Hfr ErfÓl 25I
Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Erfidrápa Óláfs Tryggvasonar 25’ 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. 436.
Illt ‘an evil’
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illr (adj.): bad, evil, unwell
vas ‘was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
þats ‘that’
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þats (conj.): that, which
ulfa ‘of wolves’
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1. ulfr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): wolf
kennings
optþverri sultar ulfa,‘the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, ’
= WARRIOR
the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, → WARRIOR
sultar ‘of the famine’
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sultr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-): famine, hunger
kennings
optþverri sultar ulfa,‘the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, ’
= WARRIOR
the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, → WARRIOR
opt ‘the frequent ’
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opt (adv.): often < oftþverrir (noun m.): frequent diminisher
[2] optþverri: opt þverri all
kennings
optþverri sultar ulfa,‘the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, ’
= WARRIOR
the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, → WARRIOR
notes
[2] optþverri ‘the frequent diminisher’: Reichardt (1928, 90-1) reads ‘opt þverrir’ in the mss as a cpd, which simplifies the helmingr’s syntax and has met with widespread approval (NN §1835; LP: optþverrir; Ohlmarks 1958, 463). The adverbial opt- ‘often’ seems plausible as a prefix to the agent noun þverrir, although seemingly without precise parallel (Skarp Lv 3/4V (Nj 18) optveitendr ‘frequent givers’ is editorial and unnecessary, cf. Meissner 63-4). Skj B awkwardly takes opt with þótt smátt sé und einum, hence ‘though one person often makes little difference’.
þverri ‘diminisher’
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þverrir (noun m.): diminisher < oftþverrir (noun m.): frequent diminisher
[2] optþverri: opt þverri all
kennings
optþverri sultar ulfa,‘the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, ’
= WARRIOR
the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves, → WARRIOR
notes
[2] optþverri ‘the frequent diminisher’: Reichardt (1928, 90-1) reads ‘opt þverrir’ in the mss as a cpd, which simplifies the helmingr’s syntax and has met with widespread approval (NN §1835; LP: optþverrir; Ohlmarks 1958, 463). The adverbial opt- ‘often’ seems plausible as a prefix to the agent noun þverrir, although seemingly without precise parallel (Skarp Lv 3/4V (Nj 18) optveitendr ‘frequent givers’ is editorial and unnecessary, cf. Meissner 63-4). Skj B awkwardly takes opt with þótt smátt sé und einum, hence ‘though one person often makes little difference’.
férri ‘’
stóðk ‘I stood’
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standa (verb): stand
ferri ‘far from’
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ferri (adv.): far, further
[2] ferri (‘fjarri’): so all others, ‘fierri’ 61
notes
[2] ferri ‘far from’: Grammatically the comp. form ‘farther’. Ferri and the more usual fjarri are variant forms resulting from breaking and analogy (ANG §92). Most mss have ‘fiarri’ here, but normalised ferri is indicated by the aðalhending on þverri, as also in st. 20/8 ferri : verr, where some scribes seem to have been confused by the form (see Readings). — [2] stóðk ferri ‘I stood far from’: As opposed to standa nær ‘stand by, support, back’. Hallfreðr missed the battle of Svǫlðr, having gone to Iceland. According to Hallfr (ÍF 8, 169), his bitter regret was predicted by Óláfr.
ferri ‘far from’
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ferri (adv.): far, further
[2] ferri (‘fjarri’): so all others, ‘fierri’ 61
notes
[2] ferri ‘far from’: Grammatically the comp. form ‘farther’. Ferri and the more usual fjarri are variant forms resulting from breaking and analogy (ANG §92). Most mss have ‘fiarri’ here, but normalised ferri is indicated by the aðalhending on þverri, as also in st. 20/8 ferri : verr, where some scribes seem to have been confused by the form (see Readings). — [2] stóðk ferri ‘I stood far from’: As opposed to standa nær ‘stand by, support, back’. Hallfreðr missed the battle of Svǫlðr, having gone to Iceland. According to Hallfr (ÍF 8, 169), his bitter regret was predicted by Óláfr.
mest ‘most’
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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most
þars ‘where’
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þars (conj.): where
malmar ‘metal weapons’
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malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal
brustu ‘clashed’
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1. bresta (verb; °brestr; brast, brustu; brostinn): burst, split
mein ‘harmful thing’
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mein (noun n.; °-s; -): harm, injury
smátt ‘little’
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smár (adj.): small
sé ‘may’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
und ‘depend on’
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3. und (prep.): under, underneath
skýlindr ‘’
skildr ‘’
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2. skyldr (adj.): obliged
einum ‘one man’
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
Skiliðr ‘separated’
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1. skilja (verb): separate, understand
[5] Skiliðr: ‘skildr’ A, B, ‘skylíndr’ C
notes
[5]: The lexis and metrical pattern of this line echo st. 12/7; cf. Note there.
em ‘am’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
notes
[5]: The lexis and metrical pattern of this line echo st. 12/7; cf. Note there.
