Sigv Austv 19I
R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Austrfararvísur 19’ 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. 609.
Folk ‘people’
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folk (noun n.): people
notes
[1] folk réð of sik ‘people considered their options’: Lit. ‘deliberated about themselves’. The implication seems to be that they changed their minds.
er ‘’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
reið ‘’
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1. ríða (verb): ride
réð ‘considered’
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
[1] réð: reið R686ˣ, er Bb
notes
[1] folk réð of sik ‘people considered their options’: Lit. ‘deliberated about themselves’. The implication seems to be that they changed their minds.
und ‘’
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3. und (prep.): under, underneath
við ‘’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
of ‘’
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
[1] of (‘um’): und 325V, við 325VI, Holm4, 325VII, Flat, Tóm
notes
[1] folk réð of sik ‘people considered their options’: Lit. ‘deliberated about themselves’. The implication seems to be that they changed their minds.
sek ‘’
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sekr (adj.; °-jan/-an): guilty
sik ‘their options’
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sik (pron.; °gen. sín, dat. sér): (refl. pron.)
[1] sik: sek 325VII
notes
[1] folk réð of sik ‘people considered their options’: Lit. ‘deliberated about themselves’. The implication seems to be that they changed their minds.
fvlker ‘’
fylki ‘’
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fylki (noun n.): county
flest ‘Most’
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fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
notes
[2] flest ‘most’: This is taken here as an adj. qualifying folk ‘people’. In Skj B it is an adverbial, ‘altogether, overall’ (i alt).
en ‘’
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4. en (conj.): than
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
kom ‘came’
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koma (verb; kem, kom/kvam, kominn): come
vestan ‘from the west’
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vestan (prep.): from the west
ótt ‘’
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2. óðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): raging, furious
eitt ‘’
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
æt ‘’
ætt ‘the kinsman’
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1. ætt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): family
[3] ætt: ótt R686ˣ, 972ˣ, eitt 325V, Bb, æt 68
kennings
ætt Eireks‘the kinsman of Eiríkr ’
= Sveinn
the kinsman of Eiríkr → Sveinn
notes
[3, 4] ætt Eireks ‘the kinsman of Eiríkr [? = Sveinn]’: The word ætt means ‘family’ in prose, but in verse it may refer to a single kinsman (though Toll 1930-3, 542 argues that the sense of the word is here pl.). Since his brother Sveinn is mentioned later in the stanza, Eirekr may be Eiríkr jarl Hákonarson of Hlaðir (Lade; so ÍF 27; Hkr 1991) rather than King Eiríkr inn sigrsæli ‘the Victorious’ Bjarnarson, father of Óláfr, the then current King of Sweden (though Ternström 1871 adopts the latter view, as does Finnur Jónsson 1932, 18).
sem ‘as’
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sem (conj.): as, which
notes
[3] sem ‘as’: A conceivable alternative is to take this as the rel. pron. ‘whom’, hence Flest folk, sem ætt Eireks áðr of hvatti þeira svika ‘Most people whom the kinsman of Eiríkr earlier had incited to those/their treasons’; but such a use of sem is considered late (LP: sem 5).
yðr ‘’
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ér (pron.; °gen. yðvar/yðar, dat./acc. yðr): you
notes
[3] áðr ‘earlier’: This may be another anglicism (cf. Notes to st. 16/2 and 16/8) if áðr with a pret. verb merely indicates pluperfect aspect, the way OE ǣr ‘earlier’ often does.
ef ‘’
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3. ef (conj.): if
hatti ‘’
hittak ‘’
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hitta (verb): meet, encounter
Eireks ‘of Eiríkr’
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Eiríkr (noun m.): Eiríkr
kennings
ætt Eireks‘the kinsman of Eiríkr ’
= Sveinn
the kinsman of Eiríkr → Sveinn
notes
[3, 4] ætt Eireks ‘the kinsman of Eiríkr [? = Sveinn]’: The word ætt means ‘family’ in prose, but in verse it may refer to a single kinsman (though Toll 1930-3, 542 argues that the sense of the word is here pl.). Since his brother Sveinn is mentioned later in the stanza, Eirekr may be Eiríkr jarl Hákonarson of Hlaðir (Lade; so ÍF 27; Hkr 1991) rather than King Eiríkr inn sigrsæli ‘the Victorious’ Bjarnarson, father of Óláfr, the then current King of Sweden (though Ternström 1871 adopts the latter view, as does Finnur Jónsson 1932, 18).
