Sturl Hryn 21II
Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 21’ 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. 697-8.
Allvaldr ‘Mighty ruler’
(not checked:)
allvaldr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): mighty ruler
notes
[1] allvaldr ‘mighty ruler’: This is the fourth time that Sturla uses this word in the poem. Here, as in st. 20, it is used deliberately to call attention to the fact that Hákon was a sovereign ruler, the most powerful king in the history of Norway, and recognised as such throughout Europe.
dýrkaz ‘you are worshipped’
(not checked:)
dýrka (verb; °-að-): glorify, worship
notes
[1, 2] dýrkaz af mildi þinni ‘you are worshipped for your generosity’: Praising the king for his generosity at the very end of the poem was a clever way to remind him of the gift that the skald expected to receive for his efforts. Sturla goes on to marvel at the precious gifts the king spreads around in the second half of the st. This indicates that he intended to recite his poem to the king and fully expected not only to win his good grace, but hoped for a handsome reward as well.
með ‘among’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
Serkjum ‘the Saracens’
(not checked:)
2. serkr (noun m.; °; gen. -ja): Saracen
innan ‘within’
(not checked:)
innan (prep.): inside, within
lands ‘the land’
(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
af ‘for’
(not checked:)
af (prep.): from
notes
[1, 2] dýrkaz af mildi þinni ‘you are worshipped for your generosity’: Praising the king for his generosity at the very end of the poem was a clever way to remind him of the gift that the skald expected to receive for his efforts. Sturla goes on to marvel at the precious gifts the king spreads around in the second half of the st. This indicates that he intended to recite his poem to the king and fully expected not only to win his good grace, but hoped for a handsome reward as well.
mildi ‘generosity’
(not checked:)
mildi (noun f.): generosity, mercy
notes
[1, 2] dýrkaz af mildi þinni ‘you are worshipped for your generosity’: Praising the king for his generosity at the very end of the poem was a clever way to remind him of the gift that the skald expected to receive for his efforts. Sturla goes on to marvel at the precious gifts the king spreads around in the second half of the st. This indicates that he intended to recite his poem to the king and fully expected not only to win his good grace, but hoped for a handsome reward as well.
notes
[1, 2] dýrkaz af mildi þinni ‘you are worshipped for your generosity’: Praising the king for his generosity at the very end of the poem was a clever way to remind him of the gift that the skald expected to receive for his efforts. Sturla goes on to marvel at the precious gifts the king spreads around in the second half of the st. This indicates that he intended to recite his poem to the king and fully expected not only to win his good grace, but hoped for a handsome reward as well.
þjóðum ‘the people’
(not checked:)
þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
[3] þjóðum: þengill Flat
notes
[3-4] þjóðum þaðra líka haukar þínir ‘the people there like your hawks’: Hákon had previously sent falcons to King Henry III of England (Helle 1968, 106). Falcons were used for hunting and were exported from Greenland, Iceland and Norway at a high price or sent as presents to foreign monarchs. As Kock pointed out, this can be construed with alt með jaðri Blálands ‘all the way along the coast of Africa’ (l. 4) (NN §3150).
líka ‘like’
(not checked:)
2. líka (adv.): likewise, also
notes
[3-4] þjóðum þaðra líka haukar þínir ‘the people there like your hawks’: Hákon had previously sent falcons to King Henry III of England (Helle 1968, 106). Falcons were used for hunting and were exported from Greenland, Iceland and Norway at a high price or sent as presents to foreign monarchs. As Kock pointed out, this can be construed with alt með jaðri Blálands ‘all the way along the coast of Africa’ (l. 4) (NN §3150).
þínir ‘your’
(not checked:)
þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
notes
[3-4] þjóðum þaðra líka haukar þínir ‘the people there like your hawks’: Hákon had previously sent falcons to King Henry III of England (Helle 1968, 106). Falcons were used for hunting and were exported from Greenland, Iceland and Norway at a high price or sent as presents to foreign monarchs. As Kock pointed out, this can be construed with alt með jaðri Blálands ‘all the way along the coast of Africa’ (l. 4) (NN §3150).
haukar ‘hawks’
(not checked:)
1. haukr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): hawk
notes
[3-4] þjóðum þaðra líka haukar þínir ‘the people there like your hawks’: Hákon had previously sent falcons to King Henry III of England (Helle 1968, 106). Falcons were used for hunting and were exported from Greenland, Iceland and Norway at a high price or sent as presents to foreign monarchs. As Kock pointed out, this can be construed with alt með jaðri Blálands ‘all the way along the coast of Africa’ (l. 4) (NN §3150).
