Ótt Lv 1^I

Hnøtr ‘some nuts’

(not checked:)
1. hnot (noun f.; °; hnøtr/hnetr, gen. hnata): nut

[1] Hnøtr sendi mér handan: ‘[…]dan’ NRA52

sendi ‘sent’

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senda (verb): send

[1] Hnøtr sendi mér handan: ‘[…]dan’ NRA52

mér ‘to me’

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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

[1] Hnøtr sendi mér handan: ‘[…]dan’ NRA52

handan ‘across’

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handan (adv.): across

[1] Hnøtr sendi mér handan: ‘[…]dan’ NRA52

hrǫnduðr ‘the distributor’

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hrǫnduðr (noun m.): [distributor]

[2] hrǫnduðr (‘hrandꜳdr’): so Flat, NRA52, DG8, hrandað 73aˣ, ‘hrandat’ 71ˣ, 76aˣ, handleggjar Tóm

kennings

notes

[2] hrǫnduðr alinbranda ‘distributor of arm-flames [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’: This phrase could be an apostrophe (so Skj B), and the Context provides an interlocutor in Sigvatr. However, it seems preferable to take it as a subject in apposition with konungr ‘king’ (cf. NN §2010F; ÓHLeg 1982), especially since sendi is 3rd pers. sg. The base-word hrǫnduðr appears to be an agent noun from hrinda ‘to throw, cast’, though formally derivation from a *hranda would have been expected (Meissner 319; LP: hrǫnduðr (hrandaðr)). The form hrandaðr is suggested by the mss, but normalisation to hrǫnduðr is required since the ‑aðr variants in this class of noun are late analogical forms (ANG §137 Anm. 3, §397), and cf. hrǫnduðr in Anon Þul Sverða 3/1^III. The first element of the determinant is problematic, and no ms. has the exact reading alin- adopted here. Mss 73a^x, NRA52 and Flat all suggest arin- from arinn m. ‘hearth’, and arinbrandr ‘hearth-flame’ is an intelligible cpd, but hrǫnduðr arinbranda makes little sense as a kenning. (a) Kock emends to alinbranda ‘arm-flames’ (NN §3052B), which gives good sense, and this is adopted here. (b) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B prefers DG8’s reading ǫlun (ms. ‘alun’), which he suggests is a variant form of ǫln ‘(lower) arm’ (LP: ǫlunbrandr), often used in kennings for ‘gold’. This too results in a gold-kenning and thus ‘generous man’. (c) The first element in DG8 is taken in ÓHLeg 1982, 138 as ǫlunn ‘fish, mackerel’, giving ‘fish-flame [GOLD]’. However, this cannot be paralleled, as the usual patterns for gold-kennings are ‘fire of the water’ or ‘land of the serpent’, not ‘fire of the fish’. (d) Of the other ms. readings, 71^x’s armbranda gives excellent sense, but leaves the line with only five syllables, not the required six, and Tóm refashions the line to Týr branda handleggjar ‘Týr of the flames of the hand-limb [ARM > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’. Both look like scribal attempts to make sense of a garbled text.

alin ‘of arm’

(not checked:)
alin (noun f.): forearm, ell < alinbrandr (noun m.)

