Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill 7’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1015.
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Gunnarr (noun m.): Gunnarr
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
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grund (noun f.): earth, land
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linnr (noun m.): snake
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2. gæta (verb): look after, care for
[2] gætti: gætti hann papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
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vel (adv.): well, very
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digr (adj.; °digran; compar. digrari, superl. digrastr): fat, large
[2] digra (‘dijgra’): so R683ˣ, corrected from ‘dijrra’ papp25ˣ
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Faðmir (noun m.): [snake, Faðmir]
[3] Faðmis ‘Faðmir’s <serpent’s>’: This is an attested (mostly Norwegian) form of the name of the serpent Fáfnir (see Hl 1941 and Note to Anon Nkt 21/4II). The name of the serpent could have been used intentionally here, since the Niflung treasure originally belonged to Fáfnir before he was killed by Sigurðr (see sts 3-4 above).
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2. láð (noun n.): earth, land
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2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
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þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
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3. fár (adj.; °compar. fǽrri/fárri(Mág² 11), superl. fǽstr): few
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heldr (adv.): rather
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2. an (conj.): than
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skapligr (adj.): [fitting, shapely]
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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lestir (noun m.): damager, destroyer
[5] Lestir: lesti papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
[5] lestir ‘the destroyer’: Lesti (m. acc. or dat. sg.) ‘destroyer’ has been emended to m. nom. sg. to furnish the missing subject. For the loss of final <r>, see Note to st. 5/2.
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lestir (noun m.): damager, destroyer
[5] Lestir: lesti papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
[5] lestir ‘the destroyer’: Lesti (m. acc. or dat. sg.) ‘destroyer’ has been emended to m. nom. sg. to furnish the missing subject. For the loss of final <r>, see Note to st. 5/2.
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
[5] loks at ‘finally to’: This reading is conjectural and follows Skj B. The mss have lofðar (m. nom. pl.) ‘people’. Sveinbjörn Egilsson (SnE 1848, 239) suggested lofaðr (m. nom. sg.) ‘praiseworthy’, but that form is unmetrical (two short syllables carrying the second alliterating lift in an odd line). Kock (NN §2069) emended to lofdjarfr ‘fearless in his praise’, which is less preferable from the point of view of context and metre (two long syllables).
[5] loks at ‘finally to’: This reading is conjectural and follows Skj B. The mss have lofðar (m. nom. pl.) ‘people’. Sveinbjörn Egilsson (SnE 1848, 239) suggested lofaðr (m. nom. sg.) ‘praiseworthy’, but that form is unmetrical (two short syllables carrying the second alliterating lift in an odd line). Kock (NN §2069) emended to lofdjarfr ‘fearless in his praise’, which is less preferable from the point of view of context and metre (two long syllables).
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1. kasta (verb): throw
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lofðungr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, leader
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bragð (noun n.; °-s; *-): action, movement, trick
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ýtr (noun m.): man; launcher
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segja (verb): say, tell
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urð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): stones
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urð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): stones
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œskja (verb): [wish for] < œskijǫrð (noun f.): earth
[7] œskijǫrðu ‘the desired earth’: Note that <j> must have been a glide here, since it does not participate in the vocalic alliteration.
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jǫrð (noun f.; °jarðar, dat. -u; jarðir/jarðar(DN I (1367) 304)): ground, earth < œskijǫrð (noun f.): earth
[7] œskijǫrðu ‘the desired earth’: Note that <j> must have been a glide here, since it does not participate in the vocalic alliteration.
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út (adv.): out(side)
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3. á (prep.): on, at
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Rín (noun f.): [Rhine]
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Fenrir (noun m.): Fenrir
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1. sút (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): sorrow
[8] sútar: so R683ˣ, sútra corrected from súta papp25ˣ
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1. sút (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): sorrow
[8] sútar: so R683ˣ, sútra corrected from súta papp25ˣ
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Gunnarr réð grundu linna; |
Gunnarr governed the ground of snakes [GOLD]; he guarded the large treasures well; rather fewer people received Faðmir’s <serpent’s> land [GOLD] than was fitting. The destroyer of the sorrow [GLADDENER] of Fenrir <wolf> [WARRIOR] finally decided to throw the desired earth of the salmon of the rocky slope [SERPENT > GOLD] out into the Rhine; men recounted the ruses of the ruler.
The heading is draughent (‘Draughænt’) ‘ghost-’ or ‘trunk-rhymed’ (cf. SnSt Ht 65). Each line consists of seven syllables, and rhyme and alliteration fall as in dróttkvætt.
This metre is not attested outside of Hl and Ht. — Stanzas 7-8 commemorate Gunnarr Gjúkason’s actions after the death of Hǫgni (see sts 5-6 above, st. 5 Note to [All] and SnE 1998, I, 48-9). In Old Norse literature Gunnarr (MHG Gunther) was the brother of Hǫgni (see Gríp, Brot, Sigsk, Guðr II, Am, Akv, Vǫls and Þiðr). — [2]: As it stands in the mss the line has eight rather than seven syllables, and the pron. hann ‘he’ has been deleted in accordance with the principles of normalisation in the present edn. — [4]: The line is hypermetrical and Skj B (and Skald) deletes the adv. heldr ‘rather’. Because st. 8/5 has the same structure, however, the adv. has been retained in the present edn.
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