Svía ‘’
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Svíar (noun m.): Swedes
svika ‘treason’
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1. svik (noun n.; °-s; -): deceit, treachery; poison
[4] svika: Svía R686ˣ, 972ˣ, 325V, 325VI, 61, 68, Holm4, 325VII, Flat, Tóm
þína ‘’
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þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
fleiri ‘’
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fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
þeira ‘to that’
[4] þeira: þína 325VI, fleiri 61
endr ‘’
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endr (adv.): formerly, once, again
er ‘’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
jarla ‘of the jarls’’
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jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl
kennings
frænda jarla,‘of the jarls’ kinsman, ’
= Eilífr
the jarls’ kinsman, → Eilífr
frænda ‘kinsman’
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frændi (noun m.): kinsman, male relative
kennings
frænda jarla,‘of the jarls’ kinsman, ’
= Eilífr
the jarls’ kinsman, → Eilífr
eins ‘only’
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
því ‘’
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því (adv.): therefore, because
þat ‘which’
[6] þats (‘þat er’): því er Holm4, Kˣ
rétt ‘’
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
tók ‘’
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2. taka (verb): take
af ‘away from’
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af (prep.): from
notes
[6] af Sveini ‘from Sveinn’: Sveinn jarl Hákonarson is the brother of Eiríkr (see l. 4). His defeat at the hands of Óláfr Haraldsson in the battle of Nesjar in 1016 sealed the latter’s hold on Norway, ending Swedish control. Sveinn was brother-in-law to King Óláfr of Sweden, and at Óláfr’s behest he had governed the areas of Norway controlled by the Swedish king since the defeat of Óláfr Tryggvason in the battle of Svǫlðr (c. 1000). The Swedish Óláfr, according to Snorri, took him in after the defeat at Nesjar, and with the king’s support he was planning a reinvasion of Norway at the time of his death.
Sveini ‘Sveinn’
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2. Sveinn (noun m.): Sveinn
notes
[6] af Sveini ‘from Sveinn’: Sveinn jarl Hákonarson is the brother of Eiríkr (see l. 4). His defeat at the hands of Óláfr Haraldsson in the battle of Nesjar in 1016 sealed the latter’s hold on Norway, ending Swedish control. Sveinn was brother-in-law to King Óláfr of Sweden, and at Óláfr’s behest he had governed the areas of Norway controlled by the Swedish king since the defeat of Óláfr Tryggvason in the battle of Svǫlðr (c. 1000). The Swedish Óláfr, according to Snorri, took him in after the defeat at Nesjar, and with the king’s support he was planning a reinvasion of Norway at the time of his death.
yðr ‘you’
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
kvað ‘’
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kveða (verb; kveð, kvað, kveðinn): (str.) say, recite, sing
kveðk ‘I declare’
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2. kveðja (verb; kvaddi): (dd) request, address, greet
[7] kveðk (‘kveð ec’): kvað ek Flat, Tóm
orð ‘’
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orð (noun n.; °-s; -): word
jǫrð ‘the land’
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jǫrð (noun f.; °jarðar, dat. -u; jarðir/jarðar(DN I (1367) 304)): ground, earth
[7] jǫrð: orð 75a, 73aˣ
þá ‘’
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2. þá (adv.): then
nôðusk ‘’
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1. ná (verb): reach, get, manage
nôðu ‘’
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1. ná (verb): reach, get, manage
ôttuð ‘’
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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have
nôðuð ‘you got hold of’
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1. ná (verb): reach, get, manage
[7] nôðuð: nôðu 75a, ôttuð 61, nôðusk 325VII
kennings
bróður Ulfs,‘Úlfr’s brother, ’
= Eilífr
Úlfr’s brother, → Eilífr
notes
[8] bróður Ulfs ‘of Úlfr’s brother [= Eilífr]’: The reference is generally taken to be to a son of Rǫgnvaldr jarl. Rǫgnvaldr is named as Úlfr’s father (faðir Ulfs, with some ms. variants) in Sigv Erlfl 9/7 and in prose sources, and Úlfr’s brother is named as Eilífr, e.g., in Hkr (ÍF 27, 148) and Fsk (ÍF 29, 227). Toll (1930-3, supported by van Eeden 1943, 232) instead contends that Úlfr and Eilífr are the sons of Þorgils sprakaleggr ‘Flounder-Limb’ (?), who is said by Snorri to have had a son named Úlfr (ÍF 27, 235, 275).
bróður ‘brother’
kennings
bróður Ulfs,‘Úlfr’s brother, ’
= Eilífr
Úlfr’s brother, → Eilífr
notes
[8] bróður Ulfs ‘of Úlfr’s brother [= Eilífr]’: The reference is generally taken to be to a son of Rǫgnvaldr jarl. Rǫgnvaldr is named as Úlfr’s father (faðir Ulfs, with some ms. variants) in Sigv Erlfl 9/7 and in prose sources, and Úlfr’s brother is named as Eilífr, e.g., in Hkr (ÍF 27, 148) and Fsk (ÍF 29, 227). Toll (1930-3, supported by van Eeden 1943, 232) instead contends that Úlfr and Eilífr are the sons of Þorgils sprakaleggr ‘Flounder-Limb’ (?), who is said by Snorri to have had a son named Úlfr (ÍF 27, 235, 275).
