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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sturl Hákkv 20^II

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 20’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 714.

Sturla Þórðarson Hákonarkviða

Reið ‘swung’

(not checked:)
1. ríða (verb): ride

blóð ‘The blood’

(not checked:)
blóð (noun n.; °-s): blood < blóðlaukr (noun m.): °red onion

kennings

Blóðlaukr,
‘The blood-mast, ’
= SWORD
The blood-mast, → SWORD

notes

[1] blóðlaukr ‘the blood-mast [SWORD]’: So NN §1354 (= LP: laukr 2), which preserves the nautical imagery. LP: 1. laukr gives the base-word as ‘leek’ (‘blood-leek’, i.e. ‘sword’) here, which is also possible.

laukr ‘mast’

(not checked:)
laukr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): leek, mast < blóðlaukr (noun m.): °red onion

[1] ‑laukr: so F, 81a, ‘laúgr’ E, ‑ugr Flat

kennings

Blóðlaukr,
‘The blood-mast, ’
= SWORD
The blood-mast, → SWORD

notes

[1] blóðlaukr ‘the blood-mast [SWORD]’: So NN §1354 (= LP: laukr 2), which preserves the nautical imagery. LP: 1. laukr gives the base-word as ‘leek’ (‘blood-leek’, i.e. ‘sword’) here, which is also possible.

á ‘onto’

(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at

berum ‘the bare’

(not checked:)
2. berr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): bare

kennings

berum knerri áss örvar,
‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow, ’
= SHIELD
the god of the arrow, → Ullr
the bare ship of ULLR → SHIELD

notes

[2-3] berum knerri áss örvar ‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow [= Ullr > SHIELD]’: The god Ullr was known for his hunting attributes (see SnE 1998, I, 19). His ship was a shield (see SnE 1998, I, 67 and n.). The rationale for this kenning type is not clear. See Note to ÞjóðA Frag 3/2. See also Sturl Hryn 15/6.

knerri ‘ship’

(not checked:)
knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship

kennings

berum knerri áss örvar,
‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow, ’
= SHIELD
the god of the arrow, → Ullr
the bare ship of ULLR → SHIELD

notes

[2-3] berum knerri áss örvar ‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow [= Ullr > SHIELD]’: The god Ullr was known for his hunting attributes (see SnE 1998, I, 19). His ship was a shield (see SnE 1998, I, 67 and n.). The rationale for this kenning type is not clear. See Note to ÞjóðA Frag 3/2. See also Sturl Hryn 15/6.

örvar ‘of the arrow’

(not checked:)
ǫr (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; ǫrvar/ǫrar): arrow

[3] örvar: örva F

kennings

berum knerri áss örvar,
‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow, ’
= SHIELD
the god of the arrow, → Ullr
the bare ship of ULLR → SHIELD

notes

[2-3] berum knerri áss örvar ‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow [= Ullr > SHIELD]’: The god Ullr was known for his hunting attributes (see SnE 1998, I, 19). His ship was a shield (see SnE 1998, I, 67 and n.). The rationale for this kenning type is not clear. See Note to ÞjóðA Frag 3/2. See also Sturl Hryn 15/6.

örvar ‘of the arrow’

(not checked:)
ǫr (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; ǫrvar/ǫrar): arrow

[3] örvar: örva F

kennings

berum knerri áss örvar,
‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow, ’
= SHIELD
the god of the arrow, → Ullr
the bare ship of ULLR → SHIELD

notes

[2-3] berum knerri áss örvar ‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow [= Ullr > SHIELD]’: The god Ullr was known for his hunting attributes (see SnE 1998, I, 19). His ship was a shield (see SnE 1998, I, 67 and n.). The rationale for this kenning type is not clear. See Note to ÞjóðA Frag 3/2. See also Sturl Hryn 15/6.

