Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Óttarr svarti, Knútsdrápa 3’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 771.
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host < herskjǫldr (noun m.): war-shield
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skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield < herskjǫldr (noun m.): war-shield
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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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halda (verb): hold, keep
[1] helduð ‘prevailed’: This assumes an unusual intransitive use of halda ‘hold, keep’; it may be that herskjǫld ‘war-shield’ or a more general ‘land/power’ is the understood object.
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hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector
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ríkr (adj.): mighty, powerful, rich
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af (prep.): from
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2. slíkr (adj.): such
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
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1. þekkja (verb): perceive, know
[3-4] þik þekkðusk ‘you cared’: Lit. ‘you to have cared’. An acc. with past inf. construction following hykkat ‘I do not think’.
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
[4] kyrr‑: hyr‑ 20dˣ
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mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large
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1. ætt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): family
[5, 6] ætt Játgeirs ‘the kindred of Eadgar [THE ENGLISH]’: Eadgar was king of England 959-75. Ætt Játgeirs, if taken narrowly, could signify the royal family alone, but Knútr’s attacks were against the English people more generally, cf. Ótt Hfl 11/1-2 ǫld enskrar ættar ‘the people of English race’.
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drepa (verb; °drepr; drap, drápu; drepinn): kill, strike
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Jóti (noun m.; °; -ar): one of the Jótar
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
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Játgeirr (noun m.): [Eadgar]
[5, 6] ætt Játgeirs ‘the kindred of Eadgar [THE ENGLISH]’: Eadgar was king of England 959-75. Ætt Játgeirs, if taken narrowly, could signify the royal family alone, but Knútr’s attacks were against the English people more generally, cf. Ótt Hfl 11/1-2 ǫld enskrar ættar ‘the people of English race’.
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í (prep.): in, into
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fǫr (noun f.): journey, fate; movement
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þveit (noun f.): [blow]
[7] þveit ‘blow’: According to LP: þveitr, only recorded here in skaldic verse. CVC: þveitr suggests that the word is equivalent to þviti ‘sling-stone’ and that the construction here is comparable with ljósta e-n illum steini ‘to strike sby with an evil stone’ (see ÞjóðA Sex 22/3, 4II).
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2. reka (verb): drive, force
[7] rakt: so 41ˣ, rakr with rakt in margin JÓ, rakt with rakr in margin 20dˣ, 873ˣ
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2. þrár (adj.): defiant, tenacious
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2. heita (verb): be called, promise
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
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stillir (noun m.): ruler
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konr (noun m.; °-ar): kind, descendant
[8] konr: so with kom in margin JÓ, kom with konr in margin 20dˣ, 873ˣ, kom 41ˣ
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illr (adj.): bad, evil, unwell
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Herskjǫld bart ok helduð, |
You carried the war-shield, prince, and prevailed, powerful by such means; I do not think, lord, you cared much for sitting in peace. The lord of the Jótar [DANISH KING = Knútr] struck the kindred of Eadgar [THE ENGLISH] on that expedition; ruler’s son [= Knútr], you dealt them a harsh blow; you are called defiant.
Knútr lands in England and begins ravaging.
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