Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Torf-Einarr Rǫgnvaldsson, Lausavísur 4’ 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. 136.
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2. reka (verb): drive, force
[1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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telja (verb): tell, count
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hafa (verb): have < hafa (verb): have
[1] hefk (‘hefi ec’): tel ek 332ˣ, Flat, hefi at 761bˣ; hef‑ (‘hefi’): hefi with tel in margin FskAˣ
[1] hefk ‘I have’: The minority reading telk (Rǫgnvalds dauða rekit) ‘I declare (Rǫgnvaldr’s death avenged)’ is also possible, though m. acc. sg. rekinn rather than n. nom. sg. rekit might have been expected. — [1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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hafa (verb): have < hafa (verb): have
[1] hefk (‘hefi ec’): tel ek 332ˣ, Flat, hefi at 761bˣ; hef‑ (‘hefi’): hefi with tel in margin FskAˣ
[1] hefk ‘I have’: The minority reading telk (Rǫgnvalds dauða rekit) ‘I declare (Rǫgnvaldr’s death avenged)’ is also possible, though m. acc. sg. rekinn rather than n. nom. sg. rekit might have been expected. — [1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me < hafa (verb): have
[1] hefk (‘hefi ec’): tel ek 332ˣ, Flat, hefi at 761bˣ
[1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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rǫgn (noun n.): the gods (in names) < Rǫgnvaldr (noun m.): Rǫgnvaldr
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valdr (noun m.): ruler < Rǫgnvaldr (noun m.): Rǫgnvaldr
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2. enn (adv.): still, yet, again
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dauði (noun m.; °-a; -ar): death
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
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3. réttr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): right, straight, direct
[2] rétt skiptu því nornir: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, Flat, 761bˣ, en réðu því nornir Kˣ, R702ˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi nꝍrer’ with rétt skiptu því nornir in margin FskAˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi no᷎rer’ 301ˣ
[2] nornir skiptu því rétt ‘the norns arranged that rightly’: Torf-Einarr’s comment may mean that the norns were right both to appoint him to succeed in vengeance and to decree that Hálfdan should die (cf. Mundal 1993, 255). The reading skiptu rétt ‘arranged rightly’ has stronger support across the stemma, while en réðu ‘but/and ruled’ may have been influenced by rôðum, the majority reading in l. 6.
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skipta (verb): share, divide, exchange
[2] rétt skiptu því nornir: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, Flat, 761bˣ, en réðu því nornir Kˣ, R702ˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi nꝍrer’ with rétt skiptu því nornir in margin FskAˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi no᷎rer’ 301ˣ
[2] nornir skiptu því rétt ‘the norns arranged that rightly’: Torf-Einarr’s comment may mean that the norns were right both to appoint him to succeed in vengeance and to decree that Hálfdan should die (cf. Mundal 1993, 255). The reading skiptu rétt ‘arranged rightly’ has stronger support across the stemma, while en réðu ‘but/and ruled’ may have been influenced by rôðum, the majority reading in l. 6.
[2] rétt skiptu því nornir: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, Flat, 761bˣ, en réðu því nornir Kˣ, R702ˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi nꝍrer’ with rétt skiptu því nornir in margin FskAˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi no᷎rer’ 301ˣ
[2] nornir skiptu því rétt ‘the norns arranged that rightly’: Torf-Einarr’s comment may mean that the norns were right both to appoint him to succeed in vengeance and to decree that Hálfdan should die (cf. Mundal 1993, 255). The reading skiptu rétt ‘arranged rightly’ has stronger support across the stemma, while en réðu ‘but/and ruled’ may have been influenced by rôðum, the majority reading in l. 6.
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norn (noun f.; °; -ir): norn
[2] rétt skiptu því nornir: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, Flat, 761bˣ, en réðu því nornir Kˣ, R702ˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi nꝍrer’ with rétt skiptu því nornir in margin FskAˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi no᷎rer’ 301ˣ
[2] nornir ‘the norns’: The conception of the norns as presiding over a person’s death as well as their birth resembles that of Hamð 29 and 30; see also Note to Þjóð Yt 17/2-3. — [2] nornir skiptu því rétt ‘the norns arranged that rightly’: Torf-Einarr’s comment may mean that the norns were right both to appoint him to succeed in vengeance and to decree that Hálfdan should die (cf. Mundal 1993, 255). The reading skiptu rétt ‘arranged rightly’ has stronger support across the stemma, while en réðu ‘but/and ruled’ may have been influenced by rôðum, the majority reading in l. 6.
