Anon Krm 13VIII
Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Krákumál 13’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 743.
Hjuggu ‘hewed’
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hǫggva (verb): to strike, put to death, cut, hew
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘Hiug ˉ ver. m. h᷎.’ 1824b, abbrev. as ‘(H’) v(’) m(’) h(’)’ (?) 147, Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, abbrev. as ‘H v. m. h.’ R702ˣ
vér ‘We’
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘Hiug ˉ ver. m. h᷎.’ 1824b, abbrev. as ‘(H’) v(’) m(’) h(’)’ (?) 147, Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, abbrev. as ‘H v. m. h.’ R702ˣ
með ‘with’
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með (prep.): with
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘Hiug ˉ ver. m. h᷎.’ 1824b, abbrev. as ‘(H’) v(’) m(’) h(’)’ (?) 147, Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, abbrev. as ‘H v. m. h.’ R702ˣ
hjörvi ‘the sword’
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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘Hiug ˉ ver. m. h᷎.’ 1824b, abbrev. as ‘(H’) v(’) m(’) h(’)’ (?) 147, Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, abbrev. as ‘H v. m. h.’ R702ˣ
kennings
tjöldum Lakkar‘the canopies of Hlǫkk ’
= SHIELDS
the canopies of Hlǫkk → SHIELDS
notes
[2] Lakkar ‘of Hlǫkk <valkyrie>’: The Old Norwegian spelling Lakkar (cf. first Note to st. 2/10, above), adopted in previous eds from and including Finnur Jónsson (1893b) onwards, is needed to avoid double alliteration in an even line.
tjöldum ‘the canopies’
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tjald (noun n.; °-s; *-): tent, awning
[2] tjöldum: ‘(tiolldum)’(?) 147
kennings
tjöldum Lakkar‘the canopies of Hlǫkk ’
= SHIELDS
the canopies of Hlǫkk → SHIELDS
hátt ‘high’
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
[3] hátt at: ‘h[…]tt at’ 147
kennings
leiki Hildar‘the game of Hildr ’
= BATTLE
the game of Hildr → BATTLE
leiki ‘the game’
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play
[3] leiki: ‘[…]’ 147
kennings
leiki Hildar‘the game of Hildr ’
= BATTLE
the game of Hildr → BATTLE
notes
[4] fyrir Hjaðningavági ‘off Hjaðningavágr’: According to LP: Hjaðningavágr, the location of this place, lit. ‘the bay of Heðinn’s followers’, is uncertain, men rimeligvis tænkt i vesten ‘but probably thought of as in the west’, which presumably means somewhere west of mainland Scandinavia, i.e. somewhere in the British Isles. The location in the present instance is almost certainly somewhere in the Orkneys, since according to one version of the legend of the Hjaðningavíg ‘the battle of Heðinn’s followers’, as related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 72) (cf. st. 4, first Note to l. 2 and st. 10, Note to l. 7), it is to the Orkneys, and specifically to the island of Hoy (ON Háey), that Hǫgni pursues Heðinn, the abductor of his daughter Hildr, and where the everlasting fight between Hǫgni and Heðinn, instigated by Hildr, takes place. The frequency in Krm, always in a battle-context, of the noun hildr (sts 10/2, 13/3, 14/7, 21/4, 26/4), whether understood as a pers. n. or as a common noun meaning ‘battle’, the oblique reference to Hildr in the kenning kván Heðins ‘woman of Heðinn’ in st. 4/2, and the occurrence of the name Hǫgni in the armour-kenning in st. 10/7, all suggest that the legend of the Hjaðningavíg was known to the poet of Krm, and that it is indeed a location in the Orkneys that is envisaged here. Less likely is the apparent suggestion in CPB (CPB II, 342) of the Baltic island of Heðinsey (Hiddensee), another possible location of the everlasting battle, mentioned e.g. in Saxo’s Gesta Danorum (Saxo 2015, I, v. 9. 1, pp. 330-3), cf. Vǫls ch. 9 (Vǫls 1965, 15-16).
Hjaðninga ‘Hjaðninga’
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Hjaðningr (noun m.; °; -ar): one of the Hjaðningar < Hjaðningavágr (noun m.)
