Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 28

Kari Ellen Gade

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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SnSt Ht 28^III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 28’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1134.

Snorri Sturluson Háttatal

27 28 29

Vand ‘of the rod’

(not checked:)
vǫndr (noun m.; °vandar, dat. vendi/vǫnd; vendir, acc. vǫndu/vendi): rod, want, mast < vandbaugr (noun m.): [wand shield-boss]

[1] Vand‑: so W(143), Van‑ R, U(47r), Vann‑ Tˣ, U(52r)

kennings

Vígrakkr sendir vandbaugs
‘The battle-brave sender of the rod of the shield-boss ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the rod of the shield-boss → SWORD
The battle-brave sender of the SWORD → WARRIOR = Hákon

notes

[1] vandbaugs ‘of the rod of the shield-boss [SWORD]’: So W. Van- has been altered in R to Vann- (R*), but neither word can be construed to make any sense.

Vand ‘of the rod’

(not checked:)
vǫndr (noun m.; °vandar, dat. vendi/vǫnd; vendir, acc. vǫndu/vendi): rod, want, mast < vandbaugr (noun m.): [wand shield-boss]

[1] Vand‑: so W(143), Van‑ R, U(47r), Vann‑ Tˣ, U(52r)

kennings

notes

[1] vandbaugs ‘of the rod of the shield-boss [SWORD]’: So W. Van- has been altered in R to Vann- (R*), but neither word can be construed to make any sense.

baugs ‘of the shield-boss’

(not checked:)
baugr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): ring < vandbaugr (noun m.): [wand shield-boss]

kennings

notes

[1] vandbaugs ‘of the rod of the shield-boss [SWORD]’: So W. Van- has been altered in R to Vann- (R*), but neither word can be construed to make any sense.

baugs ‘of the shield-boss’

(not checked:)
baugr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): ring < vandbaugr (noun m.): [wand shield-boss]

kennings

notes

[1] vandbaugs ‘of the rod of the shield-boss [SWORD]’: So W. Van- has been altered in R to Vann- (R*), but neither word can be construed to make any sense.

veitti ‘provided’

(not checked:)
2. veita (verb): grant, give

[1] veitti: veiti W(143), U(47r), U(52r)

sendir ‘sender’

(not checked:)
sendir (noun m.): sender, distributor

kennings

víg ‘The battle’

(not checked:)
víg (noun n.; °-s; -): battle < vígrakkr (adj.): [Battle-bold]

[2] víg‑: veg‑ W(143)

kennings

rakkr ‘brave’

(not checked:)
rakkr (adj.; °compar. -ari): bold < vígrakkr (adj.): [Battle-bold]

kennings

en ‘and’

(not checked:)
2. en (conj.): but, and

notes

[2] en ‘and’: In R ek ‘I’ has been added after this conj. (R*).

[3] skjald‑: skjal Tˣ

kennings

skjaldbraks,
‘with shield-crash, ’
= BATTLE
with shield-crash, → BATTLE

braks ‘crash’

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

[3] ‑braks: so Tˣ, W(143), W(104), A, ‑brags R, U(52r)

kennings

skjaldbraks,
‘with shield-crash, ’
= BATTLE
with shield-crash, → BATTLE

skylja ‘the lord’

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

mildum ‘liberal’

(not checked:)
mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous

skip ‘with a levy’

(not checked:)
skip (noun n.; °-s; -): ship < skipreiða (noun f.)

notes

[4] skipreiðu (f. acc. sg.) ‘a levy district’: So W(143), W(104), Tˣ. Skipreiðum (f. dat. pl.) ‘levy districts’ (R) is ungrammatical (the acc. case is required by the syntax). This refers to a coastal district whose population was responsible for equipping a warship. The district was likely the one given to Snorri by Hákon, which was mentioned in st. 27 above (see Note to st. 27/5, 7).

reiðu ‘district’

(not checked:)
1. reiða (noun f.; °-u; -ur): chariot, equipment < skipreiða (noun f.)

