Sigv Austv 1I
R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Austrfararvísur 1’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 583.
stóran ‘’
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stórr (adj.): large, great < hugstórr (adj.): mighty-hearted
stóra ‘the mighty’
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stórr (adj.): large, great < hugstórr (adj.): mighty-hearted
[1] ‑stóra: ‑stóran 61, ‑stóran corrected from stóra 325VII
læt ‘’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
lét ‘’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
biðk ‘I ask’
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biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray
[1] biðk (‘bið ec’): læt ek R686ˣ, lét ek 75a
heyja ‘’
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2. heyja (verb): fight, wage (battle)
hvers ‘’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
hress ‘of the energetic’
[2] hress‑: hvers 68, 61
notes
[2] hressfœrs jǫfurs ‘of the energetic ruler’: The nom. form hressfœrr/hresslyndr jǫfurr found in some mss may be vocative, and is adopted and treated as such by Noreen (1923, 34; also ÍF 27; Hkr 1991). An address to the king does not sit well with a request to the retinue for a hearing, however, and the gen. hressfœrs jǫfurs appears to have been the form known to Snorri, since the prose following the stanza implies that Sigvatr addresses the king in the next stanza, not this one.
fǫrs ‘’
lynds ‘’
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lyndr (adj.; °superl. -astr): minded < hresslyndr (adj.)
forst ‘’
fǫr ‘’
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fǫr (noun f.): journey, fate; movement
lyndr ‘’
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lyndr (adj.; °superl. -astr): minded < hresslyndr (adj.)
fors ‘’
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fors (noun m.): torrentfors (noun m.): torrent < hressfors (noun m.)
fœrr ‘’
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fœrr (adj.): capable < hressfœrr (adj.)
lundr ‘’
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1. lundr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar): grove, tree < hresslundr (noun m.)
fœrs ‘’
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fœrr (adj.): capable < hressfœrr (adj.)
[2] ‑fœrs: ‘fors’ Holm2, 325V, 972ˣ, 68, ‘fǫrs’ R686ˣ, ‑lynds 325VI, fǫr 75a, ‘forst’ 61, ‑lyndr Holm4, 325VII, Tóm, ‑lundr Flat, fœrr Kˣ, dýr Bb
notes
[2] hressfœrs jǫfurs ‘of the energetic ruler’: The nom. form hressfœrr/hresslyndr jǫfurr found in some mss may be vocative, and is adopted and treated as such by Noreen (1923, 34; also ÍF 27; Hkr 1991). An address to the king does not sit well with a request to the retinue for a hearing, however, and the gen. hressfœrs jǫfurs appears to have been the form known to Snorri, since the prose following the stanza implies that Sigvatr addresses the king in the next stanza, not this one.
jǫfurr ‘’
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jǫfurr (noun m.): ruler, prince
jǫfurs ‘ruler [Óláfr]’
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jǫfurr (noun m.): ruler, prince
[2] jǫfurs: jǫfurr 325V, 61, Holm4, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Kˣ
notes
[2] hressfœrs jǫfurs ‘of the energetic ruler’: The nom. form hressfœrr/hresslyndr jǫfurr found in some mss may be vocative, and is adopted and treated as such by Noreen (1923, 34; also ÍF 27; Hkr 1991). An address to the king does not sit well with a request to the retinue for a hearing, however, and the gen. hressfœrs jǫfurs appears to have been the form known to Snorri, since the prose following the stanza implies that Sigvatr addresses the king in the next stanza, not this one.
þessar ‘these’
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1. sjá (pron.; °gen. þessa dat. þessum/þeima, acc. þenna; f. sjá/þessi; n. þetta, dat. þessu/þvísa; pl. þessir): this
[2] þessar: þessa 75a
notes
[3] þolðak vás ‘I endured hardship’: The word vás may, as frequently, have the more specific sense of ‘wetness, bad weather’ (cf. st. 9/3 and Note). The present construal is preferable from a syntactic point of view, and is favoured in several eds (from Ternström 1871 to Hkr 1991), though it seems to produce the sense that what Sigvatr proposes to relate is how he composed the verses, rather than the hardships of the journey, as might have been expected. This is presumably the reason that Skj B takes hvé þolðak vás ‘how I endured hardship’ as the clausal object of heyra ‘hear’. However, this produces a ‘syntactic monster’ (so Kock, NN §624), with two sentence elements, including the verb þolðak ‘I endured’, preceding the conj. hvé ‘how’.
