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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sigv Austv 6I

R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Austrfararvísur 6’ 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. 592.

Sigvatr ÞórðarsonAustrfararvísur
567

‘Now’

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nú (adv.): now

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haf ‘’

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hafa (verb): have

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hafa ‘three’

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hafa (verb): have

[1] hafa: haf Bb

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hnekkt ‘driven [me] away’

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hnekkja (verb): drive off, reject

[1] hnekkt: ‘hnek[…]’ R686ˣ

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þeirs ‘they who’

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2. er (conj.): who, which, when

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hnakka ‘their backs’

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hnakki (noun m.; °-a): neck

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hein ‘of the whetstone’

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hein (noun f.; °-ar): whetstone < heinflet (noun n.)hein (noun f.; °-ar): whetstone < heinfell (noun n.)

kennings

þollar heinflets
‘the firs of the whetstone-platform ’
   = MEN

the whetstone-platform → SWORD
the firs of the SWORD → MEN
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hein ‘of the whetstone’

(not checked:)
hein (noun f.; °-ar): whetstone < heinflet (noun n.)hein (noun f.; °-ar): whetstone < heinfell (noun n.)

kennings

þollar heinflets
‘the firs of the whetstone-platform ’
   = MEN

the whetstone-platform → SWORD
the firs of the SWORD → MEN
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flets ‘platform’

(not checked:)
flet (noun n.): platform, floor < heinflet (noun n.)

[2] ‑flets: ‘fellz’ Flat

kennings

þollar heinflets
‘the firs of the whetstone-platform ’
   = MEN

the whetstone-platform → SWORD
the firs of the SWORD → MEN
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flets ‘platform’

(not checked:)
flet (noun n.): platform, floor < heinflet (noun n.)

[2] ‑flets: ‘fellz’ Flat

kennings

þollar heinflets
‘the firs of the whetstone-platform ’
   = MEN

the whetstone-platform → SWORD
the firs of the SWORD → MEN
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við ‘on’

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2. við (prep.): with, against

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mér ‘me’

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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

notes

[2] mér ‘me’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) sets the word off by commas, indicating that he takes it to be the expressed object of hafa hnekkt ‘have driven away’ in l. 1, and the implied object of við ‘against’ in l. 2. Mér is similarly assumed to have a dual role in this edn, though a less disjointed word order is proposed. Cf. Noreen (1923, 37-8), and Kock, NN §1112.

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settu ‘turned’

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setja (verb): place, set, establish

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þeigi ‘’

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þeygi ‘not at all’

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þeygi (adv.): not at all

[3] þeygi: ‘þeigi’ Kˣ

notes

[3, 4] þeygi bella … tíri ‘not at all do … display praiseworthiness’: This is the sense normally assumed, i.e. that the three Ǫlvirs have acted badly. Konráð Gíslason (1892, 178) cites parallel instances of tírr in this concrete sense. Kock (NN §2218B) compiles poetic instances of bella in an attempt to show that with an instr. object (including the present context) it means ‘go about, perform, be intent upon’, while with a dat. one it means ‘hit, get at’, i.e. ‘reach one’s mark’ (though of course dat. and instr. objects are formally indistinguishable).

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bella ‘display’

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1. bella (verb; °præt. sg. ball): deal with

notes

[3, 4] þeygi bella … tíri ‘not at all do … display praiseworthiness’: This is the sense normally assumed, i.e. that the three Ǫlvirs have acted badly. Konráð Gíslason (1892, 178) cites parallel instances of tírr in this concrete sense. Kock (NN §2218B) compiles poetic instances of bella in an attempt to show that with an instr. object (including the present context) it means ‘go about, perform, be intent upon’, while with a dat. one it means ‘hit, get at’, i.e. ‘reach one’s mark’ (though of course dat. and instr. objects are formally indistinguishable).

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þollar ‘the firs’

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þollr (noun m.): fir-tree

kennings

þollar heinflets
‘the firs of the whetstone-platform ’
   = MEN

the whetstone-platform → SWORD
the firs of the SWORD → MEN
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þre ‘’

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þrír ‘name’

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þrír (num. cardinal): three

[4] þrír: ‘þre’ R686ˣ, þeir 75a, 68

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san ‘’

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sam ‘have’

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samr (adj.; °compar. -ari): same < samnafni (noun m.): [namesake]

[4] sam‑: ‘san’ 325VI

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eiri ‘’

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eir (noun n.): copper coin?

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tíði ‘’

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1. tíð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): time

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tíri ‘praiseworthiness’

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tírr (noun m.; °-s): glory, honour

[4] tíri: fleiri 75a, eiri 68, tíði Flat

notes

[3, 4] þeygi bella … tíri ‘not at all do … display praiseworthiness’: This is the sense normally assumed, i.e. that the three Ǫlvirs have acted badly. Konráð Gíslason (1892, 178) cites parallel instances of tírr in this concrete sense. Kock (NN §2218B) compiles poetic instances of bella in an attempt to show that with an instr. object (including the present context) it means ‘go about, perform, be intent upon’, while with a dat. one it means ‘hit, get at’, i.e. ‘reach one’s mark’ (though of course dat. and instr. objects are formally indistinguishable).

