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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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HSt Rst 12^I

Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 12’ 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. 910.

Hallar-Steinn Rekstefja

Haf ‘sea’

(not checked:)
haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea < hafglóð (noun f.)

kennings

hafglóð
‘sea-ember ’
= GOLD
sea-ember → GOLD

glóð ‘ember’

(not checked:)
glóð (noun f.): ember < hafglóð (noun f.)

kennings

hafglóð
‘sea-ember ’
= GOLD
sea-ember → GOLD

hilmir ‘prince’

(not checked:)
hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector

sáði ‘sowed’

(not checked:)
2. sá (verb): sow

notes

[1] sáði ‘sowed’: An allusion to the story of the legendary king Hrólfr kraki escaping from the Swedish King Aðils by tossing gold in front of his Swedish pursuers (cf. SnE 1998, I, 58-9 and Note to Þjóð Yt 16/2), an act often likened to sowing seed.

hjaldr ‘The battle’

(not checked:)
1. hjaldr (noun m.): battle < hjaldrríkr (adj.)

[2] hjaldr‑: hjald 53, Bb(91vb), Flat

ríkr ‘mighty’

(not checked:)
ríkr (adj.): mighty, powerful, rich < hjaldrríkr (adj.)

ok ‘and’

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

gaf ‘gave away’

(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give

skjǫldu ‘shields’

(not checked:)
skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield

[2] skjǫldu: ‘skialldir’ 61, skjaldar 53, 54, Bb(91vb)

notes

[2] skjǫldu ‘shields’: Forms an aðalhending with hjaldr- ‘battle’; see Introduction.

stétt ‘of the path’

(not checked:)
stétt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): path < stétthringr (noun m.)

kennings

stofnum stétthrings
‘for the poles of the path-sword. ’
= WARRIORS
the path-sword. → SHIELD
for the poles of the SHIELD → WARRIORS

notes

[3] stétthrings ‘of the path-sword [SHIELD]’: If the text is not corrupt, these kenning elements must, exceptionally, be construed in reverse order: the shield is the ground or path of the sword. See LP: 2. hringr and Note to Þhorn Harkv 1/1 for hringr in the sense ‘sword’ and Meissner 169 for semantically similar shield-kennings. An alternative possibility suggested by Sveinbjörn Egilsson (Fms 12, 53; LP (1860): stétt) is that hringr is ‘serpent’, whose stétt ‘path’ is gold; the elements are still in reverse order.

stétt ‘of the path’

(not checked:)
stétt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): path < stétthringr (noun m.)

kennings

stofnum stétthrings
‘for the poles of the path-sword. ’
= WARRIORS
the path-sword. → SHIELD
for the poles of the SHIELD → WARRIORS

notes

[3] stétthrings ‘of the path-sword [SHIELD]’: If the text is not corrupt, these kenning elements must, exceptionally, be construed in reverse order: the shield is the ground or path of the sword. See LP: 2. hringr and Note to Þhorn Harkv 1/1 for hringr in the sense ‘sword’ and Meissner 169 for semantically similar shield-kennings. An alternative possibility suggested by Sveinbjörn Egilsson (Fms 12, 53; LP (1860): stétt) is that hringr is ‘serpent’, whose stétt ‘path’ is gold; the elements are still in reverse order.

hrings ‘sword’

(not checked:)
1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword < stétthringr (noun m.)

kennings

stofnum stétthrings
‘for the poles of the path-sword. ’
= WARRIORS
the path-sword. → SHIELD
for the poles of the SHIELD → WARRIORS

notes

[3] stétthrings ‘of the path-sword [SHIELD]’: If the text is not corrupt, these kenning elements must, exceptionally, be construed in reverse order: the shield is the ground or path of the sword. See LP: 2. hringr and Note to Þhorn Harkv 1/1 for hringr in the sense ‘sword’ and Meissner 169 for semantically similar shield-kennings. An alternative possibility suggested by Sveinbjörn Egilsson (Fms 12, 53; LP (1860): stétt) is that hringr is ‘serpent’, whose stétt ‘path’ is gold; the elements are still in reverse order.

hrings ‘sword’

(not checked:)
1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword < stétthringr (noun m.)

kennings

stofnum stétthrings
‘for the poles of the path-sword. ’
= WARRIORS
the path-sword. → SHIELD
for the poles of the SHIELD → WARRIORS

notes

[3] stétthrings ‘of the path-sword [SHIELD]’: If the text is not corrupt, these kenning elements must, exceptionally, be construed in reverse order: the shield is the ground or path of the sword. See LP: 2. hringr and Note to Þhorn Harkv 1/1 for hringr in the sense ‘sword’ and Meissner 169 for semantically similar shield-kennings. An alternative possibility suggested by Sveinbjörn Egilsson (Fms 12, 53; LP (1860): stétt) is that hringr is ‘serpent’, whose stétt ‘path’ is gold; the elements are still in reverse order.

stofnum ‘{for the poles’

(not checked:)
stofn (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): pole, tree-stump

[3] stofnum: stǫfnum 53

kennings

stofnum stétthrings
‘for the poles of the path-sword. ’
= WARRIORS
the path-sword. → SHIELD
for the poles of the SHIELD → WARRIORS

veitti ‘he provided’

(not checked:)
2. veita (verb): grant, give

[3] veitti: so all others, vétti Bb(111vb)

stikka ‘cloak-pins (?)’

