Sigv ErfÓl 27I
Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 27’ 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. 696.
Róms ‘to Rome’
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Róm (noun n.): Rome
létk ‘I left behind’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
[1] létk ok helt (‘let ek ok hellt’): ‘hef […]g hafdan’ 325VI, hefi ek hafðan 321ˣ, lét en ek helt Flat
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
[1] létk ok helt (‘let ek ok hellt’): ‘hef […]g hafdan’ 325VI, hefi ek hafðan 321ˣ, lét en ek helt Flat
helt ‘set out’
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halda (verb): hold, keep
[1] létk ok helt (‘let ek ok hellt’): ‘hef […]g hafdan’ 325VI, hefi ek hafðan 321ˣ, lét en ek helt Flat
heiman ‘from home’
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heiman (adv.): from home
[1] heiman: heima 61, 325V, 325VII, Flat, Tóm
hermóðr ‘War-weary’
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Hermóðr (noun m.): Hermóðr, War-weary
fǫr ‘journey’
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fǫr (noun f.): journey, fate; movement
kennings
vǫnd gjallar,‘the rod of clamour, ’
= SWORD
the rod of clamour, → SWORD
notes
[3] vǫnd gjallar ‘the rod of clamour [SWORD]’: Gjǫll is a rare word, but its meaning is indicated by the cognate verb gjalla ‘resound, make a loud noise’, a concept frequent in battle-kennings, and LP: gjǫll 2 takes it as a term for battle. Skj B and Skald print it with a capital letter, perhaps implying either one of the rivers demarcating Hel (cf. Grí 28; SnE 2005, 9, 47), or the flat stone to which the Fenrisúlfr was bound (SnE 2005, 29), though the connection of either of these with swords is unclear.
vǫnd ‘the rod’
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vǫndr (noun m.; °vandar, dat. vendi/vǫnd; vendir, acc. vǫndu/vendi): rod, want, mast
kennings
vǫnd gjallar,‘the rod of clamour, ’
= SWORD
the rod of clamour, → SWORD
notes
[3] vǫnd gjallar ‘the rod of clamour [SWORD]’: Gjǫll is a rare word, but its meaning is indicated by the cognate verb gjalla ‘resound, make a loud noise’, a concept frequent in battle-kennings, and LP: gjǫll 2 takes it as a term for battle. Skj B and Skald print it with a capital letter, perhaps implying either one of the rivers demarcating Hel (cf. Grí 28; SnE 2005, 9, 47), or the flat stone to which the Fenrisúlfr was bound (SnE 2005, 29), though the connection of either of these with swords is unclear.
þanns ‘which’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
golli ‘with gold’
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gull (noun n.): gold
notes
[3, 4, 5] vafðan golli; hjaltat silfri ‘wound about with gold; hilted with silver’: Cf. st. 9/2, 4 above and Note. Sigvatr may have inherited the very weapon used by Óláfr at Stiklastaðir, or have been given one of equal quality earlier (cf. Sigv Lv 3). The late Viking Age Dybäck sword found in southern Sweden (Graham-Campbell 1980, 70-1, 246) accords closely with Sigvatr’s description here.
gaf ‘gave’
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gefa (verb): give
mér ‘me’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
vafðan ‘wound about’
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2. vefja (verb): wrap
notes
[3, 4, 5] vafðan golli; hjaltat silfri ‘wound about with gold; hilted with silver’: Cf. st. 9/2, 4 above and Note. Sigvatr may have inherited the very weapon used by Óláfr at Stiklastaðir, or have been given one of equal quality earlier (cf. Sigv Lv 3). The late Viking Age Dybäck sword found in southern Sweden (Graham-Campbell 1980, 70-1, 246) accords closely with Sigvatr’s description here.
sult ‘the hunger’
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sultr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-): famine, hunger
[5] sult: ‘smellt’ 325VI, svalt 321ˣ, sælt 325VII
silfri ‘with silver’
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silfr (noun n.; °-s): silver
notes
[3, 4, 5] vafðan golli; hjaltat silfri ‘wound about with gold; hilted with silver’: Cf. st. 9/2, 4 above and Note. Sigvatr may have inherited the very weapon used by Óláfr at Stiklastaðir, or have been given one of equal quality earlier (cf. Sigv Lv 3). The late Viking Age Dybäck sword found in southern Sweden (Graham-Campbell 1980, 70-1, 246) accords closely with Sigvatr’s description here.
