Sigv Lv 1I
R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Lausavísur 1’ 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. 699.
gengr ‘goes’
(not checked:)
2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
[1] gengr: so 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ, 61, gekk Flat, yggr 78aˣ
at ‘’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
óskum ‘wishes’
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ósk (noun f.; °-ar; dat. -um): wish, desire
eitrs ‘the poison’
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eitr (noun n.; °; dat. -um): poison
[2] eitrs: eitr 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ, 61, ‘ettr’ 78aˣ
kennings
orm eitrs leygjar‘the poison-serpent of the sea ’
= FISH
the poison-serpent of the sea → FISH
notes
[2] eitrs ‘poison-’: Lit. ‘of poison’. This is equivalent to ‘poisonous’, and it should be understood that it is the serpent to which the fish is analogized that is poisonous, not the fish itself. Kock (NN §669) points out that the kenning can also refer to a warship, though he does not attribute that meaning to it here.
sem ‘in that’
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sem (conj.): as, which
hǫfum ‘have’
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hafa (verb): have
leitat ‘tried’
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leita (verb): seek, look for, attack
lýsu ‘of the cod’
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1. lýsa (noun f.; °-u): cod, whiting
kennings
lyngvi vangs lýsu.‘the heather of the field of the cod. ’
= SEAWEED
the field of the cod. → SEA
the heather of the SEA → SEAWEED
notes
[3] lyngvi vangs lýsu ‘the heather of the field of the cod [SEA > SEAWEED]’: The base-word lyng ‘heather’ suggests some kind of vegetation as the referent, and Meissner 99 suggests seaweed (Tang). Strictly, ‘water-weed’ might be more appropriate since the scene is the inland lake Apavatn, south-west Iceland, judging from the prose context. An alternative is ‘ice’, since ice covers the water as heather does the moor, and Snorri’s prose indicates that Sigvatr was ice fishing, so very possibly he understood the kenning this way. However, other ice-kennings have a term denoting some kind of roof or covering as their base-word (see Meissner 100).
lýsu ‘of the cod’
(not checked:)
1. lýsa (noun f.; °-u): cod, whiting
kennings
lyngvi vangs lýsu.‘the heather of the field of the cod. ’
= SEAWEED
the field of the cod. → SEA
the heather of the SEA → SEAWEED
notes
[3] lyngvi vangs lýsu ‘the heather of the field of the cod [SEA > SEAWEED]’: The base-word lyng ‘heather’ suggests some kind of vegetation as the referent, and Meissner 99 suggests seaweed (Tang). Strictly, ‘water-weed’ might be more appropriate since the scene is the inland lake Apavatn, south-west Iceland, judging from the prose context. An alternative is ‘ice’, since ice covers the water as heather does the moor, and Snorri’s prose indicates that Sigvatr was ice fishing, so very possibly he understood the kenning this way. However, other ice-kennings have a term denoting some kind of roof or covering as their base-word (see Meissner 100).
vangs ‘of the field’
(not checked:)
1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
[3] vangs: ‘vangs’ or ‘vanger’ 61
kennings
lyngvi vangs lýsu.‘the heather of the field of the cod. ’
= SEAWEED
the field of the cod. → SEA
the heather of the SEA → SEAWEED
notes
[3] lyngvi vangs lýsu ‘the heather of the field of the cod [SEA > SEAWEED]’: The base-word lyng ‘heather’ suggests some kind of vegetation as the referent, and Meissner 99 suggests seaweed (Tang). Strictly, ‘water-weed’ might be more appropriate since the scene is the inland lake Apavatn, south-west Iceland, judging from the prose context. An alternative is ‘ice’, since ice covers the water as heather does the moor, and Snorri’s prose indicates that Sigvatr was ice fishing, so very possibly he understood the kenning this way. However, other ice-kennings have a term denoting some kind of roof or covering as their base-word (see Meissner 100).
