RvHbreiðm Hl 74III
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill 74’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1084.
Slíðrar ‘of the scabbard’
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2. slíðr (noun n.; °; -): sheath
kennings
Snarpar tungur slíðrar‘Sharp tongues of the scabbard ’
= SWORDS
Sharp tongues of the scabbard → SWORDS
notes
[1] slíðrar (f. gen. sg.) ‘of the scabbard’: Following a suggestion by Sveinbjörn Egilsson (SnE 1848, 247), Skj B and Skald read slíðra (gen. pl.) ‘of the scabbard(s)’. The reason for that emendation is that this word usually occurs in the pl. (slíðr n. pl.; slíðrar or slíðrir f. pl.). However, slíðrar (f. gen. sg., ō-stem) is also possible (see ANG §375), but the final ‑r may be inorganic here (see Note to st. 8/4). See also Note to st. 18/5 for the sword-kenning ‘tongue of the scabbards’.
tungur ‘tongues’
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tunga (noun f.; °-u; -ur): tongue, language
kennings
Snarpar tungur slíðrar‘Sharp tongues of the scabbard ’
= SWORDS
Sharp tongues of the scabbard → SWORDS
snarpar ‘Sharp’
(not checked:)
snarpr (adj.): sharp, keen
kennings
Snarpar tungur slíðrar‘Sharp tongues of the scabbard ’
= SWORDS
Sharp tongues of the scabbard → SWORDS
gengu ‘wagged’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
sullu ‘swelled’
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sulla (verb): surge
notes
[2] benjar sullu ‘wounds swelled’: See Note to st. 41/6. For the ms. spelling of benjar (‘bæiniar’), see Note to st. 49/5.
benjar ‘wounds’
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1. ben (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -; -jar , gen. -a(var. EiðKrC 402¹³: AM 77 4° D)): wound
[2] benjar: ‘bæiniar’ corrected from ‘bæniar’ papp25ˣ, ‘bæiniar’ R683ˣ
notes
[2] benjar sullu ‘wounds swelled’: See Note to st. 41/6. For the ms. spelling of benjar (‘bæiniar’), see Note to st. 49/5.
hlífðir ‘shields’
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hlífð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): shield
notes
[2] hlífðir ‘shields’: See Note to st. 39/6.
gullu ‘resounded’
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gjalla (verb): to scream, shriek; to repay, return, pay for
hilmir ‘the ruler’
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hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector
vakði ‘stirred up’
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4. vaka (verb): awaken
hneitir ‘the sword’
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hneitir (noun m.): sword
notes
[3] hneitir ‘the sword’: See Note to st. 17/2.
rakði ‘spread’
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2. raka (verb)
hjǫrva ‘of swords’
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hjǫrr (noun m.): sword
kennings
salma hjǫrva.‘psalms of swords. ’
= BATTLES
psalms of swords. → BATTLES
salma ‘psalms’
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salmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): [psalms]
kennings
salma hjǫrva.‘psalms of swords. ’
= BATTLES
psalms of swords. → BATTLES
notes
[4] salma ‘psalms’: See sts 25/6 and 54/8 above.
kennings
skúrir malma;‘showers of weapons; ’
= BATTLES
showers of weapons; → BATTLES
notes
[4] skúrir (f. acc. pl.) ‘showers’: Skúri has been emended to skúrir (f. acc. pl.) ‘showers’ with earlier eds. In North Icelandic, this noun can be declined as a m. a-stem (m. acc. pl. skúra), but not as a m. i-stem (see Hl 1941). It is possible that the ms. spelling of the word reflects loss of final ‑r (see Note to st. 5/2).
malma ‘of weapons’
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malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal
kennings
skúrir malma;‘showers of weapons; ’
= BATTLES
showers of weapons; → BATTLES
Hyggju ‘of thought’
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1. hyggja (noun f.; °-u; -ur): thought, mind
kennings
harða veggi knarrar hyggju,‘the hard walls of the ship of thought, ’
= CHESTS
the ship of thought, → HEART
the hard walls of the HEART → CHESTS
Hyggju ‘of thought’
(not checked:)
1. hyggja (noun f.; °-u; -ur): thought, mind
kennings
harða veggi knarrar hyggju,‘the hard walls of the ship of thought, ’
= CHESTS
the ship of thought, → HEART
the hard walls of the HEART → CHESTS
knarrar ‘of the ship’
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knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
[5] knarrar: ‘karrar’ papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
kennings
harða veggi knarrar hyggju,‘the hard walls of the ship of thought, ’
= CHESTS
the ship of thought, → HEART
the hard walls of the HEART → CHESTS
knarrar ‘of the ship’
(not checked:)
knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
[5] knarrar: ‘karrar’ papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
kennings
harða veggi knarrar hyggju,‘the hard walls of the ship of thought, ’
= CHESTS
the ship of thought, → HEART
the hard walls of the HEART → CHESTS
harða ‘the hard’
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
kennings
harða veggi knarrar hyggju,‘the hard walls of the ship of thought, ’
= CHESTS
the ship of thought, → HEART
the hard walls of the HEART → CHESTS
veggi ‘walls’
(not checked:)
1. veggr (noun m.; °-jar/-s(Páll²A 257³³), dat. -/-i(kun defin.); -ir): wall
kennings
harða veggi knarrar hyggju,‘the hard walls of the ship of thought, ’
= CHESTS
the ship of thought, → HEART
the hard walls of the HEART → CHESTS
hjoggu ‘cut’
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hǫggva (verb): to strike, put to death, cut, hew
sverðum ‘with swords’
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
vísa ‘The leader’s’
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vísi (noun m.; °-a): leader
ferðir ‘companies’
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ferð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-arMork 196¹²)): host, journey
vægðar ‘to grant mercy’
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vægð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): mercy
valskrar ‘of French’
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valskr (adj.): foreign, French
[7] valskrar: valskar papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
þjóðar ‘people’
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þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
[7] þjóðar: ‘þioder’ papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
varg ‘for the wolf’
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vargr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): wolf
[8] varg at: veigar papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
notes
[8] varg at tafni ‘as food for the wolf’: This interpretation follows Hl 1941. Skj B emends ‘væigar tafne’ (l. 7) to veigar hrafna ‘of the ravens’ intoxicant [BLOOD]’ as a qualifier to knífum (‘knives of blood’ i.e. ‘swords’; so also Skald). As Jón Helgason points out (Hl 1941), the reading tafni ‘carrion’ is supported by both mss, and Rugman may have misread varg at as ‘væigar’. For varg (m. dat. sg.) ‘wolf’, see ANG §358.3.
