SnSt Ht 49III
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 49’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1158.
Hjaldr ‘The battle’
(not checked:)
1. hjaldr (noun m.): battle < hjaldrremmir (noun m.): battle-strengthener
kennings
Hjaldrremmir‘The battle-strengthener ’
= WARRIOR
The battle-strengthener → WARRIOR
remmir ‘strengthener’
(not checked:)
remmir (noun m.): strengthener < hjaldrremmir (noun m.): battle-strengthener
kennings
Hjaldrremmir‘The battle-strengthener ’
= WARRIOR
The battle-strengthener → WARRIOR
tekr ‘begins’
(not checked:)
2. taka (verb): take
notes
[1, 2] tekr festa Hildi ‘begins to betroth himself to Hildr’: Because hildr also means battle, the imagery is that of a warrior engaging in battle.
Hildi ‘to Hildr’
(not checked:)
2. Hildr (noun f.): Hildr
notes
[1, 2] tekr festa Hildi ‘begins to betroth himself to Hildr’: Because hildr also means battle, the imagery is that of a warrior engaging in battle.
hringr ‘the ring’
(not checked:)
1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword
[2] hringr: hring‑ Tˣ
notes
[2] hringr brestr at gjǫf ‘the ring breaks as bride-payment’: Hringr ‘ring’ can also mean ‘sword’ (the ring at the sword-hilt, pars pro toto for ‘sword’, see LP: 2. hringr and Þul Sverða 7/7), meaning that the sword shatters in battle. If hringr is taken in the meaning ‘vagina’, however, the clause could have a third level of meaning (for other sexual innuendos in connection with Hildr and ‘ring’, see Clunies Ross 1973b).
brestr ‘breaks’
(not checked:)
1. bresta (verb; °brestr; brast, brustu; brostinn): burst, split
notes
[2] hringr brestr at gjǫf ‘the ring breaks as bride-payment’: Hringr ‘ring’ can also mean ‘sword’ (the ring at the sword-hilt, pars pro toto for ‘sword’, see LP: 2. hringr and Þul Sverða 7/7), meaning that the sword shatters in battle. If hringr is taken in the meaning ‘vagina’, however, the clause could have a third level of meaning (for other sexual innuendos in connection with Hildr and ‘ring’, see Clunies Ross 1973b).
at ‘as’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
notes
[2] at gjǫf ‘as bride-payment’: Gjǫf usually means ‘gift’ (Heggstad et al. 2008: gjǫf 1), but it is taken here in the meaning ‘bride-payment’ (ibid.: gjǫf 2), i.e. the gift that a bridegroom gives the bride (= mundr ‘bride-payment’ (l. 8)). In this case, then, the bride-payment that Hildr receives is a morðaukinn mæki ‘battle-renowned sword’ (l. 7). For the meaning of the prep. at ‘as’, see Note to st. 28/6. — [2] hringr brestr at gjǫf ‘the ring breaks as bride-payment’: Hringr ‘ring’ can also mean ‘sword’ (the ring at the sword-hilt, pars pro toto for ‘sword’, see LP: 2. hringr and Þul Sverða 7/7), meaning that the sword shatters in battle. If hringr is taken in the meaning ‘vagina’, however, the clause could have a third level of meaning (for other sexual innuendos in connection with Hildr and ‘ring’, see Clunies Ross 1973b).
at ‘as’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
notes
[2] at gjǫf ‘as bride-payment’: Gjǫf usually means ‘gift’ (Heggstad et al. 2008: gjǫf 1), but it is taken here in the meaning ‘bride-payment’ (ibid.: gjǫf 2), i.e. the gift that a bridegroom gives the bride (= mundr ‘bride-payment’ (l. 8)). In this case, then, the bride-payment that Hildr receives is a morðaukinn mæki ‘battle-renowned sword’ (l. 7). For the meaning of the prep. at ‘as’, see Note to st. 28/6. — [2] hringr brestr at gjǫf ‘the ring breaks as bride-payment’: Hringr ‘ring’ can also mean ‘sword’ (the ring at the sword-hilt, pars pro toto for ‘sword’, see LP: 2. hringr and Þul Sverða 7/7), meaning that the sword shatters in battle. If hringr is taken in the meaning ‘vagina’, however, the clause could have a third level of meaning (for other sexual innuendos in connection with Hildr and ‘ring’, see Clunies Ross 1973b).
