Þjóð Haustl 20III
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Haustlǫng 20’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 461.
áðr ‘until’
(not checked:)
áðr (adv.; °//): before
ór ‘from’
(not checked:)
3. ór (prep.): out of
hneigi ‘the inclined’
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hníga (verb): sink, fall < hneigihlíð (noun f.)
[1] hneigi‑: ‘hnegi‑’ Tˣ
kennings
hneigihliðum hárs‘the inclined slopes of the hair ’
= HEAD
the inclined slopes of the hair → HEAD
hliðum ‘slopes’
(not checked:)
1. hlíð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): slope < hneigihlíð (noun f.)
kennings
hneigihliðum hárs‘the inclined slopes of the hair ’
= HEAD
the inclined slopes of the hair → HEAD
hárs ‘of the hair’
(not checked:)
2. hár (noun n.; °-s; -): hair
kennings
hneigihliðum hárs‘the inclined slopes of the hair ’
= HEAD
the inclined slopes of the hair → HEAD
ǫl ‘the ale’
(not checked:)
ǫl (noun n.; °-s; -): ale < Ǫlgefjun (noun f.)
kennings
ǫl-Gefjun‘the ale-Gefjun ’
= WOMAN = Gróa
the ale-Gefjun → WOMAN = Gróa
notes
[2] ǫl-Gefjun ‘the ale-Gefjun <goddess> [WOMAN = Gróa]’: A standard woman-kenning, based on the concept that women serve ale, beer or mead to men (cf. Meissner 418). It is possible, however, that the name Gefjun would seem particularly appropriate as a base-word here, as Gefjun’s most notable exploit, her ploughing loose of the island of Sjælland from Sweden, involved some kind of deception, if not sorcery (cf. Bragi Frag 1 and Note to st. 2/6 above). Cf. ǫl-Gefn st. 11/2 and Note. Kock (NN §1918) proposes taking ǫl-Gefjun sára ‘the ale-Gefjun of wounds’ together, but, as Marold (1983, 174) observes, this would overdetermine the kenning since ‘the Gefjun of wounds’ would by itself be a good woman-kenning, as would ‘the ale-Gefjun’.
Gefjun ‘Gefjun’
(not checked:)
Gefjun (noun f.): Gefjun < Ǫlgefjun (noun f.)
kennings
ǫl-Gefjun‘the ale-Gefjun ’
= WOMAN = Gróa
the ale-Gefjun → WOMAN = Gróa
notes
[2] ǫl-Gefjun ‘the ale-Gefjun <goddess> [WOMAN = Gróa]’: A standard woman-kenning, based on the concept that women serve ale, beer or mead to men (cf. Meissner 418). It is possible, however, that the name Gefjun would seem particularly appropriate as a base-word here, as Gefjun’s most notable exploit, her ploughing loose of the island of Sjælland from Sweden, involved some kind of deception, if not sorcery (cf. Bragi Frag 1 and Note to st. 2/6 above). Cf. ǫl-Gefn st. 11/2 and Note. Kock (NN §1918) proposes taking ǫl-Gefjun sára ‘the ale-Gefjun of wounds’ together, but, as Marold (1983, 174) observes, this would overdetermine the kenning since ‘the Gefjun of wounds’ would by itself be a good woman-kenning, as would ‘the ale-Gefjun’.
sára ‘of wounds’
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2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound
kennings
reiði-Týs sára.‘of the bearing-Týr of wounds. ’
= Þórr
the bearing-Týr of wounds. → Þórr
notes
[2-3] reiði-Týs sára ‘of the bearing-Týr <god> of wounds [= Þórr]’: That is, the god who bears wounds, in this case Þórr, who bears the wound caused by Hrungnir’s whetstone. Here, the edn has followed Marold’s (1983, 174) suggestion that reiði- means ‘carrying, bearing’ (cf. KormǪ Lv 62/1-2, 3V (Korm 83) reiði-Rindr sólar sunds ‘the bearing Rindr <giantess> of the sun of the strait [GOLD > WOMAN]’) rather than the sense ascribed to it by most other eds, ‘causing, producing [wounds]’ (cf. LP: reiði-Týr), on the ground that such a sense would be inappropriate in this context.
