Sigv ErfÓl 3I
Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 3’ 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. 668.
kennings
Fiskr lyngs‘The fish of the heather ’
= SNAKE
The fish of the heather → SNAKE
notes
[1] fiskr lyngs ‘the fish of the heather [SNAKE (ormr = Ormr inn langi]’: Óláfr’s magnificent Visundr ‘Bison’ is compared with Ormr inn langi ‘the Long Serpent’, the famous warship in which Óláfr Tryggvason fought his last battle at Svǫlðr; see Note to Hókr Eirfl 3/4. Ormr is frequently mentioned in skaldic poetry, often using word-play as here; see Hfr ErfÓl 10/1 and Note.
kennings
Fiskr lyngs‘The fish of the heather ’
= SNAKE
The fish of the heather → SNAKE
notes
[1] fiskr lyngs ‘the fish of the heather [SNAKE (ormr = Ormr inn langi]’: Óláfr’s magnificent Visundr ‘Bison’ is compared with Ormr inn langi ‘the Long Serpent’, the famous warship in which Óláfr Tryggvason fought his last battle at Svǫlðr; see Note to Hókr Eirfl 3/4. Ormr is frequently mentioned in skaldic poetry, often using word-play as here; see Hfr ErfÓl 10/1 and Note.
til ‘in pursuit’
(not checked:)
til (prep.): to
notes
[1] til fengjar ‘in pursuit of gain’: The context might suggest ‘into battle’, but fengr m. normally means ‘plunder, booty’ (LP: fengr), so a reference to gaining or raiding seems likely here (cf. the translations í leiðangur ‘on a raiding expedition’ in ÍF 27 and til fangst ‘for plundering, seizing’ in Hkr 1893-1901, IV and Skj B). Óláfr Tryggvason in Hkr (ÍF 26, 344, 348) calls up a fleet and sails Ormr south to Denmark and Vinðland (Wendland) to press his territorial claims.
fengjar ‘of gain’
(not checked:)
fengr (noun m.; °-jar/-s, dat. -/-i): loot
notes
[1] til fengjar ‘in pursuit of gain’: The context might suggest ‘into battle’, but fengr m. normally means ‘plunder, booty’ (LP: fengr), so a reference to gaining or raiding seems likely here (cf. the translations í leiðangur ‘on a raiding expedition’ in ÍF 27 and til fangst ‘for plundering, seizing’ in Hkr 1893-1901, IV and Skj B). Óláfr Tryggvason in Hkr (ÍF 26, 344, 348) calls up a fleet and sails Ormr south to Denmark and Vinðland (Wendland) to press his territorial claims.
flug ‘of the flight’
(not checked:)
2. flug (noun n.): flight, ?precipice < flugstyggr (adj.): flight-shunning
[2] flug‑: flærð‑ 321ˣ, 73aˣ
kennings
flugstyggs sonar Tryggva‘of the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi ’
= Óláfr Tryggvason
the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi → Óláfr Tryggvason
styggs ‘shunning’
(not checked:)
styggr (adj.): shy < flugstyggr (adj.): flight-shunning
[2] ‑styggs: ‑styggan 321ˣ, 73aˣ, ‑stígs 325VII, styggr Tóm
kennings
flugstyggs sonar Tryggva‘of the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi ’
= Óláfr Tryggvason
the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi → Óláfr Tryggvason
sonar ‘son’
(not checked:)
sonr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. syni; synir, acc. sonu, syni): son
[2] sonar: son 321ˣ, 73aˣ
kennings
flugstyggs sonar Tryggva‘of the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi ’
= Óláfr Tryggvason
the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi → Óláfr Tryggvason
Tryggva ‘of Tryggvi’
(not checked:)
Tryggvi (noun m.): Tryggvi
kennings
flugstyggs sonar Tryggva‘of the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi ’
= Óláfr Tryggvason
the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi → Óláfr Tryggvason
gjǫlnar ‘gills’
(not checked:)
gjǫln (noun f.; °; -ar): [gills]
[3] gjǫlnar: ‘giolnir’ Holm2, ‘gelnar’ 61, ‘siolnar’ Bb, ‘giolar’ Tóm
notes
[3] gjǫlnar ‘gills’: This, the sole occurrence of this rare word in skaldic poetry, extends the ‘fish’ metaphor of l. 1 and may apply to the gilded prow (Jesch 2001a, 147).
