Þjsk Hák 1I
Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorleifr jarlsskáld Rauðfeldarson, Poem about Hákon 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. 369.
Hô ‘Há’
(not checked:)
3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high < Hákon (noun m.): Hákon
[1] Hôkun: Hôkuni 53, 54, Flat
notes
[1] Hôkun ‘Hákon’: The variant Hôkuni ‘than Hákon’ is an unmetrical secondary reading (see Hjelmqvist 1890, 286-7), perhaps arising because Hôkun, rather than þér in l. 4 (cf. þar ‘there’ 54, Bb), was taken as the dat. governed by the comp. fremra ‘more outstanding’.
Hôkuni ‘’
(not checked:)
Hákon (noun m.): Hákon
kun ‘kon’
(not checked:)
1. kyn (noun n.; °-s; -): kin < Hákon (noun m.): Hákon
[1] Hôkun: Hôkuni 53, 54, Flat
notes
[1] Hôkun ‘Hákon’: The variant Hôkuni ‘than Hákon’ is an unmetrical secondary reading (see Hjelmqvist 1890, 286-7), perhaps arising because Hôkun, rather than þér in l. 4 (cf. þar ‘there’ 54, Bb), was taken as the dat. governed by the comp. fremra ‘more outstanding’.
vitum ‘we [I] do not know’
(not checked:)
1. vita (verb): know
hvergi ‘anywhere’
(not checked:)
1. hvergi (adv.): nowhere
hafizk ‘eminent’
(not checked:)
hefja (verb): lift, start
runn ‘’
(not checked:)
runnr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): bush, tree
hefr ‘has’
(not checked:)
hafa (verb): have
runnr ‘the tree’
(not checked:)
runnr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): bush, tree
[2] runnr: runn 61, 53, 54, Bb
kennings
runnr folk-Ránar‘the tree of the battle-Rán ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the battle-Rán → VALKYRIE
the tree of the VALKYRIE → WARRIOR = Hákon
af ‘by’
(not checked:)
af (prep.): from
fermra ‘’
gunni ‘warfare’
(not checked:)
gunnr (noun f.): battle
fremra ‘more outstanding’
(not checked:)
framr (adj.; °compar. framari/fremri, superl. framastr/fremstr): outstanding, foremost
[3] fremra: ‘fre[…]’ J1ˣ, ‘fermra’ Flat
aundir ‘’
jarl ‘of a jarl’
(not checked:)
jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl
felli ‘’
(not checked:)
fellir (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i): slayer, feller
ferli ‘the track’
(not checked:)
ferill (noun m.; °dat. ferli): route, track
[3] ferli: ‘felli’ F, Flat
kennings
ferli mána;‘the track of the moon; ’
= SKY
the track of the moon; → SKY
rannar ‘’
folk ‘of the battle’
(not checked:)
folk (noun n.): people < folkrán (noun f.)folk (noun n.): people
kennings
runnr folk-Ránar‘the tree of the battle-Rán ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the battle-Rán → VALKYRIE
the tree of the VALKYRIE → WARRIOR = Hákon
folk ‘of the battle’
(not checked:)
folk (noun n.): people < folkrán (noun f.)folk (noun n.): people
kennings
runnr folk-Ránar‘the tree of the battle-Rán ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the battle-Rán → VALKYRIE
the tree of the VALKYRIE → WARRIOR = Hákon
þar ‘’
(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there
kennings
runnr folk-Ránar‘the tree of the battle-Rán ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the battle-Rán → VALKYRIE
the tree of the VALKYRIE → WARRIOR = Hákon
kennings
runnr folk-Ránar‘the tree of the battle-Rán ’
= WARRIOR = Hákon
the battle-Rán → VALKYRIE
the tree of the VALKYRIE → WARRIOR = Hákon
manna ‘’
(not checked:)
maðr (noun m.): man, person
þér ‘than you’
(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
[4] þér: ‘þr’ J1ˣ, þar 54, Bb
kennings
ferli mána;‘the track of the moon; ’
= SKY
the track of the moon; → SKY
Þú ‘You’
(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
hefr ‘have’
(not checked:)
hafa (verb): have
notes
[5, 8] hefr senda Óðni ‘have sent to Óðinn’: That is, killed. It has been suggested (Falk 1889a; Liberman 1978), based on a reading of Hávm 144-5, that the verb senda ‘to send’ originally meant ‘to make a (human) sacrifice’. However, ‘to send to Óðinn’ is a common skaldic expression referring to the death of warriors in battle (cf. Glúmr Gráf 2/7-8, Tindr Hákdr 11/1-2 and the poems Anon Eirm and Eyv Hákm). It is difficult in this instance to gauge whether sending to Óðinn is to be taken literally or figuratively.
notes
[5, 8] níu ǫðlinga ‘nine nobles’: Ohlmarks (1958, 398), believing that the poem depicts the battle of Hjǫrungavágr (see Introduction), proposes a list of candidates, but it is impossible to be sure who is meant, and the number nine may be a mere formula (see LP: níu; Boberg 1966, 265).
