Anon Krm 23VIII
Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Krákumál 23’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 764.
Hjuggu ‘hewed’
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hǫggva (verb): to strike, put to death, cut, hew
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. v. m. h’ R702ˣ, (?) abbrev. as ‘H(’) v(’) m(’)d hiorui’ 147(108v), Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
vér ‘We’
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. v. m. h’ R702ˣ, (?) abbrev. as ‘H(’) v(’) m(’)d hiorui’ 147(108v), Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
með ‘with’
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með (prep.): with
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. v. m. h’ R702ˣ, (?) abbrev. as ‘H(’) v(’) m(’)d hiorui’ 147(108v), Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
hjörvi ‘the sword’
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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword
[1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘H. v. m. h’ R702ˣ, (?) abbrev. as ‘H(’) v(’) m(’)d hiorui’ 147(108v), Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
Hitt ‘This’
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2. inn (art.): the
tel ‘consider’
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telja (verb): tell, count
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
jafnt ‘fair’
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jafnt (adv.): constantly, always
at ‘that’
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4. at (conj.): that
gangi ‘should go’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
at ‘at’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
notes
[3] at samtogi sverða ‘at the drawing together of swords [BATTLE]’: Exactly the same line is at OStór 11/3 and Egill Lv 41/7V (Eg 71); cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 68). The implication of samtog is ‘a mutually hostile drawing of swords’.
sam ‘together’
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samr (adj.; °compar. -ari): same < samtog (noun n.)
[3] samtogi: ‘sam(togi)’(?) 147(103r), ‘samtoger’ LR, ‘samtoga’ R693ˣ
kennings
samtogi sverða.‘the drawing together of swords. ’
= BATTLE
the drawing together of swords. → BATTLE
notes
[3] at samtogi sverða ‘at the drawing together of swords [BATTLE]’: Exactly the same line is at OStór 11/3 and Egill Lv 41/7V (Eg 71); cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 68). The implication of samtog is ‘a mutually hostile drawing of swords’.
togi ‘the drawing’
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tog (noun n.; °; dat. -um): leader < samtog (noun n.)
[3] samtogi: ‘sam(togi)’(?) 147(103r), ‘samtoger’ LR, ‘samtoga’ R693ˣ
kennings
samtogi sverða.‘the drawing together of swords. ’
= BATTLE
the drawing together of swords. → BATTLE
notes
[3] at samtogi sverða ‘at the drawing together of swords [BATTLE]’: Exactly the same line is at OStór 11/3 and Egill Lv 41/7V (Eg 71); cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 68). The implication of samtog is ‘a mutually hostile drawing of swords’.
sverða ‘of swords’
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
kennings
samtogi sverða.‘the drawing together of swords. ’
= BATTLE
the drawing together of swords. → BATTLE
notes
[3] at samtogi sverða ‘at the drawing together of swords [BATTLE]’: Exactly the same line is at OStór 11/3 and Egill Lv 41/7V (Eg 71); cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 68). The implication of samtog is ‘a mutually hostile drawing of swords’.
sveinn ‘one lad’
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sveinn (noun m.; °sveins; sveinar): boy, servant, attendant
[4] sveinn í móti einum: ‘sueinn at moti einum’ 147(103r), ‘Sveirn j mote sveine’ 6ˣ, ‘Sueinum i móte einum’ R693ˣ
í ‘against’
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í (prep.): in, into
[4] sveinn í móti einum: ‘sueinn at moti einum’ 147(103r), ‘Sveirn j mote sveine’ 6ˣ, ‘Sueinum i móte einum’ R693ˣ
móti ‘’
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móti (prep.): against
[4] sveinn í móti einum: ‘sueinn at moti einum’ 147(103r), ‘Sveirn j mote sveine’ 6ˣ, ‘Sueinum i móte einum’ R693ˣ
einum ‘another’
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
[4] sveinn í móti einum: ‘sueinn at moti einum’ 147(103r), ‘Sveirn j mote sveine’ 6ˣ, ‘Sueinum i móte einum’ R693ˣ
notes
[4] einum ‘another’: This is the m. dat. sg. of einn ‘one’, here used substantivally in the sense of ‘another one’. This reading has been adopted in previous eds from Finnur Jónsson (1893b) onwards, while 6ˣ’s sveini, which produces two alliterating staves in an even line, was adopted by earlier eds up to and including Wisén (1886-9).