reiði ‘of the bearing’
(not checked:)
2. reiða (verb): carry < reiðitýr (noun m.)
kennings
reiði-Týs sára.‘of the bearing-Týr of wounds. ’
= Þórr
the bearing-Týr of wounds. → Þórr
notes
[2-3] reiði-Týs sára ‘of the bearing-Týr <god> of wounds [= Þórr]’: That is, the god who bears wounds, in this case Þórr, who bears the wound caused by Hrungnir’s whetstone. Here, the edn has followed Marold’s (1983, 174) suggestion that reiði- means ‘carrying, bearing’ (cf. KormǪ Lv 62/1-2, 3V (Korm 83) reiði-Rindr sólar sunds ‘the bearing Rindr <giantess> of the sun of the strait [GOLD > WOMAN]’) rather than the sense ascribed to it by most other eds, ‘causing, producing [wounds]’ (cf. LP: reiði-Týr), on the ground that such a sense would be inappropriate in this context.
Týs ‘Týr’
(not checked:)
Týr (noun m.): Týr < reiðitýr (noun m.)
[3] Týs (‘tyss’): so all others, ‘tyrs’ R
kennings
reiði-Týs sára.‘of the bearing-Týr of wounds. ’
= Þórr
the bearing-Týr of wounds. → Þórr
notes
[2-3] reiði-Týs sára ‘of the bearing-Týr <god> of wounds [= Þórr]’: That is, the god who bears wounds, in this case Þórr, who bears the wound caused by Hrungnir’s whetstone. Here, the edn has followed Marold’s (1983, 174) suggestion that reiði- means ‘carrying, bearing’ (cf. KormǪ Lv 62/1-2, 3V (Korm 83) reiði-Rindr sólar sunds ‘the bearing Rindr <giantess> of the sun of the strait [GOLD > WOMAN]’) rather than the sense ascribed to it by most other eds, ‘causing, producing [wounds]’ (cf. LP: reiði-Týr), on the ground that such a sense would be inappropriate in this context.
it ‘the’
(not checked:)
2. inn (art.): the
kennings
it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs‘the red boasting destruction of rust ’
= WHETSTONE
the red boasting destruction of rust → WHETSTONE
notes
[3-4] it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs ‘the red boasting destruction of rust [WHETSTONE]’: That is, the red thing that can boast or glory in the fact that it destroys rust. Whetstones were used for sharpening tools and weapons, and were often worn on a man’s belt. Some, like the whetstone from Sutton Hoo in England, probably had a ceremonial function and served as symbols of royal authority (cf. Mitchell 1985). Whetstones were made from a variety of stones, including quartz, sandstone and slate, and could be of various colours. Some whetstones of dark reddish-grey banded with green are known from excavations at Hedeby and Birka (Steuer 2008), hence Hrungnir’s whetstone may have been called red because it was made from reddish stone or because it was spattered with Þórr’s blood (cf. st. 19/7-8).
rauða ‘red’
(not checked:)
rauðr (adj.; °compar. -ari): red
kennings
it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs‘the red boasting destruction of rust ’
= WHETSTONE
the red boasting destruction of rust → WHETSTONE
notes
[3-4] it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs ‘the red boasting destruction of rust [WHETSTONE]’: That is, the red thing that can boast or glory in the fact that it destroys rust. Whetstones were used for sharpening tools and weapons, and were often worn on a man’s belt. Some, like the whetstone from Sutton Hoo in England, probably had a ceremonial function and served as symbols of royal authority (cf. Mitchell 1985). Whetstones were made from a variety of stones, including quartz, sandstone and slate, and could be of various colours. Some whetstones of dark reddish-grey banded with green are known from excavations at Hedeby and Birka (Steuer 2008), hence Hrungnir’s whetstone may have been called red because it was made from reddish stone or because it was spattered with Þórr’s blood (cf. st. 19/7-8).