Óðni ‘to Óðinn’
(not checked:)
Óðinn (noun m.): Óðinn
notes
[5, 8] hefr senda Óðni ‘have sent to Óðinn’: That is, killed. It has been suggested (Falk 1889a; Liberman 1978), based on a reading of Hávm 144-5, that the verb senda ‘to send’ originally meant ‘to make a (human) sacrifice’. However, ‘to send to Óðinn’ is a common skaldic expression referring to the death of warriors in battle (cf. Glúmr Gráf 2/7-8, Tindr Hákdr 11/1-2 and the poems Anon Eirm and Eyv Hákm). It is difficult in this instance to gauge whether sending to Óðinn is to be taken literally or figuratively.
etr ‘eats’
(not checked:)
2. eta (verb; °; -ur): eat
hrafn ‘the raven’
(not checked:)
hrafn (noun m.; °hrafns; dat. hrafni; hrafnar): raven
af ‘because of’
(not checked:)
af (prep.): from
ná ‘corpses’
(not checked:)
nár (noun m.; °-s; -ir): corpse
getnum ‘provided’
(not checked:)
2. geta (verb): to beget, give birth to, mention, speak of; to think well of, like, love
vesa ‘you can spread’
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
notes
[7, 8] mátt ... vesa víðlendr ‘you can spread your dominion widely’: Lit. ‘you can be wide-landed’.
mátt ‘’
(not checked:)
mega (verb): may, might
notes
[7, 8] mátt ... vesa víðlendr ‘you can spread your dominion widely’: Lit. ‘you can be wide-landed’.
vísi ‘prince’
(not checked:)
vísi (noun m.; °-a): leader
víð ‘your dominion’
(not checked:)
víðr (adj.): far < víðlendr (adj.): widely-landed
notes
[7, 8] mátt ... vesa víðlendr ‘you can spread your dominion widely’: Lit. ‘you can be wide-landed’.
lendr ‘widely’
(not checked:)
lendr (adj.): landed < víðlendr (adj.): widely-landed
notes
[7, 8] mátt ... vesa víðlendr ‘you can spread your dominion widely’: Lit. ‘you can be wide-landed’.
níu ‘nine’
(not checked:)
níu (num. cardinal): nine
notes
[5, 8] níu ǫðlinga ‘nine nobles’: Ohlmarks (1958, 398), believing that the poem depicts the battle of Hjǫrungavágr (see Introduction), proposes a list of candidates, but it is impossible to be sure who is meant, and the number nine may be a mere formula (see LP: níu; Boberg 1966, 265).
senda ‘sent’
(not checked:)
senda (verb): send
notes
[5, 8] hefr senda Óðni ‘have sent to Óðinn’: That is, killed. It has been suggested (Falk 1889a; Liberman 1978), based on a reading of Hávm 144-5, that the verb senda ‘to send’ originally meant ‘to make a (human) sacrifice’. However, ‘to send to Óðinn’ is a common skaldic expression referring to the death of warriors in battle (cf. Glúmr Gráf 2/7-8, Tindr Hákdr 11/1-2 and the poems Anon Eirm and Eyv Hákm). It is difficult in this instance to gauge whether sending to Óðinn is to be taken literally or figuratively.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Hôkun, vitum hvergi |
Hákon, we [I] do not know of a jarl anywhere more outstanding than you beneath the track of the moon [SKY]; the tree of the battle-Rán <goddess> [VALKYRIE > WARRIOR = Hákon] has made himself eminent by warfare. You have sent nine nobles to Óðinn; the raven eats from provided corpses; prince, because of that you can spread your dominion widely.
The stanza is cited as evidence of Hákon jarl’s noble qualities, notwithstanding the indignities visited upon his corpse and his posthumous nickname jarl inn illi ‘the bad jarl’.
The stanza is attributed to ‘Þorleifr Rauðfeldarson’ in all mss except F, which has (normalised) Svá segir Þorleifr í Rauðfeldardrápu ‘So says Þorleifr in Rauðfeldardrápa’. This title is presumably erroneous, though Stúfsdrápa ‘Stúfr’s Drápa’ (Stúfr StúfdrII) is an instance of a poem named after its author. — [1]: This line lacks skothending, but parallels exist in early poetry (and cf. st. 2/1, and Þjsk Jarl 1/1, noted by Kock in NN §2443). Emendations were suggested by Jón Þorkelsson (1884, 59) and Hjelmqvist (1890, 285-6), but neither is very convincing. — [6]: This line appears with minor variation as Ólhelg Lv 7/2. Hást Lv 4/6IV and Þmáhl Máv 8/6V (Eb 10) are also similar, and Gade (1995a, 101) suggests all represent reworking of a stock phrase .
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.