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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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KormǪ Sigdr 2^III

Edith Marold (ed.) 2017, ‘Kormákr Ǫgmundarson, Sigurðardrápa 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 277.

Kormákr Ǫgmundarson Sigurðardrápa

Meiðr ‘The tree’

(not checked:)
meiðr (noun m.): beam, tree

[1] Meiðr: ‘Mei[...]r’ C

kennings

Meiðr morðteins
‘The tree of the battle-twig ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-twig → SWORD
The tree of the SWORD → WARRIOR

es ‘is’

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

mǫrgum ‘more outstanding’

(not checked:)
2. margr (adj.; °-an): many

œðri ‘than many’

(not checked:)
œðri (adj. comp.): nobler, higher

[1] œðri: so all others, eyðri R

morð ‘of the battle’

(not checked:)
1. morð (noun n.; °-s; -): killing, battle < morðteinn (noun m.)

kennings

Meiðr morðteins
‘The tree of the battle-twig ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-twig → SWORD
The tree of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

[2] morðteins ‘of the battle-twig [SWORD]’: All mss have ‑reins. But ‘reins’, which could be interpreted as hreins ‘of the reindeer’ or as m. gen. of the adj. hreinn ‘clean, pure’, does not make any sense in the present context. This edn therefore adopts the emendation ‑teins ‘of the twig’ following previous eds (SnE 1848-87, I; Skj B; Skald; SnE 1998).

morð ‘of the battle’

(not checked:)
1. morð (noun n.; °-s; -): killing, battle < morðteinn (noun m.)

kennings

Meiðr morðteins
‘The tree of the battle-twig ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-twig → SWORD
The tree of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

[2] morðteins ‘of the battle-twig [SWORD]’: All mss have ‑reins. But ‘reins’, which could be interpreted as hreins ‘of the reindeer’ or as m. gen. of the adj. hreinn ‘clean, pure’, does not make any sense in the present context. This edn therefore adopts the emendation ‑teins ‘of the twig’ following previous eds (SnE 1848-87, I; Skj B; Skald; SnE 1998).

teins ‘twig’

(not checked:)
teinn (noun m.; °dat. teini; teinar): twig, rod < morðteinn (noun m.)

[2] ‑teins: ‑reins all

kennings

Meiðr morðteins
‘The tree of the battle-twig ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-twig → SWORD
The tree of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

[2] morðteins ‘of the battle-twig [SWORD]’: All mss have ‑reins. But ‘reins’, which could be interpreted as hreins ‘of the reindeer’ or as m. gen. of the adj. hreinn ‘clean, pure’, does not make any sense in the present context. This edn therefore adopts the emendation ‑teins ‘of the twig’ following previous eds (SnE 1848-87, I; Skj B; Skald; SnE 1998).

teins ‘twig’

(not checked:)
teinn (noun m.; °dat. teini; teinar): twig, rod < morðteinn (noun m.)

[2] ‑teins: ‑reins all

kennings

Meiðr morðteins
‘The tree of the battle-twig ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-twig → SWORD
The tree of the SWORD → WARRIOR

notes

[2] morðteins ‘of the battle-twig [SWORD]’: All mss have ‑reins. But ‘reins’, which could be interpreted as hreins ‘of the reindeer’ or as m. gen. of the adj. hreinn ‘clean, pure’, does not make any sense in the present context. This edn therefore adopts the emendation ‑teins ‘of the twig’ following previous eds (SnE 1848-87, I; Skj B; Skald; SnE 1998).

í ‘in’

(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into

dyn ‘the din’

(not checked:)
dynr (noun m.; °dat. -; -ir): din

[2] dyn: ‘d[...]’ U

kennings

dyn fleina;
‘the din of spears; ’
= BATTLE
the din of spears; → BATTLE

fleina ‘of spears’

(not checked:)
fleinn (noun m.; °dat. fleini): spear

[2] fleina: ‘flei[...]’ U

kennings

dyn fleina;
‘the din of spears; ’
= BATTLE
the din of spears; → BATTLE

hjǫrr ‘the sword’

(not checked:)
hjǫrr (noun m.): sword

[3] hjǫrr: ‘[...]’ U

fær ‘provides’

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

[3] fær: so W, ‘fæ(r)’(?) R, hefr Tˣ, ‘[…]’ U, fyr A, ferr C

hildi ‘battle’

(not checked:)
1. hildr (noun f.): battle < hildibarr (adj.)

[3] hildi‑: so Tˣ, W, A, hildum‑ R, ‘[...]’ U, hildar‑ C

notes

[3] hildibǫrrum ‘battle-ready’: The mss give three variants: hildum bǫrrum ‘the one ready for battles’ (R), hildarbǫrrum ‘battle-ready’ as a gen. cpd (C) and hildibǫrrum ‘battle-ready’ as a cpd containing the stem-form hildi-, from hildr, f. jō-stem (Tˣ, W, A). All three variants are possible; the present edn follows the majority of mss.

bǫrrum ‘ready’

(not checked:)
3. barr (adj.): ready < hildibarr (adj.)

notes

[3] hildibǫrrum ‘battle-ready’: The mss give three variants: hildum bǫrrum ‘the one ready for battles’ (R), hildarbǫrrum ‘battle-ready’ as a gen. cpd (C) and hildibǫrrum ‘battle-ready’ as a cpd containing the stem-form hildi-, from hildr, f. jō-stem (Tˣ, W, A). All three variants are possible; the present edn follows the majority of mss.

hjarl ‘with land’

(not checked:)
hjarl (noun n.): land

Sigvarði ‘Sigurðr’

(not checked:)
Sigurðr (noun m.): Sigurðr

[4] Sigvarði: Sigurði all

notes

[4] Sigvarði ‘Sigurðr’: For normalisation to the more archaic form of this name (Sigvarði, nom. Sigvǫrðr, rather than Sigurði), which is required by the metre, see Note to Bragi Rdr 2/3-4.

jarli ‘jarl’

(not checked:)
jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl

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

The helmingr is cited in Skm (SnE) as an example of a noun denoting ‘tree’ (meiðr) appearing as a base-word in a kenning for ‘man’.

This stanza refers to a Sigurðr jarl (see Note to st. 1/1, 2, 4), although other sources do not connect him with any warlike undertakings.

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