hjaltat ‘hilted’
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hjaltaðr (adj./verb p.p.): [hilted]
notes
[3, 4, 5] vafðan golli; hjaltat silfri ‘wound about with gold; hilted with silver’: Cf. st. 9/2, 4 above and Note. Sigvatr may have inherited the very weapon used by Óláfr at Stiklastaðir, or have been given one of equal quality earlier (cf. Sigv Lv 3). The late Viking Age Dybäck sword found in southern Sweden (Graham-Campbell 1980, 70-1, 246) accords closely with Sigvatr’s description here.
sverð ‘sword’
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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword
dýrt ‘precious’
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
[6] dýrt þats (‘dyrt þat er’): ok blátt 325VI, er blátt 321ˣ, 73aˣ
þats ‘which’
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þats (conj.): that, which
[6] dýrt þats (‘dyrt þat er’): ok blátt 325VI, er blátt 321ˣ, 73aˣ
viðr ‘succeeds’
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2. viða (verb): gain, bring about
[6] viðr: með 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, við 61, 325VII, viðir Flat
notes
[6] viðr þverrðan ‘succeeds in lessening’: Lit. ‘makes lessened’, with viðr = vinnr (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic.) ‘makes, wins, achieves’ + þverrðan (m. acc. sg. p. p.) ‘lessened’, qualifying sult ‘hunger’.
þverrðan ‘in lessening’
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3. þverra (verb): -rð-
[6] þverrðan: herðu 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, ‘þvnnlan’ Bb, þverrðu Flat
notes
[6] viðr þverrðan ‘succeeds in lessening’: Lit. ‘makes lessened’, with viðr = vinnr (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic.) ‘makes, wins, achieves’ + þverrðan (m. acc. sg. p. p.) ‘lessened’, qualifying sult ‘hunger’.
vápn ‘the weapon’
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vápn (noun n.; °-s; -): weapon
notes
[7, 8] vígðum staf ‘the consecrated staff’: This is the pilgrim’s staff; cf. Sigv Knútdr 10/4.
notes
[7, 8] vígðum staf ‘the consecrated staff’: This is the pilgrim’s staff; cf. Sigv Knútdr 10/4.
vers ‘of the husband’
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1. verr (noun m.; °[-s; -ar/ir]): man
[8] vers ylgjar: so 61, Flat, Tóm, ver sylgjar Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb
kennings
vers ylgjar,‘of the husband of the she-wolf, ’
= WOLF
the husband of the she-wolf, → WOLF
ylgjar ‘of the she-wolf’
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ylgr (noun f.; °acc. -i): she-wolf
[8] vers ylgjar: so 61, Flat, Tóm, ver sylgjar Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb
kennings
vers ylgjar,‘of the husband of the she-wolf, ’
= WOLF
the husband of the she-wolf, → WOLF
staf ‘staff’
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stafr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir): staff, post, stave, stick
notes
[7, 8] vígðum staf ‘the consecrated staff’: This is the pilgrim’s staff; cf. Sigv Knútdr 10/4.
fylgðum ‘we [I] followed’
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2. fylgja (verb): follow, accompany
[8] fylgðum: fylgjum Bb, fylgðu Flat
notes
[7, 8] vígðum staf ‘the consecrated staff’: This is the pilgrim’s staff; cf. Sigv Knútdr 10/4.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
War-weary, I left behind the rod of clamour [SWORD], which the king gave me, wound about with gold, and set out from home on the good journey to Rome, when we [I] put down my precious sword, the weapon hilted with silver, which succeeds in lessening the hunger of the husband of the she-wolf [WOLF], and we [I] followed the consecrated staff.
Sigvatr receives leave of absence from Óláfr when the king leaves for Garðar (Russia), and travels the following summer to Rome.
The stanza is introduced, þa qvað hann visu þessa ‘then he spoke this stanza’ in ÓH, which might suggest that the stanza is a lausavísa, or was taken to be so by the prose compiler. It is included here on the grounds of a clear link with st. 9; see Introduction.
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