(not checked:)
stikk (noun n.): cloak-pin (?), poem

notes

[4] stikka ‘cloak-pins (?)’: The meaning is uncertain, but the context suggests some valuable gift. (a) The translation here follows Kock (NN §2095), who explains stikki as a needle or pin such as is used in cloaks (skikkjur, mentioned in the same line), and supports this with MLG sticke (cf. Kluge 1957: stecken). (b) Stikki is also a specific type of poem or metre (see Introduction to Anon Harst^II; Anon (Knýtl) 1/1^II and Note). However, as this meaning is hardly likely here some eds suggest reference to deeds worth praising in a poem, and thus poetic material (Fms 12, 53; Konráð Gíslason 1895-7; Skj B, indicating doubt).

vôpn ‘weapons’

(not checked:)
vápn (noun n.; °-s; -): weapon

ok ‘and’

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

skikkjur ‘cloaks’

(not checked:)
1. skikkja (noun f.; °-u; -ur): cloak

notes

[4] stikka ‘cloak-pins (?)’: The meaning is uncertain, but the context suggests some valuable gift. (a) The translation here follows Kock (NN §2095), who explains stikki as a needle or pin such as is used in cloaks (skikkjur, mentioned in the same line), and supports this with MLG sticke (cf. Kluge 1957: stecken). (b) Stikki is also a specific type of poem or metre (see Introduction to Anon Harst^II; Anon (Knýtl) 1/1^II and Note). However, as this meaning is hardly likely here some eds suggest reference to deeds worth praising in a poem, and thus poetic material (Fms 12, 53; Konráð Gíslason 1895-7; Skj B, indicating doubt).

Stórráðr ‘The ambitious’

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stórráðr (adj.): ambitious

steinda ‘painted’

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steina (verb): to stain, colour, paint

knǫrru ‘merchant ships’

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knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship

stillir ‘ruler’

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stillir (noun m.): ruler

fekk ‘gave’

(not checked:)
2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive

notes

[6] fekk ‘gave’: Fá is common in the sense ‘give, provide with’ (LP: 2. fáa 2), but it normally has an indirect object in the dat. case denoting the beneficiary.

en ‘and’

(not checked:)
2. en (conj.): but, and

[6] en: so all others, ok Bb(111vb)

ekki ‘nothing’

(not checked:)
2. ekki (adv.): not

hildings ‘of the war-leader’

(not checked:)
hildingr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, ruler

hœfði ‘could match’

(not checked:)
2. hœfa (verb): hit, suit, befit

[7] hœfði: so 61, 53, 54, ‘hęfi’ Bb(111vb), hafði Bb(91vb), ‘hárre’ Flat

notes

[7] hœfði ‘could match’: Meaning that nothing was suitable, or sufficient, for the ruler’s immense generosity: he was never satisfied with his giving (cf. Konráð Gíslason 1895-7; Kock, NN §2096). As Kock points out, the translations in Skj B (intet var for stort for kongens gavmildhed ‘nothing was too much for the king’s generosity’) and in LP: hœfa (kongens gavmildhed overgik alt ‘the king’s generosity exceeded everything’) miss the mark.

mildi ‘the generosity’

(not checked:)
mildi (noun f.): generosity, mercy

Hann ‘He’

(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...

vas ‘was’

(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

[8] vas (‘var’): er all others

ríkstr ‘the mightiest’

(not checked:)
ríkr (adj.): mighty, powerful, rich

[8] ríkstr: so all others, ‘r[...]’ Bb(111vb)

konung ‘of royal’

(not checked:)
konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king < konungmaðr (noun m.): king

[8] konung‑: so 61, Bb(91vb), Flat, konungs Bb(111vb), 53, kóng‑ 54

manna ‘men’

(not checked:)
maðr (noun m.): man, person < konungmaðr (noun m.): king

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

verse
prose

The stanza follows a passage in which the narrator praises Óláfr’s strength, prowess and generosity.

There are verbal echoes of the late C11th Steinn Óldr^II in this stanza and more widely in Rst. The phrase steinda knǫrru ‘painted merchant ships’ (l. 5) matches Óldr 13/2^II, while the rhyme hilding- : mildi (l. 7) matches Steinn Óldr 16/4^II and the stef line hann vas ríkstr konungmanna ‘he was the mightiest of royal men’ (l. 8) echoes Óldr 16/6^II hanns fremstr konungmanna ‘he is the foremost of kings/royal men’; cf. also Note to st. 9/8 above. The use of a split refrain also recalls Óldr^II, as does the use of a rhetorical question to emphasise the hero’s unmatched generosity (Rst 32/1-4 cf. Óldr 13/6-7^II). — [8]: For this line of the refrain, see Note to st. 9/8.

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