Hrøkkvi ‘should not give way’
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1. hrøkkva (verb): coil
[5] Hrøkkvi ei þegn fyrir þegni: ‘hraucki þegn fyrir [...]gni’ 147(103r), Hrøkkvat þegn fyrir þegni 6ˣ
ei ‘One’
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3. ei (adv.): not
[5] Hrøkkvi ei þegn fyrir þegni: ‘hraucki þegn fyrir [...]gni’ 147(103r), Hrøkkvat þegn fyrir þegni 6ˣ
þegn ‘warrior’
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þegn (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ar): thane, man, franklin
[5] Hrøkkvi ei þegn fyrir þegni: ‘hraucki þegn fyrir [...]gni’ 147(103r), Hrøkkvat þegn fyrir þegni 6ˣ
fyrir ‘to’
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fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of
[5] Hrøkkvi ei þegn fyrir þegni: ‘hraucki þegn fyrir [...]gni’ 147(103r), Hrøkkvat þegn fyrir þegni 6ˣ
þegni ‘another’
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þegn (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ar): thane, man, franklin
[5] Hrøkkvi ei þegn fyrir þegni: ‘hraucki þegn fyrir [...]gni’ 147(103r), Hrøkkvat þegn fyrir þegni 6ˣ
þat ‘that’
[6] þat var drengs aðal lengi: ‘þad er drengs adal (leng)[...]’(?) 147(103r)
var ‘was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[6] þat var drengs aðal lengi: ‘þad er drengs adal (leng)[...]’(?) 147(103r)
drengs ‘of a hero’
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
[6] þat var drengs aðal lengi: ‘þad er drengs adal (leng)[...]’(?) 147(103r)
aðal ‘the nature’
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aðal (noun n.): inherited land; Æthel-
[6] þat var drengs aðal lengi: ‘þad er drengs adal (leng)[...]’(?) 147(103r)
lengi ‘always’
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lengi (adv.): for a long time
[6] þat var drengs aðal lengi: ‘þad er drengs adal (leng)[...]’(?) 147(103r)
skal ‘should’
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skulu (verb): shall, should, must
[7] skal ástvinr meyja: ‘skal [...] astvi(n)ur meyiar’(?) 147(103r)
ástvinr ‘the dear friend’
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ástvinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -; -ir): dear friend
[7] skal ástvinr meyja: ‘skal [...] astvi(n)ur meyiar’(?) 147(103r)
kennings
ástvinr meyja‘the dear friend of maidens ’
= LOVER
the dear friend of maidens → LOVER
notes
[7] ástvinr meyja ‘the dear friend of maidens [LOVER]’: This is one of the three cases, listed by Meissner 351 as unique in skaldic poetry, of kennings meaning ‘lover’ or ‘beloved’ being used where warrior-kennings would be expected, the other two being the kennings in st. 20/3, 4 (see Note there). It is possible that these three kennings may reflect the influence of the medieval conception of the hero as a knight who does service on behalf of women. As indicated above, the argument of st. 20 seems to be that the lover or beloved of women should be in no doubt about the contrast between fighting in battle and consorting with women. There is hardly a hint of this contrast in the present stanza, however, so that the kenning meaning ‘lover’ makes a stranger impression here than those in st. 20. The word ástvinr occurs in the pl. in the neutral sense ‘dear friends’ in Egill St 7/4V (Eg 78), and in the sg. as the base-word in a ruler-kenning (‘beloved friend of people’) in Mark Eirdr 21II; it also occurs not infrequently in Christian religious contexts, see LP: ástvinr; Gamlkan Has 47/4VII and Note; and Anon Lil 37/5VII and Note.
meyja ‘of maidens’
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mær (noun f.; °meyjar, dat. meyju; meyjar): maiden
[7] skal ástvinr meyja: ‘skal [...] astvi(n)ur meyiar’(?) 147(103r)
kennings
ástvinr meyja‘the dear friend of maidens ’
= LOVER
the dear friend of maidens → LOVER
notes
[7] ástvinr meyja ‘the dear friend of maidens [LOVER]’: This is one of the three cases, listed by Meissner 351 as unique in skaldic poetry, of kennings meaning ‘lover’ or ‘beloved’ being used where warrior-kennings would be expected, the other two being the kennings in st. 20/3, 4 (see Note there). It is possible that these three kennings may reflect the influence of the medieval conception of the hero as a knight who does service on behalf of women. As indicated above, the argument of st. 20 seems to be that the lover or beloved of women should be in no doubt about the contrast between fighting in battle and consorting with women. There is hardly a hint of this contrast in the present stanza, however, so that the kenning meaning ‘lover’ makes a stranger impression here than those in st. 20. The word ástvinr occurs in the pl. in the neutral sense ‘dear friends’ in Egill St 7/4V (Eg 78), and in the sg. as the base-word in a ruler-kenning (‘beloved friend of people’) in Mark Eirdr 21II; it also occurs not infrequently in Christian religious contexts, see LP: ástvinr; Gamlkan Has 47/4VII and Note; and Anon Lil 37/5VII and Note.
einarðr ‘be resolute’
[8] einarðr: öndverðr 147(103r), einharðr 6ˣ
dyn ‘the din’
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dynr (noun m.; °dat. -; -ir): din
[8] í dyn sverða: ‘j dyz suerd[...]’ 147(103r)
kennings
dyn sverða.‘the din of swords. ’
= BATTLE
the din of swords. → BATTLE
sverða ‘of swords’
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
[8] í dyn sverða: ‘j dyz suerd[...]’ 147(103r)
kennings
dyn sverða.‘the din of swords. ’
= BATTLE
the din of swords. → BATTLE
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. |
We hewed with the sword. This I consider fair, that one lad should go against another at the drawing together of swords [BATTLE]. One warrior should not give way to another; that was always the nature of a hero; the dear friend of maidens [LOVER] should always be resolute in the din of swords [BATTLE].
In 147(108v, l. 25) the first two words of st. 1/9, Stakk ek ‘I thrust’, appear in abbreviated form between the present stanza and st. 22, see first Note to st. 1/9-10. — With the possible exception of 147, in which there is illegible text immediately following l. 8 of st. 23 (see st. 16, Note to [All] above), the mss leave little doubt that this is an eight-line stanza. Previous eds have treated it as such apart from Rafn (1826) and the eds of CPB. — [5]: The repetition in this line’s penultimate syllable of þegn ‘warrior’, occurring earlier in the line, appears to be an example of samhending or samhenda, i.e. ‘coincidental rhyme’ (so Faulkes in SnE 2007, 137), i.e. rhyme falling on the same syllable as the alliteration and in cases of full rhyme producing identical syllables. Other examples are found in RvHbreiðm Hl 57-8III and SnSt Ht 46-8III; see further SnE 2007, 52. — [7]: This line exemplifies the consonantless internal half-rhyme (skothending: here on <æ> 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) and cf. the Note to st. 3/9-10, above.
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