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norn (noun f.; °; -ir): norn
[2] rétt skiptu því nornir: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, Flat, 761bˣ, en réðu því nornir Kˣ, R702ˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi nꝍrer’ with rétt skiptu því nornir in margin FskAˣ, ‘enn roðo þvi no᷎rer’ 301ˣ
[2] nornir ‘the norns’: The conception of the norns as presiding over a person’s death as well as their birth resembles that of Hamð 29 and 30; see also Note to Þjóð Yt 17/2-3. — [2] nornir skiptu því rétt ‘the norns arranged that rightly’: Torf-Einarr’s comment may mean that the norns were right both to appoint him to succeed in vengeance and to decree that Hálfdan should die (cf. Mundal 1993, 255). The reading skiptu rétt ‘arranged rightly’ has stronger support across the stemma, while en réðu ‘but/and ruled’ may have been influenced by rôðum, the majority reading in l. 6.
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fól (noun n.) < fólstuðill (noun m.)
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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folk (noun n.): people < folkstuðill (noun m.)
[3] folk‑: ‘fol’ 761bˣ
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stuðill (noun m.; °; stuðlar): pillar, prop < folkstuðill (noun m.)stuðill (noun m.; °; stuðlar): pillar, prop < fólstuðill (noun m.)
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falla (verb): fall
[1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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fjórðungr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -/i; -ar): [quarter-share]
[4] fjórðungi: ‘fiortungi’ J1ˣ
[1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
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2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
[1, 4] hefk rekit ... at fjórðungi mínum ‘I have avenged ... for my quarter-share’: The speaker has done his share by killing Hálfdan; the three others have not (yet) done theirs. Three other brothers are named in Lv 1, though the prose evidence on the number and identity of the brothers is less certain (see Note to Lv 1 [All]). For the emphasis on family and kinship in these lausavísur, see Mundal (1993, 257).
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snotr (adj.): wise
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snotr (adj.): wise
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1. verpa (verb): to throw, cast (up)
[5] Verpið snarpir sveinar: hlýði snotrir seggir with verpið snarpir sveinar in margin FskAˣ; Verpið: ‘hlætet’ J1ˣ, ‘hlæþet’ J2ˣ, 761bˣ, hlýði Flat, 301ˣ
[5, 8] verpið grjóti ‘throw stones’: The exact application of these words is uncertain and perhaps deliberately ambiguous. (a) Stones, rocks and gravel were frequently used for mound burials, cf. kasta haug ‘erect a burial mound’ referring to Hálfdan’s mound in the prose of Orkn (ÍF 34, 15). (b) They might also be used for a rudimentary temporary or dishonorable interment of human beings, designed chiefly to keep animals off the corpse, or for the burial of livestock (cf. Olsen 1942b, 40-1; Genzmer 1943, 516-17). (c) Stoning might be used to put somebody to death, as in Hamð 25, but this is unlikely and it is not how the prose compilers understood the stanza (cf. von See 1960, 38). — [5] verpið, snarpir sveinar ‘throw, brave lads’: The line provides an instance of skothending in an odd line, also seen in Lv 5/7, and of placement of the second of the two rhyming syllables previous to the fifth position in the line (see Introduction), also seen in l. 2 of this stanza. Hlaðið, snotrir seggir ‘pile up, wise warriors’ is apparently the reading that underlies the variants in J1ˣ, J2ˣ, FskAˣ, 301ˣ, Flat and 761bˣ; its effect is to tone down the gloating attitude of the speaker.
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1. verpa (verb): to throw, cast (up)
[5] Verpið snarpir sveinar: hlýði snotrir seggir with verpið snarpir sveinar in margin FskAˣ; Verpið: ‘hlætet’ J1ˣ, ‘hlæþet’ J2ˣ, 761bˣ, hlýði Flat, 301ˣ
[5, 8] verpið grjóti ‘throw stones’: The exact application of these words is uncertain and perhaps deliberately ambiguous. (a) Stones, rocks and gravel were frequently used for mound burials, cf. kasta haug ‘erect a burial mound’ referring to Hálfdan’s mound in the prose of Orkn (ÍF 34, 15). (b) They might also be used for a rudimentary temporary or dishonorable interment of human beings, designed chiefly to keep animals off the corpse, or for the burial of livestock (cf. Olsen 1942b, 40-1; Genzmer 1943, 516-17). (c) Stoning might be used to put somebody to death, as in Hamð 25, but this is unlikely and it is not how the prose compilers understood the stanza (cf. von See 1960, 38). — [5] verpið, snarpir sveinar ‘throw, brave lads’: The line provides an instance of skothending in an odd line, also seen in Lv 5/7, and of placement of the second of the two rhyming syllables previous to the fifth position in the line (see Introduction), also seen in l. 2 of this stanza. Hlaðið, snotrir seggir ‘pile up, wise warriors’ is apparently the reading that underlies the variants in J1ˣ, J2ˣ, FskAˣ, 301ˣ, Flat and 761bˣ; its effect is to tone down the gloating attitude of the speaker.
