Hfr Hákdr 8^III

Breiðleita gat brúði
Báleygs at sér teygja
stefnir stǫðvar Hrafna
stála ríkismôlum.

{Stefnir {Hrafna stǫðvar}} gat teygja {breiðleita brúði Báleygs} at sér {ríkismôlum stála}.

{The steerer {of the Hrafnar <legendary horses> of the harbour}} [SHIPS > SEAFARER] managed to allure to himself {the broad-faced bride of Báleygr <= Óðinn>} [= Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)] with {sovereign speeches of swords} [BATTLE].

Mss: R(26r), Tˣ(27r), W(57), B(5r) (SnE)

Readings: [2] Báleygs: ‘baleugs’ Tˣ;    teygja: teygða Tˣ, W, B    [3] stefnir: ‘strefnir’ W    [4] ríkis‑: ‘[…]íki[…]’ W, ríks at B

Editions: Skj AI, 156, Skj BI, 148, Skald I, 81; SnE 1848-87, I, 322-3, II, 528, III, 50-1, SnE 1931, 115, SnE 1998, I, 36; Davidson 1983, 449, 491-6.

Context: Cited in Skm straight after st. 7, this half-stanza also exemplifies kennings for jǫrð ‘earth’, in this case brúðr Báleygs ‘bride of Báleygr’.

Notes: [1] breiðleita ‘broad-faced’: This epithet, otherwise unattested in poetry, probably suggests the expanse of Hákon’s realm (LP: breiðleitr). It seems nowhere else to be applied to a female being (ONP: breiðleitr); contra Steinsland (1991, 124) it is not used of giants, male or female. This disjunctiveness, albeit mild in comparison to the ‘hair/foliage’ epithets in sts 5 and 7, like them hints that the subject is not an ordinary human or divine woman. Frank’s (1978, 64) suggestion that Jǫrð is portrayed here as a ‘broadfaced peasant girl’ is not convincing; the stereotyped female peasants in Rþ 10 and 13, for example, are quite different, and the epithet is always used positively. — [1, 2] gat teygja ‘managed to allure’: All mss but R have the p. p. teygða ‘lured, seduced’. This is also possible and has been preferred by most eds, but inf. after geta is common and makes good sense (see Fritzner: geta v. 6; LP: 3. geta 4). — [2] Báleygs ‘of Báleygr <= Óðinn>’: Lit. ‘fiery-eyed one’ (cf. Note to Þul Óðins 6/3), a comparatively rare Óðinn-heiti. — [3] Hrafna ‘of the Hrafnar <legendary horses>’: Hrafn is the horse of the legendary King Áli (cf. Note to Anon Kálfv 3 [All], as well as Þul Hesta 3/2 and Anon Þorgþ I 1/1). The base-word could alternatively be hrafn ‘raven’, although ship-kennings based on birds are rare (cf. Meissner 210, 216). For another instance in which the horse-name occurs in the pl. in a kenning, see Eskál Vell 9/1, 3, 4^I and Note there.

References

1. Bibliography
2. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
5. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
6. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
7. SnE 1931 = Snorri Sturluson. 1931. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar. Ed. Finnur Jónsson. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
8. SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
9. Davidson, Daphne L. 1983. ‘Earl Hákon and his Poets’. D. Phil. thesis. Oxford.
10. Steinsland, Gro. 1991. Det hellige bryllup og norrøn kongeideologi. En analyse av hierogami-myten i Skírnismál, Ynglingatal, Háleygjatal og Hyndluljóð. Oslo: Solum.
11. Internal references
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=112> (accessed 26 April 2024)
13. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Þorgrímsþula I 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. 670.
14. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Kálfsvísa 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 667.
15. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Óðins nǫfn 6’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 746.
16. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Hesta heiti 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 937.
17. Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 9’ 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. 293.
18. Not published: do not cite ()