ÞHjalt Lv 1I
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorvaldr Hjaltason, Lausavísur 1’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 271.
farit ‘’
(not checked:)
fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel
notes
[1] fari* ‘let ... go’: This emendation from ms. ‘farit’ follows Kock in Skald and NN §§1853G, 2009 (and fari is suggested as an option in Skj B). The ms. reading could alternatively stand as normalised farið, imp. ‘go’, which would assume that the wolves are being addressed directly. However, an apostrophe to wolves would be unusual in itself, and would not sit well with what seems to be an apostrophe to a warrior in the same helmingr (see Note to vǫrðr l. 3).
til ‘to’
(not checked:)
til (prep.): to
notes
[1] til Fýrisvallar ‘to Fýrisvǫllr’: The stanza has the sg. form of the p. n., while the prose (Flat 1860-8, II, 72) has acc. pl. ‑uollu (normalised ‑vǫllu, nom. pl. ‑vellir), and the pl. form Fýrisvellir is more usual in reference to the battle. The site is assumed to have been south of modern Uppsala. On the battle, see further Anon (Styrb) 1-3 and Introduction.
Fýris ‘Fýris’
(not checked:)
fýri (noun n.): fir-tree < Fýrisvǫllr (noun m.)
notes
[1] til Fýrisvallar ‘to Fýrisvǫllr’: The stanza has the sg. form of the p. n., while the prose (Flat 1860-8, II, 72) has acc. pl. ‑uollu (normalised ‑vǫllu, nom. pl. ‑vellir), and the pl. form Fýrisvellir is more usual in reference to the battle. The site is assumed to have been south of modern Uppsala. On the battle, see further Anon (Styrb) 1-3 and Introduction.
vallar ‘vǫllr’
(not checked:)
vǫllr (noun m.; °vallar, dat. velli; vellir acc. vǫllu/velli): plain, field < Fýrisvǫllr (noun m.)
notes
[1] til Fýrisvallar ‘to Fýrisvǫllr’: The stanza has the sg. form of the p. n., while the prose (Flat 1860-8, II, 72) has acc. pl. ‑uollu (normalised ‑vǫllu, nom. pl. ‑vellir), and the pl. form Fýrisvellir is more usual in reference to the battle. The site is assumed to have been south of modern Uppsala. On the battle, see further Anon (Styrb) 1-3 and Introduction.
folka ‘of battles’
(not checked:)
folk (noun n.): people
kennings
Vǫrðr tungls folka,‘Guardian of the sun of battles, ’
= WARRIOR
the sun of battles, → SWORD
Guardian of the SWORD → WARRIOR
folka ‘of battles’
(not checked:)
folk (noun n.): people
kennings
Vǫrðr tungls folka,‘Guardian of the sun of battles, ’
= WARRIOR
the sun of battles, → SWORD
Guardian of the SWORD → WARRIOR
tungls ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
tungl (noun n.; °-s; -): moon, heavenly body
kennings
Vǫrðr tungls folka,‘Guardian of the sun of battles, ’
= WARRIOR
the sun of battles, → SWORD
Guardian of the SWORD → WARRIOR
tungls ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
tungl (noun n.; °-s; -): moon, heavenly body
kennings
Vǫrðr tungls folka,‘Guardian of the sun of battles, ’
= WARRIOR
the sun of battles, → SWORD
Guardian of the SWORD → WARRIOR
hverr ‘every one’
(not checked:)
2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every < 2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
s ‘who is’
(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when < 2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
verðr ‘’
(not checked:)
1. verða (verb): become, be
hungrar ‘hungry’
(not checked:)
hungra (verb): be hungry
vǫrðr ‘Guardian’
(not checked:)
vǫrðr (noun m.; °varðar, dat. verði/vǫrð; verðir, acc. vǫrðu): guardian, defender
[3] vǫrðr: verðr Flat
kennings
Vǫrðr tungls folka,‘Guardian of the sun of battles, ’
= WARRIOR
the sun of battles, → SWORD
Guardian of the SWORD → WARRIOR
notes
[3] vǫrðr ‘guardian’: Ms. ‘verdr’ (normalised verðr) could be verbal ‘becomes’ or adjectival ‘worthy’, but neither would fit the syntax, and the minimal emendation to vǫrðr has been made by most eds, as here. This forms the base-word of a warrior-kenning functioning as an apostophe.
