ÞjóðA Sex 7II
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Sexstefja 7’ 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. 118-19.
Stól ‘’
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1. stóll (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): seat, throne < stólþengill (noun m.)
notes
[1] stólþengils ‘of the emperor’: Lit. ‘throne-lord’s’. Frank (1978, 134) notes that this term encapsulates awe at the magnificence of the Byzantine imperial throne, of which there is an account from c. 950 (see also Note to ÞSkegg Hardr l. 3). The victim here seems to be to Michael Kalaphates (Michael V), and if so, the reference to Constantine in the ON prose sources is incorrect (although Michael’s uncle and counsellor, Constantine, was also blinded on the same occasion; see Sigfús Blöndal 1978, 94). Michael’s brief reign in Constantinople in spring 1042 ended with accusations of treachery and tyranny, and a bloody uprising in which he was blinded. The order for this was given, with the authority of the city prefect, by the leader of the military rebels, who could well have been Haraldr Sigurðarson (Sigfús Blöndal 1978, 93-4; see also Note to Valg Har 4 [All]).
þengils ‘of the emperor’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler < stólþengill (noun m.)
notes
[1] stólþengils ‘of the emperor’: Lit. ‘throne-lord’s’. Frank (1978, 134) notes that this term encapsulates awe at the magnificence of the Byzantine imperial throne, of which there is an account from c. 950 (see also Note to ÞSkegg Hardr l. 3). The victim here seems to be to Michael Kalaphates (Michael V), and if so, the reference to Constantine in the ON prose sources is incorrect (although Michael’s uncle and counsellor, Constantine, was also blinded on the same occasion; see Sigfús Blöndal 1978, 94). Michael’s brief reign in Constantinople in spring 1042 ended with accusations of treachery and tyranny, and a bloody uprising in which he was blinded. The order for this was given, with the authority of the city prefect, by the leader of the military rebels, who could well have been Haraldr Sigurðarson (Sigfús Blöndal 1978, 93-4; see also Note to Valg Har 4 [All]).
stinga ‘stabbed’
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stinga (verb): stab, poke
styrjǫld ‘war’
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styrjǫld (noun f.; °-aldar; -aldir): conflict, war, battle
[2] styrjǫld: ‘styiolld’ E
vas ‘was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
þá ‘then’
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2. þá (adv.): then
byrjuð ‘under way’
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2. byrja (verb; °-að-): begin, begat, please
[2] byrjuð: byrjað FskAˣ
kennings
Eyðir sútar heiðingja‘The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] ’
= WARRIOR
The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] → WARRIOR
notes
[3, 4] eyðir sútar heiðingja ‘the destroyer of the care [GLADDENER] of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] [WARRIOR]’: The kenning expresses in condensed form the same idea as that in st. 4: the warrior ends the wolf’s sorrow or hunger (i.e. cheers or feeds it) by making his enemy into carrion. As a weak gen., heiðingja (nom. sg. heiðingi) could be either sg. or pl. It is compounded from heiðr f. ‘heath, moor’ and gangja, cf. ganga ‘go’ (AEW: heiðingi). For kennings of this type, see Note to Arn Hryn 7/1, 2.
kennings
Eyðir sútar heiðingja‘The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] ’
= WARRIOR
The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] → WARRIOR
notes
[3, 4] eyðir sútar heiðingja ‘the destroyer of the care [GLADDENER] of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] [WARRIOR]’: The kenning expresses in condensed form the same idea as that in st. 4: the warrior ends the wolf’s sorrow or hunger (i.e. cheers or feeds it) by making his enemy into carrion. As a weak gen., heiðingja (nom. sg. heiðingi) could be either sg. or pl. It is compounded from heiðr f. ‘heath, moor’ and gangja, cf. ganga ‘go’ (AEW: heiðingi). For kennings of this type, see Note to Arn Hryn 7/1, 2.
augu ‘eyes’
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auga (noun n.; °auga; augu/augun, gen. augna): eye
[3] augu: so 39, F, E, augun Kˣ, J2ˣ, Mork, H, Hr, ‘oughum’ FskAˣ, ‘augun’ or ‘augum’ 301ˣ
bæði ‘both’
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báðir (pron.; °gen. beggja (báðra), nom./acc. n. bǽði): both
út ‘out’
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út (adv.): out(side)
heiðingja ‘of the wolf [lit. heath-goer]’
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1. heiðingi (noun m.; °-ja; -jar): heathen
kennings
Eyðir sútar heiðingja‘The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] ’
= WARRIOR
The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] → WARRIOR
notes
[3, 4] eyðir sútar heiðingja ‘the destroyer of the care [GLADDENER] of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] [WARRIOR]’: The kenning expresses in condensed form the same idea as that in st. 4: the warrior ends the wolf’s sorrow or hunger (i.e. cheers or feeds it) by making his enemy into carrion. As a weak gen., heiðingja (nom. sg. heiðingi) could be either sg. or pl. It is compounded from heiðr f. ‘heath, moor’ and gangja, cf. ganga ‘go’ (AEW: heiðingi). For kennings of this type, see Note to Arn Hryn 7/1, 2.
sútar ‘of the care’
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1. sút (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): sorrow
kennings
Eyðir sútar heiðingja‘The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] ’
= WARRIOR
The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] → WARRIOR
notes
[3, 4] eyðir sútar heiðingja ‘the destroyer of the care [GLADDENER] of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] [WARRIOR]’: The kenning expresses in condensed form the same idea as that in st. 4: the warrior ends the wolf’s sorrow or hunger (i.e. cheers or feeds it) by making his enemy into carrion. As a weak gen., heiðingja (nom. sg. heiðingi) could be either sg. or pl. It is compounded from heiðr f. ‘heath, moor’ and gangja, cf. ganga ‘go’ (AEW: heiðingi). For kennings of this type, see Note to Arn Hryn 7/1, 2.
