Anon Krm 21VIII
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.
Hjuggu ‘hewed’
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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
vér ‘We’
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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
með ‘with’
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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
hjörvi ‘the sword’
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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
Há ‘Long’
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
sverð ‘swords’
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
bitu ‘bit’
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bíta (verb; °bítr; beit, bitu; bitinn): bite
skjöldu ‘shields’
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skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield
[2] skjöldu: ‘s(k)iolldu’(?) 147, ‘skilldu’ 6ˣ, skjöldum LR, R693ˣ
notes
[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.
notes
[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.
gullroðinn ‘gold-ornamented’
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gullroðinn (adj./verb p.p.)
notes
[3] gullroðinn ‘gold-ornamented’: This cpd adj. also occurs in Akv 4/3; cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 69).
glumði ‘resounded’
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glymja (verb): resound
geirr ‘spear’
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geirr (noun m.): spear
Hildar ‘of Hildr’
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2. Hildr (noun f.): Hildr
kennings
ræfri Hildar.‘the roof of Hildr. ’
= SHIELD
the roof of Hildr. → SHIELD
notes
[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.
ræfri ‘the roof’
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2. ræfr (noun n.): roof
[4] ræfri: ‘[…]f[…]’ 147, næfri 6ˣ, R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
kennings
ræfri Hildar.‘the roof of Hildr. ’
= SHIELD
the roof of Hildr. → SHIELD
notes
[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.
mun ‘It may’
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munu (verb): will, must
í ‘on’
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í (prep.): in, into
Önguls ‘Angles’
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ǫngull (noun m.): fishing hook
[5] Önguls‑: ‘(au)nguls’(?) 147, ‘onlugs’ LR
aldr ‘afterwards’
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aldr (noun m.; °aldrs, dat. aldri; aldrar): life, age
mega ‘be’
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mega (verb): may, might
síðan ‘’
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síðan (adv.): later, then
hversu ‘how’
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hversu (adv.): how, however
[7] hversu: (?) so 147, ‘hver[…]’ 1824b, hve vér 6ˣ, þar er R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
notes
[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.
at ‘in’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
kennings
leiki lögðis.‘the game of the sword. ’
= BATTLE
the game of the sword. → BATTLE
leiki ‘the game’
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play
kennings
leiki lögðis.‘the game of the sword. ’
= BATTLE
the game of the sword. → BATTLE
lofðungar ‘chieftains’
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lofðungr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, leader
[8] lofðungar fram: ‘lofd(un)gar fra[…]’(?) 147
notes
[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.
fram ‘forward’
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fram (adv.): out, forth, forwards, away
[8] lofðungar fram: ‘lofd(un)gar fra[…]’(?) 147
notes
[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.
gengu ‘went’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
[8] gengu: gengum 6ˣ
notes
[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.
var ‘was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
út ‘off’
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út (adv.): out(side)
eyri ‘the sand-bank’
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eyrr (noun f.): land-spit
ár ‘early’
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4. ár (adv.): of yore, previously, early
[10] ár flugdreki sára: ‘[…](dreki saran)’(?) 147
flugdreki ‘The flying dragon’
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flugdreki (noun m.): flying dragon
[10] ár flugdreki sára: ‘[…](dreki saran)’(?) 147
kennings
Flugdreki sára‘The flying dragon of wounds ’
= SPEAR
The flying dragon of wounds → SPEAR
sára ‘of wounds’
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2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound
[10] ár flugdreki sára: ‘[…](dreki saran)’(?) 147
kennings
Flugdreki sára‘The flying dragon of wounds ’
= SPEAR
The flying dragon of wounds → SPEAR
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.
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