vangs ‘of the field’
(not checked:)
1. vangr (noun m.): field, plain
[3] vangs: ‘vangs’ or ‘vanger’ 61
kennings
lyngvi vangs lýsu.‘the heather of the field of the cod. ’
= SEAWEED
the field of the cod. → SEA
the heather of the SEA → SEAWEED
notes
[3] lyngvi vangs lýsu ‘the heather of the field of the cod [SEA > SEAWEED]’: The base-word lyng ‘heather’ suggests some kind of vegetation as the referent, and Meissner 99 suggests seaweed (Tang). Strictly, ‘water-weed’ might be more appropriate since the scene is the inland lake Apavatn, south-west Iceland, judging from the prose context. An alternative is ‘ice’, since ice covers the water as heather does the moor, and Snorri’s prose indicates that Sigvatr was ice fishing, so very possibly he understood the kenning this way. However, other ice-kennings have a term denoting some kind of roof or covering as their base-word (see Meissner 100).
lyngvi ‘the heather’
(not checked:)
lyng (noun n.; °dat. -vi/-i; -): heather
[3] lyngvi: so 78aˣ, 61, lyngi Flat, 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ
kennings
lyngvi vangs lýsu.‘the heather of the field of the cod. ’
= SEAWEED
the field of the cod. → SEA
the heather of the SEA → SEAWEED
notes
[3] lyngvi vangs lýsu ‘the heather of the field of the cod [SEA > SEAWEED]’: The base-word lyng ‘heather’ suggests some kind of vegetation as the referent, and Meissner 99 suggests seaweed (Tang). Strictly, ‘water-weed’ might be more appropriate since the scene is the inland lake Apavatn, south-west Iceland, judging from the prose context. An alternative is ‘ice’, since ice covers the water as heather does the moor, and Snorri’s prose indicates that Sigvatr was ice fishing, so very possibly he understood the kenning this way. However, other ice-kennings have a term denoting some kind of roof or covering as their base-word (see Meissner 100).
leygjar ‘of the sea’
(not checked:)
1. leygr (noun m.): flame
kennings
orm eitrs leygjar‘the poison-serpent of the sea ’
= FISH
the poison-serpent of the sea → FISH
orm ‘serpent’
(not checked:)
ormr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): serpent
kennings
orm eitrs leygjar‘the poison-serpent of the sea ’
= FISH
the poison-serpent of the sea → FISH
at ‘to’
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
teygja ‘lure’
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teygja (verb): lead, entice
Atrennir ‘The caster’
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atrennir (noun m.): [caster]
[5] Atrennir: atrennis 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ, ‘surennis’ 78aˣ, ‘at renis’ 61
kennings
Atrennir agngalga‘The caster of the bait-gallows ’
= FISHERMAN
the bait-gallows → FISHING LINE
The caster of the FISHING LINE → FISHERMAN
annars ‘at all events’
(not checked:)
1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
[5] annars: so all others, annan Flat
ǫngul ‘the one grasped by the hook’
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ǫngull (noun m.): fishing hook < ǫngulgripinn (adj./verb p.p.)
[6] ǫngul‑: anga 73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76aˣ, 78aˣ
gripinn ‘’
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grípa (verb): seize, grasp < ǫngulgripinn (adj./verb p.p.)
vel ‘well’
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vel (adv.): well, very
hefr ‘things have’
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hafa (verb): have
aurriða ‘the trout’
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aurriði (noun m.): [trout]
notes
[7] aurriða ‘the trout’: The species is given as salmo trutta ‘salmon trout’, i.e. brown trout, in CVC: aurriði.
at ‘in’
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
notes
[7] egna ‘catching’: Consonant rhyme (skothending) fails in an odd line here, as in another four instances in Sigvatr’s oeuvre: see Höskuldur Þráinsson (1970, 27); Gade (1995a, 31-3). In order to provide proper skothending, Kock (NN §670) would adopt the reading erja ‘to plough’. However, his assumption of the sense ‘to cut’ is not convincing, and the fact that this reading is unique to ms. 61 suggests a scribal attempt to correct the hending (so Gering 1912, 134 n. 2, who ascribes the verse to a different, inferior poet; so also Bugge 1897a, 211). Jón Skaptason (1983, 183) adopts erja and renders it ‘baiting’, for no very clear reason.