at ‘to’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
virkis ‘of the stronghold’
(not checked:)
virki (noun n.; °-s; -): stronghold
garði ‘the enclosure’
(not checked:)
garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard
vestr ‘go west’
(not checked:)
2. vestr (adv.): west, in the west
kveld ‘of the evening’
(not checked:)
kveld (noun n.; °-s): evening < kveldriða (noun f.): [evening-rider]
kennings
hesta kveldriðu,‘of the horses of the evening-rider ’
= WOLVES
the evening-rider → TROLL-WOMAN
the horses of the TROLL-WOMAN → WOLVES
kveld ‘of the evening’
(not checked:)
kveld (noun n.; °-s): evening < kveldriða (noun f.): [evening-rider]
kennings
hesta kveldriðu,‘of the horses of the evening-rider ’
= WOLVES
the evening-rider → TROLL-WOMAN
the horses of the TROLL-WOMAN → WOLVES
riðu ‘rider’
(not checked:)
1. riða (noun f.; °-u; -ur): [rider] < kveldriða (noun f.): [evening-rider]
kennings
hesta kveldriðu,‘of the horses of the evening-rider ’
= WOLVES
the evening-rider → TROLL-WOMAN
the horses of the TROLL-WOMAN → WOLVES
riðu ‘rider’
(not checked:)
1. riða (noun f.; °-u; -ur): [rider] < kveldriða (noun f.): [evening-rider]
kennings
hesta kveldriðu,‘of the horses of the evening-rider ’
= WOLVES
the evening-rider → TROLL-WOMAN
the horses of the TROLL-WOMAN → WOLVES
hesta ‘of the horses’
(not checked:)
hestr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): horse, stallion
kennings
hesta kveldriðu,‘of the horses of the evening-rider ’
= WOLVES
the evening-rider → TROLL-WOMAN
the horses of the TROLL-WOMAN → WOLVES
Þar ‘There’
(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there
hefr ‘has’
(not checked:)
hafa (verb): have
hregg ‘of the storm’
(not checked:)
hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggdraugr (noun m.)hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggdǫgg (noun f.)
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
notes
[5] hreggdrauga ‘the logs of the storm’: (a) The solution adopted here (that of Skj B) involves two emendations, but a postulated original drauga could have been corrupted to dǫggvar under the influence of hǫggvit, and a postulated skíðs corrupted to skins ‘shining’ under the (semantic) influence of sól ‘sun’; and the other options are not unproblematic. Emended drauga forms the base of a warrior-kenning, as commonly, though the meaning of draugr has been disputed. It is either a log, tree-stump (so Orms Eddu-Brot, in SnE 1848-87, II, 497; LP: 2. draugr) or else a supernatural being, a revenant of a very palpable kind (so Meissner 264-5, following Neckel; LP: 1. draugr). ‘Log’ is preferred here, since it fits well with hǫggvit ‘cut down’ (l. 5); the verb hǫggva is also used of felling timber. (b) Ms. hreggdǫggvar ‘storm-dews’ could be retained (as by Kock in Skald and NN §3102), yielding a clause in which Eiríkr has cut down blood (hreggdǫggvar sólar skins elfar ‘the dew of the storm (lit. storm-dew) of the sun of the gleam of the river [GOLD > SHIELD > BATTLE > BLOOD]’. But the idea of blood being ‘cut down’ or ‘hewn’ (hǫggvit) is unconvincing, as is Kock’s ‘sun of gold’ (jyllene solen) for ‘shield’.
hregg ‘of the storm’
(not checked:)
hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggdraugr (noun m.)hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggdǫgg (noun f.)
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
notes
[5] hreggdrauga ‘the logs of the storm’: (a) The solution adopted here (that of Skj B) involves two emendations, but a postulated original drauga could have been corrupted to dǫggvar under the influence of hǫggvit, and a postulated skíðs corrupted to skins ‘shining’ under the (semantic) influence of sól ‘sun’; and the other options are not unproblematic. Emended drauga forms the base of a warrior-kenning, as commonly, though the meaning of draugr has been disputed. It is either a log, tree-stump (so Orms Eddu-Brot, in SnE 1848-87, II, 497; LP: 2. draugr) or else a supernatural being, a revenant of a very palpable kind (so Meissner 264-5, following Neckel; LP: 1. draugr). ‘Log’ is preferred here, since it fits well with hǫggvit ‘cut down’ (l. 5); the verb hǫggva is also used of felling timber. (b) Ms. hreggdǫggvar ‘storm-dews’ could be retained (as by Kock in Skald and NN §3102), yielding a clause in which Eiríkr has cut down blood (hreggdǫggvar sólar skins elfar ‘the dew of the storm (lit. storm-dew) of the sun of the gleam of the river [GOLD > SHIELD > BATTLE > BLOOD]’. But the idea of blood being ‘cut down’ or ‘hewn’ (hǫggvit) is unconvincing, as is Kock’s ‘sun of gold’ (jyllene solen) for ‘shield’.
holla ‘’
(not checked:)
hollr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): loyal
drauga ‘the logs’
(not checked:)
1. draugr (noun m.; °; -ar): tree < hreggdraugr (noun m.)