[4] ‑reiðu: so Tˣ, W(143), W(104), A, reiðum R, ‘‑reþi’ U(52r)

notes

mér ‘me’

(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

[4] mér: menn U(52r)

heiða ‘for the glorious’

(not checked:)
4. heiðr (adj.): bright

Fann ‘selected’

(not checked:)
2. finna (verb): find, meet

næst ‘Next’

(not checked:)
næst (adv.): next

fylkir ‘the leader’

(not checked:)
fylkir (noun m.): leader

unna ‘of the waves’

(not checked:)
2. unnr (noun f.): wave

[5] unna: vinna Tˣ

kennings

fǫl dýr unna
‘pale animals of the waves ’
= SHIPS
pale animals of the waves → SHIPS

fǫl ‘pale’

(not checked:)
2. falr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): white, marketable

[6] fǫl dýr: so Tˣ, ‘favl dyrr’ R, fjǫldýr W(143), ‘falldvr’ U(52r)

kennings

fǫl dýr unna
‘pale animals of the waves ’
= SHIPS
pale animals of the waves → SHIPS

notes

[6] fǫl (n. acc. pl.) ‘pale’: This adj. can also be the n. acc. pl. of falr ‘marketable, available’, but the meaning ‘pale’ has been adopted here in keeping with in bleika súð ‘the pale ship’ in st. 27/2 above. Hákon must have offered the ships to Snorri, but the ship on which he sailed back to Iceland in 1220 he had received from Skúli (Stu 1878, I, 244).

dýr ‘animals’

(not checked:)
1. dýr (noun n.; °-s (spec.: dyʀiɴs KonrA 66⁴, etc., cf. Seip 1955 188-189); -): animal

[6] fǫl dýr: so Tˣ, ‘favl dyrr’ R, fjǫldýr W(143), ‘falldvr’ U(52r)

kennings

fǫl dýr unna
‘pale animals of the waves ’
= SHIPS
pale animals of the waves → SHIPS

at ‘as’

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

[6] at: af W(143)

notes

[6] at gjǫf ‘as a gift’: For this meaning of the prep. at, see Heggstad et al. 2008: at 11. See also sts 49/2 and 86/2.

gjǫf ‘a gift’

(not checked:)
gjǫf (noun f.): gift

notes

[6] at gjǫf ‘as a gift’: For this meaning of the prep. at, see Heggstad et al. 2008: at 11. See also sts 49/2 and 86/2.

stýri ‘for the steerer’

(not checked:)
stýrir (noun m.): ruler, controller

[6] stýri: stýris W(143), stýra U(52r)

kennings

stýri stálhreins;
‘for the steerer of the stem-reindeer; ’
= SEAFARER
the stem-reindeer; → SHIP
for the steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

stál ‘of the stem’

(not checked:)
1. stál (noun n.; °-s; -): steel, weapon, prow < stálhreinn (noun m.)

[7] stál‑: so all others, ‘stol‑’ R

kennings

stýri stálhreins;
‘for the steerer of the stem-reindeer; ’
= SEAFARER
the stem-reindeer; → SHIP
for the steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[7] stálhreins ‘of the stem-reindeer [SHIP]’: So all other mss. In R ‘stolhreins’ has been altered to ‘stalhrein’ (R*).

stál ‘of the stem’

(not checked:)
1. stál (noun n.; °-s; -): steel, weapon, prow < stálhreinn (noun m.)

[7] stál‑: so all others, ‘stol‑’ R

kennings

stýri stálhreins;
‘for the steerer of the stem-reindeer; ’
= SEAFARER
the stem-reindeer; → SHIP
for the steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[7] stálhreins ‘of the stem-reindeer [SHIP]’: So all other mss. In R ‘stolhreins’ has been altered to ‘stalhrein’ (R*).

hreins ‘reindeer’

(not checked:)
1. hreinn (noun m.; °; hreinar): reindeer < stálhreinn (noun m.)

kennings

stýri stálhreins;
‘for the steerer of the stem-reindeer; ’
= SEAFARER
the stem-reindeer; → SHIP
for the steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[7] stálhreins ‘of the stem-reindeer [SHIP]’: So all other mss. In R ‘stolhreins’ has been altered to ‘stalhrein’ (R*).

hreins ‘reindeer’

(not checked:)
1. hreinn (noun m.; °; hreinar): reindeer < stálhreinn (noun m.)

