Mark Eirdr 3II
Jayne Carroll (ed.) 2009, ‘Markús Skeggjason, Eiríksdrápa 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 435-6.
Fœðir ‘The nourisher’
(not checked:)
fœðir (noun m.): feeder, nourisher
kennings
Fœðir fremðarráða‘The nourisher of outstanding actions ’
= RULER
The nourisher of outstanding actions → RULER
notes
[1] fœðir fremðarráða ‘the nourisher of outstanding actions [RULER]’: This kenning is a good example of Markús’s adaptation of traditional skaldic vocabulary. Fœðir, lit. ‘feeder’, is a common base-word in early poetry, usually coupled with a beast-of-battle determinant (see LP: fœðir). Here, the base-word, qualified by the unexpected fremðarráða ‘of outstanding actions’ has a transferred sense of ‘promoter, fosterer’. In general, Markús is fond of using longer, unique compounds in his poetry.
sótti ‘visited’
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sœkja (verb): seek, attack
fremðar ‘of outstanding’
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fremð (noun f.): honour
kennings
Fœðir fremðarráða‘The nourisher of outstanding actions ’
= RULER
The nourisher of outstanding actions → RULER
notes
[1] fœðir fremðarráða ‘the nourisher of outstanding actions [RULER]’: This kenning is a good example of Markús’s adaptation of traditional skaldic vocabulary. Fœðir, lit. ‘feeder’, is a common base-word in early poetry, usually coupled with a beast-of-battle determinant (see LP: fœðir). Here, the base-word, qualified by the unexpected fremðarráða ‘of outstanding actions’ has a transferred sense of ‘promoter, fosterer’. In general, Markús is fond of using longer, unique compounds in his poetry.
ráða ‘actions’
(not checked:)
ráð (noun n.; °-s; -): advice, plan, control, power
kennings
Fœðir fremðarráða‘The nourisher of outstanding actions ’
= RULER
The nourisher of outstanding actions → RULER
notes
[1] fœðir fremðarráða ‘the nourisher of outstanding actions [RULER]’: This kenning is a good example of Markús’s adaptation of traditional skaldic vocabulary. Fœðir, lit. ‘feeder’, is a common base-word in early poetry, usually coupled with a beast-of-battle determinant (see LP: fœðir). Here, the base-word, qualified by the unexpected fremðarráða ‘of outstanding actions’ has a transferred sense of ‘promoter, fosterer’. In general, Markús is fond of using longer, unique compounds in his poetry.
foldar ‘of the earth’
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fold (noun f.): land
kennings
vǫrðu foldar‘the guardians of the earth ’
= RULERS
the guardians of the earth → RULERS
vǫrðu ‘the guardians’
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vǫrðr (noun m.; °varðar, dat. verði/vǫrð; verðir, acc. vǫrðu): guardian, defender
kennings
vǫrðu foldar‘the guardians of the earth ’
= RULERS
the guardians of the earth → RULERS
austr ‘east’
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2. austr (noun n.; °-s): the east
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
notes
[2] Garða ‘Russia’: The area known as Garðar or Garðaríki encompassed a different area from that of the modern Russian state. It extended south from the Arctic to the Black Sea, and east from Poland to the Ural mountains. Noonan (1997) uses the phrase ‘European Russia’ to denote the areas where Viking Age Scandinavians were active. See also Note to Hharð Gamv 1/7.
auði ‘with wealth’
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1. auðr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-): wealth
gœddu ‘endowed’
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gœða (verb): endow
allvald ‘mighty ruler’
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allvaldr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): mighty ruler
prúðan ‘the magnificent’
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prúðr (adj.; °superl. -astr): magnificent, proud
ítrir ‘glorious’
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ítr (adj.): glorious
menn ‘men’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
þeir ‘who’
[4] þeirs (‘þeir er’): er 180b
notes
[4] þeirs slíta hnøggvi ‘who destroy stinginess’: I.e. they give lavishly. See also Steinn Óldr 13/3, 4.
notes
[4] þeirs slíta hnøggvi ‘who destroy stinginess’: I.e. they give lavishly. See also Steinn Óldr 13/3, 4.
hnøggvi ‘stinginess’
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hnøggvi (noun f.): stinginess, parsimony
[4] hnøggvi: ‘hroggui’ 873ˣ, hneyki 180b
notes
[4] hnøggvi ‘stinginess’: Hneyki (m. acc. sg.) ‘oppressor’, the reading of 180b, offers a metrically acceptable but contextually unlikely alternative. — [4] þeirs slíta hnøggvi ‘who destroy stinginess’: I.e. they give lavishly. See also Steinn Óldr 13/3, 4.
