Ólhv Hryn 11II
Lauren Goetting (ed.) 2009, ‘Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 11’ 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. 668-9.
Snǫrp ‘Sharp’
(not checked:)
snarpr (adj.): sharp, keen
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
bitu ‘bit’
(not checked:)
bíta (verb; °bítr; beit, bitu; bitinn): bite
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
járn ‘weapons’
(not checked:)
járn (noun n.; °-s; -): iron, weapon
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
sem ‘as if’
(not checked:)
sem (conj.): as, which
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
yrpi ‘were casting up’
(not checked:)
1. verpa (verb): to throw, cast (up)
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
óða ‘a raging’
(not checked:)
2. óðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): raging, furious < óðastraumr (noun m.)
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
straumr ‘stream’
(not checked:)
straumr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): stream, current < óðastraumr (noun m.)
[2] ‑straumr: straums F
notes
[1-2] snǫrp járn bitu, sem óðastraumr yrpi ísmǫl ‘sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice’: The flash of weapons in battle is likened to the gleam of ice fragments tossed about in a stream. For similar expressions in prose, see Fritzner: ísmöl.
með ‘with’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
heitu ‘hot’
(not checked:)
heitr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): hot, ardent
blóði ‘blood’
(not checked:)
blóð (noun n.; °-s): blood
her ‘the army’
(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host < herstefnir (noun m.): army-leader
kennings
herstefnir‘the army-leader ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the army-leader → WARRIOR = Hákon
stefnir ‘leader’
(not checked:)
stefnir (noun m.): commander < herstefnir (noun m.): army-leader
kennings
herstefnir‘the army-leader ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the army-leader → WARRIOR = Hákon
rauð ‘reddened’
(not checked:)
rjóða (verb): to redden
hamri ‘the hammer’
(not checked:)
1. hamarr (noun m.; °-s, dat. hamri; hamrar): hammer, cliff
kennings
hamri ofna serki hildar‘the hammer-woven shirts of battle ’
= BYRNIES
the hammer-woven shirts of battle → BYRNIES
ofna ‘woven’
(not checked:)
vefa (verb): enfold, weave
kennings
hamri ofna serki hildar‘the hammer-woven shirts of battle ’
= BYRNIES
the hammer-woven shirts of battle → BYRNIES
hildar ‘of battle’
(not checked:)
1. hildr (noun f.): battle
kennings
hamri ofna serki hildar‘the hammer-woven shirts of battle ’
= BYRNIES
the hammer-woven shirts of battle → BYRNIES
serki ‘shirts’
(not checked:)
1. serkr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ir): shirt
kennings
hamri ofna serki hildar‘the hammer-woven shirts of battle ’
= BYRNIES
the hammer-woven shirts of battle → BYRNIES
framar ‘ahead of’
(not checked:)
framr (adj.; °compar. framari/fremri, superl. framastr/fremstr): outstanding, foremost
[4] framar: framari 8, Flat
merkjum ‘the standards’
(not checked:)
1. merki (noun n.; °-s: -): banner, sign
Grimmum ‘fierce’
(not checked:)
grimmr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): fierce
kennings
grimmum himni Gǫndlar‘fierce sky of Gǫndul; ’
= SHIELD
fierce sky of Gǫndul; → SHIELD
stóð ‘stood’
(not checked:)
standa (verb): stand
á ‘in’
(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at
Gǫndlar ‘of Gǫndul’
(not checked:)
2. Gǫndul (noun f.): Gǫndul
kennings
grimmum himni Gǫndlar‘fierce sky of Gǫndul; ’
= SHIELD
fierce sky of Gǫndul; → SHIELD
himni ‘sky’
(not checked:)
himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
[5] himni: so all others, ‘hifni’ E
kennings
grimmum himni Gǫndlar‘fierce sky of Gǫndul; ’
= SHIELD
fierce sky of Gǫndul; → SHIELD
kennings
Grár regnbogi Hnikars‘The grey rainbow of Hnikarr ’
= SPEAR
The grey rainbow of Hnikarr → SPEAR
regn ‘rain’
(not checked:)
regn (noun n.; °-s; -): rain < regnbogi (noun m.)