[2] alin‑: arin‑ 73aˣ, 76aˣ, Flat, NRA52, arm‑ 71ˣ, Týr Tóm, ‘alun’ DG8

kennings

notes

[2] hrǫnduðr alinbranda ‘distributor of arm-flames [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’: This phrase could be an apostrophe (so Skj B), and the Context provides an interlocutor in Sigvatr. However, it seems preferable to take it as a subject in apposition with konungr ‘king’ (cf. NN §2010F; ÓHLeg 1982), especially since sendi is 3rd pers. sg. The base-word hrǫnduðr appears to be an agent noun from hrinda ‘to throw, cast’, though formally derivation from a *hranda would have been expected (Meissner 319; LP: hrǫnduðr (hrandaðr)). The form hrandaðr is suggested by the mss, but normalisation to hrǫnduðr is required since the ‑aðr variants in this class of noun are late analogical forms (ANG §137 Anm. 3, §397), and cf. hrǫnduðr in Anon Þul Sverða 3/1^III. The first element of the determinant is problematic, and no ms. has the exact reading alin- adopted here. Mss 73a^x, NRA52 and Flat all suggest arin- from arinn m. ‘hearth’, and arinbrandr ‘hearth-flame’ is an intelligible cpd, but hrǫnduðr arinbranda makes little sense as a kenning. (a) Kock emends to alinbranda ‘arm-flames’ (NN §3052B), which gives good sense, and this is adopted here. (b) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B prefers DG8’s reading ǫlun (ms. ‘alun’), which he suggests is a variant form of ǫln ‘(lower) arm’ (LP: ǫlunbrandr), often used in kennings for ‘gold’. This too results in a gold-kenning and thus ‘generous man’. (c) The first element in DG8 is taken in ÓHLeg 1982, 138 as ǫlunn ‘fish, mackerel’, giving ‘fish-flame [GOLD]’. However, this cannot be paralleled, as the usual patterns for gold-kennings are ‘fire of the water’ or ‘land of the serpent’, not ‘fire of the fish’. (d) Of the other ms. readings, 71^x’s armbranda gives excellent sense, but leaves the line with only five syllables, not the required six, and Tóm refashions the line to Týr branda handleggjar ‘Týr of the flames of the hand-limb [ARM > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’. Both look like scribal attempts to make sense of a garbled text.

alin ‘of arm’

(not checked:)
alin (noun f.): forearm, ell < alinbrandr (noun m.)

[2] alin‑: arin‑ 73aˣ, 76aˣ, Flat, NRA52, arm‑ 71ˣ, Týr Tóm, ‘alun’ DG8

kennings

notes

[2] hrǫnduðr alinbranda ‘distributor of arm-flames [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’: This phrase could be an apostrophe (so Skj B), and the Context provides an interlocutor in Sigvatr. However, it seems preferable to take it as a subject in apposition with konungr ‘king’ (cf. NN §2010F; ÓHLeg 1982), especially since sendi is 3rd pers. sg. The base-word hrǫnduðr appears to be an agent noun from hrinda ‘to throw, cast’, though formally derivation from a *hranda would have been expected (Meissner 319; LP: hrǫnduðr (hrandaðr)). The form hrandaðr is suggested by the mss, but normalisation to hrǫnduðr is required since the ‑aðr variants in this class of noun are late analogical forms (ANG §137 Anm. 3, §397), and cf. hrǫnduðr in Anon Þul Sverða 3/1^III. The first element of the determinant is problematic, and no ms. has the exact reading alin- adopted here. Mss 73a^x, NRA52 and Flat all suggest arin- from arinn m. ‘hearth’, and arinbrandr ‘hearth-flame’ is an intelligible cpd, but hrǫnduðr arinbranda makes little sense as a kenning. (a) Kock emends to alinbranda ‘arm-flames’ (NN §3052B), which gives good sense, and this is adopted here. (b) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B prefers DG8’s reading ǫlun (ms. ‘alun’), which he suggests is a variant form of ǫln ‘(lower) arm’ (LP: ǫlunbrandr), often used in kennings for ‘gold’. This too results in a gold-kenning and thus ‘generous man’. (c) The first element in DG8 is taken in ÓHLeg 1982, 138 as ǫlunn ‘fish, mackerel’, giving ‘fish-flame [GOLD]’. However, this cannot be paralleled, as the usual patterns for gold-kennings are ‘fire of the water’ or ‘land of the serpent’, not ‘fire of the fish’. (d) Of the other ms. readings, 71^x’s armbranda gives excellent sense, but leaves the line with only five syllables, not the required six, and Tóm refashions the line to Týr branda handleggjar ‘Týr of the flames of the hand-limb [ARM > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’. Both look like scribal attempts to make sense of a garbled text.

branda ‘flames’

(not checked:)
brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire < alinbrandr (noun m.)

