Judith Jesch (ed.) 2009, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson, Lausavísur 13’ 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. 590-1.
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
[1, 4] ríða ofan of ǫxl ‘swing down from his shoulder’: The meaning ‘swing’ is well attested for ríða (LP); the warrior is presumably depicted as just about to strike a blow, or in mid-strike.
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ǫxl (noun f.; °axlar, dat. -u; axlir): shoulder
[1, 4] ríða ofan of ǫxl ‘swing down from his shoulder’: The meaning ‘swing’ is well attested for ríða (LP); the warrior is presumably depicted as just about to strike a blow, or in mid-strike.
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
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útarr (adv.): further out
[1, 8] útar; framar ‘further out; further forward’: Útar is construed with á tjaldi, rather than meaning that the man stands ‘just inside the dwelling’, as Poole (2006, 153) would have it, while framar is taken to refer to the swinging/striking motion with the sword that the warrior depicted will not complete.
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aldrœnn (adj.): old, elderly
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3. á (prep.): on, at
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tjald (noun n.; °-s; *-): tent, awning
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sigr (noun m.; °sigrs/sigrar, dat. sigri; sigrar): victory < sigfreyr (noun m.)
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Freyr (noun m.): (a god) < sigfreyr (noun m.)
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Svǫlnir (noun m.): Svǫlnir
[3] Svǫlnis: so R702ˣ, ‘saudins’ Flat
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Svǫlnir (noun m.): Svǫlnir
[3] Svǫlnis: so R702ˣ, ‘saudins’ Flat
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2. Vár (noun f.; °-s; -): a goddess
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2. Vár (noun f.; °-s; -): a goddess
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2. slíðr (noun n.; °; -): sheath < slíðrvǫndr (adj.)
[4] slíðrvǫnd ‘scabbard-wand’: LP translates this as frygtelig vånd ‘dreadful wand’ (similarly Poole 2006, 148). While this meaning of slíðr (as a compounding epithet) predominates in earlier poetry, the meaning ‘scabbard’ is better attested in the C12th, including several examples in Rǫgnvaldr’s own poetry (st. 17 below; RvHbreiðm Hl 18, 71, 74III), both as a simplex and in kennings. Admittedly, the resulting kenning is imperfect, as it contains an extra determinant, Svǫlnis Vára ‘Svǫlnir’s Várs’, and Poole’s solution remains a possibility.
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vǫndr (noun m.; °vandar, dat. vendi/vǫnd; vendir, acc. vǫndu/vendi): rod, want, mast < slíðrvǫndr (adj.)
[4] slíðrvǫnd ‘scabbard-wand’: LP translates this as frygtelig vånd ‘dreadful wand’ (similarly Poole 2006, 148). While this meaning of slíðr (as a compounding epithet) predominates in earlier poetry, the meaning ‘scabbard’ is better attested in the C12th, including several examples in Rǫgnvaldr’s own poetry (st. 17 below; RvHbreiðm Hl 18, 71, 74III), both as a simplex and in kennings. Admittedly, the resulting kenning is imperfect, as it contains an extra determinant, Svǫlnis Vára ‘Svǫlnir’s Várs’, and Poole’s solution remains a possibility.
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ofan (adv.): down
[1, 4] ríða ofan of ǫxl ‘swing down from his shoulder’: The meaning ‘swing’ is well attested for ríða (LP); the warrior is presumably depicted as just about to strike a blow, or in mid-strike.
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1. ríða (verb): ride
[1, 4] ríða ofan of ǫxl ‘swing down from his shoulder’: The meaning ‘swing’ is well attested for ríða (LP); the warrior is presumably depicted as just about to strike a blow, or in mid-strike.
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3. eigi (adv.): not
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munu (verb): will, must
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þótt (conj.): although
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œgir (noun m.): terrifier
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ǫr (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; ǫrvar/ǫrar): arrow < ǫrbeiðandi (noun m.)
[6] ǫrbeiðanda ‘of arrow-requesters’: Bibire 1988 interprets the first element as ‘arrow’ (ǫr f.), but admits the possibility that it means ‘eager’ (as in LP), Poole (2006, 147) translates it as ‘frenzied’, while both Skj B and ÍF 34 paraphrase the whole expression rather than translating. While the adj. ǫrr, meaning both ‘quick’ (and therefore ‘bold, brave’) and ‘generous’ is used elsewhere by Rv (cf. sts 1/1, 12/6), both as a simplex and as the first element in a cpd, a weapon-word seems most appropriate in this context.
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ǫr (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; ǫrvar/ǫrar): arrow < ǫrbeiðandi (noun m.)
[6] ǫrbeiðanda ‘of arrow-requesters’: Bibire 1988 interprets the first element as ‘arrow’ (ǫr f.), but admits the possibility that it means ‘eager’ (as in LP), Poole (2006, 147) translates it as ‘frenzied’, while both Skj B and ÍF 34 paraphrase the whole expression rather than translating. While the adj. ǫrr, meaning both ‘quick’ (and therefore ‘bold, brave’) and ‘generous’ is used elsewhere by Rv (cf. sts 1/1, 12/6), both as a simplex and as the first element in a cpd, a weapon-word seems most appropriate in this context.
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beiðandi (noun m.): requester, petitioner < ǫrbeiðandi (noun m.)
[6] ǫrbeiðanda ‘of arrow-requesters’: Bibire 1988 interprets the first element as ‘arrow’ (ǫr f.), but admits the possibility that it means ‘eager’ (as in LP), Poole (2006, 147) translates it as ‘frenzied’, while both Skj B and ÍF 34 paraphrase the whole expression rather than translating. While the adj. ǫrr, meaning both ‘quick’ (and therefore ‘bold, brave’) and ‘generous’ is used elsewhere by Rv (cf. sts 1/1, 12/6), both as a simplex and as the first element in a cpd, a weapon-word seems most appropriate in this context.
