Þjóð Yt 15I
Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Ynglingatal 15’ 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. 34.
feill ‘’
Ottur ‘’
notes
[1] Óttarr: The linguistic derivation of the name is controversial, cf. Peterson (2007, 177). It corresponds to Ōhthere of Beowulf, named there as son of Ongenþēow, brother of Onela (Yt 16/15 Áli) and father of Ēanmund and Ēadgils (Yt 16/2 Aðils).
und ‘beneath’
(not checked:)
3. und (prep.): under, underneath
ara ‘of the eagle’
(not checked:)
1. ari (noun m.; °-a; -ar): eagle
greipar ‘the talons’
(not checked:)
greip (noun f.; °; -r, -ar): hand, talon
dugandligr ‘The valiant’
(not checked:)
dugandligr (adj.): [valiant]
fyr ‘before’
(not checked:)
fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
Dana ‘of the Danes’
(not checked:)
Danr (noun m.; °dat. -; -ir): Dane
vôpnum ‘the weapons’
(not checked:)
vápn (noun n.; °-s; -): weapon
her ‘The battle’
(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host < hergammr (noun m.)
kennings
Hergammr‘The battle-vulture, ’
= RAVEN/EAGLE
The battle-vulture, → RAVEN/EAGLE
gammr ‘vulture’
(not checked:)
gammr (noun m.): vulture < hergammr (noun m.)
kennings
Hergammr‘The battle-vulture, ’
= RAVEN/EAGLE
The battle-vulture, → RAVEN/EAGLE
hrægum ‘with flesh-hung’
(not checked:)
hræugr (adj.)
notes
[6] hrægum fœti ‘with flesh-hung foot’: Hrægum is dat. sg. of hræugr ‘flesh-hung’, a hap. leg. derived from hræ n. ‘corpse, carrion’. Cf. Þhorn Harkv 3/5 hold loðir í klóum yðr ‘flesh hangs from your claws’.
færi ‘’
(not checked:)
færa (verb): [bring]
notes
[6] hrægum fœti ‘with flesh-hung foot’: Hrægum is dat. sg. of hræugr ‘flesh-hung’, a hap. leg. derived from hræ n. ‘corpse, carrion’. Cf. Þhorn Harkv 3/5 hold loðir í klóum yðr ‘flesh hangs from your claws’.
vitz ‘’
víti ‘’
(not checked:)
víti (noun n.; °-s; -): punishment
víðs ‘from afar’
(not checked:)
víðr (adj.): far
[7] víðs: ‘vitz’ Kˣ, papp18ˣ, 521ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, R685ˣ, 761aˣ, víti F
notes
[7] víðs borinn ‘come from afar’: (a) Following Konráð Gíslason (1881, 232-4), most eds including this one interpret the mss’ ‘vitz’ as an adverbial gen. sg. from víðr ‘wide, far’. (b) Kock (NN §76) takes ‘vitz’ as the gen. sg. vits from vit ‘wits, consciousness’ and explains borinn vits as ‘overcome with respect to consciousness’, i.e. unconscious, lifeless, but his claimed parallels use dat. case and are unconvincing.
borinn ‘come’
(not checked:)
3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
notes
[7] víðs borinn ‘come from afar’: (a) Following Konráð Gíslason (1881, 232-4), most eds including this one interpret the mss’ ‘vitz’ as an adverbial gen. sg. from víðr ‘wide, far’. (b) Kock (NN §76) takes ‘vitz’ as the gen. sg. vits from vit ‘wits, consciousness’ and explains borinn vits as ‘overcome with respect to consciousness’, i.e. unconscious, lifeless, but his claimed parallels use dat. case and are unconvincing.
á ‘at’
(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at
vændli ‘’
vandli ‘’
Vendli ‘Vendill’
(not checked:)
Vendill (noun m.): Vendill
[8] Vendli: ‘vændli’ J1ˣ, R685ˣ, ‘vandli’ J2ˣ
notes
[8] Vendli ‘Vendill’: See Notes to [All] and l. 13 eylands.
