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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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HSt Rst 20I

Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 20’ 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. 920.

Hallar-SteinnRekstefja
192021

Myrkt ‘The dark’

(not checked:)
2. myrkr (adj.; °-an/-jan/-van; compar. -(v)ari/-ri, superl. -(v)astr): dark, murky

kennings

Myrkt hregg eggja mækis
‘The dark storm of blades of swords ’
   = BATTLE

The dark storm of blades of swords → BATTLE

notes

[1] myrkt ‘dark’: The adj. reinforces the metaphorical sense of the battle as a storm.

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hregg ‘storm’

(not checked:)
hregg (noun n.): storm

kennings

Myrkt hregg eggja mækis
‘The dark storm of blades of swords ’
   = BATTLE

The dark storm of blades of swords → BATTLE
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mækis ‘of swords’

(not checked:)
mækir (noun m.): sword

kennings

Myrkt hregg eggja mækis
‘The dark storm of blades of swords ’
   = BATTLE

The dark storm of blades of swords → BATTLE
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eggja ‘of blades’

(not checked:)
1. egg (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -ju/-): edge, blade

[1] eggja: eggjar 53, Flat

kennings

Myrkt hregg eggja mækis
‘The dark storm of blades of swords ’
   = BATTLE

The dark storm of blades of swords → BATTLE
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meinilla ‘very badly’

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meinilla (adv.): [very badly]

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Sveini ‘for Sveinn’

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2. Sveinn (noun m.): Sveinn

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drótt ‘the troop’

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1. drótt (noun f.): troop

[3] drótt hné dreyra þrútin: sôr frá ek drengjum dreyra all others

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hné ‘fell’

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hníga (verb): sink, fall

[3] drótt hné dreyra þrútin: sôr frá ek drengjum dreyra all others

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dreyra ‘with blood’

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dreyri (noun m.; °-a): blood

[3] drótt hné dreyra þrútin: sôr frá ek drengjum dreyra all others

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þrútin ‘swollen’

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þrútinn (adj./verb p.p.): swollen

[3] drótt hné dreyra þrútin: sôr frá ek drengjum dreyra all others

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Danir ‘the Danes’

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Danr (noun m.; °dat. -; -ir): Dane

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skunduðu ‘hurried’

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skunda (verb): hasten

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undan ‘away’

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undan (adv.): away, away from

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Tandr ‘The flame’

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tandr (noun m.): [flame]

[5] Tandr: so 53, 54, Flat, ‘tavdr’ Bb(112ra), gandr Bb(100ra)

kennings

Tandr Skǫglar
‘The flame of Skǫgul <valkyrie> ’
   = SWORD

The flame of Skǫgul <valkyrie> → SWORD
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beit ‘bit’

(not checked:)
bíta (verb; °bítr; beit, bitu; bitinn): bite

[5] beit: flaug all others

notes

[5] beit ‘bit’: The alternative is flaug ‘flew’ in ÓT, but this is less convincing since the subject is a sword-kenning.

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tiggi ‘the ruler’

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tiggi (noun m.; °-ja): king

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renndi ‘flee’

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3. renna (verb): let run (weak)

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tveim ‘two’

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tveir (num. cardinal): two

[6] tveim: ‘teim’ Bb(100ra)

notes

[6] tveim dǫglingum ‘two princes’: Presumably this summarises the successful actions against the Swedes under Óláfr Eiríksson and the Danes under Sveinn tjúguskegg; cf. þriðja sinni ‘for the third time’ when Eiríkr jarl enters the battle in st. 21/3.

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dǫglingum ‘princes’

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dǫglingr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, ruler

[6] dǫglingum: so all others, dǫgling Bb(112ra)

notes

[6] tveim dǫglingum ‘two princes’: Presumably this summarises the successful actions against the Swedes under Óláfr Eiríksson and the Danes under Sveinn tjúguskegg; cf. þriðja sinni ‘for the third time’ when Eiríkr jarl enters the battle in st. 21/3.

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Skǫglar ‘of Skǫgul <valkyrie>’

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Skǫgul (noun f.): Skǫgul

[6] Skǫglar: Skǫgla 54, Bb(100ra)

kennings

Tandr Skǫglar
‘The flame of Skǫgul <valkyrie> ’
   = SWORD

The flame of Skǫgul <valkyrie> → SWORD
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hans ‘his’

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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...

notes

[7] vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum ‘his defence was exceptionally fitting’: This entails the minimal emendation of hefðisk to hœfðisk, cf. hœfði ‘could match, was suitable’ in st. 12/7. The alternative line in ÓT, vegr hans hófsk með sigri ‘his honour was raised up with victory’, is also feasible.

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vǫrn ‘defence’

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vǫrn (noun f.; °varnar; varnir): defence

[7] vǫrn: vegr all others

notes

[7] vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum ‘his defence was exceptionally fitting’: This entails the minimal emendation of hefðisk to hœfðisk, cf. hœfði ‘could match, was suitable’ in st. 12/7. The alternative line in ÓT, vegr hans hófsk með sigri ‘his honour was raised up with victory’, is also feasible.

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hœfðisk ‘fitting’

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

[7] hœfðisk: hefðisk Bb(112ra), hófsk 53, 54, Bb(100ra)

notes

[7] vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum ‘his defence was exceptionally fitting’: This entails the minimal emendation of hefðisk to hœfðisk, cf. hœfði ‘could match, was suitable’ in st. 12/7. The alternative line in ÓT, vegr hans hófsk með sigri ‘his honour was raised up with victory’, is also feasible.

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firnum ‘was exceptionally’

[7] firnum: með sigri all others

notes

[7] firnum ‘exceptionally’: The dat. pl. here functions as an intensifying adv., like the more usual firna (see st. 9/2 and Note). — [7] vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum ‘his defence was exceptionally fitting’: This entails the minimal emendation of hefðisk to hœfðisk, cf. hœfði ‘could match, was suitable’ in st. 12/7. The alternative line in ÓT, vegr hans hófsk með sigri ‘his honour was raised up with victory’, is also feasible.

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firnum ‘was exceptionally’

[7] firnum: með sigri all others

notes

[7] firnum ‘exceptionally’: The dat. pl. here functions as an intensifying adv., like the more usual firna (see st. 9/2 and Note). — [7] vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum ‘his defence was exceptionally fitting’: This entails the minimal emendation of hefðisk to hœfðisk, cf. hœfði ‘could match, was suitable’ in st. 12/7. The alternative line in ÓT, vegr hans hófsk með sigri ‘his honour was raised up with victory’, is also feasible.

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Hollr ‘Faithful’

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hollr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): loyal

[8] Hollr: hǫll all

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ok ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

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at ‘in’

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3. at (prep.): at, to

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ǫllu ‘all things’

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allr (adj.): all

[8] ǫllu: hollu 53

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

As the Norwegians clear Danish ships, Sveinn and the surviving Danes retreat onto other vessels, proving a previous claim by King Óláfr that the Danes could never defeat the Norwegians. The first helmingr is then quoted. The second follows a summary statement that Óláfr made the Danes and Swedes flee. 

[3] drótt hné þrútin dreya ‘the troop fell, swollen with blood’: The alternative line in ÓT, sôr frák drengjum dreyra ‘I have heard [there were] wounds with blood on the men’ is somewhat strained, and diverges from the normal metrical pattern in Rst as the first alliteration does not fall in position 1 or 2. — [8]: For this line of the refrain, see Note to st. 9/8. Hollr ‘faithful’ is an emendation here, but it is the reading of Bb(111vb) in st. 11/8.

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