ÞjóðA Sex 14II
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Sexstefja 14’ 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. 126-7.
Fast ‘firm’
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fastr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): firm, fast
bað ‘ordered’
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biðja (verb; °biðr; bað, báðu; beðinn (beiþ- Martin¹ 573, bỏþ- HákEirsp 661, cf. ed. intr. xl)): ask for, order, pray
[1] bað: so papp18ˣ, F, E, J2ˣ, H, Hr, bauð Kˣ
fylking ‘troop’
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fylking (noun f.): troop
hrausta ‘the valiant’
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hraustr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): strong, valiant
notes
[2] friðvandr ‘peace-concerned’: This assumes that vandr has the sense ‘particular about, careful, cultivating’, as in numerous compounds, but the cpd is in fact nicely ambiguous, with ‘difficult’ as another possibility (see LP).
vandr ‘concerned’
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vandr (adj.): difficult < friðvandr (adj.)
notes
[2] friðvandr ‘peace-concerned’: This assumes that vandr has the sense ‘particular about, careful, cultivating’, as in numerous compounds, but the cpd is in fact nicely ambiguous, with ‘difficult’ as another possibility (see LP).
jǫfurr ‘ruler’
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jǫfurr (noun m.): ruler, prince
standa ‘to stand’
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standa (verb): stand
hamalt ‘in a wedge-shape’
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hamall (adj.): wedge-shaped
notes
[3] hamalt ‘in a wedge-shape’: This, the n. of hamall, of uncertain origin, almost always occurs adverbially with fylkja ‘line up troops’ (e.g. ÞjóðA Run 1 and Note; Notes to Gísl Magnkv 10/6 and Mark Eirdr 15/3; LP; Fritzner). In the present context of a sea-battle it is slightly problematic. (a) It is assumed here that the two couplets of the helmingr form self-contained clauses, and hence that it is the disposition of shields along the ship’s two gunwales that forms a wedge shape, as explained in LP: hamalt. The image may alternatively be of shields touching at the edges, forming a secure wall (as assumed in Hkr 1991). (b) To take hamalt with standa ‘stand’ (l. 2), predicated of the troop in l. 1, would seem attractive, although standa is already qualified by fast ‘firm’ (l. 1). Finnur Jónsson in Hkr 1893-1901 and Skj B, perhaps in order to link hamalt with standa, chose the minority pl. reading sýndusk ‘they seemed’ in l. 3 and assumed a difficult cl. arrangement in which listeners would have to resist taking bað ‘ordered’ (l. 1) with the first inf. standa ‘stand’ and take it instead with the second inf. skilda ‘to set shields’ (l. 4), but his entry on hamall in LP suggests a change of mind (and see Kock’s response to the Skj B version in NN §858).
notes
[3] sýndisk mér ‘I witnessed [lit. it appeared to me that]’: This is the majority reading, which yields an impersonal construction (so also ÍF 28 and Hkr 1991). The F reading, pl. sýndusk ‘they seemed’, would have vinir hildings ‘the friends of the commander’ (l. 4) as its subject (so Finnur Jónsson, as noted above).
mér ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
notes
[3] sýndisk mér ‘I witnessed [lit. it appeared to me that]’: This is the majority reading, which yields an impersonal construction (so also ÍF 28 and Hkr 1991). The F reading, pl. sýndusk ‘they seemed’, would have vinir hildings ‘the friends of the commander’ (l. 4) as its subject (so Finnur Jónsson, as noted above).
hǫmlur ‘at the rowing-positions’
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1. hamla (noun f.; °*-u; *-ur): rowing position
notes
[3] hǫmlur ‘the rowing-positions’: See Note to Arn Hryn 9/5.
hildings ‘of the commander’
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hildingr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, ruler
vinir ‘the friends’
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vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend
[4] vinir: viðir H, Hr
skilda ‘shields’
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skjǫldr (noun m.; °skjaldar/skildar, dat. skildi; skildir, acc. skjǫldu): shield
[4] skilda: skildar J2ˣ, skjalda H, Hr
Ramm ‘the strong’
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rammr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): mighty < rammsyndr (adj.)
[5] Rammsyndan: ‘rꜹndsyndann’ J2ˣ
syndan ‘swimming’
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syndr (adj.): [swimming] < rammsyndr (adj.)
[5] Rammsyndan: ‘rꜹndsyndann’ J2ˣ
lauk ‘enclosed’
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1. lúka (verb): end, close
rǫndum ‘with shields’
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rǫnd (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; rendr/randir): shield, shield-rim
ráðandi ‘performer’
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ráðandi (noun m.; °-a; ráðendr): ruler
kennings
Nýtr ráðandi manndáða‘The excellent performer of manly deeds ’
= RULER
The excellent performer of manly deeds → RULER
manndáða ‘of manly deeds’
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manndáð (noun f.)
kennings
Nýtr ráðandi manndáða‘The excellent performer of manly deeds ’
= RULER
The excellent performer of manly deeds → RULER
nýtr ‘The excellent’
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nýtr (adj.; °compar. -ri, superl. nýztr/nýtastr): useful, able
kennings
Nýtr ráðandi manndáða‘The excellent performer of manly deeds ’
= RULER
The excellent performer of manly deeds → RULER
fyr ‘’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
Nizi ‘the Nissan’
útan ‘off’
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útan (prep.): outside, without
naðr ‘serpent’
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naðr (noun m.): snake
notes
[8] naðr ‘serpent’: Naðr (cf. Engl. adder) means ‘snake, serpent’, and was used as a poetic synonym for ships named Ormr ‘Serpent’, as well as for the generic word dreki ‘dragon’, hence ‘dragon-ship, warship’ (see LP: naðr). The use of naðr here and in Arn Hardr to refer to a dragon-ship or warship is therefore not unexpected, especially when qualified by rammsyndan ‘powerfully swimming’ (l. 5).
svát ‘so that’
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svát (conj.): so that, so as
[8] svát: so F, E, H, Hr, svá Kˣ, papp18ˣ, J2ˣ
tók ‘abutted’
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2. taka (verb): take
aðra ‘the next’
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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Fast bað fylking hrausta |
The peace-concerned ruler ordered the valiant troop to stand firm; I witnessed [lit. it appeared to me that] the friends of the commander setting shields at the rowing-positions, in a wedge-shape. The excellent performer of manly deeds [RULER] enclosed the strong-swimming serpent with shields off the Nissan, so that each one abutted the next.
The st. follows st. 13, with the comment that Haraldr’s ship was excellently equipped and manned. H-Hr adds that the king urged his men to stand firm behind their shields if the battle got under way.
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