Sigv Lv 26I
R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Lausavísur 26’ 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. 732.
Alfífu ‘of Álfífa (Ælfgifu)’
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Alfífa (noun f.): Ælfgifu
[1] Alfífu: so all others, ‘[…]lfiuu’ DG8
notes
[1] Alfífu ‘of Álfífa (Ælfgifu)’: Ælfgifu or Ælfgyfu of Northampton, the English concubine of Knútr inn ríki Sveinsson and mother of Sveinn Álfífuson, who ruled in Norway 1029/30-1035 (see M. Campbell 1971).
ungr ‘A young’
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ungr (adj.): young
drengr ‘fellow’
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
muna ‘remember’
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1. muna (verb): remember
lengi ‘long’
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lengi (adv.): for a long time
es ‘when’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
[3] es (‘er’): so Bb, Flat, Ágr, þar er DG8, þá er Tóm
oxamat ‘cattle fodder’
inni ‘indoors’
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2. inni (adv.): in, inside, indoors
[4] inni skaf: inni skap Tóm, ‘iniskaf’ Ágr
skaf ‘peeled bark’
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skaf (noun n.; °-s): scraping, peeled bark
[4] inni skaf: inni skap Tóm, ‘iniskaf’ Ágr
notes
[4] sem hafrar skaf ‘as goats [eat] peeled bark’: Bark was used as fodder for goats and cattle. Kock (NN §1877) objects to this interpretation, saying that the meaning is instead that ‘we had to content ourselves with fodder’. He also objects that inni ‘indoors’ is meaningless in the present arrangement, and he would instead form a cpd inniskaf (see Readings; so already Fms), referring to bark dried and brought in (i.e. brought home). But inni sufficiently conveys the meaning not that the people ate like cattle (outdoors) but that they had only fodder to put on their tables indoors. Such is the interpretation of Olsen (1945b, 189), who rejects the supposition that farmers ate bark.
notes
[4] sem hafrar skaf ‘as goats [eat] peeled bark’: Bark was used as fodder for goats and cattle. Kock (NN §1877) objects to this interpretation, saying that the meaning is instead that ‘we had to content ourselves with fodder’. He also objects that inni ‘indoors’ is meaningless in the present arrangement, and he would instead form a cpd inniskaf (see Readings; so already Fms), referring to bark dried and brought in (i.e. brought home). But inni sufficiently conveys the meaning not that the people ate like cattle (outdoors) but that they had only fodder to put on their tables indoors. Such is the interpretation of Olsen (1945b, 189), who rejects the supposition that farmers ate bark.
hafrar ‘goats’
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hafr (noun m.; °hafrs/-s(SnEU 56¹⁹), dat. hafri; hafrar): goat
[4] sem hafrar: ‘sem hafarar’ Flat, hafta Tóm
notes
[4] sem hafrar skaf ‘as goats [eat] peeled bark’: Bark was used as fodder for goats and cattle. Kock (NN §1877) objects to this interpretation, saying that the meaning is instead that ‘we had to content ourselves with fodder’. He also objects that inni ‘indoors’ is meaningless in the present arrangement, and he would instead form a cpd inniskaf (see Readings; so already Fms), referring to bark dried and brought in (i.e. brought home). But inni sufficiently conveys the meaning not that the people ate like cattle (outdoors) but that they had only fodder to put on their tables indoors. Such is the interpretation of Olsen (1945b, 189), who rejects the supposition that farmers ate bark.
Annat ‘otherwise’
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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
notes
[5] Ôleifr ‘Óláfr’: Gering (1912, 139) points out that Sigvatr otherwise never uses the name Áleifr/Ôleifr in the cadence of a line, because the second syllable is not unstressed. For this name he would instead read sonr Ôstu ‘son of Ásta’, i.e. Óláfr. On the faulty hending, see Note to Lv 1/7 egna.
vas ‘It was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
notes
[5] Ôleifr ‘Óláfr’: Gering (1912, 139) points out that Sigvatr otherwise never uses the name Áleifr/Ôleifr in the cadence of a line, because the second syllable is not unstressed. For this name he would instead read sonr Ôstu ‘son of Ásta’, i.e. Óláfr. On the faulty hending, see Note to Lv 1/7 egna.