kennings

stýri stálhreins;
‘for the steerer of the stem-reindeer; ’
= SEAFARER
the stem-reindeer; → SHIP
for the steerer of the SHIP → SEAFARER

notes

[7] stálhreins ‘of the stem-reindeer [SHIP]’: So all other mss. In R ‘stolhreins’ has been altered to ‘stalhrein’ (R*).

styrjar ‘of strife’

(not checked:)
styrr (noun m.; °dat. -): battle

[7] styrjar: styrja W(143)

kennings

deilis styrjar.
‘of the controller of strife. ’
= WARRIOR
the controller of strife. → WARRIOR

deilis ‘of the controller’

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

[7] deilis: deili U(52r)

kennings

deilis styrjar.
‘of the controller of strife. ’
= WARRIOR
the controller of strife. → WARRIOR

stórlæti ‘munificence’

(not checked:)
stórlæti (noun n.): [munificence]

sák ‘I saw’

(not checked:)
2. sjá (verb): see

[8] sák (‘sa ec’): ‘faer’ U(52r)

mæta ‘the noble’

(not checked:)
mætr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): honoured, respected

notes

[8] mæta (f. acc. sg.) ‘noble’: This adj. is grammatically difficult. Earlier eds connect it with stórlæti ‘generosity’; stórlæti is n., not f., however. Following Konráð Gíslason (1895-7), Faulkes (SnE 2007, 151) does indeed give it as a f. noun, and we would then have to assume an unattested f. in-stem variant. Mæta could also be a weak n. acc. sg., but that is unlikely from a grammatical point of view (see NS §50).

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

verse
prose

The stanza illustrates tvískelft ‘twice-trembled’ (or ‘double-shaken’, SnE 2007, 156). This is a variant of dróttkvætt in which the odd lines have alliteration in positions 1 and 3 (Type A-lines) and position 2 is occupied by a long, heavy syllable (Type A2l) rather than by a short enclitic derivational or inflectional ending or by a proclitic formword. In Snorri’s variant the first internal rhyme in the odd lines falls in metrical position 1. In TGT ll. 3-4 are given as an example of Cacenphaton (ON þreskǫld ‘threshold’), when the final sound in one word is the same as the onset of the next word, here -braks skylja.

The headings are tvískelft .xxi. ‘twice-trembled, the twenty-first’ (Tˣ) and tvískelft (U(47r)). The term must refer to the metrically heavy onset of the odd lines (Sievers’s Type A2l), directly followed by the second alliterative stave in metrical position 3. See also RvHbreiðm Hl 81-2, as well as Hallv Knútdr and HSt Rst^I. This is the first stanza in the second category of dróttkvætt (sts 28-67), in which Snorri exemplifies variants of dróttkvætt in terms of alliteration, variations of hendingar and length of lines (see Introduction above). — Lines 3-4 are attributed to Snorri in TGT.

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SnSt Ht 28III

Vand ‘of the rod’

kennings

notes

Vand ‘of the rod’

kennings

notes

baugs ‘of the shield-boss’

kennings

notes

baugs ‘of the shield-boss’

kennings

notes

veitti ‘provided’

sendir ‘sender’

kennings

víg ‘The battle’

kennings

rakkr ‘brave’

kennings

en ‘and’

notes

gjǫf ‘gift’

þakkak ‘I thank’

skjald ‘with shield’

kennings

braks ‘crash’

kennings

skylja ‘the lord’

mildum ‘liberal’

skip ‘with a levy’

notes

reiðu ‘district’

notes

mér ‘me’

heiða ‘for the glorious’

Fann ‘selected’

næst ‘Next’

fylkir ‘the leader’

unna ‘of the waves’

kennings

fǫl ‘pale’

kennings

notes

dýr ‘animals’

kennings

at ‘as’

notes

gjǫf ‘a gift’

notes

stýri ‘for the steerer’

kennings

stál ‘of the stem’

kennings

notes

stál ‘of the stem’

kennings

notes

hreins ‘reindeer’

kennings

notes

hreins ‘reindeer’

kennings

notes

styrjar ‘of strife’

kennings

deilis ‘of the controller’

kennings

stórlæti ‘munificence’

sák ‘I saw’

mæta ‘the noble’

notes

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SnSt Ht 28^III