notes
[8] varg at tafni ‘as food for the wolf’: This interpretation follows Hl 1941. Skj B emends ‘væigar tafne’ (l. 7) to veigar hrafna ‘of the ravens’ intoxicant [BLOOD]’ as a qualifier to knífum (‘knives of blood’ i.e. ‘swords’; so also Skald). As Jón Helgason points out (Hl 1941), the reading tafni ‘carrion’ is supported by both mss, and Rugman may have misread varg at as ‘væigar’. For varg (m. dat. sg.) ‘wolf’, see ANG §358.3.
tafni ‘food’
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tafn (noun n.; °-s; *-): carrion
notes
[8] varg at tafni ‘as food for the wolf’: This interpretation follows Hl 1941. Skj B emends ‘væigar tafne’ (l. 7) to veigar hrafna ‘of the ravens’ intoxicant [BLOOD]’ as a qualifier to knífum (‘knives of blood’ i.e. ‘swords’; so also Skald). As Jón Helgason points out (Hl 1941), the reading tafni ‘carrion’ is supported by both mss, and Rugman may have misread varg at as ‘væigar’. For varg (m. dat. sg.) ‘wolf’, see ANG §358.3.
knífum ‘by knives’
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knífr (noun m.; °-s dat. -i; -ar): knife
grafna ‘incised’
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grafa (verb): to dig, earth, bury
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Sharp tongues of the scabbard [SWORDS] wagged; wounds swelled; shields resounded; the ruler stirred up showers of weapons [BATTLES]; the sword spread psalms of swords [BATTLES]. The leader’s companies, reluctant to grant mercy, cut with swords the hard walls of the ship of thought [HEART > CHESTS], incised by knives, of French people as food for the wolf.
As st. 73 above.
The stanza commemorates Óláfr’s early campaigns in France and further south (see ÓH 1941, I, 48-50; ÓHHkr, chs 16-20, ÍF 27, 22-7; Sigv Víkv 10-14I; Ótt Hfl 12I). — [2, 5]: These two lines have internal rhyme in positions 1 and 5 (rather than in positions 3 and 5). — [5-8]: The second helmingr is problematic and the present interpretation is conjectural. (a) The ms. reading ‘karrar’ (l. 5) cannot be construed as an Old Norse word and appears to be a misreading of knarrar (f. gen. sg.) ‘of the ship’ (emendation in keeping with earlier eds). The kenning veggi knarrar hyggju ‘the walls of the ship of thought [HEART > CHESTS]’ (l. 5) follows the interpretation of Finnur Jónsson (Skj B; LP: knǫrr; veggr). Finnur also emends valskar þjóðir (f. nom. or acc. pl.) ‘French people’ (l. 7) to valskrar þjóðar (f. gen. sg.) as a genitival phrase qualifying ‘chests’, which has been adopted in the present edn (so also Skald). It could well be that the rendering of this phrase in the mss reflects Norwegian forms (vowel reduction in unstressed syllables þjóðar > þjóðer and reduction of the gen. inflectional ending ‑rar > ‑ar, which is found in the oldest Norwegian mss). See Holtsmark in Hl 1941, 110. (b) Jón Helgason (Hl 1941) believed that veggi knarrar hyggju was a kenning for ‘shields’ (‘the walls of the ship of thought [CHESTS > SHIELDS]’) which had been engraved with knives (grafna knífum). He also retains the acc. pl. valskar þjóðar ‘French people’ (l. 7), qualified by trauðar vægðar ‘reluctant to grant mercy’ (l. 7) and takes this as a second object of hjoggu ‘cut, hew’ (l. 6): ‘the leader’s troops cut the decorated shields, [and] French people, reluctant to grant mercy’. This is less preferable from a syntactic point of view and, furthermore, the company performing the slaughter is more likely than the victims to be reluctant to grant mercy.
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