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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sturl Hrafn 5^II

Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrafnsmál 5’ 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, pp. 731-2.

Sturla Þórðarson Hrafnsmál

Leysti ‘launched’

(not checked:)
leysa (verb): release, loosen, redeem

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

lög ‘of the water’

(not checked:)
lǫgr (noun m.; °lagar, dat. legi): sea < lǫgrǫst (noun f.)

[1] lög‑: so Flat, lang‑ F

kennings

bládúfur lögrastar;
‘the dark doves of the water-way; ’
= SHIPS
the water-way; → SEA
the dark doves of the SEA → SHIPS

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

lög ‘of the water’

(not checked:)
lǫgr (noun m.; °lagar, dat. legi): sea < lǫgrǫst (noun f.)

[1] lög‑: so Flat, lang‑ F

kennings

bládúfur lögrastar;
‘the dark doves of the water-way; ’
= SHIPS
the water-way; → SEA
the dark doves of the SEA → SHIPS

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

rastar ‘way’

(not checked:)
1. rǫst (noun f.; °rastar; rastir): (a measure of distance) < lǫgrǫst (noun f.)

kennings

bládúfur lögrastar;
‘the dark doves of the water-way; ’
= SHIPS
the water-way; → SEA
the dark doves of the SEA → SHIPS

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

rastar ‘way’

(not checked:)
1. rǫst (noun f.; °rastar; rastir): (a measure of distance) < lǫgrǫst (noun f.)

kennings

bládúfur lögrastar;
‘the dark doves of the water-way; ’
= SHIPS
the water-way; → SEA
the dark doves of the SEA → SHIPS

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

landa ‘of lands’

(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land

kennings

Stýrandi landa
‘The controller of lands ’
= RULER
The controller of lands → RULER

stýrandi ‘The controller’

(not checked:)
stýrandi (noun m.; °-a; -endr): ruler, steerer

kennings

Stýrandi landa
‘The controller of lands ’
= RULER
The controller of lands → RULER

heldu ‘steered’

(not checked:)
halda (verb): hold, keep

[3] heldu of (‘heldo vm’): heldum Flat

of ‘across’

(not checked:)
3. of (prep.): around, from; too

[3] heldu of (‘heldo vm’): heldum Flat

haf ‘the sea’

(not checked:)
haf (noun n.; °-s; *-): sea

aldir ‘men’

(not checked:)
ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age

[3] aldir: aldar Flat

húfum ‘the hulls’

(not checked:)
húfr (noun m.; °dat. -i): hull

notes

[4] húfum ‘the hulls’: See Note to Mberf Lv 1/3. In LP: dúfa Finnur takes this word with the first cl. of the helmingr (‘furrowed the dark waves of the ocean with the hulls’; not so in Skj B).

blá ‘the dark’

(not checked:)
blár (adj.): black < bládúfa (noun f.): [dark doves]

kennings

bládúfur lögrastar;
‘the dark doves of the water-way; ’
= SHIPS
the water-way; → SEA
the dark doves of the SEA → SHIPS

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

dúfur ‘doves’

(not checked:)
2. dúfa (noun f.): dove < bládúfa (noun f.): [dark doves]

kennings

bládúfur lögrastar;
‘the dark doves of the water-way; ’
= SHIPS
the water-way; → SEA
the dark doves of the SEA → SHIPS

notes

[1, 4] leysti bládúfur lögrastar ‘launched the dark doves of the water-way [SEA > SHIPS]’: Skj B (and Skald?) takes bládúfur ‘dark doves’ in the meaning ‘dark waves’ (dúfa can mean both ‘dove’ and ‘wave’) and translates leysti bládúfur lögrastar as furede havets blå bølger ‘furrowed the blue waves of the ocean’. This requires an unattested meaning of the verb leysa lit. ‘loosen’ (see Fritzner: leysa, especially leysa 9-10; LP: leysa, especially leysa 3). See also st. 15/5 below. Dúfa ‘dove’ (‘bird’) can be the base-word in a kenning for ‘ship’ (see Meissner 216). Both lögröst (gen. sg. lögrastar) ‘water-way’ (l. 1) and bládúfa ‘dark dove’ (l. 4) are hap. leg.

