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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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SnSt Ht 2^III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1106.

Snorri Sturluson Háttatal

Fellr ‘falls’

(not checked:)
falla (verb): fall

of ‘around’

(not checked:)
3. of (prep.): around, from; too

fúra ‘of the fires’

(not checked:)
fúrr (noun m.): fire

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

fúra ‘of the fires’

(not checked:)
fúrr (noun m.): fire

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

stilli ‘the ruler’

(not checked:)
stillir (noun m.): ruler

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

flein ‘of spear’

(not checked:)
fleinn (noun m.; °dat. fleini): spear < fleinbrak (noun n.)

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

flein ‘of spear’

(not checked:)
fleinn (noun m.; °dat. fleini): spear < fleinbrak (noun n.)

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

flein ‘of spear’

(not checked:)
fleinn (noun m.; °dat. fleini): spear < fleinbrak (noun n.)

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

braks ‘crash’

(not checked:)
brak (noun n.): clash, noise < fleinbrak (noun n.)

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

braks ‘crash’

(not checked:)
brak (noun n.): clash, noise < fleinbrak (noun n.)

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

braks ‘crash’

(not checked:)
brak (noun n.): clash, noise < fleinbrak (noun n.)

kennings

stilli fúra fleinbraks,
‘the ruler of the fires of spear-crash ’
= WARRIOR
spear-crash → BATTLE
the fires of the BATTLE → SWORDS
the ruler of SWORDS → WARRIOR

limu ‘the limbs’

(not checked:)
limr (noun m.; °-ar/-s, dat. -i/-; -ir acc. limu/limi): [limb]

[2] limu axla: ‘limvaka’ U

kennings

limu axla
‘the limbs of the shoulders ’
= ARMS
the limbs of the shoulders → ARMS

axla ‘of the shoulders’

(not checked:)
ǫxl (noun f.; °axlar, dat. -u; axlir): shoulder

[2] limu axla: ‘limvaka’ U

kennings

limu axla
‘the limbs of the shoulders ’
= ARMS
the limbs of the shoulders → ARMS

Hamðis ‘Hamðir’s’

(not checked:)
Hamðir (noun m.): Hamðir

kennings

Fang Hamðis
‘Hamðir’s tunic ’
= BYRNIE
Hamðir’s tunic → BYRNIE

fang ‘tunic’

(not checked:)
fang (noun n.; °-s; *-): grasp, tunic

[3] fang: fǫng all

kennings

Fang Hamðis
‘Hamðir’s tunic ’
= BYRNIE
Hamðir’s tunic → BYRNIE

notes

[3] fang (n. nom. sg.) ‘tunic’: Fǫng (n. nom. pl.) ‘tunics’ has been emended to the sg. because the verb fellr (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic.) ‘falls’ requires a sg. subject.

þars ‘where’

(not checked:)
þars (conj.): where

hringum ‘with rings’

(not checked:)
1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword

notes

[3] hringum ‘with rings’: Here this refers to a ring byrnie, a coat of mail made of rings that were hammered or woven together (cf. Falk 1914b, 175-7).

hylr ‘hides’

(not checked:)
2. hylja (verb): to bury, cover, inhume

ætt ‘the family’

(not checked:)
1. ætt (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): family < ættstuðill (noun m.): family-pillar

kennings

ættstuðill skylja
‘the family-pillar of princes ’
= RULER = Hákon
the family-pillar of princes → RULER = Hákon

stuðill ‘pillar’

(not checked:)
stuðill (noun m.; °; stuðlar): pillar, prop < ættstuðill (noun m.): family-pillar

kennings

ættstuðill skylja
‘the family-pillar of princes ’
= RULER = Hákon
the family-pillar of princes → RULER = Hákon

skylja ‘of princes’

(not checked:)
skyli (noun m.): lord

kennings

ættstuðill skylja
‘the family-pillar of princes ’
= RULER = Hákon
the family-pillar of princes → RULER = Hákon

notes

[4] skylja ‘of princes’: This can be either gen. sg. or gen. pl. Skj B treats it as a pers. n. (Skyles ætling ‘Skyli’s descendant’; so also SnE 1848-87 and SnE 1879-81). Although the name Skyli occurs in the þulur as one of the names for a king (Þul Konunga 3/4), it is otherwise used in poetry as a heiti for king (LP: skyli).

Holt ‘the forest’

(not checked:)
holt (noun n.; °-s; -): [forest, woods]

kennings

holt bœs heila
‘the forest of the farmstead of the brain ’
= HAIR
the farmstead of the brain → HEAD
the forest of the HEAD → HAIR

notes

[5] holt ‘the forest’: A rocky hillock, often covered with trees (Fritzner: holt). Kock (NN §1295) suggests ‘hazel-tree’, but the word is not attested in that meaning.

felr ‘He covers’

(not checked:)
2. fela (verb): hide

hildi ‘with the battle’

(not checked:)
1. hildr (noun f.): battle < hildigǫltr (noun m.): Battle-boar

kennings

hildigelti,
‘with the battle-boar, ’
= HELMET
with the battle-boar, → HELMET

notes

[5] hildigelti ‘with the battle-boar [HELMET]’: Hildigǫltr ‘battle-boar’ is a heiti for helmet (Þul Hjálms 2/1), referring to boar-images that were engraved on the crests of helmets (see Falk 1914b, 157-60). In Skm Hildigǫltr is the name of the helmet that King Aðils took as booty from the dead King Áli (SnE 1998, I, 58; see also Hyndl 7/7 and Note to Eyv Lv 5/5, 6, 7^I).

gelti ‘boar’