ryðs ‘of rust’
(not checked:)
2. ryð (noun n.): [rust]
kennings
it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs‘the red boasting destruction of rust ’
= WHETSTONE
the red boasting destruction of rust → WHETSTONE
notes
[3-4] it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs ‘the red boasting destruction of rust [WHETSTONE]’: That is, the red thing that can boast or glory in the fact that it destroys rust. Whetstones were used for sharpening tools and weapons, and were often worn on a man’s belt. Some, like the whetstone from Sutton Hoo in England, probably had a ceremonial function and served as symbols of royal authority (cf. Mitchell 1985). Whetstones were made from a variety of stones, including quartz, sandstone and slate, and could be of various colours. Some whetstones of dark reddish-grey banded with green are known from excavations at Hedeby and Birka (Steuer 2008), hence Hrungnir’s whetstone may have been called red because it was made from reddish stone or because it was spattered with Þórr’s blood (cf. st. 19/7-8).
hœli ‘boasting’
(not checked:)
hœli (noun n.): [refuge, boasting] < hœlibǫl (noun n.)
[4] hœli‑ (‘heyli’): ‘heuli’ Tˣ, heili W
kennings
it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs‘the red boasting destruction of rust ’
= WHETSTONE
the red boasting destruction of rust → WHETSTONE
notes
[3-4] it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs ‘the red boasting destruction of rust [WHETSTONE]’: That is, the red thing that can boast or glory in the fact that it destroys rust. Whetstones were used for sharpening tools and weapons, and were often worn on a man’s belt. Some, like the whetstone from Sutton Hoo in England, probably had a ceremonial function and served as symbols of royal authority (cf. Mitchell 1985). Whetstones were made from a variety of stones, including quartz, sandstone and slate, and could be of various colours. Some whetstones of dark reddish-grey banded with green are known from excavations at Hedeby and Birka (Steuer 2008), hence Hrungnir’s whetstone may have been called red because it was made from reddish stone or because it was spattered with Þórr’s blood (cf. st. 19/7-8).
bǫl ‘destruction’
(not checked:)
bǫl (noun n.; °-s, dat. bǫlvi): evil < hœlibǫl (noun n.)
kennings
it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs‘the red boasting destruction of rust ’
= WHETSTONE
the red boasting destruction of rust → WHETSTONE
notes
[3-4] it rauða hœlibǫl ryðs ‘the red boasting destruction of rust [WHETSTONE]’: That is, the red thing that can boast or glory in the fact that it destroys rust. Whetstones were used for sharpening tools and weapons, and were often worn on a man’s belt. Some, like the whetstone from Sutton Hoo in England, probably had a ceremonial function and served as symbols of royal authority (cf. Mitchell 1985). Whetstones were made from a variety of stones, including quartz, sandstone and slate, and could be of various colours. Some whetstones of dark reddish-grey banded with green are known from excavations at Hedeby and Birka (Steuer 2008), hence Hrungnir’s whetstone may have been called red because it was made from reddish stone or because it was spattered with Þórr’s blood (cf. st. 19/7-8).
gœli ‘could enchant’
(not checked:)
1. gala (verb): chant, inchant
notes
[4] gœli ‘could enchant’: The verb is pret. subj. of gala ‘chant, enchant’, after áðr ‘until’ (l. 1). According to SnE (see Note to [All] above), Gróa was distracted from her spells and did not finish the job of removing the whetstone from Þórr’s head.
Gǫrla ‘clearly’
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gǫrla (adv.): quite, fully
lítk ‘I see’
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líta (verb): look, see; appear
á ‘on’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
notes
[5-6] á garði Geitis ‘on the fence of Geitir <sea-king> [SHIELD]’: A shield can be described as a sea-king’s fence because, on a Viking-age ship, shields were arranged along the gunwales like a fence round a piece of land.
