Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 13’ 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. 911.
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2. húnn (noun m.; °; húnar/húnir, acc. húni): young
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nótt (noun f.): night
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
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knega (verb): to know, understand, be able to
[1, 2] knôttu ... spenna ‘gripped’: Lit. ‘were able to grip’.
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hirð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar(FskB 53)): retinue < hirðmaðr (noun m.): retainer
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maðr (noun m.): man, person < hirðmaðr (noun m.): retainer
[1, 2] knôttu ... spenna ‘gripped’: Lit. ‘were able to grip’.
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1. gylla (verb): gild
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horn (noun n.; °-s; -): horn
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grœðir (noun m.): ?healer, ?ocean
[3] grœðis meldrar ‘of the ocean of flour [ALE]’: Meldr ‘flour’ functions like the reference to malt or grain that is more usual in ale-kennings (cf. Konráð Gíslason 1895-7; Meissner 433). Finnur Jónsson (LP: grœðir, meldr 2) sees meldr here as a synonym for the magic mill Grotti or Grótti which rests on the sea-bed and produces gold (see Grott). However, as Kock points out in NN §1175 it is difficult to see what meaning that could have; a gold-kenning would be out of place.
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meldr (noun m.): flour
[3] grœðis meldrar ‘of the ocean of flour [ALE]’: Meldr ‘flour’ functions like the reference to malt or grain that is more usual in ale-kennings (cf. Konráð Gíslason 1895-7; Meissner 433). Finnur Jónsson (LP: grœðir, meldr 2) sees meldr here as a synonym for the magic mill Grotti or Grótti which rests on the sea-bed and produces gold (see Grott). However, as Kock points out in NN §1175 it is difficult to see what meaning that could have; a gold-kenning would be out of place.
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2. glaðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): cheerful, glad
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vísi (noun m.; °-a): leader
[4] vísi: so 61, ‘vis(v)’(?) Bb(111vb), vísir 53, 54, Bb(91vb), Flat
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2. drekka (verb; °drekkr; drakk, drukku; drukkinn/drykkinn): drink
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þaðra (adv.): there
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víðr (adj.): far < víðfrægr (adj.): far-renowned
[5] Víðfrægr: om. Bb(91vb)
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frægr (adj.; °-jan/-an; compar. -ri, superl. -jastr/-astr/-str): famous, renowned < víðfrægr (adj.): far-renowned
[5] Víðfrægr: om. Bb(91vb)
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velja (verb): choose
[5] téði velja ‘provided’: Téði (inf. tjá ‘show, report’) has a purely auxiliary function here. Velja, most often ‘choose’, has the sense ‘provide’ here; cf. st. 8/7.
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tjá (verb): to put in order, prepare
[5] téði velja ‘provided’: Téði (inf. tjá ‘show, report’) has a purely auxiliary function here. Velja, most often ‘choose’, has the sense ‘provide’ here; cf. st. 8/7.
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vín (noun n.; °-s; -): wine
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hús (noun n.; °-s; -): house < húskarl (noun m.): retainer
[6] húskǫrlum: hirðmǫnnum all others
[6] húskǫrlum sínum ‘for his housecarls’: The king’s elite retainers or bodyguard. See Note to Okík Magn 2/6II. Here the ÓT mss have hirðmǫnnum ‘retainers’, which awkwardly repeats hirðmenn in l. 2.
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karl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): (old) man < húskarl (noun m.): retainer
[6] húskǫrlum: hirðmǫnnum all others
[6] húskǫrlum sínum ‘for his housecarls’: The king’s elite retainers or bodyguard. See Note to Okík Magn 2/6II. Here the ÓT mss have hirðmǫnnum ‘retainers’, which awkwardly repeats hirðmenn in l. 2.
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
[6] húskǫrlum sínum ‘for his housecarls’: The king’s elite retainers or bodyguard. See Note to Okík Magn 2/6II. Here the ÓT mss have hirðmǫnnum ‘retainers’, which awkwardly repeats hirðmenn in l. 2.
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all- ((prefix)): very < allvaldr (noun m.): mighty ruler
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valdr (noun m.): ruler < allvaldr (noun m.): mighty ruler
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einkar (adv.): extremely
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mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous
[7] mildum ‘generously’: (a) Kock (NN §1176) seems to be correct in taking this as an adverbial dat. Adverbial use of an adj. in the dat. pl. is possible, though restricted (see NS §110 Anm. 2 for examples such as stórum ‘greatly’, bráðum ‘hastily, soon’), and the sense could be ‘by generous (acts)’. (b) In terms of grammar, the most obvious solution is to take (einkar) mildum ‘(exceptionally) generous’ as an adj. qualifying húskǫrlum ‘retainers’ (so Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, followed by Skj B), but it seems unlikely that the housecarls, rather than the sovereign, are praised in this way.
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Óláfr (noun m.): Óláfr
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3. und (prep.): under, underneath
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1. vegr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar/-ir, gen. -a/-na, acc. -a/-i/-u): way, path, side
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sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
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The stanza illustrates how the king spent his winters in generous and convivial drinking with his men.
Similar praise of a ruler for generously providing for his men throughout the winter is found in Arn Þorfdr 2II, which also contains kennings for ‘winter’ and ‘ale’. — [8]: For this line of the refrain, see Note to st. 9/8.
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