notes
[3] þolðak vás ‘I endured hardship’: The word vás may, as frequently, have the more specific sense of ‘wetness, bad weather’ (cf. st. 9/3 and Note). The present construal is preferable from a syntactic point of view, and is favoured in several eds (from Ternström 1871 to Hkr 1991), though it seems to produce the sense that what Sigvatr proposes to relate is how he composed the verses, rather than the hardships of the journey, as might have been expected. This is presumably the reason that Skj B takes hvé þolðak vás ‘how I endured hardship’ as the clausal object of heyra ‘hear’. However, this produces a ‘syntactic monster’ (so Kock, NN §624), with two sentence elements, including the verb þolðak ‘I endured’, preceding the conj. hvé ‘how’.
vás ‘hardship’
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vás (noun n.; °-s; dat. -um): hardship
notes
[3] þolðak vás ‘I endured hardship’: The word vás may, as frequently, have the more specific sense of ‘wetness, bad weather’ (cf. st. 9/3 and Note). The present construal is preferable from a syntactic point of view, and is favoured in several eds (from Ternström 1871 to Hkr 1991), though it seems to produce the sense that what Sigvatr proposes to relate is how he composed the verses, rather than the hardships of the journey, as might have been expected. This is presumably the reason that Skj B takes hvé þolðak vás ‘how I endured hardship’ as the clausal object of heyra ‘hear’. However, this produces a ‘syntactic monster’ (so Kock, NN §624), with two sentence elements, including the verb þolðak ‘I endured’, preceding the conj. hvé ‘how’.
en ‘’
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4. en (conj.): than
ok ‘’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
fyrir ‘’
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fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of
notes
[3] þolðak vás ‘I endured hardship’: The word vás may, as frequently, have the more specific sense of ‘wetness, bad weather’ (cf. st. 9/3 and Note). The present construal is preferable from a syntactic point of view, and is favoured in several eds (from Ternström 1871 to Hkr 1991), though it seems to produce the sense that what Sigvatr proposes to relate is how he composed the verses, rather than the hardships of the journey, as might have been expected. This is presumably the reason that Skj B takes hvé þolðak vás ‘how I endured hardship’ as the clausal object of heyra ‘hear’. However, this produces a ‘syntactic monster’ (so Kock, NN §624), with two sentence elements, including the verb þolðak ‘I endured’, preceding the conj. hvé ‘how’.
vísir ‘’
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2. vísir (noun m.): ruler
verðumk ‘’
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1. verða (verb): become, be
ok ‘’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
ford ‘’
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forð (adv.; adv): forth, forwards, away, hence, thence; from now on, from then on
gørva ‘’
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1. gera (verb): do, make
gerðat ‘’
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1. gera (verb): do, make
gerðak ‘I composed’
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1. gera (verb): do, make
[4] gerðak: ‘giorþ(c)’ R686ˣ, gørva Tóm, gerðat Kˣ
Sendr ‘sent’
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senda (verb): send
vask ‘I was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
upp ‘up’
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upp (adv.): up
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
frá ‘’
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frá (prep.): from
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
ǫndrum ‘the skis’
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andr (noun m.; °; andrar): ski
kennings
ǫndrum svanvangs‘the skis of the swan-plain ’
= SHIPS
the swan-plain → SEA
the skis of the SEA → SHIPS
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
austr ‘east’
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3. austr (adv.; °compar. -ar, superl. -ast): east, in the east
svafk ‘I slept’
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sofa (verb): sleep
lítt ‘’
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lítill (adj.; °lítinn): little
fast ‘’
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fastr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): firm, fast
fátt ‘little’
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3. fár (adj.; °compar. fǽrri/fárri(Mág² 11), superl. fǽstr): few
[6] fátt: lítt R686ˣ, fast 75a
á ‘’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
notes
[6] í hausti ‘in autumn’: This phrase is placed here in the intercalary clause, qualifying svafk ‘I slept’ (so also Kock NN §625, followed by ÍF 27; Jón Skaptason 1983; Hkr 1991). This avoids the tripartite line that results if í hausti is taken with vask sendr ‘I was sent’ (so Skj B), though it is unclear why Sigvatr would refer to autumn in connection with sleeplessness, while the logical connection to his departure is obvious. The present analysis has permitted some (e.g. Edqvist 1943, 63-4) to suppose that the journey began in the spring, though Snorri apparently did not understand the syntax this way since, as noted in the Introduction above, he says that the travellers set out at the beginning of winter. See Notes to st. 10 below.