Geitis ‘of Geitir’
(not checked:)
Geitir (noun m.): Geitir
kennings
garði Geitis.‘the fence of Geitir. ’
= SHIELD
the fence of Geitir. → SHIELD
notes
[5-6] á garði Geitis ‘on the fence of Geitir <sea-king> [SHIELD]’: A shield can be described as a sea-king’s fence because, on a Viking-age ship, shields were arranged along the gunwales like a fence round a piece of land.
garði ‘the fence’
(not checked:)
garðr (noun m.): enclosure, yard
kennings
garði Geitis.‘the fence of Geitir. ’
= SHIELD
the fence of Geitir. → SHIELD
notes
[5-6] á garði Geitis ‘on the fence of Geitir <sea-king> [SHIELD]’: A shield can be described as a sea-king’s fence because, on a Viking-age ship, shields were arranged along the gunwales like a fence round a piece of land.
þær ‘these’
[6] þær: þeir R, þeyr Tˣ, ‘þr’ with horizontal stroke through ascender of þ W
notes
[6] þær (f. acc. pl.) ‘these’: The demonstrative adj. must be f. to agree with farðir ‘happenings’. Both R and Tˣ have the m. pl. form þeir; it is not clear whether the scribe of W intended a m. or f. form (see Readings above).
of ‘’
(not checked:)
4. of (particle): (before verb)
farðir ‘happenings’
Baugs ‘of the shield-boss’
(not checked:)
baugr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): ring
kennings
bifkleif baugs,‘the quivering cliff of the shield-boss, ’
= SHIELD
the quivering cliff of the shield-boss, → SHIELD
fáða ‘decorated’
(not checked:)
3. fá (verb; °præt. part. fáðr): paint
bif ‘the quivering’
(not checked:)
2. bifa (verb; °-að-): shudder, tremble < bifkleif (noun f.)
[8] bif‑: ‘bi‑’ W
kennings
bifkleif baugs,‘the quivering cliff of the shield-boss, ’
= SHIELD
the quivering cliff of the shield-boss, → SHIELD
kleif ‘cliff’
(not checked:)
kleif (noun f.; °; -ar): cliff < bifkleif (noun f.)
kennings
bifkleif baugs,‘the quivering cliff of the shield-boss, ’
= SHIELD
the quivering cliff of the shield-boss, → SHIELD
at ‘from’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
Þórleifi ‘Þorleifr’
(not checked:)
Þórleifr (noun m.): Þorleifr, Thorleifr
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
áðr ór hneigihliðum |
until the ale-Gefjun <goddess> [WOMAN = Gróa] could enchant the red boasting destruction of rust [WHETSTONE] from the inclined slopes of the hair [HEAD] of the bearing-Týr <god> of wounds [= Þórr]. I see clearly these happenings [depicted] on the fence of Geitir <sea-king> [SHIELD]. I received the quivering cliff of the shield-boss [SHIELD], decorated with moving stories, from Þorleifr.
As for st. 14.
The first helmingr of st. 20 completes the syntactical, grammatical and general sense of the mythic narrative, held over from st. 19/5-8. According to the prose account in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 22), the whetstone remained lodged in Þórr’s head after he had returned home to Þrúðvangar ‘Mighty plains’. A visiting sorceress (vǫlva) named Gróa, the ǫl-Gefjun of st. 20/2, undertook to loosen the whetstone by chanting her spells over it: hon gól galdra sína yfir Þór til þess er heinin losnaði ‘she chanted her spells over Þórr until the whetstone became loose’. Þórr was so encouraged at the prospect of being rid of the stone that he told Gróa that he had rescued her husband, Aurvandill, from the land of the giants and had brought him part-way back in a basket. Gróa was so pleased to think she would soon be reunited with her husband that she forgot her spells and the whetstone remained stuck in Þórr’s skull, where it lodges still according to Skm. — [5-8]: Haustl’s final helmingr corresponds in theme and structure to the second helmingr of st. 13; in ll. 5-6 the poet states that he can see the scenes he has just described on the shield he has been given; in ll. 7-8, which constitute the stef, he highlights the fact that Þorleifr has given him the shield and, with it, the subjects of his drápa. — [7-8]: The poem’s stef, signalling the conclusion of Haustl’s second subject and, presumably, of the poem as a whole. There are minor ms. variants, but essentially the same two lines are repeated from st. 13/7-8 (see Note there).
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