áss ‘of the god’

(not checked:)
2. Áss (noun m.; °áss, dat. ási/ás; ásar): god

[3] áss: ás all

kennings

berum knerri áss örvar,
‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow, ’
= SHIELD
the god of the arrow, → Ullr
the bare ship of ULLR → SHIELD

notes

[2-3] berum knerri áss örvar ‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow [= Ullr > SHIELD]’: The god Ullr was known for his hunting attributes (see SnE 1998, I, 19). His ship was a shield (see SnE 1998, I, 67 and n.). The rationale for this kenning type is not clear. See Note to ÞjóðA Frag 3/2. See also Sturl Hryn 15/6.

áss ‘of the god’

(not checked:)
2. Áss (noun m.; °áss, dat. ási/ás; ásar): god

[3] áss: ás all

kennings

berum knerri áss örvar,
‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow, ’
= SHIELD
the god of the arrow, → Ullr
the bare ship of ULLR → SHIELD

notes

[2-3] berum knerri áss örvar ‘the bare ship of the god of the arrow [= Ullr > SHIELD]’: The god Ullr was known for his hunting attributes (see SnE 1998, I, 19). His ship was a shield (see SnE 1998, I, 67 and n.). The rationale for this kenning type is not clear. See Note to ÞjóðA Frag 3/2. See also Sturl Hryn 15/6.

járni ‘by iron’

(not checked:)
járn (noun n.; °-s; -): iron, weapon

slunginn ‘encircled’

(not checked:)
slunginn (adj./verb p.p.): encircled, coiled

en ‘and’

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

gandreið ‘the riding troll-women’

(not checked:)
gandreið (noun f.): riding-troll-woman

kennings

gandreið grænna skjalda
‘the riding troll-women of green shields ’
= AXES
the riding troll-women of green shields → AXES

notes

[5] gandreið ‘the riding troll-women’: This base-word is difficult. Gandr was a staff used by troll-women and witches in ceremonies involving witchcraft, and gandreið usually refers to troll-women riding through the air on such staffs. The kenning ‘riding troll-women of green shields’ is a regular kenning for ‘axes’ (see Meissner 148). However, gandr can also mean ‘wolf’, and LP: gandreið glosses the kenning gandreið grænna skjalda as sværdenes bevegelse ‘the motion of the swords’, in which the second element of the cpd gandreið is derived from reiða ‘swing’ and gandr grænna skjalda ‘the wolf of green shields’ is taken to mean ‘sword’ (so also NN §1355). Skj B gives the translation sværdenes regn ‘the swords’ rain’, which is not transparent.

grænna ‘of green’

(not checked:)
2. grœnn (adj.; °superl. grǿnastr/grǿnstr): green

kennings

gandreið grænna skjalda
‘the riding troll-women of green shields ’
= AXES
the riding troll-women of green shields → AXES

notes

[6] grænna skjalda ‘of green shields’: For shields painted green, see Falk 1914, 147.

skjalda ‘shields’

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

kennings

gandreið grænna skjalda
‘the riding troll-women of green shields ’
= AXES
the riding troll-women of green shields → AXES

notes

[6] grænna skjalda ‘of green shields’: For shields painted green, see Falk 1914, 147.

Svölnis ‘of Svǫlnir’

(not checked:)
Svǫlnir (noun m.): Svǫlnir

kennings

vegg Svölnis
‘the wall of Svǫlnir ’
= SHIELD
the wall of Svǫlnir → SHIELD

vegg ‘the wall’

(not checked:)
1. veggr (noun m.; °-jar/-s(Páll²A 257³³), dat. -/-i(kun defin.); -ir): wall

[7] vegg: egg F

kennings

vegg Svölnis
‘the wall of Svǫlnir ’
= SHIELD
the wall of Svǫlnir → SHIELD

sleit ‘tore’

(not checked:)
slíta (verb): to tear

á ‘in’

(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at

lopti ‘the air’

(not checked:)
loft (noun n.): air, sky

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The Birkibeinar sundered byrnies and shields, and most of Skúli’s men fell (see st. 19 above).

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