Cookies on our website

We use cookies on this website, mainly to provide a secure browsing experience but also to collect statistics on how the website is used. You can find out more about the cookies we set, the information we store and how we use it on the cookies page.

Continue

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

Menu Search

Close

SnSt Ht 58^III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 58’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1167.

Snorri Sturluson Háttatal

Es ‘There is’

(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

notes

[1] es ‘is’: In this line there is no internal rhyme on the syllables es (later er) ‘is’ : hyr- ‘fire’, which indicates that there was still a dissimilarity in the pronunciation of the two consonants ([z] and [r]). See, however, the rhyme er ‘is’: ver ‘sea’ in st. 82/5, 6.

til ‘of’

(not checked:)
til (prep.): to

hjálma ‘of helmets’

(not checked:)
1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet

kennings

styrjar hyrjar hjálma,
‘a tumult of the fire of helmets ’
= BATTLE
the fire of helmets → SWORD
a tumult of the SWORD → BATTLE

hjálma ‘of helmets’

(not checked:)
1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet

kennings

styrjar hyrjar hjálma,
‘a tumult of the fire of helmets ’
= BATTLE
the fire of helmets → SWORD
a tumult of the SWORD → BATTLE

hyrjar ‘of the fire’

(not checked:)
hyrr (noun m.): fire

kennings

styrjar hyrjar hjálma,
‘a tumult of the fire of helmets ’
= BATTLE
the fire of helmets → SWORD
a tumult of the SWORD → BATTLE

hyrjar ‘of the fire’

(not checked:)
hyrr (noun m.): fire

kennings

styrjar hyrjar hjálma,
‘a tumult of the fire of helmets ’
= BATTLE
the fire of helmets → SWORD
a tumult of the SWORD → BATTLE

herjum ‘for the troops’

(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host

styrjar ‘a tumult’

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

kennings

styrjar hyrjar hjálma,
‘a tumult of the fire of helmets ’
= BATTLE
the fire of helmets → SWORD
a tumult of the SWORD → BATTLE

væni ‘an expectation’

(not checked:)
væni (noun n.): prospect, expectation

notes

[2] væni ‘an expectation’: This is a variant form of the more common ván ‘expectation’, derived from the weak verb væna ‘expect’ (see AEW: væni).

þar ‘where’

(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there

notes

[3] þar svát ‘where’: For the meaning ‘where’ of þar svát, see NN §§1161C, 2992B.

svát ‘’

(not checked:)
svát (conj.): so that, so as

notes

[3] þar svát ‘where’: For the meaning ‘where’ of þar svát, see NN §§1161C, 2992B.

jarl ‘the jarl’

(not checked:)
jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl

til ‘for’

(not checked:)
til (prep.): to

ógnar ‘battle’

(not checked:)
ógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle

notes

[3, 4] ógnar; tognu ‘battle; the drawn’: The only apparent exception to the rhyme pattern is ógn : togn (lack of aðalhending), but see ANG §127.3, where ogn (< ógn) is given as an example of words which have undergone vowel shortening before a consonant cluster.

egnir ‘baits’

(not checked:)
egna (verb; °-gnd-): [ catching, baits]

notes

[4] egnir sverði ‘baits the sword’: An image from fishing (egna e-u ‘put a bait on sth. in the hope of catching sth.’). The sense is ‘aim to bring about battle with drawn sword’ (so SnE 2007, 106). LP: egna 2 gives the translation løfte sværdet til hug ‘lift the sword for a blow’ (so also Kock, NN §1161C: lyfter upp ‘lifts up’), but that meaning is not attested elsewhere (see Fritzner: egna til ‘attempt to catch’), nor is Skj B’s truer ‘threatens’. Konráð Gíslason (1895-7) has tilskynder ‘hastens’.

tognu ‘the drawn’

(not checked:)
toginn (adj./verb p.p.): drawn

notes

[3, 4] ógnar; tognu ‘battle; the drawn’: The only apparent exception to the rhyme pattern is ógn : togn (lack of aðalhending), but see ANG §127.3, where ogn (< ógn) is given as an example of words which have undergone vowel shortening before a consonant cluster.

sverði ‘sword’

(not checked:)
sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword

notes

[4] egnir sverði ‘baits the sword’: An image from fishing (egna e-u ‘put a bait on sth. in the hope of catching sth.’). The sense is ‘aim to bring about battle with drawn sword’ (so SnE 2007, 106). LP: egna 2 gives the translation løfte sværdet til hug ‘lift the sword for a blow’ (so also Kock, NN §1161C: lyfter upp ‘lifts up’), but that meaning is not attested elsewhere (see Fritzner: egna til ‘attempt to catch’), nor is Skj B’s truer ‘threatens’. Konráð Gíslason (1895-7) has tilskynder ‘hastens’.