þás ‘when’
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þás (conj.): when
notes
[5] Ôleifr ‘Óláfr’: Gering (1912, 139) points out that Sigvatr otherwise never uses the name Áleifr/Ôleifr in the cadence of a line, because the second syllable is not unstressed. For this name he would instead read sonr Ôstu ‘son of Ásta’, i.e. Óláfr. On the faulty hending, see Note to Lv 1/7 egna.
Ôleifr ‘Óláfr’
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Óláfr (noun m.): Óláfr
notes
[5] Ôleifr ‘Óláfr’: Gering (1912, 139) points out that Sigvatr otherwise never uses the name Áleifr/Ôleifr in the cadence of a line, because the second syllable is not unstressed. For this name he would instead read sonr Ôstu ‘son of Ásta’, i.e. Óláfr. On the faulty hending, see Note to Lv 1/7 egna.
ógn ‘the battle’
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ógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle < ógnbandaðr (noun m.)
[6] ógn‑: ǫgn‑ Bb, Ágr
kennings
ógnbandaðr,‘the battle-gesturer, ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-gesturer, → WARRIOR
bandaðr ‘gesturer’
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bandaðr (noun m.): [gesturer] < ógnbandaðr (noun m.)
[6] ‑bandaðr: so Bb, Ágr, ‑bannaðr DG8, ‑bráðr er Flat, ‑bráðr um Tóm
kennings
ógnbandaðr,‘the battle-gesturer, ’
= WARRIOR
the battle-gesturer, → WARRIOR
landi ‘the country’
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land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
[6] landi: so Bb, Ágr, lǫndum DG8, láði Flat, Tóm
notes
[7] hverr átti þá hrósa ‘everyone then had to praise’: Due to the faulty hending, Gering (loc. cit.) would emend this line to halir ôttu þá hœla, with the same meaning.
átti ‘then’
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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have
notes
[7] hverr átti þá hrósa ‘everyone then had to praise’: Due to the faulty hending, Gering (loc. cit.) would emend this line to halir ôttu þá hœla, with the same meaning.
þá ‘had’
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2. þá (adv.): then
notes
[7] hverr átti þá hrósa ‘everyone then had to praise’: Due to the faulty hending, Gering (loc. cit.) would emend this line to halir ôttu þá hœla, with the same meaning.
notes
[7] hverr átti þá hrósa ‘everyone then had to praise’: Due to the faulty hending, Gering (loc. cit.) would emend this line to halir ôttu þá hœla, with the same meaning.
hjalmþornuðu ‘the rick-dried’
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hjalmþornaðr (adj./verb p.p.): [rick-dried]
[8] hjalmþornuðu: hjalmr þornuðu Bb, hjalmþornaðu fræ DG8, hjalmþorns freku Flat, hjalm þorn fræri Tóm, hjalmar hlǫðnu Ágr
notes
[8] hjalmþornuðu korni ‘the rick-dried grain’: That is, the grain (korni) was plentiful, raked into ricks or heaps (hjalm-) and dried (-þornuðu).
notes
[8] hjalmþornuðu korni ‘the rick-dried grain’: That is, the grain (korni) was plentiful, raked into ricks or heaps (hjalm-) and dried (-þornuðu).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
It is said that Norway fares pitiably under the reign of Sveinn Álfífuson/Knútsson and his mother Álfífa, and the people live more on fodder than on food for human beings because there is no plenty in the land during their day, as may be heard in this stanza that Sigvatr composed.
Olsen (1945b, 188) perceives a connection between this stanza and Eyv Lv 12, concerning the lean years under Queen Gunnhildr, and indeed the two stanzas share references to goats eating bark (and to being indoors).
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