[2] ‑branda: ‘bran[…]’ NRA52

kennings

notes

[2] hrǫnduðr alinbranda ‘distributor of arm-flames [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’: This phrase could be an apostrophe (so Skj B), and the Context provides an interlocutor in Sigvatr. However, it seems preferable to take it as a subject in apposition with konungr ‘king’ (cf. NN §2010F; ÓHLeg 1982), especially since sendi is 3rd pers. sg. The base-word hrǫnduðr appears to be an agent noun from hrinda ‘to throw, cast’, though formally derivation from a *hranda would have been expected (Meissner 319; LP: hrǫnduðr (hrandaðr)). The form hrandaðr is suggested by the mss, but normalisation to hrǫnduðr is required since the ‑aðr variants in this class of noun are late analogical forms (ANG §137 Anm. 3, §397), and cf. hrǫnduðr in Anon Þul Sverða 3/1^III. The first element of the determinant is problematic, and no ms. has the exact reading alin- adopted here. Mss 73a^x, NRA52 and Flat all suggest arin- from arinn m. ‘hearth’, and arinbrandr ‘hearth-flame’ is an intelligible cpd, but hrǫnduðr arinbranda makes little sense as a kenning. (a) Kock emends to alinbranda ‘arm-flames’ (NN §3052B), which gives good sense, and this is adopted here. (b) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B prefers DG8’s reading ǫlun (ms. ‘alun’), which he suggests is a variant form of ǫln ‘(lower) arm’ (LP: ǫlunbrandr), often used in kennings for ‘gold’. This too results in a gold-kenning and thus ‘generous man’. (c) The first element in DG8 is taken in ÓHLeg 1982, 138 as ǫlunn ‘fish, mackerel’, giving ‘fish-flame [GOLD]’. However, this cannot be paralleled, as the usual patterns for gold-kennings are ‘fire of the water’ or ‘land of the serpent’, not ‘fire of the fish’. (d) Of the other ms. readings, 71^x’s armbranda gives excellent sense, but leaves the line with only five syllables, not the required six, and Tóm refashions the line to Týr branda handleggjar ‘Týr of the flames of the hand-limb [ARM > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’. Both look like scribal attempts to make sense of a garbled text.

branda ‘flames’

(not checked:)
brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire < alinbrandr (noun m.)

[2] ‑branda: ‘bran[…]’ NRA52

kennings

notes

[2] hrǫnduðr alinbranda ‘distributor of arm-flames [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’: This phrase could be an apostrophe (so Skj B), and the Context provides an interlocutor in Sigvatr. However, it seems preferable to take it as a subject in apposition with konungr ‘king’ (cf. NN §2010F; ÓHLeg 1982), especially since sendi is 3rd pers. sg. The base-word hrǫnduðr appears to be an agent noun from hrinda ‘to throw, cast’, though formally derivation from a *hranda would have been expected (Meissner 319; LP: hrǫnduðr (hrandaðr)). The form hrandaðr is suggested by the mss, but normalisation to hrǫnduðr is required since the ‑aðr variants in this class of noun are late analogical forms (ANG §137 Anm. 3, §397), and cf. hrǫnduðr in Anon Þul Sverða 3/1^III. The first element of the determinant is problematic, and no ms. has the exact reading alin- adopted here. Mss 73a^x, NRA52 and Flat all suggest arin- from arinn m. ‘hearth’, and arinbrandr ‘hearth-flame’ is an intelligible cpd, but hrǫnduðr arinbranda makes little sense as a kenning. (a) Kock emends to alinbranda ‘arm-flames’ (NN §3052B), which gives good sense, and this is adopted here. (b) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B prefers DG8’s reading ǫlun (ms. ‘alun’), which he suggests is a variant form of ǫln ‘(lower) arm’ (LP: ǫlunbrandr), often used in kennings for ‘gold’. This too results in a gold-kenning and thus ‘generous man’. (c) The first element in DG8 is taken in ÓHLeg 1982, 138 as ǫlunn ‘fish, mackerel’, giving ‘fish-flame [GOLD]’. However, this cannot be paralleled, as the usual patterns for gold-kennings are ‘fire of the water’ or ‘land of the serpent’, not ‘fire of the fish’. (d) Of the other ms. readings, 71^x’s armbranda gives excellent sense, but leaves the line with only five syllables, not the required six, and Tóm refashions the line to Týr branda handleggjar ‘Týr of the flames of the hand-limb [ARM > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’. Both look like scribal attempts to make sense of a garbled text.