gjǫf ‘bride-payment’
(not checked:)
gjǫf (noun f.): gift
notes
[2] at gjǫf ‘as bride-payment’: Gjǫf usually means ‘gift’ (Heggstad et al. 2008: gjǫf 1), but it is taken here in the meaning ‘bride-payment’ (ibid.: gjǫf 2), i.e. the gift that a bridegroom gives the bride (= mundr ‘bride-payment’ (l. 8)). In this case, then, the bride-payment that Hildr receives is a morðaukinn mæki ‘battle-renowned sword’ (l. 7). For the meaning of the prep. at ‘as’, see Note to st. 28/6. — [2] hringr brestr at gjǫf ‘the ring breaks as bride-payment’: Hringr ‘ring’ can also mean ‘sword’ (the ring at the sword-hilt, pars pro toto for ‘sword’, see LP: 2. hringr and Þul Sverða 7/7), meaning that the sword shatters in battle. If hringr is taken in the meaning ‘vagina’, however, the clause could have a third level of meaning (for other sexual innuendos in connection with Hildr and ‘ring’, see Clunies Ross 1973b).
gjǫf ‘bride-payment’
(not checked:)
gjǫf (noun f.): gift
notes
[2] at gjǫf ‘as bride-payment’: Gjǫf usually means ‘gift’ (Heggstad et al. 2008: gjǫf 1), but it is taken here in the meaning ‘bride-payment’ (ibid.: gjǫf 2), i.e. the gift that a bridegroom gives the bride (= mundr ‘bride-payment’ (l. 8)). In this case, then, the bride-payment that Hildr receives is a morðaukinn mæki ‘battle-renowned sword’ (l. 7). For the meaning of the prep. at ‘as’, see Note to st. 28/6. — [2] hringr brestr at gjǫf ‘the ring breaks as bride-payment’: Hringr ‘ring’ can also mean ‘sword’ (the ring at the sword-hilt, pars pro toto for ‘sword’, see LP: 2. hringr and Þul Sverða 7/7), meaning that the sword shatters in battle. If hringr is taken in the meaning ‘vagina’, however, the clause could have a third level of meaning (for other sexual innuendos in connection with Hildr and ‘ring’, see Clunies Ross 1973b).
festa ‘to betroth himself’
(not checked:)
2. festa (verb): fasten, betrothe, promise
[2] festa: flesta U
notes
[1, 2] tekr festa Hildi ‘begins to betroth himself to Hildr’: Because hildr also means battle, the imagery is that of a warrior engaging in battle.
hnígr ‘bends down’
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hníga (verb): sink, fall
und ‘beneath’
(not checked:)
3. und (prep.): under, underneath
Hǫgna ‘of Hǫgni’s’
(not checked:)
Hǫgni (noun m.): [Hǫgni, Högni]
kennings
tjald meyjar Hǫgna.‘the tent of Hǫgni’s daughter. ’
= SHIELD
Hǫgni’s daughter. → Hildr
the tent of HILDR → SHIELD
Hǫgna ‘of Hǫgni’s’
(not checked:)
Hǫgni (noun m.): [Hǫgni, Högni]
kennings
tjald meyjar Hǫgna.‘the tent of Hǫgni’s daughter. ’
= SHIELD
Hǫgni’s daughter. → Hildr
the tent of HILDR → SHIELD
meyjar ‘daughter’
(not checked:)
mær (noun f.; °meyjar, dat. meyju; meyjar): maiden
kennings
tjald meyjar Hǫgna.‘the tent of Hǫgni’s daughter. ’
= SHIELD
Hǫgni’s daughter. → Hildr
the tent of HILDR → SHIELD
meyjar ‘daughter’
(not checked:)
mær (noun f.; °meyjar, dat. meyju; meyjar): maiden
kennings
tjald meyjar Hǫgna.‘the tent of Hǫgni’s daughter. ’
= SHIELD
Hǫgni’s daughter. → Hildr
the tent of HILDR → SHIELD
hers ‘of the army’
(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
valdandi ‘the ruler’
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1. valdandi (noun m.): ruler
tjald ‘the tent’
(not checked:)
tjald (noun n.; °-s; *-): tent, awning
kennings
tjald meyjar Hǫgna.‘the tent of Hǫgni’s daughter. ’
= SHIELD
Hǫgni’s daughter. → Hildr
the tent of HILDR → SHIELD
kennings
Mála Heðins‘Heðinn’s beloved ’
= Hildr
Heðinn’s beloved → Hildr
kennings
Mála Heðins‘Heðinn’s beloved ’
= Hildr
Heðinn’s beloved → Hildr
hvílu ‘a bed’
(not checked:)
1. hvíla (noun f.; °-u; -ur): bed
hjálm ‘helmet’
(not checked:)
1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet < hjalmlestandi (noun m.)