[5] ‑drauga: dǫggvar Flat
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
notes
[5] hreggdrauga ‘the logs of the storm’: (a) The solution adopted here (that of Skj B) involves two emendations, but a postulated original drauga could have been corrupted to dǫggvar under the influence of hǫggvit, and a postulated skíðs corrupted to skins ‘shining’ under the (semantic) influence of sól ‘sun’; and the other options are not unproblematic. Emended drauga forms the base of a warrior-kenning, as commonly, though the meaning of draugr has been disputed. It is either a log, tree-stump (so Orms Eddu-Brot, in SnE 1848-87, II, 497; LP: 2. draugr) or else a supernatural being, a revenant of a very palpable kind (so Meissner 264-5, following Neckel; LP: 1. draugr). ‘Log’ is preferred here, since it fits well with hǫggvit ‘cut down’ (l. 5); the verb hǫggva is also used of felling timber. (b) Ms. hreggdǫggvar ‘storm-dews’ could be retained (as by Kock in Skald and NN §3102), yielding a clause in which Eiríkr has cut down blood (hreggdǫggvar sólar skins elfar ‘the dew of the storm (lit. storm-dew) of the sun of the gleam of the river [GOLD > SHIELD > BATTLE > BLOOD]’. But the idea of blood being ‘cut down’ or ‘hewn’ (hǫggvit) is unconvincing, as is Kock’s ‘sun of gold’ (jyllene solen) for ‘shield’.
hǫggvit ‘cut down’
(not checked:)
hǫggva (verb): to strike, put to death, cut, hew
hóll* ‘without’
(not checked:)
hól (noun n.; °-s): praise, boasting < hóllauss (adj.)
[6] hóll*aust: ‘holla aust’ Flat
aust ‘exaggeration’
(not checked:)
lauss (adj.; °compar. lausari): loose, free, without < hóllauss (adj.)
[6] hóll*aust: ‘holla aust’ Flat
es ‘is’
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
þat ‘that’
(not checked:)
þat (conj.): that
skins ‘’
(not checked:)
skin (noun n.; °-s): gleam, shine
sólar ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
sólar ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
sólar ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
elfar ‘of the river’
(not checked:)
elfr (noun f.): river
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
elfar ‘of the river’
(not checked:)
elfr (noun f.): river
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
elfar ‘of the river’
(not checked:)
elfr (noun f.): river
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
elfar ‘of the river’
(not checked:)
elfr (noun f.): river
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
kennings
elfar skíðs sólar hreggdrauga‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’
= WARRIORS
the ski of the river → SHIP
the sun of the SHIP → SHIELD
the storm of the SHIELD → BATTLE
the logs of the BATTLE → WARRIORS
fyr ‘before’
(not checked:)
fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
ulfa ‘wolves’
(not checked:)
1. ulfr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): wolf
Eirekr ‘Eiríkr’
(not checked:)
Eiríkr (noun m.): Eiríkr
notes
[8] Eirekr ‘Eiríkr’: Swedish king: see Introduction.
í ‘in’
(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into
dyn ‘the tumult’
(not checked:)
dynr (noun m.; °dat. -; -ir): din
kennings
dyn geira;‘the tumult of spears; ’
= BATTLE
the tumult of spears; → BATTLE
geira ‘of spears’
(not checked:)
geirr (noun m.): spear
kennings
dyn geira;‘the tumult of spears; ’
= BATTLE
the tumult of spears; → BATTLE
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Fari* til Fýrisvallar, |
Guardian of the sun of battles [SWORD > WARRIOR], let every one of the horses of the evening-rider [TROLL-WOMAN > WOLVES] who is hungry go west to Fýrisvǫllr, to the enclosure of the stronghold. There Eiríkr has cut down the logs of the storm of the sun of the ski of the river [(lit. ‘storm-logs of the sun of the ski of the river’) SHIP > SHIELD > BATTLE > WARRIORS] before wolves in the tumult of spears [BATTLE]; that is without exaggeration.
After the battle of Fýrisvellir and the retreat of his coerced ally Haraldr Gormsson to Denmark, Styrbjǫrn Óláfsson is slain, and his army defeated, in renewed fighting against his uncle King Eiríkr. Afterwards, in Uppsala, Eiríkr promises a reward to anyone who composes about this, and so Þorvaldr Hjaltason orti vísur þessar ‘composed these verses’ (Flat).
The general sense of the stanza is clear but it cannot be interpreted as it stands, and some emendation is reasonable given that the only ms. witness is Flat, whose skaldic texts are often flawed.
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