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.
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grjót (noun n.): rock, stone < grjótǫld (noun f.)
[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.
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grjót (noun n.): rock, stone < grjótǫld (noun f.)
[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.
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ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age < grjótǫld (noun f.)
[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.
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ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age < grjótǫld (noun f.)
[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.
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tjá (verb): to put in order, prepare
[1] ték: rær R, tér Tˣ, W, B, tel ek U
[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.
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2. gildi (noun n.): feast, banquet
[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.
[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.
[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.
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rein (noun f.): strip of land < geðrein (noun f.)
[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.
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rein (noun f.): strip of land < geðrein (noun f.)
[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.
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Þórsteinn (noun m.): Þorsteinn
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berg (noun n.; °-s; -): rock, cliff < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
[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).
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berg (noun n.; °-s; -): rock, cliff < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
[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).
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1. Mœrir (noun m.; °; -ir): pl. Mœrir < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
[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).
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1. Mœrir (noun m.; °; -ir): pl. Mœrir < bergmœrr (noun m.)
[3] berg‑Mœra: ‘ber[…]ra’ U
[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).
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glymja (verb): resound
[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).
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1. bára (noun f.; °-u; -ur): wave
[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).
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lýðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir): one of the people
[4] lýða: so all others, lýða þá R
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1. kyn (noun n.; °-s; -): kin
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2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
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