hausti ‘autumn’
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haust (noun n.; °-s; -): autumn
notes
[6] í hausti ‘in autumn’: This phrase is placed here in the intercalary clause, qualifying svafk ‘I slept’ (so also Kock NN §625, followed by ÍF 27; Jón Skaptason 1983; Hkr 1991). This avoids the tripartite line that results if í hausti is taken with vask sendr ‘I was sent’ (so Skj B), though it is unclear why Sigvatr would refer to autumn in connection with sleeplessness, while the logical connection to his departure is obvious. The present analysis has permitted some (e.g. Edqvist 1943, 63-4) to suppose that the journey began in the spring, though Snorri apparently did not understand the syntax this way since, as noted in the Introduction above, he says that the travellers set out at the beginning of winter. See Notes to st. 10 below.
til ‘to’
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til (prep.): to
notes
[7] til Svíþjóðar ‘to Sweden’: This is Sweden as distinct from Götaland. It is not improbable that the journey described in Austv included travel farther east than Skara in Götaland: see the Introduction.
Svíþjóðar ‘Sweden’
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Svíþjóð (noun f.): [Sweden]
notes
[7] til Svíþjóðar ‘to Sweden’: This is Sweden as distinct from Götaland. It is not improbable that the journey described in Austv included travel farther east than Skara in Götaland: see the Introduction.
síðan ‘after that’
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síðan (adv.): later, then
svan ‘of the swan’
kennings
ǫndrum svanvangs‘the skis of the swan-plain ’
= SHIPS
the swan-plain → SEA
the skis of the SEA → SHIPS
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
svan ‘of the swan’
kennings
ǫndrum svanvangs‘the skis of the swan-plain ’
= SHIPS
the swan-plain → SEA
the skis of the SEA → SHIPS
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
vógns ‘’
vagns ‘’
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vagn (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): wagon < svanvagn (noun m.): swan-wagon
fangs ‘’
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fang (noun n.; °-s; *-): grasp, tunic < svanfang (noun n.)
vangs ‘plain’
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain < svanvangr (noun m.)
[8] ‑vangs: ‑vagns 325V, ‑fangs 68, 61, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, ‘vógns’ Bb
kennings
ǫndrum svanvangs‘the skis of the swan-plain ’
= SHIPS
the swan-plain → SEA
the skis of the SEA → SHIPS
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
vangs ‘plain’
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain < svanvangr (noun m.)
[8] ‑vangs: ‑vagns 325V, ‑fangs 68, 61, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, ‘vógns’ Bb
kennings
ǫndrum svanvangs‘the skis of the swan-plain ’
= SHIPS
the swan-plain → SEA
the skis of the SEA → SHIPS
notes
[5, 8] upp af ǫndrum svanvangs ‘up from the skis of the swan-plain [SEA > SHIPS]’: Snorri must have understood the phrase to mean simply that Sigvatr and his companions travelled inland, given the point of departure and route of travel he describes in this chapter (see the Introduction). Some scholars have taken it to mean that the first part of the journey was accomplished on shipboard: see, e.g., Barði Guðmundsson (1927, 548).
í ‘in the’
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í (prep.): in, into
fǫr ‘journey’
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fǫr (noun f.): journey, fate; movement
langa ‘a long’
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langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
When Sigvatr returns from his journey to the east, he tells of his travels and speaks the following verses (vísur þessar, referring to this and sts 17-20, which follow with only brief interruption).
[1]: The line is a borrowing from the well-known Eskál Vell 1/1, as pointed out by de Vries (1964-7, I, 244).
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