kennings
flestum hjálmlestanda‘for most helmet-damagers; ’
= WARRIORS
for most helmet-damagers; → WARRIORS
notes
[6] hjálmlestanda ‘helmet-damagers [WARRIORS]’: Lit. ‘helmet-damager’ (sg.).
lestanda ‘damagers’
(not checked:)
lestandi (noun m.): [destroyer] < hjalmlestandi (noun m.)
[6] ‑lestanda: ‑lestandi Tˣ, U
kennings
flestum hjálmlestanda‘for most helmet-damagers; ’
= WARRIORS
for most helmet-damagers; → WARRIORS
notes
[6] hjálmlestanda ‘helmet-damagers [WARRIORS]’: Lit. ‘helmet-damager’ (sg.).
flestum ‘for most’
(not checked:)
fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
kennings
flestum hjálmlestanda‘for most helmet-damagers; ’
= WARRIORS
for most helmet-damagers; → WARRIORS
morðaukinn ‘a battle-renowned’
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morðaukinn (adj./verb p.p.): [a battle-renowned]
þiggr ‘receives’
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þiggja (verb): receive, get
mæki ‘sword’
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mækir (noun m.): sword
mund ‘a bride-payment’
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2. mund (noun f.; °; -ir): bride-payment
Hjaðninga ‘of the Hjaðningar’
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Hjaðningr (noun m.; °; -ar): one of the Hjaðningar
kennings
sprund Hjaðninga‘the woman of the Hjaðningar ’
= Hildr
the woman of the Hjaðningar → Hildr
sprund ‘the woman’
(not checked:)
sprund (noun f.): woman
kennings
sprund Hjaðninga‘the woman of the Hjaðningar ’
= Hildr
the woman of the Hjaðningar → Hildr
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Hjaldrremmir tekr Hildi |
The battle-strengthener [WARRIOR] begins to betroth himself to Hildr; the ring breaks as bride-payment; the ruler of the army bends down beneath the tent of Hǫgni’s <legendary hero’s> daughter [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’) > SHIELD]. Heðinn’s <legendary hero’s> beloved [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)] prepares a bed for most helmet-damagers [WARRIORS]; the woman of the Hjaðningar <Heðinn’s followers> [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)] receives a bride-payment, a battle-renowned sword.
The dróttkvætt variant is stýft ‘apocopated’. The last syllable in ll. 4 and 8 is left off, creating catalectic, pentasyllabic lines.
The heading in Tˣ is 41. This particular variant is not attested elsewhere. — The imagery in this stanza is taken from the story of Hildr Hǫgnadóttir and Heðinn Hjarrandason as told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 72-3; see also Bragi Rdr 8-11 and RvHbreiðm Hl 45-6). Hildr means ‘battle’, and Snorri plays on the double entendre throughout the stanza in a series of ofljóst ‘too transparent’ constructions. On Snorri’s use of valkyrie imagery in this and other stanzas of Ht, see Quinn 2007. — [3-4]: The last clause in this helmingr plays on the imagery of warriors bending down beneath a woman’s tent, where the tent is a part of a kenning for ‘shield’. — [5-8]: The word-play (and sexual imagery) from the first helmingr continues in the second, where the woman, Hildr (‘battle’), prepares a bed for warriors, i.e. causes their death on the battlefield (ll. 5-6), and receives a sword as a bride-payment (a weapon left as a part of spoils of war) (ll. 7-8), or in less innocuous sense, she is being deflowered.
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