[4] Hjaðninga‑ (‘hiadninga’): so R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, ‘hednínga’ 1824b, ‘(h)[…]ninga’(?) 147, ‘Hedninga’ with ‘Hjadninga W.’ in margin 6ˣ
notes
[4] Hjaðninga-: Lit. ‘of Heðinn’s followers’. This form, adopted by all eds from and including Wisén (1886-9) onwards (whether as a separate word or a cpd element), is clearly preferable to the aberrant forms Héðninga, Heðninga adopted by earlier eds; cf. ONP: *héðningr. — [4] fyrir Hjaðningavági ‘off Hjaðningavágr’: According to LP: Hjaðningavágr, the location of this place, lit. ‘the bay of Heðinn’s followers’, is uncertain, men rimeligvis tænkt i vesten ‘but probably thought of as in the west’, which presumably means somewhere west of mainland Scandinavia, i.e. somewhere in the British Isles. The location in the present instance is almost certainly somewhere in the Orkneys, since according to one version of the legend of the Hjaðningavíg ‘the battle of Heðinn’s followers’, as related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 72) (cf. st. 4, first Note to l. 2 and st. 10, Note to l. 7), it is to the Orkneys, and specifically to the island of Hoy (ON Háey), that Hǫgni pursues Heðinn, the abductor of his daughter Hildr, and where the everlasting fight between Hǫgni and Heðinn, instigated by Hildr, takes place. The frequency in Krm, always in a battle-context, of the noun hildr (sts 10/2, 13/3, 14/7, 21/4, 26/4), whether understood as a pers. n. or as a common noun meaning ‘battle’, the oblique reference to Hildr in the kenning kván Heðins ‘woman of Heðinn’ in st. 4/2, and the occurrence of the name Hǫgni in the armour-kenning in st. 10/7, all suggest that the legend of the Hjaðningavíg was known to the poet of Krm, and that it is indeed a location in the Orkneys that is envisaged here. Less likely is the apparent suggestion in CPB (CPB II, 342) of the Baltic island of Heðinsey (Hiddensee), another possible location of the everlasting battle, mentioned e.g. in Saxo’s Gesta Danorum (Saxo 2015, I, v. 9. 1, pp. 330-3), cf. Vǫls ch. 9 (Vǫls 1965, 15-16).
Hjaðninga ‘Hjaðninga’
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Hjaðningr (noun m.; °; -ar): one of the Hjaðningar < Hjaðningavágr (noun m.)
[4] Hjaðninga‑ (‘hiadninga’): so R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, ‘hednínga’ 1824b, ‘(h)[…]ninga’(?) 147, ‘Hedninga’ with ‘Hjadninga W.’ in margin 6ˣ
notes
[4] Hjaðninga-: Lit. ‘of Heðinn’s followers’. This form, adopted by all eds from and including Wisén (1886-9) onwards (whether as a separate word or a cpd element), is clearly preferable to the aberrant forms Héðninga, Heðninga adopted by earlier eds; cf. ONP: *héðningr. — [4] fyrir Hjaðningavági ‘off Hjaðningavágr’: According to LP: Hjaðningavágr, the location of this place, lit. ‘the bay of Heðinn’s followers’, is uncertain, men rimeligvis tænkt i vesten ‘but probably thought of as in the west’, which presumably means somewhere west of mainland Scandinavia, i.e. somewhere in the British Isles. The location in the present instance is almost certainly somewhere in the Orkneys, since according to one version of the legend of the Hjaðningavíg ‘the battle of Heðinn’s followers’, as related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 72) (cf. st. 4, first Note to l. 2 and st. 10, Note to l. 7), it is to the Orkneys, and specifically to the island of Hoy (ON Háey), that Hǫgni pursues Heðinn, the abductor of his daughter Hildr, and where the everlasting fight between Hǫgni and Heðinn, instigated by Hildr, takes place. The frequency in Krm, always in a battle-context, of the noun hildr (sts 10/2, 13/3, 14/7, 21/4, 26/4), whether understood as a pers. n. or as a common noun meaning ‘battle’, the oblique reference to Hildr in the kenning kván Heðins ‘woman of Heðinn’ in st. 4/2, and the occurrence of the name Hǫgni in the armour-kenning in st. 10/7, all suggest that the legend of the Hjaðningavíg was known to the poet of Krm, and that it is indeed a location in the Orkneys that is envisaged here. Less likely is the apparent suggestion in CPB (CPB II, 342) of the Baltic island of Heðinsey (Hiddensee), another possible location of the everlasting battle, mentioned e.g. in Saxo’s Gesta Danorum (Saxo 2015, I, v. 9. 1, pp. 330-3), cf. Vǫls ch. 9 (Vǫls 1965, 15-16).
