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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sigv Knútdr 5^I

Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Knútsdrápa 5’ 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. 656.

Sigvatr Þórðarson Knútsdrápa

Lét ‘had’

(not checked:)
láta (verb): let, have sth done

[1] Lét *: lét um FskBˣ, DG8

notes

[1] lét * ‘had’: Lét um in the mss is unmetrical and the prep. um (or normalised of) ‘around’ (?) would be redundant in the helmingr. Um is therefore omitted here, as in Skj B and Skald.

* ‘’

(not checked:)
4. of (particle): (before verb)

[1] Lét *: lét um FskBˣ, DG8

notes

[1] lét * ‘had’: Lét um in the mss is unmetrical and the prep. um (or normalised of) ‘around’ (?) would be redundant in the helmingr. Um is therefore omitted here, as in Skj B and Skald.

lǫnd ‘lands’

(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land

[1] lǫnd: land DG8, 972ˣ

lokit ‘enclosed’

(not checked:)
1. lúka (verb): end, close

liðs ‘of the army’

(not checked:)
lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop

[2] liðs: lið 972ˣ

notes

[2] liðs ‘of the army’: Skj B suggests liðs qualifies nefbjǫrgum rather than gramr, hence ‘by the army’s nose-guards’; this is queried by Kock (NN §873).

gramr ‘The lord’

(not checked:)
1. gramr (noun m.): ruler

saman ‘together’

(not checked:)
saman (adv.): together

mar ‘the sea’

(not checked:)
1. marr (noun m.): sea < marbeðr (noun m.)

notes

[3] marbe*ðjum ‘the sea-coasts’: Literally ‘sea-beds’, but here more probably the sea-coasts (cf. LP: marbeðr). The <r> in the FskBˣ reading is clearly a scribal error.

beðjum* ‘coasts’

(not checked:)
beðr (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ir, dat. -jum): bed < marbeðr (noun m.)

[3] ‑be*ðjum: ‘berðiom’ FskBˣ, biðjum DG8, 972ˣ

notes

[3] marbe*ðjum ‘the sea-coasts’: Literally ‘sea-beds’, but here more probably the sea-coasts (cf. LP: marbeðr). The <r> in the FskBˣ reading is clearly a scribal error.

með ‘along’

(not checked:)
með (prep.): with

mǫrg ‘many’

(not checked:)
2. margr (adj.; °-an): many

nefbjǫrgum ‘by nose-guards’

(not checked:)
nefbjǫrg (noun f.): [by nose-guards]

notes

[4] nefbjǫrgum ‘by nose-guards’: Hence, by pars pro toto, helmets, or helmeted warriors.

þars ‘where’

(not checked:)
þars (conj.): where

garðr ‘wall’

(not checked:)
garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard

fyr ‘before’

(not checked:)
fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.

gnóð ‘the ship’

(not checked:)
Gnoð (noun f.): ship, Gnóð

notes

[5] gnóð ‘the ship’: Gnóð is recorded in various fornaldarsögur as the name of a ship owned by the legendary Gnóðar-Ásmundr (see SnE 1998, II, 464); it also occurs in Anon Mhkv 8/5^III and in Þul Skipa 3/1^III. As LP: Gnóð notes, the length of the vowel is uncertain. LP, Skj B and Skald treat it as long, but SnE 1998 as short.

grôum ‘grey’

(not checked:)
grár (adj.; °gráan/grán): grey

[6] grôum: gráni DG8, 972ˣ

hjǫlmum ‘helmets’

(not checked:)
1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet

lá ‘lay’

(not checked:)
liggja (verb): lie

þorn ‘of the thorn’

(not checked:)
1. þorn (noun m.; °; -ar): thorn < þornheimr (noun m.)

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

þorn ‘of the thorn’

(not checked:)
1. þorn (noun m.; °; -ar): thorn < þornheimr (noun m.)

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

þorn ‘of the thorn’

(not checked:)
1. þorn (noun m.; °; -ar): thorn < þornheimr (noun m.)

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

heims ‘of the home’

(not checked:)
heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world < þornheimr (noun m.)

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

heims ‘of the home’

(not checked:)
heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world < þornheimr (noun m.)

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

þrimu ‘of battle’

(not checked:)
þrima (noun f.): battle, din

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

þrimu ‘of battle’

(not checked:)
þrima (noun f.): battle, din

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

þrimu ‘of battle’

(not checked:)
þrima (noun f.): battle, din

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

notes

[7] þrimu þornheims ‘of the home of the thorn of battle [(lit. ‘thorn-home of battle’) SWORD > SHIELD]’: In NN §648 Kock takes ‘the home of the sword’ to be the sheath, but on reconsideration in NN §2924 suggests rather it is the shield.

Þundi ‘the Þundr’

(not checked:)
Þundr (noun m.): Þundr

[8] Þundi at *undri: ‘þyndr of fyndri’ FskBˣ, ‘þyrndrof ryndri’ DG8, ‘þirn drof eyndri’ 972ˣ

kennings

þrimu þornheims Þundi.
‘thorn-home of battle’
= WARRIOR = Óláfr
the thorn of battle. → SWORD
the home of the SWORD → SHIELD
the Þundr of the SHIELD → WARRIOR = Óláfr

at ‘to’

(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to

[8] Þundi at *undri: ‘þyndr of fyndri’ FskBˣ, ‘þyrndrof ryndri’ DG8, ‘þirn drof eyndri’ 972ˣ

*undri ‘the wonder’

(not checked:)
2. undr (noun n.; °-s; -): wonder, marvel

[8] Þundi at *undri: ‘þyndr of fyndri’ FskBˣ, ‘þyrndrof ryndri’ DG8, ‘þirn drof eyndri’ 972ˣ

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

See Context to st. 3 above.

Ms. 972ˣ preserves a text of this stanza which seems to derive from the lost Uppsala ms. (*U) of ÓH. — Although it means that the term gramr ‘lord’ alludes to Óláfr in st. 4/2 but to Knútr in l. 2 of this stanza (and lið ‘fleet, army’ is also repeated from st. 3/6 with changed reference), the most likely interpretation of this stanza is that the first helmingr describes Knútr’s military defences in Denmark (or at least Zealand), and the second helmingr Óláfr’s consternation at encountering those defences. — [5-8]: This helmingr is extremely difficult to construe, and all eds suggest varying degrees of emendation (except for ÍF 29, which emends hjǫlmum to hjǫlmun in l. 6, perhaps unwittingly, but does not attempt a translation). (a) Kock’s proposed emendations are modest, and yield good sense, both in terms of the resultant kenning and the larger structure of the stanza (NN §§648, 2924; Skald). They are consequently adopted here, as also in ÓHLeg 1982, although the phrase garðr grôum hjǫlmum ‘wall (made) of grey helmets’ is perhaps slightly forced. (b) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B emends very heavily indeed, suggesting the following: þars garðr fyr gnóð | grô hjǫlmunlô, | þreifsk brims þruma | Þundar umb ǫndur ‘where the grey billow resounded before the ship, the thunder of Þundr <= Óðinn> [BATTLE] flourished around the ski of the surf [SHIP]’. Finnur marks garðr in his prose order (and in LP: garðr 8) as uninterpretable, and seems to see it as a corruption of a verb ‘resounded’; he also hesitates over the ship-kenning. In Þul Á 4/3^III, Hjalmunlá or Hjǫlmunlá is a river-name, but here Finnur takes it to be a wave or billow.

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