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seggr (noun m.; °; -ir): man
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seggr (noun m.; °; -ir): man
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snarpr (adj.): sharp, keen
[5] Verpið snarpir sveinar: hlýði snotrir seggir with verpið snarpir sveinar in margin FskAˣ; snarpir: snotrir J1ˣ, J2ˣ, Flat, 301ˣ, 761bˣ
[5] verpið, snarpir sveinar ‘throw, brave lads’: The line provides an instance of skothending in an odd line, also seen in Lv 5/7, and of placement of the second of the two rhyming syllables previous to the fifth position in the line (see Introduction), also seen in l. 2 of this stanza. Hlaðið, snotrir seggir ‘pile up, wise warriors’ is apparently the reading that underlies the variants in J1ˣ, J2ˣ, FskAˣ, 301ˣ, Flat and 761bˣ; its effect is to tone down the gloating attitude of the speaker.
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sveinn (noun m.; °sveins; sveinar): boy, servant, attendant
[5] Verpið snarpir sveinar: hlýði snotrir seggir with verpið snarpir sveinar in margin FskAˣ; sveinar: seggir Flat, 301ˣ
[5] verpið, snarpir sveinar ‘throw, brave lads’: The line provides an instance of skothending in an odd line, also seen in Lv 5/7, and of placement of the second of the two rhyming syllables previous to the fifth position in the line (see Introduction), also seen in l. 2 of this stanza. Hlaðið, snotrir seggir ‘pile up, wise warriors’ is apparently the reading that underlies the variants in J1ˣ, J2ˣ, FskAˣ, 301ˣ, Flat and 761bˣ; its effect is to tone down the gloating attitude of the speaker.
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sigr (noun m.; °sigrs/sigrar, dat. sigri; sigrar): victory
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hafa (verb): have
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sigr (noun m.; °sigrs/sigrar, dat. sigri; sigrar): victory
[6] sigri vér rôðum: so, with sigr hǫfum fengit in margin FskAˣ; sigri: sigr J1ˣ, J2ˣ, R702ˣ, 761bˣ
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2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
[6] sigri vér rôðum: so, with sigr hǫfum fengit in margin FskAˣ; vér rôðum: hǫfum fengit J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, R702ˣ, 761bˣ
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ráða (verb): advise, rule, interpret, decide
[6] sigri vér rôðum: so, with sigr hǫfum fengit in margin FskAˣ; vér rôðum: hǫfum fengit J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 332ˣ, R702ˣ, 761bˣ
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skattr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): treasure, wealth
[7] harðan skatt ‘hard tribute’: The sense is ‘I pay him with stones, not treasure or property’, with ironic play on the notion of tribute, perhaps alluding to demands placed by Hálfdan on the Orcadians (von See 1960, 37).
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velja (verb): choose
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
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af (prep.): from
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
[7] harðan skatt ‘hard tribute’: The sense is ‘I pay him with stones, not treasure or property’, with ironic play on the notion of tribute, perhaps alluding to demands placed by Hálfdan on the Orcadians (von See 1960, 37).
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háfœta (noun f.): Long-legs
[8] Háfœtu: háfœttu F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, Flat
[8] Háfœtu ‘Háfœta (“Long-legs”)’: Hálfdan háleggr ‘Long-legged’ Haraldsson. This form of the nickname is associated with Hálfdan in some medieval texts, no doubt influenced by the present lausavísa, comparably with þegjandi ‘silent’ applied to Þórir (see Note to Lv 1/7 and Indrebø 1922, 56; cf. Mundal 1993, 255-6). The epithet háfœta is a grammatically f. version of Hálfdan’s nickname háleggr ‘Long-legged’. Olsen (1942b, 43-4) suggests that it implies effeminacy on Hálfdan’s part, as a níð or deadly insult to his surviving kindred.
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grjót (noun n.): rock, stone
[5, 8] verpið grjóti ‘throw stones’: The exact application of these words is uncertain and perhaps deliberately ambiguous. (a) Stones, rocks and gravel were frequently used for mound burials, cf. kasta haug ‘erect a burial mound’ referring to Hálfdan’s mound in the prose of Orkn (ÍF 34, 15). (b) They might also be used for a rudimentary temporary or dishonorable interment of human beings, designed chiefly to keep animals off the corpse, or for the burial of livestock (cf. Olsen 1942b, 40-1; Genzmer 1943, 516-17). (c) Stoning might be used to put somebody to death, as in Hamð 25, but this is unlikely and it is not how the prose compilers understood the stanza (cf. von See 1960, 38).
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
In Orkn, Torf-Einarr speaks this after ordering a burial mound to be constructed for Hálfdan. In Hkr, it appears after he has cut the ‘blood-eagle’ on Hálfdan’s back (see Note to Lv 3/1, 4). The context in Fsk is as for Lv 1 and 3.
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