vági ‘vágr’
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vágr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): sea, wave < Hjaðningavágr (noun m.)
[4] ‑vági: ‘vogi’ 147
notes
[4] fyrir Hjaðningavági ‘off Hjaðningavágr’: According to LP: Hjaðningavágr, the location of this place, lit. ‘the bay of Heðinn’s followers’, is uncertain, men rimeligvis tænkt i vesten ‘but probably thought of as in the west’, which presumably means somewhere west of mainland Scandinavia, i.e. somewhere in the British Isles. The location in the present instance is almost certainly somewhere in the Orkneys, since according to one version of the legend of the Hjaðningavíg ‘the battle of Heðinn’s followers’, as related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 72) (cf. st. 4, first Note to l. 2 and st. 10, Note to l. 7), it is to the Orkneys, and specifically to the island of Hoy (ON Háey), that Hǫgni pursues Heðinn, the abductor of his daughter Hildr, and where the everlasting fight between Hǫgni and Heðinn, instigated by Hildr, takes place. The frequency in Krm, always in a battle-context, of the noun hildr (sts 10/2, 13/3, 14/7, 21/4, 26/4), whether understood as a pers. n. or as a common noun meaning ‘battle’, the oblique reference to Hildr in the kenning kván Heðins ‘woman of Heðinn’ in st. 4/2, and the occurrence of the name Hǫgni in the armour-kenning in st. 10/7, all suggest that the legend of the Hjaðningavíg was known to the poet of Krm, and that it is indeed a location in the Orkneys that is envisaged here. Less likely is the apparent suggestion in CPB (CPB II, 342) of the Baltic island of Heðinsey (Hiddensee), another possible location of the everlasting battle, mentioned e.g. in Saxo’s Gesta Danorum (Saxo 2015, I, v. 9. 1, pp. 330-3), cf. Vǫls ch. 9 (Vǫls 1965, 15-16).
knáttu ‘could’
(not checked:)
knega (verb): to know, understand, be able to
[5] knáttu: ‘m(a)ttu’(?) 147, máttu R702ˣ, R693ˣ, ‘maettu’ LR
þá ‘then’
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2. þá (adv.): then
seggir ‘Men’
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seggr (noun m.; °; -ir): man
[5] seggir: so 6ˣ, R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, ‘sekgír’ 1824b, ‘(se)gir’(?) 147
er ‘when’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
sundruðum ‘we sundered’
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sundra (verb): shatter, sunder
[6] sundruðum: ‘sundrudum’ with ‘suerd rifo W’ in margin 6ˣ, sverð rifu R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
skjöldu ‘shields’
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skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield
[6] skjöldu: skjöldum 147
hræ ‘of the corpse’
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hræ (noun n.; °; -): corpse, carrion < hræsíldr (noun m.)
[7] hræsíldar (‘hræsilldar’): so R702ˣ, R693ˣ, ‘hresilna’ 1824b, ‘(llt uar) eíns’(?) 147, ‘hresilna’ with ‘hraesilldur’ in margin 6ˣ, ‘hraesilldur’ LR
kennings
hræsíldar.‘of the corpse-herring. ’
= SPEAR
the corpse-herring. → SPEAR
notes
[6] hræsíldar ‘of the corpse-herring [SWORD]’: So Finnur Jónsson (1905; Skj B) and Kock (Skald); Wisén (1886-9) has gen. pl. hræsílda ‘of corpse-herrings’. Rafn (1826), Pfeiffer (1860), the eds of CPB, Krm 1891 and Finnur Jónsson (1893b), on the other hand, read hræsílna ‘of corpse-sand-eels (?)’, evidently seeing ‑sílna as gen. pl. of a n. noun síla, thought of as synonymous with síl n. ‘sand-eel’, mentioned in Þul Fiska 2/2III; see LP: hræsíld.
síldar ‘herring’
(not checked:)
sild (noun f.; °;-ar): herring < hræsíldr (noun m.)