lið ‘the troop’
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lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop
stuðuz ‘’
stóðu ‘’
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standa (verb): stand
stóðusk ‘supported’
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standa (verb): stand
[8] stóðusk: ‘stuðuz’ 325V, om. 325VI, stóðu 73aˣ
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
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Folk réð of sik, fylkir, |
Most people considered their options, chieftain, when I came from the west, as the kinsman of Eiríkr [?= Sveinn] earlier had incited [them] to that treason. But I declare that you got hold of the land only because the troop of the jarls’ kinsman [= Eilífr], Úlfr’s brother [= Eilífr], which you took away from Sveinn, supported you.
As for st. 17.
[3] svika þeira ‘that treason’: Lit. ‘those treasons’ or possibly ‘their treasons’. — [5-8]: Editors have proposed very diverse interpretations of the helmingr, none of which provides a conclusive answer to its linguistic and historical difficulties. (a) The text and translation above are indebted to a suggestion of Kari Ellen Gade. ‘Þvi at’ in most mss (l. 5) is taken straightforwardly as þvít ‘because’, and ‘er’ (l. 7) as a subordinating conj. es ‘that’ (see LP: es 7 for alternation of es and at in this role), dependent on kveðk ‘I declare’. Stóðusk (l. 8) is taken as 3rd pers. pl. pret. indic. ‘supported’, since a pl. verb is possible with the collective noun lið ‘troop’ (see NS §66 Anm. 2). Grammatically it could, alternatively, be taken as a past inf., together with kveðk ‘I declare’. (b) Ternström (1871, 51) makes of bróður lið (l. 8) a cpd ‘brother-support’ (so also Tveiten 1966, 93), on which he would have frænda ‘kinsman’s’ (l. 5) depend, and he would have eins ‘alone’ in l. 6 modify frænda, while jarla ‘of jarls’ in l. 5 would modify jǫrð. With other eds he reverses ms. ‘þvi at’ (l. 5), taking it as at því ‘to this end’, with es (l. 7) depending on it. The resulting meaning is ‘But I say, the brotherly help of Úlfr’s kinsman (i.e. Rǫgnvaldr) alone was useful to you to the end that you gained the jarls’ land (i.e. Norway), which you took from Sveinn’. Ternström (1871, 52) takes Sigvatr to mean that the best sign of Rǫgnvaldr’s loyalty to Óláfr Haraldsson is the help he afforded in the defeat of Sveinn (on whom, see Note below), though Snorri makes no mention of this in ÓH or Hkr. However, þvít, being unstressed, cannot be construed as at því. (c) Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 27, owing much to Sveinbjörn Egilsson, SHI 4, 183, and to Ternström 1871, 51-2) also analyses þvít ‘because’ in l. 5 as if it were at því ‘to this end’ (or ‘when’: Hkr 1991), and assumes that þvís ‘that which’ in l. 6 takes its n. dat. sg. form from an unexpressed landi ‘land’ rather than agreeing (if emended) with f. jǫrð ‘land’. (d) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B; 1934a, 37) shares many of Ternström’s editorial preferences, but he alters þvís ‘that which’ in l. 6 to þás, to agree with jǫrð ‘land’ in l. 7, and he takes es in l. 7 to introduce a clause from which the word order isolates it. Also, for en ‘but’ in l. 5 he reads enn ‘again’, which is likewise taken to stand outside its clause. The meaning produced is, ‘By this means only (þvít eins) did you manage again to keep the jarls’ land, which you took from Sveinn, [the means] that Úlfr’s kinsman’s brother-help, as I say, was given to you’. Finnur Jónsson (1932, 18) understands this to mean that in the face of the conspiracies against him, Óláfr might have lost control of Norway, had Rǫgnvaldr not been so trusty. (e) The interpretation of Kock (NN §629) is similar, but he would emend frænda to nom. sg. frændi, making of frændi jarla a vocative addressed to King Óláfr. This reduces some of the tortuousness of the word order, but there is no ms. evidence for this reading. The strained syntax of these interpretations results from efforts to have the text say that Óláfr Haraldsson was assisted by Rǫgnvaldr, who cannot be called ‘Úlfr’s brother’ (see below). It is natural to expect that the text should refer to him, since the preceding two stanzas indicate that Sigvatr’s message to Óláfr is that he can rely on Rǫgnvaldr’s loyalty; but no very plausible interperetation of the syntax will allow this helmingr to be about Rǫgnvaldr.
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