þaðra ‘there’
(not checked:)
þaðra (adv.): there
notes
[3-4] þjóðum þaðra líka haukar þínir ‘the people there like your hawks’: Hákon had previously sent falcons to King Henry III of England (Helle 1968, 106). Falcons were used for hunting and were exported from Greenland, Iceland and Norway at a high price or sent as presents to foreign monarchs. As Kock pointed out, this can be construed with alt með jaðri Blálands ‘all the way along the coast of Africa’ (l. 4) (NN §3150).
alt ‘all the way’
(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all
með ‘along’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
notes
[4] með jaðri Blálands ‘along the coast of Africa’: For Bláland ‘Africa’, see Note to Bǫlv Hardr 5/4.
Blálands ‘of Africa’
(not checked:)
Bláland (noun n.): North Africa, Africa
notes
[4] með jaðri Blálands ‘along the coast of Africa’: For Bláland ‘Africa’, see Note to Bǫlv Hardr 5/4.
jaðri ‘the coast’
(not checked:)
jaðarr (noun m.; °-s, dat. jaðri; jaðrar): edge, border
notes
[4] með jaðri Blálands ‘along the coast of Africa’: For Bláland ‘Africa’, see Note to Bǫlv Hardr 5/4.
Víða ‘far and wide’
(not checked:)
1. víða (adv.): widely
hrjóta ‘spread’
(not checked:)
1. hrjóta (verb): fling, fly
veglig ‘Grand’
(not checked:)
vegligr (adj.): magnificent
mæti ‘precious things’
(not checked:)
mæti (noun n.; °; -): precious thing
vægðar ‘incessant’
(not checked:)
vægð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): mercy < vægðarlauss (adj.): merciless
laust ‘ly’
(not checked:)
lauss (adj.; °compar. lausari): loose, free, without < vægðarlauss (adj.): merciless
[6] ‑laust: ‑laus Flat
af ‘about’
(not checked:)
af (prep.): from
yðrum ‘your’
(not checked:)
yðvarr (pron.; °f. yður; pl. yðrir): your
frægðum ‘reputation’
(not checked:)
frægð (noun f.): fame
hollar ‘valuable’
(not checked:)
hollr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): loyal
heiminn ‘world’
(not checked:)
heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world
allan ‘the whole’
(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all
hnossir ‘treasures’
(not checked:)
1. hnoss (noun f.; °; -ir): treasure
þínar ‘your’
(not checked:)
þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
mærðar ‘of glory’
(not checked:)
mærð (noun f.): praise
kennings
tínir mærðar.‘gatherer of glory.’
= KING
gatherer of glory. → KING
tínir ‘gatherer’
(not checked:)
tínir (noun m.): gatherer
kennings
tínir mærðar.‘gatherer of glory.’
= KING
gatherer of glory. → KING
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Mighty ruler, you are worshipped for your generosity within the land among the Saracens all the way out along the coast of Africa; the people there like your hawks. Grand, precious things spread far and wide incessantly about your reputation; your valuable treasures adorn the whole world, gatherer of glory [KING].
King Hákon sent two emissaries to the court of the emir in Tunis, bearing precious gifts and falcons. One of the envoys was Loðinn leppr ‘Patch’ who had accompanied Kristín on her journey to Spain a few years before, in 1257.
During his reign, King Hákon managed to expand the Norw. state further to the north and west than his predecessors had been able to. He was on friendly terms with King Henry III of England and maintained diplomatic relations with many other rulers in Europe, such as Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire and king of Sicily, King Louis IX of France, Alexander, prince of Novgorod, Pope Innocent IV and King Alfonso X. His influence was felt from the northernmost parts of Greenland all the way south to the coast of North Africa, from Iceland and Scotland in the west to Novgorod in the east.
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.