spáru ‘’
frák ‘I have learned’
(not checked:)
1. fregna (verb): hear of
verk ‘deeds’
(not checked:)
verk (noun n.; °-s; -): deed
vatz ‘’
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Fasta ‘Fasti’
(not checked:)
Fasti (noun m.): Fasti
sœnskri ‘for the Swedish’
(not checked:)
sœnskr (adj.): Swedish
þjóð ‘people’
(not checked:)
þjóð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -/-u; -ir): people
at ‘’
(not checked:)
3. at (prep.): at, to
sǫgum ‘legends’
(not checked:)
1. saga (noun f.; °*-u; *-ur): story, saga
verða ‘became’
(not checked:)
1. verða (verb): become, be
at ‘that’
(not checked:)
4. at (conj.): that
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
eylands ‘from the island’
(not checked:)
eyland (noun n.; °-s; *-): island
notes
[13] eylands ‘from the island’: This cannot be identified with certainty. Vendsyssel, the northernmost part of Jutland, which at the time was still separated from the mainland by Limfjorden, is most likely. See further Note to Sigv Knútdr 8/8. — [13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
eylands ‘from the island’
(not checked:)
eyland (noun n.; °-s; *-): island
notes
[13] eylands ‘from the island’: This cannot be identified with certainty. Vendsyssel, the northernmost part of Jutland, which at the time was still separated from the mainland by Limfjorden, is most likely. See further Note to Sigv Knútdr 8/8. — [13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
jarla ‘’
(not checked:)
jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl
jarlar ‘the jarls’
(not checked:)
jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl
[14] jarlar: so F, jarla Kˣ, papp18ˣ, 521ˣ, 761aˣ, ‘jj’ J1ˣ, R685ˣ, jarlar or jarla J2ˣ
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
Fróða ‘of Fróði’
(not checked:)
Fróði (noun m.): Fróði
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
víg ‘of war’
(not checked:)
víg (noun n.; °-s; -): battle < vígfrǫmuðr (noun m.)
kennings
vígfrǫmuð.‘the inciter of war. ’
= WARRIOR
the inciter of war. → WARRIOR
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
frǫmuð ‘the inciter’
(not checked:)
frǫmuðr (noun m.): promoter < vígfrǫmuðr (noun m.)
kennings
vígfrǫmuð.‘the inciter of war. ’
= WARRIOR
the inciter of war. → WARRIOR
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
of ‘’
(not checked:)
4. of (particle): (before verb)
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
vegit ‘’
(not checked:)
1. vega (verb): strike, slay
væg ‘’
(not checked:)
vægr (adj.): [powerful]
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
hǫfðu ‘had’
(not checked:)
hafa (verb): have
notes
[13-16] at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn vígfrǫmuð ‘that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]’: Almost all eds associate eylands with jarlar Fróða ‘jarls of Fróði’. However, their views of the syntactic status of the gen. diverge. (a) Taking eylands with jarlar yields the interpretation ‘the island jarls of Fróði’ (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26 and this edn). Jarlar Fróða are thus the jarls installed by Fróði as the defenders and administrators of the island. (b) Taking eylands with Fróða results in ‘the jarls of the island of Fróði’ (Noreen 1912b, 130; Yt 1925). But since Þjóðólfr’s lines characteristically constitute logical unities, it is preferable to assume a collocation of jarlar Fróða. (c) For this reason Åkerlund (1939, 98-100) takes a step further and associates eylands with vígfrǫmuð ‘inciter of war’, taking eylands as gen. object of víg-, hence ‘attackers of the island’ (so also Beyschlag 1950, 24 and Hkr 1991). However, the syntactic kenning-type vígfrǫmuð eylands does not occur in kviðuháttr (Noreen 1921, 41), and the object of víg is normally human.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The valiant Óttarr fell beneath the talons of the eagle before the weapons of the Danes. The battle-vulture [RAVEN/EAGLE], come from afar, trod him with flesh-hung foot at Vendill. I have learned that these deeds of Vǫttr and Fasti became legends for the Swedish people, that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR].
Strife arises between Egill’s son and successor Óttarr and the Danish king Fróði over some tribute that Egill had promised in return for Fróði’s support but never paid. Fróði invades Sweden with his troops, doing great damage. The following summer, when Fróði has gone raiding in the Baltic, Óttarr retaliates and invades, devastating Limafjǫrðr (the Limfjorden area). Fróði’s jarls Vǫttr and Fasti stage a defence in the king’s absence, and Óttarr dies in a battle in Vendill. The Danes lay his body on a hill, leaving it to birds and wild animals. They send a wooden crow to Sweden as a taunt about the king, for which reason he is afterwards called vendilkráka ‘Vendel-crow’.
This stanza sets the death of Óttarr in Denmark, at a place called Vendill which Þjóðólfr may have associated with Vendsyssel, north of Limfjorden in Jutland. However, this is generally assumed to stem from a misinterpretation of Swedish tradition on Þjóðólfr’s part, which was then taken up by HN and by Snorri in Hkr. According to numerous scholars (e.g. Vikstrand 2004, 379-83), the p. n. Vendill originally designated the region Vendel, north of Uppsala. This identification has been made partly because of the exceptionally large burial mound there, known as Ottarshögen since the second half of the C17th. Although it cannot be proven that the ruler buried there was the Óttarr of Yt, the dating of the Vendel finds corresponds roughly to that of the stanza’s historical background inasmuch as it may be inferred from Beowulf. A further indication that Vendill is the Vendel district in Sweden has been seen in Vendilkráka, the king’s nickname, which appears in Hkr. However, this nickname applies to Egill in HN and Íslb, not to Óttarr. Vendelkråkor is said to have been a comical designation for people from Vendel over a long period (Vikstrand 2004, 380-3). The assumption has been that Snorri transferred Egill’s nickname to his son Óttarr (Bugge 1894, 141; Storm 1899, 109; Krag 1991, 121). If this is correct, the association with the region in Sweden would also apply to Egill.
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