(not checked:)
gǫltr (noun m.): boar, hog < hildigǫltr (noun m.): Battle-boar

kennings

hildigelti,
‘with the battle-boar, ’
= HELMET
with the battle-boar, → HELMET

notes

[5] hildigelti ‘with the battle-boar [HELMET]’: Hildigǫltr ‘battle-boar’ is a heiti for helmet (Þul Hjálms 2/1), referring to boar-images that were engraved on the crests of helmets (see Falk 1914b, 157-60). In Skm Hildigǫltr is the name of the helmet that King Aðils took as booty from the dead King Áli (SnE 1998, I, 58; see also Hyndl 7/7 and Note to Eyv Lv 5/5, 6, 7^I).

heila ‘of the brain’

(not checked:)
1. heili (noun m.; °-a): brain

kennings

holt bœs heila
‘the forest of the farmstead of the brain ’
= HAIR
the farmstead of the brain → HEAD
the forest of the HEAD → HAIR

heila ‘of the brain’

(not checked:)
1. heili (noun m.; °-a): brain

kennings

holt bœs heila
‘the forest of the farmstead of the brain ’
= HAIR
the farmstead of the brain → HEAD
the forest of the HEAD → HAIR

bœs ‘of the farmstead’

(not checked:)
bœr (noun m.; °-jar/-ar, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja/-a, dat. -jum/-um/bjóm/-am/-m, acc. -i/-ja/-a/bǿ): farm, homestead

[6] bœs: so W, ‘bos’ R, ‘bys’ Tˣ, ljós U

kennings

holt bœs heila
‘the forest of the farmstead of the brain ’
= HAIR
the farmstead of the brain → HEAD
the forest of the HEAD → HAIR

notes

[6] bœs ‘of the farmstead’: So W. In R, ‘bos’ has been altered to ‘bys’ (R*), i.e. býs ‘of the farmstead’ (cf. the reading of Tˣ).

bœs ‘of the farmstead’

(not checked:)
bœr (noun m.; °-jar/-ar, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja/-a, dat. -jum/-um/bjóm/-am/-m, acc. -i/-ja/-a/bǿ): farm, homestead

[6] bœs: so W, ‘bos’ R, ‘bys’ Tˣ, ljós U

kennings

holt bœs heila
‘the forest of the farmstead of the brain ’
= HAIR
the farmstead of the brain → HEAD
the forest of the HEAD → HAIR

notes

[6] bœs ‘of the farmstead’: So W. In R, ‘bos’ has been altered to ‘bys’ (R*), i.e. býs ‘of the farmstead’ (cf. the reading of Tˣ).

ok ‘and’

(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

[6] ok: so Tˣ, W, om. R, en U

notes

[6] ok ‘and’: So Tˣ, W. The word was originally omitted in R, but an abbreviated ok has been added above deilir ‘distributor’ (R*). En ‘and’ (U) is also a possible reading.

deilir ‘the distributor’

(not checked:)
deilir (noun m.): ruler, ordainer

kennings

deilir gulls,
‘the distributor of gold, ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the distributor of gold, → GENEROUS MAN

gulls ‘of gold’

(not checked:)
gull (noun n.): gold

kennings

deilir gulls,
‘the distributor of gold, ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the distributor of gold, → GENEROUS MAN

í ‘in’

(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into

gemlis ‘of the hawk’

(not checked:)
gemlir (noun m.): eagle, hawk, old one

[7] gemlis: so Tˣ, W, gelmis R, U

kennings

stalli gemlis.
‘his perch of the hawk. ’
= HAND
his perch of the hawk. → HAND

stalli ‘his perch’

(not checked:)
stallr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): seat, stall, support

kennings

stalli gemlis.
‘his perch of the hawk. ’
= HAND
his perch of the hawk. → HAND

gunn ‘the battle’

(not checked:)
gunnr (noun f.): battle < gunnseiðr (noun m.)

kennings

gunnseið
‘the battle-pollack ’
= SWORD
the battle-pollack → SWORD

notes

[8] gunnseið ‘the battle-pollack [SWORD]’: Seiðr ‘pollack’ is a salt-water fish of the cod family (Pollachius virens). In R it looks as though something has been erased before ‘eið’, perhaps <m> or <n> (R*).

seið ‘pollack’

(not checked:)
2. seiðr (noun m.): coalfish < gunnseiðr (noun m.)

kennings

gunnseið
‘the battle-pollack ’
= SWORD
the battle-pollack → SWORD

notes

[8] gunnseið ‘the battle-pollack [SWORD]’: Seiðr ‘pollack’ is a salt-water fish of the cod family (Pollachius virens). In R it looks as though something has been erased before ‘eið’, perhaps <m> or <n> (R*).

skǫrungr ‘the outstanding person’

(not checked:)
skǫrungr (noun m.; °; -ar): champion

notes

[8] skǫrungr ‘the outstanding person’: Following Sveinbjörn Egilsson (SnE 1848-87, III), Möbius (SnE 1879-81, I, 74) and Konráð Gíslason (1895-7), Skj B takes this as the subject in the first clause in the second helmingr, which results in an awkward tripartite line (see NN §1295).

reiðir ‘swings’

(not checked:)
2. reiða (verb): carry

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

verse
prose

The stanza illustrates the formation of kennings. In W (Orms-Eddu-brot; additions to Skm), the second helmingr is given as an example of kennings for ‘head’.

The headings are ij. kenningar ‘two, kennings’ (Tˣ) and kendr háttr ‘verse-form that uses kennings’ (U(47r)). — In W, the second helmingr is attributed to Snorri Sturluson.

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