ár ‘long ago’

(not checked:)
4. ár (adv.): of yore, previously, early

[3] ár: so Flat, Tóm, om. 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ, áðr DG8

notes

[3] ár ‘long ago’: This adv. (omitted in the main ms.) is required to supply skothending for the line, as well as for sense.

vas ‘it was’

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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

[3] vas þats mank (‘var þat er ek man’): var þá er ek man 76aˣ, var þá ek man Flat, væntisk mér DG8

þats ‘when’

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þats (conj.): that, which

[3] vas þats mank (‘var þat er ek man’): var þá er ek man 76aˣ, var þá ek man Flat, væntisk mér DG8

mank ‘I remember’

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1. muna (verb): remember

[3] vas þats mank (‘var þat er ek man’): var þá er ek man 76aˣ, var þá ek man Flat, væntisk mér DG8

meiri ‘greater’

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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most

notes

[3] meiri ‘[to have been] greater’: Comp. adj. from mikill ‘great’, qualifying mín þing (n. acc. pl.) ‘my position’.

mín ‘my’

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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my

[4] mín þing konungr: ‘[…]’ NRA52

þing ‘position’

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þing (noun n.; °-s; -): meeting, assembly

[4] mín þing konungr: ‘[…]’ NRA52

konungr ‘The king’

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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king

[4] mín þing konungr: ‘[…]’ NRA52;    konungr: jǫfurr Tóm

hingat ‘here’

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hingat (adv.): (to) here

Mær ‘slender’

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mjór (adj.; °mjóvan; comp. mjór(r)i/mjár(r)i, superl. -str/mjóvastr): slender

[5] Mær (‘mior’): ‘mer’ 76aˣ

notes

[5] mær ‘slender’: All mss read (normalised) mjór, a later, analogical form (ANG §106).

es ‘is’

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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

markar ‘of the forest’

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2. mǫrk (noun f.; °merkr; merkr): forest

[5] markar stjóri: ‘marka[…]’ NRA52

kennings

notes

[5] stjóri markar ‘the ruler of the forest [TREE]’: The thought seems to be that great trees grow out of small seeds or nuts (cf. the English proverb ‘Great oaks from little acorns grow’), suggesting that greater favour from the king might grow out of this meagre gift (with possible awareness of Óláfr as a literal rather than metaphorical stjóri). The kenning stjóri markar is, however, unparalleled, and indeed tree-kennings in general are extremely rare; perhaps the present example should be viewed as a witty one-off suitable for a lausavísa.

stjóri ‘The ruler’

(not checked:)
stjóri (noun m.; °-a; -ar): steerer

[5] markar stjóri: ‘marka[…]’ NRA52

kennings

notes

[5] stjóri markar ‘the ruler of the forest [TREE]’: The thought seems to be that great trees grow out of small seeds or nuts (cf. the English proverb ‘Great oaks from little acorns grow’), suggesting that greater favour from the king might grow out of this meagre gift (with possible awareness of Óláfr as a literal rather than metaphorical stjóri). The kenning stjóri markar is, however, unparalleled, and indeed tree-kennings in general are extremely rare; perhaps the present example should be viewed as a witty one-off suitable for a lausavísa.

meir ‘later’

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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most

notes

[6] meir ‘later’: Comp. of the adv. mjǫk ‘much’, here with the temporal sense ‘later, still’ (LP: mjǫk 4).

sék ‘I will look’

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2. sjá (verb): see

[6] sék (‘séé ek’): ‘saam’ Flat, er DG8

þar ‘there’

(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there

[6] þar: so Flat, Tóm, DG8, þat 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ

til ‘for’

(not checked:)
til (prep.): to

fleira ‘more’

(not checked:)
fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most

notes

[6] fleira ‘more’: Comp. of the adj. margr, cf. Notes to meiri l. 3 and meir l. 6. The stanza makes play with comp. forms, in keeping with its theme of the potential for subsequent increase.

niðrat ‘do not humiliate’

(not checked:)
niðra (verb): surpress, humiliate

[7] niðrat oss: ‘[…]s’ NRA52;    niðrat (‘niðrattu’): niðr áttu 76aˣ, viðrattu Tóm, niðrattu or ‘viðrattu’ DG8

notes

[7] niðrat ‘do not humiliate’: Imp. of niðra ‘to lower, humiliate’, with negative suffix. Kock (NN §2010G; Skald) prefers the reading viðrat, found in Tóm and DG8, taking this to be from vinna in the sense ‘to serve, attend to’. Óttarr would thus be asking that the king should not have food sent to him again, since all he gives is nuts. Certainly this gives a more subtle reading than the rather stark niðrat.

oss ‘us’

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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our

[7] niðrat oss: ‘[…]s’ NRA52

í ‘’

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í (prep.): in, into

notes

[7] í ǫðru ‘again’: Lit. ‘in another [matter]’.