kennings
Grár regnbogi Hnikars‘The grey rainbow of Hnikarr ’
= SPEAR
The grey rainbow of Hnikarr → SPEAR
kennings
Grár regnbogi Hnikars‘The grey rainbow of Hnikarr ’
= SPEAR
The grey rainbow of Hnikarr → SPEAR
Hnikars ‘of Hnikarr’
(not checked:)
Hnikarr (noun m.): Hnikarr
kennings
Grár regnbogi Hnikars‘The grey rainbow of Hnikarr ’
= SPEAR
The grey rainbow of Hnikarr → SPEAR
þegna ‘the men’s’
(not checked:)
þegn (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ar): thane, man, franklin
notes
[6] þegna ‘men’s’: Kock (NN §2577) interprets all of l. 6 as a kenning for ‘sword’, taking grár regnbogi ‘grey rainbow’ as the base-words and Hnikars þegna ‘of Hnikarr’s men’ i.e. ‘warriors’ as the determinant. A more elegant solution is to place þegna outside the kenning so that there is symmetry between grár regnbogi Hnikars ‘grey rainbow of Hnikarr’ i.e. ‘spear’ and grimmum himni Gǫndlar ‘fierce sky of Gǫndul’ i.e. ‘shield’ (l. 5). Þegna may then modify either kenning as a possessive gen., but it is probably best construed with grimmum himni Gǫndlar, paralleling fyrða ‘of men’ in fylking fyrða ‘company of men’ (l. 6) as the object of the battle assault.
lustu ‘struck’
(not checked:)
2. ljósta (verb): strike
[7] lustu: so F, 81a, 8, lýstu E, 42ˣ, leystu Flat
fylking ‘the company’
(not checked:)
fylking (noun f.): troop
fáreldingar ‘the destructive lightning bolts’
(not checked:)
fárelding (noun f.): destructive lightning bolt
kennings
fáreldingar meginsára‘the destructive lightning bolts of great wounds ’
= SPEARS
the destructive lightning bolts of great wounds → SPEARS
meginsára ‘of great wounds’
(not checked:)
meginsár (noun n.): [great wounds]
kennings
fáreldingar meginsára‘the destructive lightning bolts of great wounds ’
= SPEARS
the destructive lightning bolts of great wounds → SPEARS
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Sharp weapons bit, as if a raging stream were casting up pieces of ice; the army-leader [WARRIOR = Hákon] reddened the hammer-woven shirts of battle [BYRNIES] with hot blood ahead of the standards. The grey rainbow of Hnikarr <= Óðinn> [SPEAR] stood in the men’s fierce sky of Gǫndul <valkyrie> [SHIELD]; the destructive lightning bolts of great wounds [SPEARS] powerfully struck the company of men.
Part of Skúli’s army was driven inside the churchyard of Hallvardskirken, and the Birkibeinar assaulted them from outside. Both sides launched stones, spears, and arrows across the churchyard. Meanwhile, Hákon advanced toward Skúli and the remaining part of his force.
[4-8]: (a) The weapon-kennings grár regnbogi Hnikars ‘the grey rainbow of Hnikarr’, l. 6, and fáreldingar meginsára ‘the destructive lightning bolts of great wounds’, l. 8, are taken to mean ‘spear’ and ‘spears’ respectively. Kennings for both swords and spears may contain base-words that denote types of light or luminescent objects (including rainbows and lightning; see Meissner 145-6), but because of the immediate prose context, ‘spears’ is preferable to ‘swords’. See also Note to Sturl Hákkv 16 [All]. (b) The second helmingr contains an artful nýgerving. The three kennings are congruent in their use of sky imagery.
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.