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
notes
[5]: The lexis and metrical pattern of this line echo st. 12/7; cf. Note there.
skýja ‘’
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2. skýja (verb)
skyha ‘’
skuha ‘’
við ‘from’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
notes
[5]: The lexis and metrical pattern of this line echo st. 12/7; cf. Note there.
skam ‘’
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skǫmm (noun f.; °skammar; skammir): shame < skalmǫld (noun f.): sword-age; Skálmǫld
skylja ‘the ruler’
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skyli (noun m.): lord
[5] skylja: ‘skyha’ 325VIII 2 g, ‘skvha’ Bb, ‘sk(yia)’(?) ‘sk[…]’ U
notes
[5]: The lexis and metrical pattern of this line echo st. 12/7; cf. Note there.
skalm ‘a sword’
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skalm (noun f.): sword < skalmǫld (noun f.): sword-age; Skálmǫld
[6] skalmǫld hefr því valdit: ‘ska[…]’ B, skalmǫld hefir því valdit 744ˣ; skalm‑: ‘skam’ U
kennings
skalmǫld‘a sword-age ’
= BATTLE
a sword-age → BATTLE
notes
[6] skalmǫld ‘a sword-age [BATTLE]’: In Vsp 45/7, skalmǫld characterises the violence and chaos before the world plunges into Ragnarǫk, but in skaldic poems it is used in non-eschatological contexts, to mean ‘important, decisive battle’ (Þorm Lv 19/4V (Fbr 34), Anon (Stu) 40/8IV). The cpd is tentatively considered a kenning here (cf. Meissner 201), though the pattern is not typical.
ǫld ‘age’
[6] skalmǫld hefr því valdit: ‘ska[…]’ B, skalmǫld hefir því valdit 744ˣ
kennings
skalmǫld‘a sword-age ’
= BATTLE
a sword-age → BATTLE
notes
[6] skalmǫld ‘a sword-age [BATTLE]’: In Vsp 45/7, skalmǫld characterises the violence and chaos before the world plunges into Ragnarǫk, but in skaldic poems it is used in non-eschatological contexts, to mean ‘important, decisive battle’ (Þorm Lv 19/4V (Fbr 34), Anon (Stu) 40/8IV). The cpd is tentatively considered a kenning here (cf. Meissner 201), though the pattern is not typical.
hefr ‘has’
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hafa (verb): have
[6] skalmǫld hefr því valdit: ‘ska[…]’ B, skalmǫld hefir því valdit 744ˣ
því ‘that’
[6] skalmǫld hefr því valdit: ‘ska[…]’ B, skalmǫld hefir því valdit 744ˣ
vetta ‘’
valdit ‘caused’
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valda (verb): cause
[6] skalmǫld hefr því valdit: ‘ska[…]’ B, skalmǫld hefir því valdit 744ˣ
vætti ‘hope for’
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vætta (verb): expect
[7] vættik (‘vætti ek’): ‘uetta ec’ Tˣ, ‘v[…]ti […]’ B, vætti ek 744ˣ
notes
[7-8]: The sense of these lines is somewhat elusive, but seems to be ‘I hope for the ruler (Óláfr), but most people count that hope as a delusion’. As in sts 19-23, Hallfreðr seems to raise the possibility that Óláfr is alive only to reject it. Skj B emends vættik ‘I expect’ to vætta ‘(to) expect’ and construes ll. 7-8 as: flestum es mest vil ok dul vætta virða dróttins ‘for most it is the greatest wilfulness and delusion to expect the lord of men [RULER]’; so also Skald.
víða ‘’
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1. víða (adv.): widely
k ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
[7] vættik (‘vætti ek’): ‘uetta ec’ Tˣ, ‘v[…]ti […]’ B, vætti ek 744ˣ
notes
[7-8]: The sense of these lines is somewhat elusive, but seems to be ‘I hope for the ruler (Óláfr), but most people count that hope as a delusion’. As in sts 19-23, Hallfreðr seems to raise the possibility that Óláfr is alive only to reject it. Skj B emends vættik ‘I expect’ to vætta ‘(to) expect’ and construes ll. 7-8 as: flestum es mest vil ok dul vætta virða dróttins ‘for most it is the greatest wilfulness and delusion to expect the lord of men [RULER]’; so also Skald.
kennings
dróttins virða;‘the lord of men; ’
= RULER
the lord of men; → RULER
villa ‘’
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1. villa (noun f.; °-u; -ur): error
vilja ‘’
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vilja (verb): want, intend
dróttins ‘the lord’
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
kennings
dróttins virða;‘the lord of men; ’
= RULER
the lord of men; → RULER
ek ‘’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
vil ‘wilfulness’
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1. vil (noun n.): desire, wilfulness < 1. vil (noun n.): desire, wilfulness
[8] vils (‘vil er’): vil ek 53, A, B, vilja 54, 325VIII 2 g, Bb, villa er U
s ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am < 1. vil (noun n.): desire, wilfulness
[8] vils (‘vil er’): vil ek 53, A, B, vilja 54, 325VIII 2 g, Bb, villa er U
mest ‘the greatest’
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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
flestum ‘to most’
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fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
It was an evil, harmful thing that I stood far from the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves [WARRIOR], where metal weapons clashed most, though little may depend on one man. I am separated from the ruler; a sword-age [BATTLE] has caused that; I hope for the lord of men [RULER]; to most it [that hope] is the greatest wilfulness and delusion.
In ÓT, this follows st. 24 as part of a discussion of rumours about Óláfr’s fate after the battle. In the Skm section of SnE, ll. 5-8 come eighth in a series of nine helmingar exemplifying heiti for rulers, in this case skyli. The prose explains these heiti as the names of the last nine sons of Hálfdan gamli ‘the Old’.
Ms. 744ˣ, a copy of B by Jón Ólafsson, has been used selectively, to supply readings (whether these match or differ from the main text) where B is not legible.
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