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‘’

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nú (adv.): now

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Þó ‘However’

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þó (adv.): though

[5] Þó: nú 73aˣ

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sáum ‘’

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2. sjá (verb): see

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‘’

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2. sjá (verb): see

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sjám ‘’

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2. sjá (verb): see

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séumk ‘I fear’

[5] séumk: sé ek 75a, 73aˣ, sjám Flat, sáum Tóm

notes

[5] séumk ‘I fear’: The skothending consists of long vowels (or diphthongs) without any consonant rhyme here, in Sigv Lv 24/1, and in six even lines by Sigvatr: see Höskuldur Þráinsson (1970, 12, 20); Kristján Árnason (1991, 99). Kock (NN §2923) suggests emending to þéumk, taking this to mean ‘I torment myself’ (producing a skothending of þó þ- : hlœð-), and other emendations were proposed by Jón Þorkelsson (1884, 68) and Gering (1912, 138). 

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hitt ‘this’

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2. inn (art.): the

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at ‘that’

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4. at (conj.): that

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hlæíðir ‘’

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hlœðir (noun m.): loader

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hlœði ‘’

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hlœðir (noun m.): loader

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hlœðir ‘loader’

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hlœðir (noun m.): loader

[5] hlœðir: ‘hlæíðir’ 73aˣ, hlœði 61

kennings

hlœðir hafskíðs, [e]s
‘loader of the ocean-ski ’
   = SEAFARER

the ocean-ski → SHIP
loader of the SHIP → SEAFARER
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haf ‘of the ocean’

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haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea < hafskíð (noun n.)haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea < hafskíð (noun n.)

kennings

hlœðir hafskíðs, [e]s
‘loader of the ocean-ski ’
   = SEAFARER

the ocean-ski → SHIP
loader of the SHIP → SEAFARER
Close

haf ‘of the ocean’

(not checked:)
haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea < hafskíð (noun n.)haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea < hafskíð (noun n.)

kennings

hlœðir hafskíðs, [e]s
‘loader of the ocean-ski ’
   = SEAFARER

the ocean-ski → SHIP
loader of the SHIP → SEAFARER
Close

skíðs ‘ski’

(not checked:)
skíð (noun n.; °; -): ski < hafskíð (noun n.)

[6] ‑skíðs: ‑skíð R686ˣ, Tóm

kennings

hlœðir hafskíðs, [e]s
‘loader of the ocean-ski ’
   = SEAFARER

the ocean-ski → SHIP
loader of the SHIP → SEAFARER
Close

skíðs ‘ski’

(not checked:)
skíð (noun n.; °; -): ski < hafskíð (noun n.)

[6] ‑skíðs: ‑skíð R686ˣ, Tóm

kennings

hlœðir hafskíðs, [e]s
‘loader of the ocean-ski ’
   = SEAFARER

the ocean-ski → SHIP
loader of the SHIP → SEAFARER
Close

myni ‘will’

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munu (verb): will, must

[6] myni: mœni 325VII

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síðla ‘’

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síðla (adv.): late

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síðan ‘henceforth’

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síðan (adv.): later, then

[6] síðan: síðla 972ˣ(178va)

notes

[6] síðan ‘henceforth’: The word is construed with séumk ‘I fear’ in Skj B.

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út ‘away’

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út (adv.): out(side)

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hverrs ‘every’

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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every

[7] hverrs (‘hverr er’): hverr 325VI, Flat

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avlyer ‘’

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Ǫlvir ‘Ǫlvir’

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Ǫlvir (noun m.): Ǫlvir

[7] Ǫlvir: ‘avlyer’ R686ˣ

notes

[7] Ǫlvir: Hollander favours an etymology of *aluwīhaz ‘guardian, or priest, of a fane’ and suggests an ironic allusion to the nearly homonymous ǫlværr ‘hospitable’ (Hollander 1945, 155 n., following de Vries 1932-3, 171-2, 176-8, who argued that coincidence was implausible). The incident is thus to that extent fictitious and the name chosen solely for its entertainment value. For objections to this view see Ellekilde (1933-4, 183-5) and for a reply, see de Vries (1933-4, 292-3).

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heitir ‘is named’

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2. heita (verb): be called, promise

[7] heitir: heitr R686ˣ

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alls ‘all’

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allr (adj.): all

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reka ‘chase’

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2. reka (verb): drive, force

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gestri ‘’

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gesti ‘strangers’

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gestr (noun m.): guest, stranger

[8] gesti: ‘gestri’ R686ˣ

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Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses

The next evening Sigvatr comes to three farmers, each named Ǫlvir, and all turn him away. Sigvatr speaks this stanza.

[1, 2] settu hnakka við mér ‘turned their backs on me’: Lit. ‘set the napes of their necks against me’. — [2] heinflets ‘of the whetstone-platform [SWORD]’: The word flet referred originally to the floor of a house (cf. flatr ‘flat’), though it is attested only in the metaphorical senses ‘set of rooms, house, raised platform, bed (on the floor)’. It may be the last of these meanings that is intended, given the parallel sword-kenning beðr ryðfjónar ‘bed of the rust-enemy [WHETSTONE > SWORD]’ (Anon (ÓT) 6/1, 3; see Meissner 155, 163). In view of the kenning gætir grefs ‘minder of the hoe [FARMER]’ in st. 7/5, de Vries (1932-3, 172) suggests that heinflet may refer not to a sword but to a sickle, but this fits expected patterns less well.

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