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beiðandi (noun m.): requester, petitioner < ǫrbeiðandi (noun m.)
[6] ǫrbeiðanda ‘of arrow-requesters’: Bibire 1988 interprets the first element as ‘arrow’ (ǫr f.), but admits the possibility that it means ‘eager’ (as in LP), Poole (2006, 147) translates it as ‘frenzied’, while both Skj B and ÍF 34 paraphrase the whole expression rather than translating. While the adj. ǫrr, meaning both ‘quick’ (and therefore ‘bold, brave’) and ‘generous’ is used elsewhere by Rv (cf. sts 1/1, 12/6), both as a simplex and as the first element in a cpd, a weapon-word seems most appropriate in this context.
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4. reiða (verb): make angry
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brík (noun f.; °-ar; -r): plank < bríkrunnr (noun m.)
[7] brík‑: blik Flat, R702ˣ
[7] bríkruðr ‘plank-tree’: The emendation of blik- ‘shimmer’ to brík ‘plank’ rather than of œgir ‘threatener’ to ægis ‘of the sea’ (l. 5), as in Skj B, Skald, ÍF 34 and Poole 2006, provides a warrior-kenning which is more appropriate to the content of the st. than the generous man-kenning of those interpretations. The emendation also simplifies the w. o. considerably and avoids an awkward tripartite l. (l. 5).
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brík (noun f.; °-ar; -r): plank < bríkrunnr (noun m.)
[7] brík‑: blik Flat, R702ˣ
[7] bríkruðr ‘plank-tree’: The emendation of blik- ‘shimmer’ to brík ‘plank’ rather than of œgir ‘threatener’ to ægis ‘of the sea’ (l. 5), as in Skj B, Skald, ÍF 34 and Poole 2006, provides a warrior-kenning which is more appropriate to the content of the st. than the generous man-kenning of those interpretations. The emendation also simplifies the w. o. considerably and avoids an awkward tripartite l. (l. 5).
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runnr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): bush, tree < bríkrunnr (noun m.)
[7] ‑ruðr: ‑rauðr R702ˣ
[7] bríkruðr ‘plank-tree’: The emendation of blik- ‘shimmer’ to brík ‘plank’ rather than of œgir ‘threatener’ to ægis ‘of the sea’ (l. 5), as in Skj B, Skald, ÍF 34 and Poole 2006, provides a warrior-kenning which is more appropriate to the content of the st. than the generous man-kenning of those interpretations. The emendation also simplifies the w. o. considerably and avoids an awkward tripartite l. (l. 5).
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bǫð (noun f.; °-s; -): battle
[7] bǫðvar*: bǫðvars Flat, ‘bodvir’ R702ˣ
[7] bǫðvar* ‘of battle’: This emendation is first found (though not noted as such) in Orkn 1887.
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bǫð (noun f.; °-s; -): battle
[7] bǫðvar*: bǫðvars Flat, ‘bodvir’ R702ˣ
[7] bǫðvar* ‘of battle’: This emendation is first found (though not noted as such) in Orkn 1887.
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bǫð (noun f.; °-s; -): battle
[7] bǫðvar*: bǫðvars Flat, ‘bodvir’ R702ˣ
[7] bǫðvar* ‘of battle’: This emendation is first found (though not noted as such) in Orkn 1887.
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jǫkull (noun m.; °-s, dat. jǫkli; jǫklar): glacier
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jǫkull (noun m.; °-s, dat. jǫkli; jǫklar): glacier
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jǫkull (noun m.; °-s, dat. jǫkli; jǫklar): glacier
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bein (noun n.; °-s; -): bone < beinrangr (adj.)
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rangr (adj.): wrong, false < beinrangr (adj.)
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framr (adj.; °compar. framari/fremri, superl. framastr/fremstr): outstanding, foremost
[1, 8] útar; framar ‘further out; further forward’: Útar is construed with á tjaldi, rather than meaning that the man stands ‘just inside the dwelling’, as Poole (2006, 153) would have it, while framar is taken to refer to the swinging/striking motion with the sword that the warrior depicted will not complete.
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Lætr of ǫxl, sás útar, |
The elderly battle-Freyr <= god> [WARRIOR] who stands further out on the tapestry lets his scabbard-wand of Svǫlnir’s <= Óðinn’s> Várs <goddesses> [VALKYRIES > SWORD] swing down from his shoulder. The bandy-legged tree of the plank of the glaciers of battle [(lit. ‘plank-tree of the glaciers of battle’) SWORDS > SHIELD > WARRIOR] will not go further forward even if the threatener of arrow-requesters [WARRIORS > WARRIOR] gets angry.
At Christmas time, Rǫgnvaldr jarl challenged Oddi to compose a st. (Oddi Lv 1) about one of his wall-hangings, at the same time as, and without using any of the words in, Rǫgnvaldr’s own st. on the same subject.
Both this st. and Oddi Lv 1 are interpreted here as referring to a wall-hanging that depicts a warrior prepared to attack a person or persons unknown. Rǫgnvaldr’s st. seems to make the point that, because of the static nature of the image, the warrior will never carry out his threat, however angry he gets. Oddi’s st. has more detail (the warrior is standing by a door, presumably to attack whoever comes out) and the poet enters into the spirit of the pictorial narrative by assuming an ongoing, rather than a static, situation. Detailed discussion of both sts, including previous interpretations and new readings of both, is offered by Poole 2006. The st. has clearly suffered in transmission and is impossible to construe without some kind of emendation; the interpretation offered here is one of several conceivable.
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