Sigv Nesv 6I
Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Nesjavísur 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. 565.
Fekk ‘gained’
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2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
meira ‘greater’
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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most
lið ‘force’
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lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop
miklu ‘a much’
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mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large
mildr ‘The generous one’
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mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous
an ‘than’
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2. an (conj.): than
notes
[2] an gløggr ‘than the mean one [Sveinn]’: Ms. ‘en’ is here normalised as the comp. conj. an. It could alternatively be taken as the conj. en ‘but, and’ juxtaposing two characteristics of Óláfr: mildr ‘generous’, and gløggr (til hildar) ‘clear-sighted, clever (at fighting, in battle)’, but in context this is less likely.
gløggr ‘the mean one’
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gløggr (adj.; °-van; compar. -(v)ari/-ri, superl. -(v)astr/-str): clear
notes
[2] an gløggr ‘than the mean one [Sveinn]’: Ms. ‘en’ is here normalised as the comp. conj. an. It could alternatively be taken as the conj. en ‘but, and’ juxtaposing two characteristics of Óláfr: mildr ‘generous’, and gløggr (til hildar) ‘clear-sighted, clever (at fighting, in battle)’, but in context this is less likely.
til ‘for’
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til (prep.): to
hildar ‘the battle’
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1. hildr (noun f.): battle
hirð ‘retinue’
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hirð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar(FskB 53)): retinue
notes
[3] hirð ‘retinue’: This is the earliest attestation of this word, which derives from OE hīred ‘household, band of retainers’. Óláfr may have brought both the term and the institution it denotes to Norway at the end of his English campaigns (cf. Hofmann 1955, 83).
þás ‘when’
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þás (conj.): when
hugði ‘thought’
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
fœðazk ‘’
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2. fœða (verb): to feed, give food to, bring up, bear, give birth to
notes
[3] forðask ‘to escape’: The emendation, necessary for sense and skothending, was proposed by Keyser and Unger (ÓHLeg 1849, 20).
beið ‘’
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bíða (verb; °bíðr; beið, biðu; beðit): wait, suffer, experience
notes
[4] heið ‘illustrious’: Another emendation necessary for sense and verse-form, also proposed by Keyser and Unger (loc. cit.).
þjóð ‘of the mighty’
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þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people < þjóðkonungr (noun m.): mighty king
notes
[4] þjóðkonungs ‘of the mighty king’: Lit. ‘of the nation’s king’. Hofmann (1955, 83, 101) suggests that, although this word occurs in earlier skaldic poetry, its use by the skalds may have been influenced by OE þēodcyning ‘king of a nation, emperor’.
konungs ‘king’
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king < þjóðkonungr (noun m.): mighty king
notes
[4] þjóðkonungs ‘of the mighty king’: Lit. ‘of the nation’s king’. Hofmann (1955, 83, 101) suggests that, although this word occurs in earlier skaldic poetry, its use by the skalds may have been influenced by OE þēodcyning ‘king of a nation, emperor’.
reiði ‘wrath’
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2. reiði (noun f.; °-): anger
En ‘But’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
vinlausum ‘for the friendless’
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vinlauss (adj.): [for friendless]
vísa ‘leader’
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vísi (noun m.; °-a): leader
varð ‘it became’
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1. verða (verb): become, be
es ‘who’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
fé ‘payment’
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fé (noun n.; °fjár/féar; -): cattle, money
sparði ‘scrimped’
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2. spara (verb): spare, withhold
háðisk ‘was waged’
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2. heyja (verb): fight, wage (battle)
víg ‘war’
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víg (noun n.; °-s; -): battle
fyr ‘off’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
notes
[7-8] fyr víðum vangi ‘off the broad plain’: On the site of the sea-battle, see Note to st. 2/4. Although the epithet víðr may be purely conventional, it would fit Brunlanes as a whole, which contrasts with some extremely long and narrow peninsulas to the north-east.
víðum ‘the broad’
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víðr (adj.): far
notes
[7-8] fyr víðum vangi ‘off the broad plain’: On the site of the sea-battle, see Note to st. 2/4. Although the epithet víðr may be purely conventional, it would fit Brunlanes as a whole, which contrasts with some extremely long and narrow peninsulas to the north-east.
vangi ‘plain’
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1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
notes
[7-8] fyr víðum vangi ‘off the broad plain’: On the site of the sea-battle, see Note to st. 2/4. Although the epithet víðr may be purely conventional, it would fit Brunlanes as a whole, which contrasts with some extremely long and narrow peninsulas to the north-east.
þunnt ‘sparse’
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin
of ‘around’
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
stangir ‘the standards’
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stǫng (noun f.; °stangar, dat. -u; stangir/stengr): pole
notes
[8] stangir ‘the standards’: Strictly speaking, the word stǫng denotes the pole on which the banner (merki or vé) is held aloft (Jesch 2001a, 253). Evidently Sveinn assembles his forces beneath these standards before they board the ships. The phrase þunnt of stangir ‘sparse around the standards’ also occurs in Anon (Hák) 3/6II.
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Fekk meira lið miklu |
The generous one [Óláfr] gained a much greater force for the battle than the mean one [Sveinn], when the illustrious retinue thought to escape the wrath of the mighty king. But for the friendless leader [Sveinn], he who scrimped on payment, it became sparse around the standards; war was waged off the broad plain.
The stanza is preceded by an account of preparations and the skothríð ‘missile-shower’ and a remark that Óláfr had much the larger force.
Sigvatr now develops a contrast between Óláfr and Sveinn, as respectively generous and parsimonious, popular and unpopular. At the same time, it is hinted that Óláfr’s success in amassing support arises not entirely from generosity but also from intimidation. For further discussion of the quantiative comparison, see Note to st. 12/2, 4. On the role of wealth in Óláfr’s consolidation and augmentation of his following, see Fidjestøl (1975 and 1984b).
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