Sjá ‘see’

(not checked:)
2. sjá (verb): see

kná ‘One can’

(not checked:)
knega (verb): to know, understand, be able to

[5] kná: so Tˣ, W, ‘ma’(?) R

notes

[5] kná ‘can’: This word is the result of an alteration in R (R*), and it is difficult to make out what the original reading was. Finnur Jónsson (SnE 1931, 240 n. 1) reads ‘ma’ (with this ed.), while Faulkes (SnE 2007, 45) reads ‘búa’ or ‘bna’.

garð ‘the fence’

(not checked:)
garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

fyr ‘before’

(not checked:)
fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.

grundu ‘the land’

(not checked:)
grund (noun f.): earth, land

grindar ‘gate’

(not checked:)
grind (noun f.): gate, pen

[6] grindar: grundar W

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

grindar ‘gate’

(not checked:)
grind (noun f.): gate, pen

[6] grindar: grundar W

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

grindar ‘gate’

(not checked:)
grind (noun f.): gate, pen

[6] grindar: grundar W

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

Þundar ‘of Þundr’s’

(not checked:)
Þundr (noun m.): Þundr

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

Þundar ‘of Þundr’s’

(not checked:)
Þundr (noun m.): Þundr

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

Þundar ‘of Þundr’s’

(not checked:)
Þundr (noun m.): Þundr

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

jaðra ‘of the edges’

(not checked:)
jaðarr (noun m.; °-s, dat. jaðri; jaðrar): edge, border

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

jaðra ‘of the edges’

(not checked:)
jaðarr (noun m.; °-s, dat. jaðri; jaðrar): edge, border

kennings

garð jaðra grindar Þundar
‘the fence of the edges of Þundr’s gate ’
= SHIELD-WALL
Þundr’s gate → SHIELD
the edges of the SHIELD → SHIELD-RIMS
the fence of SHIELD-RIMS → SHIELD-WALL

es ‘when’

(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when

skatna ‘of the people’

(not checked:)
skati (noun m.; °-a; -nar): chieftan, prince

kennings

vinr skatna
‘the friend of the people ’
= RULER
the friend of the people → RULER

vinr ‘the friend’

(not checked:)
vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend

kennings

vinr skatna
‘the friend of the people ’
= RULER
the friend of the people → RULER

skjaldar ‘of the shield’

(not checked:)
skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield

[7] skjaldar: skjalda W

kennings

galdr skjaldar.
‘the chant of the shield. ’
= BATTLE
the chant of the shield. → BATTLE

skyldisk ‘pledges himself’

(not checked:)
2. skylda (verb): pledge oneself, oblige

galdr ‘the chant’

(not checked:)
galdr (noun m.): chant, incantation

kennings

galdr skjaldar.
‘the chant of the shield. ’
= BATTLE
the chant of the shield. → BATTLE

at ‘to’

(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)

fremja ‘perform’

(not checked:)
fremja (verb): advance, perform

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

verse
prose

The metre is called Braga háttr ‘Bragi’s verse-form’ after the earliest named skald whose poetry has been preserved (Bragi Boddason (Bragi)). It is characterised by a lack of internal rhymes in the odd lines, but the syllable in position 5 of each odd line (in the cadence) forms internal rhyme with the syllables in positions 1 (skothending) and 3 (aðalhending) in the following even line.

The heading in Tˣ is 50. — Not all of the features that characterise this metre occur in the surviving poetry attributed to Bragi. His odd lines frequently lack internal rhyme, and there are occasional examples of the syllable in the cadence of odd lines rhyming with syllables in the following even lines, and also of rhyme in positions 1 and 3 of the even lines (see Kuhn 1981; 1983, 80-2).

log in home page info previous up a level next archive and create persistent link on archive.org

© Skaldic Project Academic Body and Brepols, unless otherwise noted. Database structure and interface developed by Tarrin Wills. All users of material on this database are reminded that its content may be either subject to copyright restrictions or is the property of the custodians of linked databases that have given permission for members of the skaldic project to use their material for research purposes. Those users who have been given access to as yet unpublished material are further reminded that they may not use, publish or otherwise manipulate such material except with the express permission of the individual editor of the material in question and the General Editor of the volume in which the material is to be published. Applications for permission to use such material should be made in the first instance to the General Editor of the volume in question. All information that appears in the published volumes has been thoroughly reviewed. If you believe some information here is incorrect please contact Tarrin Wills with full details.

Close

Stanza/chapter/text segment

Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.

Information tab

text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant

Interactive tab

The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.

Full text tab

This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.

Chapter/text segment

This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.