agn ‘of the bait’
(not checked:)
agn (noun n.; °; *-): [bait] < agngalgi (noun m.)
kennings
Atrennir agngalga‘The caster of the bait-gallows ’
= FISHERMAN
the bait-gallows → FISHING LINE
The caster of the FISHING LINE → FISHERMAN
agn ‘of the bait’
(not checked:)
agn (noun n.; °; *-): [bait] < agngalgi (noun m.)
kennings
Atrennir agngalga‘The caster of the bait-gallows ’
= FISHERMAN
the bait-gallows → FISHING LINE
The caster of the FISHING LINE → FISHERMAN
galga ‘gallows’
(not checked:)
galgi (noun m.): gallows < agngalgi (noun m.)
[8] ‑galga: ‘galiga’ 76aˣ, gagli 61
kennings
Atrennir agngalga‘The caster of the bait-gallows ’
= FISHERMAN
the bait-gallows → FISHING LINE
The caster of the FISHING LINE → FISHERMAN
galga ‘gallows’
(not checked:)
galgi (noun m.): gallows < agngalgi (noun m.)
[8] ‑galga: ‘galiga’ 76aˣ, gagli 61
kennings
Atrennir agngalga‘The caster of the bait-gallows ’
= FISHERMAN
the bait-gallows → FISHING LINE
The caster of the FISHING LINE → FISHERMAN
mér ‘for me’
(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Fiskr gengr oss at óskum, |
The fishing goes according to our [my] wishes, in that we have tried to lure the poison-serpent of the sea [FISH] out of the heather of the field of the cod [SEA > SEAWEED]. The caster of the bait-gallows [FISHING LINE > FISHERMAN] let the one grasped by the hook hang; at all events, things have turned out well for me in catching the trout.
As a boy, Sigvatr catches a large and beautiful fish in Apavatn in Iceland. A Norwegian who cooks the fish for him tells him to eat the head first, since that is where the intelligence of every living creature is hidden. Sigvatr does so and then delivers this stanza. Ever afterwards he is a clever person and a good poet.
The stanza itself does not overtly commemorate anything other than a successful fishing trip, but the tale that supplies its context is of great interest. For conflicting views on its Irish or Norse derivation, see Bugge (1897a) and Lie (1946a), and on the tradition, in Old Icelandic literature, of miraculous origins for a poet’s craft, see Turville-Petre (1972b, 42-3) and ÍF 9, c-ci. See also Clunies Ross (1999a), who emphasises the wonder-tale elements of an initiatory rite of passage and the acquisition of special powers by ingestion of a marvellous substance. For another skaldic stanza attached to an anecdote accounting for a gift of poetry, see Hhal Lv and Introduction to that. — [5-8]: The lines clearly express satisfaction with the catch, but more than one construal is possible. (a) The interpretation adopted here assumes that ǫngulgripinn (l. 6) is a p. p., lit. ‘hook-grasped’, used as a substantive, ‘the one grasped by the hook’, and is the object of lét hanga ‘let hang’ (ll. 5, 6), while aurriða ‘trout’ is the object of egna ‘catch’ (l. 7). (b) The main alternative is to take ǫngulgripinn aurriða together, leaving the normally transitive egna without an explicit object (so Skj B), but this produces an awkward word order and a tripartite l. 7. (c) Jón Skaptason (1983) takes -gripinn to be acc. sg. of gripr ‘costly thing’ plus def. art., and he renders the cpd ‘the hook-trophy’; but use of the def. art. as a suffix would be most unusual if the stanza is to be dated to Sigvatr’s day.
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