Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 63

Kari Ellen Gade

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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SnSt Ht 63^III

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 63’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1175.

Snorri Sturluson Háttatal

62 63 64

Stála ‘of swords’

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

kennings

støkkvilundum stála
‘impelling trees of swords ’
= WARRIORS
impelling trees of swords → WARRIORS

kendi ‘taught’

(not checked:)
kenna (verb): know, teach

[1] kendi: so all others, kend R

notes

[1] kendi ‘taught’: In R ‘kend’ has been altered to ‘kendi’ (R*).

støkkvi ‘impelling’

(not checked:)
1. støkkva (verb): (str.) leap, spring; scatter < støkkvilundr (noun m.)

kennings

støkkvilundum stála
‘impelling trees of swords ’
= WARRIORS
impelling trees of swords → WARRIORS

lundum ‘trees’

(not checked:)
1. lundr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar): grove, tree < støkkvilundr (noun m.)

[1] ‑lundum: lundu 81a

kennings

støkkvilundum stála
‘impelling trees of swords ’
= WARRIORS
impelling trees of swords → WARRIORS

styrjar ‘of battle’

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

kennings

Valdi styrjar
‘The ruler of battle ’
= WARRIOR = Skúli
The ruler of battle → WARRIOR = Skúli

valdi ‘The ruler’

(not checked:)
1. valdi (noun m.): ruler

[2] valdi: valdr E, F, 42ˣ, 81a, Flat

kennings

Valdi styrjar
‘The ruler of battle ’
= WARRIOR = Skúli
The ruler of battle → WARRIOR = Skúli

rauðu ‘in red’

(not checked:)
rauðr (adj.; °compar. -ari): red

[2] rauðu: rauðu at W, F

notes

[2] falda rauðu ‘to hood themselves in red’: I.e. ‘die’. Cf. Sturl Hákkv 21/1^II.

falda ‘to hood themselves’

(not checked:)
2. falda (verb): cover, clothe

notes

[2] falda rauðu ‘to hood themselves in red’: I.e. ‘die’. Cf. Sturl Hákkv 21/1^II.

til ‘to’

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

jarðar ‘the shore’

(not checked:)
jǫrð (noun f.; °jarðar, dat. -u; jarðir/jarðar(DN I (1367) 304)): ground, earth

roðnu ‘the reddened’

(not checked:)
rjóða (verb): to redden

barði ‘prow’

(not checked:)
barð (noun n.): prow, stern (of a ship)

austan ‘east’

(not checked:)
austan (adv.): from the east

notes

[4] austan fjarðar ‘east of the fjord’: I.e. east of Oslofjorden. According to Hák, this battle took place near the farmstead Apelsäter (ON Apaldrssetr) in Tanum parish, Bohuslän.

fjarðar ‘of the fjord’

(not checked:)
fjǫrðr (noun m.): fjord

notes

[4] austan fjarðar ‘east of the fjord’: I.e. east of Oslofjorden. According to Hák, this battle took place near the farmstead Apelsäter (ON Apaldrssetr) in Tanum parish, Bohuslän.

Oddum ‘with sword-points’

(not checked:)
oddr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): point of weapon

rendi ‘ran’

(not checked:)
3. renna (verb): let run (weak)

eljun ‘the energy’

(not checked:)
eljun (noun f.; °eljunar): energy < eljunstrǫnd (noun f.)

[5] eljun‑: elju 81a

kennings

eljunstrandir
‘the energy-shores ’
= CHESTS
the energy-shores → CHESTS

strandir ‘shores’

(not checked:)
strǫnd (noun f.; °strandar, dat. -u/-; strandir/strendr): beach, shore < eljunstrǫnd (noun f.)

[5] ‑strandir: straddir E, standir 42ˣ, strandi 81a

kennings

eljunstrandir
‘the energy-shores ’
= CHESTS
the energy-shores → CHESTS

ýta ‘of men’

(not checked:)
ýtr (noun m.): man; launcher

[6] ýta: útan 81a

ferðar ‘of the troop’

(not checked:)
ferð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-arMork 196¹²)): host, journey

hringa ‘of rings’

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

[6] hringa: hingat 42ˣ

kennings

Skerðir hringa
‘The notcher of rings ’
= GENEROUS MAN
The notcher of rings → GENEROUS MAN

skerðir ‘The notcher’

(not checked:)
skerðir (noun m.): diminisher

kennings

Skerðir hringa
‘The notcher of rings ’
= GENEROUS MAN
The notcher of rings → GENEROUS MAN

hilmir ‘the leader’

(not checked:)
hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector

stœrði ‘increased’

(not checked:)
stœra (verb): increase, strengthen

[7] stœrði: stœrðir 42ˣ, stýrði 81a, ‘sterdi’ 8

hvǫssu ‘with the sharp’

(not checked:)
hvass (adj.; °-an; -ari, -astr): keen, sharp

sverði ‘sword’

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

heila ‘of the brain’

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

kennings

grundar heila
‘of the ground of the brain ’
= HEAD
the ground of the brain → HEAD

grundar ‘of the ground’

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

kennings

grundar heila
‘of the ground of the brain ’
= HEAD
the ground of the brain → HEAD

meginundir ‘mighty wounds’

(not checked:)
meginund (noun f.): [mighty wounds]

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

verse
prose

This hrynhent variant is called trollsháttr ‘troll’s verse-form’. In all lines, the first internal rhyme falls in position 3, which causes a trochaic rhythm (see draugsháttr ‘ghost’s verse-form’, st. 30 above). The stanza is cited in Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar (Hák) to document events that took place in 1221, when Skúli fought a battle against one of the Ribbung chieftains, Gunnarr Ásuson, in Bohuslän (now Sweden), east of Oslofjorden. Gunnarr and ninety of his men fell in that battle.

In Hák the stanza is attributed to Snorri Sturluson (81a has ‘Sverri Sturluson’), and in 81a, 8 and Flat it is assigned to Ht. — For this metre, see also RvHbreiðm Hl 73-4.

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SnSt Ht 63III

Stála ‘of swords’

kennings

kendi ‘taught’

notes

støkkvi ‘impelling’

kennings

lundum ‘trees’

kennings

styrjar ‘of battle’

kennings

valdi ‘The ruler’

kennings

rauðu ‘in red’

notes

falda ‘to hood themselves’

notes

rekkar ‘warriors’

stýrðu ‘steered’

rétt ‘straight’

til ‘to’

jarðar ‘the shore’

roðnu ‘the reddened’

barði ‘prow’

austan ‘east’

notes

fjarðar ‘of the fjord’

notes

Oddum ‘with sword-points’

rendi ‘ran’

eljun ‘the energy’

kennings

strandir ‘shores’

kennings

ýta ‘of men’

ferðar ‘of the troop’

hringa ‘of rings’

kennings

skerðir ‘The notcher’

kennings

hilmir ‘the leader’

stœrði ‘increased’

hvǫssu ‘with the sharp’

sverði ‘sword’

heila ‘of the brain’

kennings

grundar ‘of the ground’

kennings

meginundir ‘mighty wounds’

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SnSt Ht 63^III