Nefari Lv 1II
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Nefari, Lausavísa 1’ 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. 645-6.
Birkibeinum ‘the Birkibeinar’
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birkibeinn (noun m.; °·beins, dat. ·bein; ·beinar): [Birkibeinar]
notes
[1] Birkibeinum ‘the Birkibeinar’: The Birkibeinar ‘Birch-legs’ were the followers of Sverrir Sigurðarson. They were the former supporters of Eysteinn meyla ‘Little Girl’ Eysteinsson (d. 1177), and they received their name because they were initially so poor that they wrapped their feet in bark for want of shoes (see ÍF 28, 411).
Beri ‘suffer’
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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
notes
[2] beri Sverrir verra hlut ‘may Sverrir suffer defeat’: Lit. ‘may Sverrir bear the worst lot’.
Sverrir ‘Sverrir’
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Sverrir (noun m.): Sverrir
notes
[2] beri Sverrir verra hlut ‘may Sverrir suffer defeat’: Lit. ‘may Sverrir bear the worst lot’.
hlut ‘defeat’
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hlutr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -i/-u): part, thing
notes
[2] beri Sverrir verra hlut ‘may Sverrir suffer defeat’: Lit. ‘may Sverrir bear the worst lot’.
verra ‘’
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verri (adj. comp.): worse, worst
notes
[2] beri Sverrir verra hlut ‘may Sverrir suffer defeat’: Lit. ‘may Sverrir bear the worst lot’.
Lǫtum ‘Let’s make’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
rand ‘shield-rim’
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rǫnd (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; rendr/randir): shield, shield-rim < randhœingr (noun m.): [shield-rim salmon]
[3] randhœing: ‘ranghæíng’ Flat, randir 8, ‘randheing’ E, randhring 81a
kennings
reyndan randhœing‘the tested shield-rim salmon ’
= SWORD
the tested shield-rim salmon → SWORD
notes
[3] randhœing ‘shield-rim salmon [SWORD]’: Hœingr is a male salmon (see Anon Nkt 4/7).
hœing ‘salmon’
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hœingr (noun m.; °-s): [salmon] < randhœingr (noun m.): [shield-rim salmon]
[3] randhœing: ‘ranghæíng’ Flat, randir 8, ‘randheing’ E, randhring 81a
kennings
reyndan randhœing‘the tested shield-rim salmon ’
= SWORD
the tested shield-rim salmon → SWORD
notes
[3] randhœing ‘shield-rim salmon [SWORD]’: Hœingr is a male salmon (see Anon Nkt 4/7).
kennings
reyndan randhœing‘the tested shield-rim salmon ’
= SWORD
the tested shield-rim salmon → SWORD
ríða ‘swing’
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1. ríða (verb): ride
hart ‘hard’
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
tíðum ‘frequently’
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1. tíð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): time
Hœlumk ‘Let’s boast’
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hœla (verb): boast
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
Metumk ‘let’s measure ourselves’
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2. meta (verb): measure, value, assess
[6] Metumk: ‘mektumz’ Flat
notes
[6] metumk ‘let’s measure ourselves’: This implies that they should put off quarrelling about who is better until after the attack.
heldr ‘Rather’
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heldr (adv.): rather
notes
[6] at felldan val ‘when the slaughtered ones have fallen’: Lit. ‘after the slain have been felled’. The prep. at ‘after’ is used with the acc. in a temporal sense. The variant with the dat., at felldum val (so 8, 81a) would translate as ‘in accordance with the slaughtered ones who have fallen’.
val ‘the slaughtered ones’
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1. valr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ir): corpse, the slain
notes
[6] at felldan val ‘when the slaughtered ones have fallen’: Lit. ‘after the slain have been felled’. The prep. at ‘after’ is used with the acc. in a temporal sense. The variant with the dat., at felldum val (so 8, 81a) would translate as ‘in accordance with the slaughtered ones who have fallen’.
notes
[6] at felldan val ‘when the slaughtered ones have fallen’: Lit. ‘after the slain have been felled’. The prep. at ‘after’ is used with the acc. in a temporal sense. The variant with the dat., at felldum val (so 8, 81a) would translate as ‘in accordance with the slaughtered ones who have fallen’.
Lǫtum ‘Let’s allow’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
skipta ‘to decide’
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skipta (verb): share, divide, exchange
giptu ‘the outcome’
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1. gifta (noun f.): grace, fortune
Gerum ‘Let’s make’
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1. gera (verb): do, make
hríð ‘a storm’
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hríð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): time, storm
þeim ‘for them’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
svíði ‘will smart’
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1. svíða (verb): cause pain, burn
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Týnum Birkibeinum! |
Let’s destroy the Birkibeinar! May Sverrir suffer defeat! Let’s make the tested shield-rim salmon [SWORD] swing hard and frequently! Let’s boast the least in our speech! Rather, let’s measure ourselves when the slaughtered ones have fallen! Let’s allow God to decide the outcome! Let’s make a storm that will smart for them!
The Kuflungar are sailing in strong winds north to Agdenes in Trøndelag (1186). Nefari incites his companions to act rather than to boast when they face Sverrir and the Birkibeinar in Trondheim.
For a similar incitement from one of the Birkibeinar a year later, see Blakkr Lv 1-2 below.
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