Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 13’ 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. 690-1.
[1] ungan ‘young’: The scribe of 8 first wrote ‘a’, but corrected the mistake with a dot underneath.
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svarri (noun m.; °-a): (proud) lady
[1] svarra: svanna E, dóttur 325X
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í (prep.): in, into
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3. á (prep.): on, at
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þrútinn (adj./verb p.p.): swollen
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aldri (adv.): never
[3] aldri fréttuð ‘never did you hear’: It is rather unusual to mention the travels of young women in skaldic poetry. Kristín is like a personification of the Norw. state, her attire and retinue reflecting the glory and riches of the king himself (cf. ll. 7-8).
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frétta (verb): ask, enquire
[3] fréttuð: frétti E, fréttizt 81a, 8, 325X, Flat
[3] fréttuð (2nd pers. pl. pret. indic.) ‘did you hear’: Skj B and Skald give the reading of E, frétti (1st or 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.). Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 84) chose the reading of F, which has also been adopted in the present edn. — [3] aldri fréttuð ‘never did you hear’: It is rather unusual to mention the travels of young women in skaldic poetry. Kristín is like a personification of the Norw. state, her attire and retinue reflecting the glory and riches of the king himself (cf. ll. 7-8).
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frétta (verb): ask, enquire
[3] fréttuð: frétti E, fréttizt 81a, 8, 325X, Flat
[3] fréttuð (2nd pers. pl. pret. indic.) ‘did you hear’: Skj B and Skald give the reading of E, frétti (1st or 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.). Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 84) chose the reading of F, which has also been adopted in the present edn. — [3] aldri fréttuð ‘never did you hear’: It is rather unusual to mention the travels of young women in skaldic poetry. Kristín is like a personification of the Norw. state, her attire and retinue reflecting the glory and riches of the king himself (cf. ll. 7-8).
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jǫfurr (noun m.): ruler, prince
[3] dróttins jöfra ‘by a lord of princes [KING]’: Lit. ‘of a lord of princes’. Finnur Jónsson and Kock (Skj B; Skald) chose the reading of Flat, dróttinn (m. sg. nom.) and construed this with errinn ‘bold’ (l. 1) as the subject of sendi ‘sent’ (l. 1). This edn follows Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 84).
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
[3] dróttins: dróttinn Flat
[3] dróttins jöfra ‘by a lord of princes [KING]’: Lit. ‘of a lord of princes’. Finnur Jónsson and Kock (Skj B; Skald) chose the reading of Flat, dróttinn (m. sg. nom.) and construed this with errinn ‘bold’ (l. 1) as the subject of sendi ‘sent’ (l. 1). This edn follows Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 84).
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œðri (adj. comp.): nobler, higher
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ferð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-arMork 196¹²)): host, journey
[4] ferð: gerð 325X
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heimangerð (noun f.): [home]
[4] heimangerðum: ‘hęman ferðum’ E, heimangjörðum 8, Flat, ‘[…]íman ferdum’ 325X
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allr (adj.): all
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2. taka (verb): take
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yppa (verb): extol, lift up < yppiþollr (noun m.): extolling fir-tree
[5] yppiþollar: uppiþollar 81a, 8, ‘yppiþol[…]’ 325X
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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þollr (noun m.): fir-tree < yppiþollr (noun m.): extolling fir-tree
[5] yppiþollar: uppiþollar 81a, 8, ‘yppiþol[…]’ 325X
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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2. unnr (noun f.): wave < unnartamr (adj.)
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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2. unnr (noun f.): wave < unnartamr (adj.)
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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tamr (adj.; °superl. -astr): experienced, ready, tame < unnartamr (adj.)
[6] ‑tams: dags 325X
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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tamr (adj.; °superl. -astr): experienced, ready, tame < unnartamr (adj.)
[6] ‑tams: dags 325X
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of
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lægi (noun n.; °-s): sea
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sunnan (adv.): (from the) south
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1. ár (noun f.; °-ar, dat. u/-; -ar/-ir(LandslBorg 151b²¹)): oar
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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1. ár (noun f.; °-ar, dat. u/-; -ar/-ir(LandslBorg 151b²¹)): oar
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
[5-6, 7] yppiþollar unnartams blakks ára ‘extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS]’: This is the most complex kenning that Sturla uses in the poem and it may be ironic, since the southern seafarers whom he describes in this way were not known for their skills at sea. Sturla construes the elaborate kenning to mock them by using irony in the way his brother Óláfr hvítaskáld (Ólhv) gave an example of in his Málskrúðsfræði (TGT 1884, 113): því at lof er fyrir háð sett ‘for praise is put instead of mockery’. See also Eldj Lv 2.
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sem (conj.): as, which
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all- ((prefix)): very < allvaldr (noun m.): mighty ruler
[7] all‑: ‘alld‑’ 81a
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valdr (noun m.): ruler < allvaldr (noun m.): mighty ruler
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innan (prep.): inside, within
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2. við (prep.): with, against
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dóttir (noun f.; °dóttur, dat. dóttur/dǿtr/dóttir, acc. dóttur/dóttir, nom. dóttir/dóttur; dǿtr, gen. dǿtra (cf. [$1592$])): daughter
[8] dóttur: ‘[…]ur’ 325X
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The bold one sent the young, proud lady abroad onto the swollen ocean; never did you hear about a more outstanding retinue sent from home by a lord of princes [KING]. All the extolling fir-trees of the wave-tame horse of the oars [SHIP > SEAFARERS] south of the sea received your daughter as if she were a mighty ruler within the land.
In the summer of 1257, Princess Kristín was sent off with a large retinue to travel south to Spain, where she was to choose one of the Spanish princes as her husband.
As mentioned in the Introduction to the poem above, Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 84), Finnur Jónsson (Skj), Kock (Skald) and Fidjestøl (1982, 175) all move this st. back in the poem as st. 18 in Hryn, disregarding the ordering of the sts in the mss. Such a reordering of the sts is, however, not necessary. In 1256, King Alfonso X of Spain sent emissaries to Norway to establish diplomatic relations with the Norw. king. To show his good will, he asked for Princess Kristín’s hand in marriage on behalf of one of his brothers. A year later King Hákon accepted the proposal on behalf of his daughter, provided she would be allowed to choose a husband for herself from among the Spanish princes. By placing this st. here, and breaking off the description of the warfare in Denmark, Sturla poses the question about what the Spanish king had to gain by marrying his brother to a Norw. princess. The answer to that question becomes apparent in the next five sts where Sturla extolls the splendid fleet of King Hákon. Alfonso X wanted to have easy access to the fleet, which was one of the largest in Europe at that time. He intended to attack Morocco on a crusade against the heathens there, and he also wanted Hákon to support him in the election as emperor. As far as content is concerned, this st. would seem to belong together with st. 19. The two sts frame the description of Hákon’s great fleet, which was the main reason for the expansion and glory of the Norw. state under Hákon’s rule. The magnificent fleet, the expansion of the state and friendly relations with other monarchs in Europe are the main themes of the poem, showing Sturla’s vast knowledge of Norw. affairs and the politics of his time.
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