hnøggvi ‘stinginess’
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hnøggvi (noun f.): stinginess, parsimony
[4] hnøggvi: ‘hroggui’ 873ˣ, hneyki 180b
notes
[4] hnøggvi ‘stinginess’: Hneyki (m. acc. sg.) ‘oppressor’, the reading of 180b, offers a metrically acceptable but contextually unlikely alternative. — [4] þeirs slíta hnøggvi ‘who destroy stinginess’: I.e. they give lavishly. See also Steinn Óldr 13/3, 4.
slíta ‘destroy’
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slíta (verb): to tear
notes
[4] þeirs slíta hnøggvi ‘who destroy stinginess’: I.e. they give lavishly. See also Steinn Óldr 13/3, 4.
of ‘throughout’
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
austrveg ‘the eastern regions’
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austrvegr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; acc. -a/-u): the East (e.g. the Baltic, Russia), the way east
notes
[5] austrveg ‘eastern regions’: Lit. ‘eastern way’. In ON literature, this encompassed two areas, namely, the coastal section (from Denmark along the southern and south-eastern coast of the Baltic) and the river section, i.e. the Eastern European river routes to Byzantium (see Melnikova 1996, 13, 27, 29 and Map 2; Sverrir Jakobsson 2006). In this particular case, it is likely that the term was applied in the first and narrow sense (but including north-western Russia).
allan ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
einkar ‘very’
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einkar (adv.): extremely
tíðr ‘popular’
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2. tíðr (adj.; °compar. tíðari, superl. tíðastr): popular
[6] tíðr: tíðum 180b
inn ‘The’
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2. inn (art.): the
mærðar ‘praise’
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mærð (noun f.): praise
notes
[6] mærðarblíði ‘praise-pleased’: Skj B translates this as veltalende ‘eloquent’ and LP: mærð gives blid, venlig i (folks) omtale, berömmet for sin venlighed ‘mild, kind in (people’s) opinion, praised for his friendliness’. NN §2788, pointing out that blíði is the ‘base’ adj. qualifying stillir, offers som kan glädja sig åt berömmelse ‘who can be made happy by praise’, therefore berömd ‘renowned’. ‘Praise-pleased’ conveys this sense, and also the structure of the ON cpd. See also Note to l. 1 above.
blíði ‘pleased’
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blíðr (adj.; °n. sg. nom. & acc. blítt/blíðt; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): gentle, happy
notes
[6] mærðarblíði ‘praise-pleased’: Skj B translates this as veltalende ‘eloquent’ and LP: mærð gives blid, venlig i (folks) omtale, berömmet for sin venlighed ‘mild, kind in (people’s) opinion, praised for his friendliness’. NN §2788, pointing out that blíði is the ‘base’ adj. qualifying stillir, offers som kan glädja sig åt berömmelse ‘who can be made happy by praise’, therefore berömd ‘renowned’. ‘Praise-pleased’ conveys this sense, and also the structure of the ON cpd. See also Note to l. 1 above.
es ‘who’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
hans ‘’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
[7] hans: so 180b, hann JÓ, 873ˣ, 20b I
nafn ‘his name’
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nafn (noun n.; °-s; *-): name
kunnit ‘was not able’
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kunna (verb): know, can, be able
[7] kunnit: so 20b I, kynnit JÓ, 873ˣ, ‘kunnegt’ 180b
manns ‘the man’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
lofi ‘praise’
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lof (noun n.; °-s; -): praise, leave, permission
reiða ‘to proclaim’
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2. reiða (verb): carry
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The nourisher of outstanding actions [RULER] visited the guardians of the earth [RULERS] east in Russia; glorious men, who destroy stinginess, endowed the magnificent mighty ruler with wealth. The praise-pleased prince came to be very popular throughout all the eastern regions; there was no person who was not able to proclaim his name, the man of honour’s, in praise.
Eiríkr’s journey to and reception in Russia (Garðaríki).
No other sources mention Eiríkr’s journey to Russia, which, according to the chronology of Knýtl, must have taken place prior to the death of his brother, Óláfr (r. 1086-95). The prose of Knýtl is clearly derived from the content of the poetry here. According to Saxo (2005, II, 12, 1, 1, pp. 62-3), Eiríkr and his wife, Bóthildr (Botilda), went into voluntary exile in Sweden in 1086 when Óláfr returned to Denmark from captivity in Flanders.
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