Sigv ErfÓl 23I
Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 23’ 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. 692.
Lýgk ‘I lie’
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ljúga (verb): lie
eigi ‘has’
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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have
kennings
kykvir tívar ýs;‘living gods of the yew-bow; ’
= WARRIORS
living gods of the yew-bow; → WARRIORS
notes
[2] tívar ýs ‘gods of the yew-bow [WARRIORS]’: On bows, see Note to st. 10/5-6, above. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) notes that the internal rhyme of ý- and tív-, though not perfect, is possible (see also Kuhn 1983, 78; Gade 1995a, 5-6).
sem ‘like’
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sem (conj.): as, which
kykvir ‘living’
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kvikr (adj.; °-van/-an): alive
[2] kykvir: kvikir 325VI, 321ˣ, 325V, Bb, Flat, ‘kuitir’ 73aˣ, kviknir Holm4
kennings
kykvir tívar ýs;‘living gods of the yew-bow; ’
= WARRIORS
living gods of the yew-bow; → WARRIORS
kennings
kykvir tívar ýs;‘living gods of the yew-bow; ’
= WARRIORS
living gods of the yew-bow; → WARRIORS
notes
[2] tívar ýs ‘gods of the yew-bow [WARRIORS]’: On bows, see Note to st. 10/5-6, above. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) notes that the internal rhyme of ý- and tív-, though not perfect, is possible (see also Kuhn 1983, 78; Gade 1995a, 5-6).
gœðik ‘I benefit’
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gœða (verb): endow
[3] gœðik (‘gøþi ec’): so 39, Holm2, 325VI, 61, 325V, Bb, Flat, ‘goði ec’ Kˣ, grœði ek 73aˣ, Tóm, greiði ek Holm4
notes
[3] gœðik ‘I benefit’: Gœða is derived from góðr and means lit. ‘to make good’, hence normally ‘enrich, endow, benefit’. The precise sense here is uncertain but could be that Óláfr’s grieving men are cheered by the poem (so Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; LP: gœða, and cf. Sigv Lv 20/7-8 for their mourning) or honoured by its content, especially the praise of Óláfr’s miraculous powers (so ÍF 27). It is also possible that the ‘servants’ of the dead king are Christian priests whose promotion of Óláfr’s cult is aided by Sigvatr’s poem.
helzt ‘especially’
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heldr (adv.): rather
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
hróðri ‘poem’
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hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
hárvǫxt ‘hair-growth’
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hárvǫxtr (noun m.): [hair-growth]
ôru ‘the servants’
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1. árr (noun m.; °dat. ár; ǽrir/árar, acc. áru): messenger
[4] ôru: ôrum Holm4, ári 61
Enn ‘There is’
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4. en (conj.): than
þeims ‘of the one who’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
[5] þeims (‘þeim er’): ‘[…]m er’ 325VI, þeir er Bb
svǫrðr ‘the hair’
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svǫrðr (noun m.; °svarðar, dat. sverði; sverðir, acc. svǫrðu): scalp
[6] svǫrðr: svǫrð 39, 73aˣ, 325V, suðr 61, Flat, Tóm
* ‘’
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(non-lexical)
[6] * es: þann er Kˣ, 39, Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 61, 325V, Flat, Tóm, þeim er Bb
notes
[6] * es óx ‘that grew’: This edn follows Hkr 1893-1901 and Jón Skaptason (1983) in emending, as there is no obvious m. acc. sg. antecedent for the near-ubiquitous reading þann er (normalised þanns), unless the variant son ‘son’ is accepted in l. 5 (a possibility acknowledged in ÍF 27 and adopted in Hkr 1991).
es ‘that’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
[6] * es: þann er Kˣ, 39, Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 61, 325V, Flat, Tóm, þeim er Bb
notes
[6] * es óx ‘that grew’: This edn follows Hkr 1893-1901 and Jón Skaptason (1983) in emending, as there is no obvious m. acc. sg. antecedent for the near-ubiquitous reading þann er (normalised þanns), unless the variant son ‘son’ is accepted in l. 5 (a possibility acknowledged in ÍF 27 and adopted in Hkr 1991).
óx ‘grew’
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vaxa (verb): grow, increase
notes
[6] * es óx ‘that grew’: This edn follows Hkr 1893-1901 and Jón Skaptason (1983) in emending, as there is no obvious m. acc. sg. antecedent for the near-ubiquitous reading þann er (normalised þanns), unless the variant son ‘son’ is accepted in l. 5 (a possibility acknowledged in ÍF 27 and adopted in Hkr 1991).
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
notes
[6] í Gǫrðum ‘in Russia’: For an early reference to a church dedicated to S. Óláfr in Novgorod, see the C11th Sjusta rune stone (U 687; cf. Jansson 1987, 48-50).
Gǫrðum ‘Russia’
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Garðar (noun m.): Russia
notes
[6] í Gǫrðum ‘in Russia’: For an early reference to a church dedicated to S. Óláfr in Novgorod, see the C11th Sjusta rune stone (U 687; cf. Jansson 1987, 48-50).
hann ‘he’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
fekk ‘got’
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2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
af ‘from’
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af (prep.): from
ljósum ‘on the bright’
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ljóss (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): bright
lausn ‘relief’
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lausn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar (RbHM (*1315)³ 113²)): liberation, redemption
Valdamar ‘to Vladimir’
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Valdamarr (noun m.): Vladimir, Valdimarr
[8] Valdamar: so Holm2, 61, Bb, Flat, Tóm, ‘valldhamar’ Kˣ, Holm4, ‘valdhamars’ 39, 325VI, Valdamars 321ˣ, ‘valldmars’ 73aˣ, ‘valldimars’ 325V
notes
[8] Valdamar ‘Vladimir’: Valdamarr is normally the ON equivalent of Vladimir, but there is no record of a miracle involving such a man, and his identity is unknown. It cannot be the Kievan prince Vladimir who died in 1015 (Franklin and Shepard 1996, 151-80), since Óláfr’s exile in Russia fell in the late 1020s.
hausi ‘skull’
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hauss (noun m.; °hauss, dat. hausi/haus; hausar): skull
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Miraculous signs of sanctity are witnessed around Óláfr’s body, which is enshrined in Niðaróss (Trondheim). Bishop Grímkell preserves Óláfr’s relics, cutting his hair and nails, which continue to grow as if he were alive.
On the continued growth of Óláfr’s hair (and nails) after death, see also Þloft Glækv 5. This conception contrasts with the references to the cutting of hair in sts 4, 6 and 14, which are associated with Óláfr punishing his enemies. — [5]: Helzk: seldi provides an aðalhending where only a skothending is required. — [5-8]: (a) The syntax of this helmingr is a modified version of that in ÍF 27, itself a modified version of that proposed in Hkr 1893-1901, IV and Skj B. (b) Kock (NN §667) rejects Finnur Jónsson’s convoluted syntax, but his solution makes little sense, involving the slightly absurd readings svǫrðr es óx í Gǫrðum ‘the hair that grew in Russia’ and hann fekk læs lausn af ljósum hausi ‘he got relief from disability from the bright skull’.
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