golli ‘gold’
(not checked:)
gull (noun n.): gold
mǫlnu ‘with ground’
goð ‘God’
(not checked:)
1. guð (noun m.; °***guðrs, guðis, gus): (Christian) God
notes
[4] goð vildi svá ‘God wished it so’: For references in Sigvatr’s poetry to the Christian deity allowing or approving of the actions of a king, cf. Lv 7/5 and 29/3. What exactly is claimed to be God’s will is unclear, but it could be the splendour and successes of Ormr. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) suggested instead the battle of Svǫlðr (c. 1000).
vildi ‘wished’
(not checked:)
vilja (verb): want, intend
notes
[4] goð vildi svá ‘God wished it so’: For references in Sigvatr’s poetry to the Christian deity allowing or approving of the actions of a king, cf. Lv 7/5 and 29/3. What exactly is claimed to be God’s will is unclear, but it could be the splendour and successes of Ormr. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) suggested instead the battle of Svǫlðr (c. 1000).
svá ‘it so’
(not checked:)
svá (adv.): so, thus
notes
[4] goð vildi svá ‘God wished it so’: For references in Sigvatr’s poetry to the Christian deity allowing or approving of the actions of a king, cf. Lv 7/5 and 29/3. What exactly is claimed to be God’s will is unclear, but it could be the splendour and successes of Ormr. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) suggested instead the battle of Svǫlðr (c. 1000).
Annan ‘a second’
(not checked:)
1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
[5] Annan: annarr Bb, Flat
notes
[5] annan (m. acc. sg.) ‘a second [ship]’: The adj. is in grammatical concord with fiskr (m. nom. sg.) ‘fish’ or more especially Visund (m. acc. sg.) ‘Bison’, but does not directly qualify either. The translation in ÍF 27 assumes dreka (m. acc. sg.) ‘dragon-ship’ to be understood, while Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV) remarks that n. annat [skip] ‘another ship, a second ship’ would have been expected. The variant annarr (m. nom. sg.) would qualify Ôleifr, hence ‘another, a second Óláfr’, which would be apt, but this is the reading of Bb and Flat only.
lét ‘caused’
(not checked:)
láta (verb): let, have sth done
Ôleifr ‘Óláfr’
(not checked:)
Óláfr (noun m.): Óláfr
drjúgt ‘the animal’s’
(not checked:)
drjúgr (adj.; °compar. -ari (drýgari [$1033$] ms. 56v, superl. -astr): very, excessive
[7] drjúgt: drýgt Holm2
inn ‘inn’
(not checked:)
2. inn (art.): the
notes
[7] inn digri ‘(“the Stout”)’: Sigvatr uses this epithet of the king in sts 6/8 and 8/2 and in Lv 12/6. Digri appears widely as Óláfr’s nickname; it was posthumously replaced by helgi ‘the Holy, Saint’.
digri ‘digri’
(not checked:)
digr (adj.; °digran; compar. digrari, superl. digrastr): fat, large
notes
[7] inn digri ‘(“the Stout”)’: Sigvatr uses this epithet of the king in sts 6/8 and 8/2 and in Lv 12/6. Digri appears widely as Óláfr’s nickname; it was posthumously replaced by helgi ‘the Holy, Saint’.
dýrs ‘persistently’
(not checked:)
1. dýr (noun n.; °-s (spec.: dyʀiɴs KonrA 66⁴, etc., cf. Seip 1955 188-189); -): animal
horn ‘horns’
(not checked:)
horn (noun n.; °-s; -): horn
notes
[8] Visund ‘(“Bison”)’: According to the prose preceding the stanza, Visundr was the greatest of ships and had a gold-adorned bison-head at its prow. The ship was inherited by Óláfr’s son Magnús, and is referred to in several poems; see Note to ÞjóðA Magnfl 4/8II.
sporna ‘to tread’
(not checked:)
2. sporna (verb): tread
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Lyngs bar fiskr til fengjar |
The fish of the heather [SNAKE (ormr = Ormr inn langi)] of the flight-shunning son of Tryggvi [= Óláfr Tryggvason] carried gills reddened with ground gold in pursuit of gain; God wished it so. Óláfr inn digri (‘the Stout’) caused a second [ship], splendidly equipped, Visundr (‘Bison’), to tread on the waves; the sea washed the animal’s horns persistently.
King Óláfr sets out on an expedition with a newly-built ship, Visundr.
Anon (ÓH), quoted later in the same chapters of ÓH-Hkr, also depicts Óláfr launching his ship Visundr from the north, while another prince sails from the south.
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.