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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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SnSt Ht 60III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 60’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1169.

Snorri SturlusonHáttatal
596061

text and translation

Álmdrósar skylr ísa
ár flest meginbára sára;
kœnn lætr hræs á hrǫnnum
hjálmsvell jǫfurr gella fella.
Styrjǫkla kná stiklir
stinnmens legi venja benja;
lætr stillir frør fylla
fólksund hjarar lunda unda.

Flest ár skylr {meginbára sára} {ísa {álmdrósar}}; kœnn jǫfurr lætr {hjálmsvell} gella á {hrǫnnum {fella hræs}}. {Stiklir stinnmens} kná venja {styrjǫkla} {legi benja}; stillir lætr {frør unda} fylla {fólksund} {lunda hjarar}.
 
‘Most years a mighty wave of wounds [BLOOD] rinses icicles of the elm-bow-woman [VALKYRIE > SWORDS]; the wise prince makes the helmet’s ice-sheet [SWORD] scream in waves of the fellers of carrion [SWORDS > BLOOD]. The dispenser of the stiff necklace [GENEROUS MAN] accustoms battle-glaciers [SWORDS] to the ocean of wounds [BLOOD]; the leader makes the frost of wounds [SWORD] replenish the battle-sea [BLOOD] of the trees of the sword [WARRIORS].

notes and context

As st. 59 above, but kimblaband ‘bundle-bond’ occurs in all even lines (it meira kimblaband ‘the greater bundle-bond’).

The heading in is 52. — [5-8]: The interpretation of the second helmingr is difficult. Throughout the entire stanza Snorri employs an imagery of swords, in which the base-word is something cold (ice, ice-sheet, glacier), and blood, which is depicted as waves or a sea of wounds. The present edn attempts to preserve that imagery and also to avoid emendation.

readings

sources

Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.

editions and texts

Skj: Snorri Sturluson, 2. Háttatal 60: AII, 68, BII, 77, Skald II, 43, NN §2184; SnE 1848-87, I, 674-5, III, 126, SnE 1879-81, I, 10, 81, II, 23, SnE 1931, 240, SnE 2007, 26; Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, I, 36-7.

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