ǫðru ‘again’

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2. annarr (num. ordinal): second, other

notes

[7] í ǫðru ‘again’: Lit. ‘in another [matter]’.

ís ‘ice’

(not checked:)
íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice < Ísland (noun n.): [Iceland, ice-land]

kennings

notes

[8] íslands ‘of the ice-land [SEA]’: The kenning is paralleled by ísheimr ‘ice-world [SEA]’ in Gamlkan Has 32/2^VII, but there may also be word-play here on Ísland ‘Iceland’. Vísi íslands in the sense ‘ruler of the sea’ assumed here would be an unusual ruler-kenning, but one which can accommodate the qualifying adj. mikils. Vísi Íslands would be a more familiar type of ruler-kenning (cf. Meissner 353), but the grounds on which Óláfr might claim to be ruler of Iceland are unclear (see EValg Lv and Eþver Lv 1 for his territorial ambitions in that direction). Conceivably, Íslands could qualify oss ‘us’ (i.e. Óttarr and Sigvatr), giving the sense ‘sovereign, do not humiliate those of us from mighty Iceland’.

ís ‘ice’

(not checked:)
íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice < Ísland (noun n.): [Iceland, ice-land]

kennings

notes

[8] íslands ‘of the ice-land [SEA]’: The kenning is paralleled by ísheimr ‘ice-world [SEA]’ in Gamlkan Has 32/2^VII, but there may also be word-play here on Ísland ‘Iceland’. Vísi íslands in the sense ‘ruler of the sea’ assumed here would be an unusual ruler-kenning, but one which can accommodate the qualifying adj. mikils. Vísi Íslands would be a more familiar type of ruler-kenning (cf. Meissner 353), but the grounds on which Óláfr might claim to be ruler of Iceland are unclear (see EValg Lv and Eþver Lv 1 for his territorial ambitions in that direction). Conceivably, Íslands could qualify oss ‘us’ (i.e. Óttarr and Sigvatr), giving the sense ‘sovereign, do not humiliate those of us from mighty Iceland’.

lands ‘land’

(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land < Ísland (noun n.): [Iceland, ice-land]

kennings

notes

[8] íslands ‘of the ice-land [SEA]’: The kenning is paralleled by ísheimr ‘ice-world [SEA]’ in Gamlkan Has 32/2^VII, but there may also be word-play here on Ísland ‘Iceland’. Vísi íslands in the sense ‘ruler of the sea’ assumed here would be an unusual ruler-kenning, but one which can accommodate the qualifying adj. mikils. Vísi Íslands would be a more familiar type of ruler-kenning (cf. Meissner 353), but the grounds on which Óláfr might claim to be ruler of Iceland are unclear (see EValg Lv and Eþver Lv 1 for his territorial ambitions in that direction). Conceivably, Íslands could qualify oss ‘us’ (i.e. Óttarr and Sigvatr), giving the sense ‘sovereign, do not humiliate those of us from mighty Iceland’.

lands ‘land’

(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land < Ísland (noun n.): [Iceland, ice-land]

kennings

notes

[8] íslands ‘of the ice-land [SEA]’: The kenning is paralleled by ísheimr ‘ice-world [SEA]’ in Gamlkan Has 32/2^VII, but there may also be word-play here on Ísland ‘Iceland’. Vísi íslands in the sense ‘ruler of the sea’ assumed here would be an unusual ruler-kenning, but one which can accommodate the qualifying adj. mikils. Vísi Íslands would be a more familiar type of ruler-kenning (cf. Meissner 353), but the grounds on which Óláfr might claim to be ruler of Iceland are unclear (see EValg Lv and Eþver Lv 1 for his territorial ambitions in that direction). Conceivably, Íslands could qualify oss ‘us’ (i.e. Óttarr and Sigvatr), giving the sense ‘sovereign, do not humiliate those of us from mighty Iceland’.

mikils ‘of the great’

(not checked:)
mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large

kennings

mikils ‘of the great’

(not checked:)
mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large

kennings

vísi ‘sovereign’

(not checked:)
vísi (noun m.; °-a): leader

[8] vísi: so Flat, DG8, vísir 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ, Tóm, ‘[…]’ NRA52

kennings