Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Krákumál 21’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 760.
(not checked:)
hǫggva (verb): to strike, put to death, cut, hew
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. 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
(not checked:)
vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. 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
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. 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
(not checked:)
hjǫrr (noun m.): sword
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. 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
(not checked:)
3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
(not checked:)
sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
(not checked:)
bíta (verb; °bítr; beit, bitu; bitinn): bite
(not checked:)
skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield
[2] skjöldu: ‘s(k)iolldu’(?) 147, ‘skilldu’ 6ˣ, skjöldum LR, R693ˣ
[3] þar er ‘where’: There seems no reason not to adopt this reading here, as previous eds up to and including Wisén (1886-9) have done, though þás (þá er) ‘when’, adopted in subsequent eds (from Finnur Jónsson 1893b onwards), is also acceptable.
[3] þar er ‘where’: There seems no reason not to adopt this reading here, as previous eds up to and including Wisén (1886-9) have done, though þás (þá er) ‘when’, adopted in subsequent eds (from Finnur Jónsson 1893b onwards), is also acceptable.
(not checked:)
gullroðinn (adj./verb p.p.)
[3] gullroðinn ‘gold-ornamented’: This cpd adj. also occurs in Akv 4/3; cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 69).
(not checked:)
glymja (verb): resound
(not checked:)
geirr (noun m.): spear
(not checked:)
2. Hildr (noun f.): Hildr
[4] ræfri Hildar ‘the roof of Hildr <valkyrie> [SHIELD]’: The reading ræfri, dat. sg. of ræfr n. ‘roof’, adopted here from 1824b and used elsewhere as a base-word in shield-kennings (see ESk Øxfl 2/2-3III and Hást Lv 4/7IV), seems on the whole preferable to næfri, dat. sg. of næfri n. or næfr f. ‘birch-bark, roof-shingle’ (cf. LP: 3. næfr; næfri n.), which would presumably have much the same meaning here as ‘roof’, thus also forming with Hildar a shield-kenning. The reading næfri is adopted by all previous eds, Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) translating it as brynjen ‘the mail-coat’. On the connotations of the name Hildr in Krm in particular, see further first Note to st. 4/2.
(not checked:)
2. ræfr (noun n.): roof
[4] ræfri: ‘[…]f[…]’ 147, næfri 6ˣ, R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
[4] ræfri Hildar ‘the roof of Hildr <valkyrie> [SHIELD]’: The reading ræfri, dat. sg. of ræfr n. ‘roof’, adopted here from 1824b and used elsewhere as a base-word in shield-kennings (see ESk Øxfl 2/2-3III and Hást Lv 4/7IV), seems on the whole preferable to næfri, dat. sg. of næfri n. or næfr f. ‘birch-bark, roof-shingle’ (cf. LP: 3. næfr; næfri n.), which would presumably have much the same meaning here as ‘roof’, thus also forming with Hildar a shield-kenning. The reading næfri is adopted by all previous eds, Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) translating it as brynjen ‘the mail-coat’. On the connotations of the name Hildr in Krm in particular, see further first Note to st. 4/2.
(not checked:)
munu (verb): will, must
(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into
(not checked:)
ǫngull (noun m.): fishing hook
[5] Önguls‑: ‘(au)nguls’(?) 147, ‘onlugs’ LR
(not checked:)
aldr (noun m.; °aldrs, dat. aldri; aldrar): life, age
(not checked:)
mega (verb): may, might
(not checked:)
síðan (adv.): later, then
(not checked:)
hversu (adv.): how, however
[7] hversu: (?) so 147, ‘hver[…]’ 1824b, hve vér 6ˣ, þar er R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
[7, 8] hversu lofðungar gengu fram ‘how chieftains went forward’: So all previous eds apart from Rafn (1826), who reads: Hví vér … Lofðúngar framgengum [sic], i.e. ‘why we chieftains went forward’, a reading which finds support in ms. 6ˣ. The emendation to hversu ‘how’ adopted by all subsequent previous eds, which need no longer be treated as an emendation if the tentative reading of 147 above may be trusted, produces a clause with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ as its subject rather than vér ‘we’ as the subject with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ in apposition to it.
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
(not checked:)
1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play
(not checked:)
lofðungr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, leader
[8] lofðungar fram: ‘lofd(un)gar fra[…]’(?) 147
[7, 8] hversu lofðungar gengu fram ‘how chieftains went forward’: So all previous eds apart from Rafn (1826), who reads: Hví vér … Lofðúngar framgengum [sic], i.e. ‘why we chieftains went forward’, a reading which finds support in ms. 6ˣ. The emendation to hversu ‘how’ adopted by all subsequent previous eds, which need no longer be treated as an emendation if the tentative reading of 147 above may be trusted, produces a clause with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ as its subject rather than vér ‘we’ as the subject with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ in apposition to it.
(not checked:)
fram (adv.): out, forth, forwards, away
[8] lofðungar fram: ‘lofd(un)gar fra[…]’(?) 147
[7, 8] hversu lofðungar gengu fram ‘how chieftains went forward’: So all previous eds apart from Rafn (1826), who reads: Hví vér … Lofðúngar framgengum [sic], i.e. ‘why we chieftains went forward’, a reading which finds support in ms. 6ˣ. The emendation to hversu ‘how’ adopted by all subsequent previous eds, which need no longer be treated as an emendation if the tentative reading of 147 above may be trusted, produces a clause with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ as its subject rather than vér ‘we’ as the subject with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ in apposition to it.
(not checked:)
2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
[8] gengu: gengum 6ˣ
[7, 8] hversu lofðungar gengu fram ‘how chieftains went forward’: So all previous eds apart from Rafn (1826), who reads: Hví vér … Lofðúngar framgengum [sic], i.e. ‘why we chieftains went forward’, a reading which finds support in ms. 6ˣ. The emendation to hversu ‘how’ adopted by all subsequent previous eds, which need no longer be treated as an emendation if the tentative reading of 147 above may be trusted, produces a clause with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ as its subject rather than vér ‘we’ as the subject with lofðungar ‘chieftains’ in apposition to it.
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
(not checked:)
út (adv.): out(side)
(not checked:)
eyrr (noun f.): land-spit
(not checked:)
4. ár (adv.): of yore, previously, early
[10] ár flugdreki sára: ‘[…](dreki saran)’(?) 147
(not checked:)
flugdreki (noun m.): flying dragon
[10] ár flugdreki sára: ‘[…](dreki saran)’(?) 147
(not checked:)
2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound
[10] ár flugdreki sára: ‘[…](dreki saran)’(?) 147
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
We hewed with the sword. Long swords bit shields, where the gold-ornamented spear resounded against the roof of Hildr <valkyrie> [SHIELD]. It may be seen ever afterwards on Anglesey how chieftains went forward in the game of the sword [BATTLE]. The flying dragon of wounds [SPEAR] was reddened early off the sand-bank.
[5]: This line exemplifies the consonantless internal half-rhyme (skothending, here on <á> and <ey>) that may occur in lines in which the vowel or diphthong in the cadence is followed by a glide, <j> or <v> (see Kuhn 1983, 78). Cf. the Note to st. 3/9-10, above.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
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.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.