sútar ‘of the care’
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1. sút (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): sorrow
kennings
Eyðir sútar heiðingja‘The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] ’
= WARRIOR
The destroyer of the care of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] → WARRIOR
notes
[3, 4] eyðir sútar heiðingja ‘the destroyer of the care [GLADDENER] of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] [WARRIOR]’: The kenning expresses in condensed form the same idea as that in st. 4: the warrior ends the wolf’s sorrow or hunger (i.e. cheers or feeds it) by making his enemy into carrion. As a weak gen., heiðingja (nom. sg. heiðingi) could be either sg. or pl. It is compounded from heiðr f. ‘heath, moor’ and gangja, cf. ganga ‘go’ (AEW: heiðingi). For kennings of this type, see Note to Arn Hryn 7/1, 2.
Lagði ‘placed’
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leggja (verb): put, lay
allvaldr ‘The overlord’
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allvaldr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): mighty ruler
kennings
Allvaldr Egða‘The overlord of the Egðir ’
= NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr
The overlord of the Egðir → NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr
notes
[5, 6] allvaldr Egða; bragning ‘the overlord of the Egðir [NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr]; prince’: Frank notes that these two terms also co-occur in the contemporary Stúfr Stúfdr 4.
Egða ‘of the Egðir’
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Egðir (noun m.): the Egðir
kennings
Allvaldr Egða‘The overlord of the Egðir ’
= NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr
The overlord of the Egðir → NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr
notes
[5, 6] allvaldr Egða; bragning ‘the overlord of the Egðir [NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr]; prince’: Frank notes that these two terms also co-occur in the contemporary Stúfr Stúfdr 4.
austr ‘in the east’
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3. austr (adv.; °compar. -ar, superl. -ast): east, in the east
á ‘on’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
bragning ‘prince’
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bragningr (noun m.; °; -ar): prince, ruler
notes
[5, 6] allvaldr Egða; bragning ‘the overlord of the Egðir [NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr]; prince’: Frank notes that these two terms also co-occur in the contemporary Stúfr Stúfdr 4.
hraustan ‘the daring’
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hraustr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): strong, valiant
[6] hraustan: so F, E, Mork, H, Hr, raustan Kˣ, 39, J2ˣ
gráligt ‘a hostile’
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gráligr (adj.): [a hostile]
notes
[7] gráligt mark ‘a hostile mark’: ‘Hostile, malicious’ is the normal sense of adj. gráligt, but its etymological sense ‘greyish’ may perhaps also resonate with the mention in the first helmingr of the proverbially grey wolf. For possible influence of the st., and especially of this phrase, on Theodoricus’s Historia, see Frank 1978, 124.
mark ‘mark’
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mark (noun n.; °-s; *-): sign
notes
[7] gráligt mark ‘a hostile mark’: ‘Hostile, malicious’ is the normal sense of adj. gráligt, but its etymological sense ‘greyish’ may perhaps also resonate with the mention in the first helmingr of the proverbially grey wolf. For possible influence of the st., and especially of this phrase, on Theodoricus’s Historia, see Frank 1978, 124.
Girkja ‘of the Greeks’
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1. Girkr (noun m.): Greek
[7] Girkja: so 39, F, J2ˣ, Mork, grikkja Kˣ, E, H, Hr
kennings
stillir Girkja‘the ruler of the Greeks ’
= Michael
the ruler of the Greeks → Michael
notes
[8] fór illa gǫtu ‘travelled a dire road’: The sense is clearly figurative, cf. the use of gǫtur ‘ways’ in Anon Sól 31, 36 and 52VII, though no direct parallels to the idiom are offered in LP or Fritzner.
illa ‘a dire’
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1. illa (adv.): badly
notes
[8] fór illa gǫtu ‘travelled a dire road’: The sense is clearly figurative, cf. the use of gǫtur ‘ways’ in Anon Sól 31, 36 and 52VII, though no direct parallels to the idiom are offered in LP or Fritzner.
fór ‘travelled’
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fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel
notes
[8] fór illa gǫtu ‘travelled a dire road’: The sense is clearly figurative, cf. the use of gǫtur ‘ways’ in Anon Sól 31, 36 and 52VII, though no direct parallels to the idiom are offered in LP or Fritzner.
stillir ‘the ruler’
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stillir (noun m.): ruler
kennings
stillir Girkja‘the ruler of the Greeks ’
= Michael
the ruler of the Greeks → Michael
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Stólþengils lét stinga |
The destroyer of the care [GLADDENER] of the wolf [lit. heath-goer] [WARRIOR] had both eyes of the emperor stabbed out; war was under way then. The overlord of the Egðir [NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr] placed a hostile mark on the daring prince in the east, and the ruler of the Greeks [= Michael] travelled a dire road.
Haraldr is imprisoned at the command of the Byzantine emperor (Grikkjakonungr) Constantine IX Monomachos, but is rescued following miraculous intervention by Óláfr helgi. Haraldr’s Væringjar seize and blind the emperor. ÞSkegg Hardr is quoted, then this st. After the citation, Hkr, Fsk and Mork emphasise that all the poems about Haraldr agree it was the emperor himself whom he blinded.
The same event seems to be depicted in st. 8, and ÞSkegg Hardr likewise records the blinding of the stólþengill ‘emperor’ in a helmingr apparently about Haraldr, though Haraldr is not directly said to order the mutilation. — The st. is missing from an otherwise complete text in FskBˣ.
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