Þórálfr Frag 1^III

Sagði ‘told’

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segja (verb): say, tell

[1] Sagði: ‘suagdi’ Tˣ

hitt ‘’

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2. inn (art.): the

es ‘what’

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2. er (conj.): who, which, when

hugði ‘he intended’

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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider

[1] hugði: hug Tˣ, hugðit W

notes

[1] hugði ‘intended’: In the absence of further contextual information, the sense of this verb is elusive. It could be ‘thought, intended’ or perhaps ‘knew’ (cf. vidste? in Skj B) or ‘ordained, decreed’ (cf. destinarat in SnE 1848-87, I, 243).

Hlið ‘of Hlið’

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1. hlið (noun f.; °dat. -/-u; -ar): side < hliðskjǫlf (noun f.)

kennings

notes

[2] gramr Hliðskjalfar ‘the lord of Hliðskjálf [= Óðinn]’: Compare Hallfreðr’s kenning in the couplet cited above. According to Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), Hliðskjálf (earlier Hliðskjǫlf) was Óðinn’s high-seat, located within his hall Valaskjálf; from it he could see over the whole world.

skjalfar ‘skjálf’

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-skjalf (noun f.): [skjálf] < hliðskjǫlf (noun f.)

[2] ‑skjalfar: skjalfr B

kennings

notes

[2] gramr Hliðskjalfar ‘the lord of Hliðskjálf [= Óðinn]’: Compare Hallfreðr’s kenning in the couplet cited above. According to Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), Hliðskjálf (earlier Hliðskjǫlf) was Óðinn’s high-seat, located within his hall Valaskjálf; from it he could see over the whole world.

gramr ‘The lord’

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1. gramr (noun m.): ruler

kennings

notes

[2] gramr Hliðskjalfar ‘the lord of Hliðskjálf [= Óðinn]’: Compare Hallfreðr’s kenning in the couplet cited above. According to Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), Hliðskjálf (earlier Hliðskjǫlf) was Óðinn’s high-seat, located within his hall Valaskjálf; from it he could see over the whole world.

sjǫlfum ‘him’

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sjalfr (adj.): self

notes

[2] sjǫlfum ‘him’: The dat. pron. is the indirect object of sagði ‘declared, told, said’, but beyond that it is difficult to interpret: its reference is unclear and it could be either sg. or pl. (a) Sjǫlfum may function as a 3rd pers. pron. In all the examples in LP: sjalfr ‘self’ the word is attached to a noun or pron., but if the use of sjalfr alone was acceptable as a poetic licence, sjǫlfum in the present instance could be sg. ‘to him’ referring to Hárekr or perhaps his antagonist in the battle, or pl. ‘to them’ referring to Hárekr’s troops. These solutions would involve assuming that a pron. is suppressed or understood: (hánum) sjǫlfum or (þeim) sjǫlfum. Since the troops have been cut down and Óðinn is more likely to communicate with one outstanding leader, the sg. ‘him’ is tentatively assumed here (cf. ‘told the man himself’, Faulkes 1987, 69). (b) The normal reflexive sense ‘himself’ is possible here, again if a suppressed pron. is assumed, i.e. sjǫlfum (sér). In this case Óðinn would be addressing himself, but especially without any context it is impossible to conjecture why this should be. (c) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B translates Odin fortalte dem (ham?) selv ‘Óðinn told them (him?) personally’, but since sjǫlfum is dat. it cannot be taken with the subject.

hlífar ‘of protection’

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hlíf (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): shield, defence

[3] hlífar: ‘hl[…]’ U

notes

[3] styggr hlífar ‘shy of protection’: The majority reading, nom. sg. styggr, is adopted here, although it is curious that the god Óðinn is described as ‘shy of protection’, i.e. bravely reluctant to protect himself in battle, or specifically to use a shield. The same phrase describes Magnús berfœttr ‘Barelegs’ Óláfsson in Bkrepp Magndr 3/2^II. The U reading, gen. sg. styggs, can be taken with the human protagonist Háreks, and hence is contextually more plausible; it is adopted in Skj B and Skald. However, on the evidence of the mss it is less likely to be the original reading.

styggr ‘shy’

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styggr (adj.): shy

[3] styggr: styggs U

notes

[3] styggr hlífar ‘shy of protection’: The majority reading, nom. sg. styggr, is adopted here, although it is curious that the god Óðinn is described as ‘shy of protection’, i.e. bravely reluctant to protect himself in battle, or specifically to use a shield. The same phrase describes Magnús berfœttr ‘Barelegs’ Óláfsson in Bkrepp Magndr 3/2^II. The U reading, gen. sg. styggs, can be taken with the human protagonist Háreks, and hence is contextually more plausible; it is adopted in Skj B and Skald. However, on the evidence of the mss it is less likely to be the original reading.

þars ‘where’

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þars (conj.): where

hǫggnir ‘cut down’

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hǫggva (verb): to strike, put to death, cut, hew

Háreks ‘Hárekr’s’

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Hárekr (noun m.): Hárekr

[4] Háreks liðar: ‘huorir magne’ B

notes

[4] Háreks ‘Hárekr’s’: The most prominent Hárekr in the kings’ sagas is Hárekr Eyvindarson ór Þjóttu ‘from Tjøtta’, a Norwegian magnate, son of a skald and a composer and patron of skaldic poetry; see further skald Biography of Hárekr, SkP I, 808. Hárekr was killed c. 1035, however, which puts him well within the Christian era. An earlier and more promising candidate might be Hárekr Guthormsson, who according to Snorri Sturluson (Hákgóð ch. 4, ÍF 26, 154) fell in England with Eiríkr blóðøx ‘Blood-axe’ c. 954. Eiríkr was commemorated in the distinctly pagan poem Eiríksmál (Anon Eirm^I), which contains (in st. 7) a reproachful question to Óðinn as to why he deprived Eiríkr of victory. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 26, 154 n.) suggests that Hárekr and others were named in a now lost portion of Eirm, and if correct this might in turn suggest that he is the Hárekr mentioned by Þórálfr l. 4. However, whether Anon Eirm^I named the fallen companions of Eiríkr is disputed (see Introduction to the poem), and this identification remains highly speculative.

liðar ‘troops’

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lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop

[4] Háreks liðar: ‘huorir magne’ B

vôru ‘were’

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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am