Lýstiz ‘was illuminated’

(not checked:)
2. lýsa (verb): illuminate, show

hrein ‘The safe’

(not checked:)
2. hreinn (adj.; °compar. hreinari/hreinni, superl. hreinastr/hreinstr): pure

notes

[5, 6] hrein höfn ‘the safe harbour’: Lit. ‘clean harbour’. Bressay (island off Lerwick) was known for its good harbour.

hæstum ‘the loftiest’

(not checked:)
3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high

höfn ‘harbour’

(not checked:)
1. hǫfn (noun f.; °hafnar; hafnir(/hafnar(Streng 234³²)): haven, harbour

notes

[5, 6] hrein höfn ‘the safe harbour’: Lit. ‘clean harbour’. Bressay (island off Lerwick) was known for its good harbour.

af ‘from’

(not checked:)
af (prep.): from

skipstöfnum ‘ship-prows’

(not checked:)
skipstafn (noun m.): [ship-prows]

eldi ‘by the fire’

(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire

[7] eldi: aldi Flat

kennings

eldi álfoldar
‘by the fire of the eel-ground ’
= GOLD
the eel-ground → SEA
by the fire of the SEA → GOLD

ál ‘of the eel’

(not checked:)
1. áll (noun m.; °dat. ál; álar): eel < álfold (noun f.): [eel-ground]

kennings

eldi álfoldar
‘by the fire of the eel-ground ’
= GOLD
the eel-ground → SEA
by the fire of the SEA → GOLD

ál ‘of the eel’

(not checked:)
1. áll (noun m.; °dat. ál; álar): eel < álfold (noun f.): [eel-ground]

kennings

eldi álfoldar
‘by the fire of the eel-ground ’
= GOLD
the eel-ground → SEA
by the fire of the SEA → GOLD

foldar ‘ground’

(not checked:)
fold (noun f.): land < álfold (noun f.): [eel-ground]

kennings

eldi álfoldar
‘by the fire of the eel-ground ’
= GOLD
the eel-ground → SEA
by the fire of the SEA → GOLD

foldar ‘ground’

(not checked:)
fold (noun f.): land < álfold (noun f.): [eel-ground]

kennings

eldi álfoldar
‘by the fire of the eel-ground ’
= GOLD
the eel-ground → SEA
by the fire of the SEA → GOLD

auðar ‘with wealth’

(not checked:)
1. auðr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-): wealth

notes

[8] auðar (f. gen. sg.) ‘with wealth’: Lit. ‘of wealth’. Following NN §2580, the noun is taken here with the adj. glóðrauðum ‘red-glowing’ (l. 8) qualifying skipstöfnum ‘ship-prows’ (l. 6). Skj B construes it with af hæstum skipstöfnum ‘from the loftiest ship-prows’ (ll. 5, 6; af auðar-hæstum skipstöfnum), translated as på de rigt smykkede skibstavne ‘on the richly adorned ship-prows’, which is less likely from the point of view of w. o. According to that interpretation, glóðrauðum ‘red-glowing’ qualifies eldi ‘fire’ (l. 7). The ‘wealth’ likely refers either to the adorned strips of wood curving down from the prow or to gilded weather-vanes. See Notes to Sturl Hákkv 12/5, Arn Hryn 10/7-8, Bǫlv Hardr 2/2, Halli XI Fl 1/5, 8, Valg Har 10-11 and Ív Sig 16/1.

glóð ‘red’

(not checked:)
glóð (noun f.): ember < glóðrauðr (adj.)

[8] glóð‑: blóð‑ Flat

rauðum ‘glowing’

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

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After two days at sea, Hákon arrived with part of his fleet in Shetland and put in to harbour in Bressay.

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