Judith Jesch (ed.) 2009, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson, Lausavísur 3’ 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. 578-9.
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hér (adv.): here
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hafa (verb): have
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
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rísta (verb): carve, raise
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harðgeðjaðr (adj.): strong-minded
[2, 4] harðgeðjuðum draug ‘to a strong-minded ghost’: There is no mention of a ghost in the prose anecdote and it is likely that the st. describes the building of the cairn as a prophylactic and propitiatory act against a possible, rather than actual, ghost. As well as being a general term for ‘ghost’, draugr refers specifically to the dead inhabitant of a mound or cairn (LP; Fritzner; CVC).
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3. verja (verb): defend
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Dolls (noun n.): [Dollsteins] < Dollshellir (noun m.)
[3] Dollshelli ‘Dollsteinshola’: Dollshellir lit. ‘Doll’s cave’ is given as the name of the cave in the prose and is taken so here (the cave is now called Dollsteinshola, on Sandsøya). Bibire 1988 prefers to construe Dolls with draug (l. 4) and translates ‘Dolls-zomby’.
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í (prep.): in, into
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døkkr (adj.; °-van; compar. -vari/-ari/-ri, superl. -vastr/-astr): dark
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hellir (noun m.; °-s/hells, dat. -i; -ar, acc. -a/-ra): cave < Dollshellir (noun m.)
[3] Dollshelli ‘Dollsteinshola’: Dollshellir lit. ‘Doll’s cave’ is given as the name of the cave in the prose and is taken so here (the cave is now called Dollsteinshola, on Sandsøya). Bibire 1988 prefers to construe Dolls with draug (l. 4) and translates ‘Dolls-zomby’.
[2, 4] harðgeðjuðum draug ‘to a strong-minded ghost’: There is no mention of a ghost in the prose anecdote and it is likely that the st. describes the building of the cairn as a prophylactic and propitiatory act against a possible, rather than actual, ghost. As well as being a general term for ‘ghost’, draugr refers specifically to the dead inhabitant of a mound or cairn (LP; Fritzner; CVC). — [4] draug ‘ghost’: Masculine a-stem nouns often have no ending in the dat. sg. (ANG §358.3).
[2, 4] harðgeðjuðum draug ‘to a strong-minded ghost’: There is no mention of a ghost in the prose anecdote and it is likely that the st. describes the building of the cairn as a prophylactic and propitiatory act against a possible, rather than actual, ghost. As well as being a general term for ‘ghost’, draugr refers specifically to the dead inhabitant of a mound or cairn (LP; Fritzner; CVC). — [4] draug ‘ghost’: Masculine a-stem nouns often have no ending in the dat. sg. (ANG §358.3).
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leita (verb): seek, look for, attack
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svá (adv.): so, thus
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baugr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): ring
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3. eigi (adv.): not
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
[5] veitk (‘veit ec’): veit Flat, R702ˣ
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2. unnr (noun f.): wave < unnskíð (noun n.)
[6] unn‑: so Flat, R702ˣ, und 325I
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2. unnr (noun f.): wave < unnskíð (noun n.)
[6] unn‑: so Flat, R702ˣ, und 325I
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skíð (noun n.; °; -): ski < unnskíð (noun n.)
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skíð (noun n.; °; -): ski < unnskíð (noun n.)
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fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel
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síðan (adv.): later, then
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langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long
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1. braut (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; -ir): path, way; away
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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ljótr (adj.): ugly
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leið (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir/-ar): path, way
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
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vatn (noun n.; °-s; -*): water, lake
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2. inn (art.): the
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breiðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): broad, wide
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Ch. 61 of Orkn describes an adventure Kali had when his ship was caught by the weather and had to anchor off the island of Dolls (now Sandsøya in Sunnmøre, Norway). The travellers entered a large cave on the island in expectation of much treasure (féván mikil), but only Kali and a companion dared to cross the large lake in the cave, which they did roped together, Kali holding a torch in his hand and with a strike-a-light on his back. Having crossed the lake, they had trouble lighting the torch and decided to go no further, but made a cairn to commemorate their visit.
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