANTS > POEM] resounds’: The metaphor of the recitation of the poem as the rush of a wave of the mead of poetry is strongly reminiscent of the opening stanzas of Vellekla (Eskál Vell 1-4I).
glymr ‘resounds’
(not checked:)
glymja (verb): resound
notes
[3] bára berg-Mœra glymr ‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir <people of Mœrr> [GIANTS > POEM] resounds’: The metaphor of the recitation of the poem as the rush of a wave of the mead of poetry is strongly reminiscent of the opening stanzas of Vellekla (Eskál Vell 1-4I).
bára ‘the wave’
(not checked:)
1. bára (noun f.; °-u; -ur): wave
kennings
bára berg-Mœra‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir ’
= POEM
the mountain-Mœrir → GIANTS
the wave of GIANTS → POEM
notes
[3] bára berg-Mœra glymr ‘the wave of the mountain-Mœrir <people of Mœrr> [GIANTS > POEM] resounds’: The metaphor of the recitation of the poem as the rush of a wave of the mead of poetry is strongly reminiscent of the opening stanzas of Vellekla (Eskál Vell 1-4I).
lýða ‘of men’
(not checked:)
lýðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir): one of the people
[4] lýða: so all others, lýða þá R
kennings
kyn lýða‘the kindred of men ’
= PEOPLE
the kindred of men → PEOPLE
kyn ‘the kindred’
(not checked:)
1. kyn (noun n.; °-s; -): kin
kennings
kyn lýða‘the kindred of men ’
= PEOPLE
the kindred of men → PEOPLE
hlýða ‘to listen’
(not checked:)
2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
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The helmingr is cited in SnE (Skm) among stanzas exemplifying kennings for ‘poetry’.
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