[7] hræsíldar (‘hræsilldar’): so R702ˣ, R693ˣ, ‘hresilna’ 1824b, ‘(llt uar) eíns’(?) 147, ‘hresilna’ with ‘hraesilldur’ in margin 6ˣ, ‘hraesilldur’ LR
kennings
hræsíldar.‘of the corpse-herring. ’
= SPEAR
the corpse-herring. → SPEAR
notes
[6] hræsíldar ‘of the corpse-herring [SWORD]’: So Finnur Jónsson (1905; Skj B) and Kock (Skald); Wisén (1886-9) has gen. pl. hræsílda ‘of corpse-herrings’. Rafn (1826), Pfeiffer (1860), the eds of CPB, Krm 1891 and Finnur Jónsson (1893b), on the other hand, read hræsílna ‘of corpse-sand-eels (?)’, evidently seeing ‑sílna as gen. pl. of a n. noun síla, thought of as synonymous with síl n. ‘sand-eel’, mentioned in Þul Fiska 2/2III; see LP: hræsíld.
hjálm ‘helmet’
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1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet
[8] hjálm slitnaðan: ‘hialm slitnadar’ 1824b, ‘fyri […] pru(n)a’(?) 147, ‘hialm slitnadar’ with ‘slitnadann W.’ in margin 6ˣ, ‘hialmsitnadann’ with l placed between s and i above line R702ˣ, ‘hialm slitnad ann’ LR, ‘hialm slit nad ann’ R693ˣ
slitnaðan ‘broken’
(not checked:)
slitna (verb): tear, break
[8] hjálm slitnaðan: ‘hialm slitnadar’ 1824b, ‘fyri […] pru(n)a’(?) 147, ‘hialm slitnadar’ with ‘slitnadann W.’ in margin 6ˣ, ‘hialmsitnadann’ with l placed between s and i above line R702ˣ, ‘hialm slitnad ann’ LR, ‘hialm slit nad ann’ R693ˣ
Varat ‘It was not’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
sem ‘like ’
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sem (conj.): as, which
bjarta ‘a fair’
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bjartr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): bright
brúði ‘maiden’
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brúðr (noun f.; °brúðar, dat. & acc. brúði; brúðir): woman, bride
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
bing ‘a bed’
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bingr (noun m.; °dat. -i): [bed, lair]
hjá ‘beside’
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hjá (prep.): beside, with
sér ‘one’
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sik (pron.; °gen. sín, dat. sér): (refl. pron.)
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
We hewed with the sword. We held high the canopies of Hlǫkk <valkyrie> [SHIELDS] in the game of Hildr <valkyrie> [BATTLE] off Hjaðningavágr. Men could then see [many a] helmet of warriors broken when we sundered shields in the conflict of the corpse-herring [SPEAR]. It was not like placing a fair maiden in a bed beside one.
In 147 (108v, l. 1), ll. 9-10 of st. 1 (apart from the final word of l. 10) appear in abbreviated form between the present stanza and st. 14. — [7-8]: In 147 (108r-v), ll. 7-8 of st. 8 appear to be repeated here, as ‘[…](llt uar) eíns at gæta (?) fyri […] pru(n)a solar’ in place of ll. 7-8 of the present stanza as preserved in all other mss. See Note to st. 8/7-8. — [9-10]: These lines, with their contrast of the hardships of warlike activity with the pleasures of women’s company, are echoed in sts 18/5-6 and 20/5-6, 9-10, below. For parallels elsewhere in the skaldic corpus, see Introduction. On the failure by early translators of Krm to recognise the negative particle ‑at in this instance (as well as those in sts 14, 18 and 20), thus presenting the contrast in question as a comparison, see also Introduction.
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