Vígf Hák 1I
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Vígfúss Víga-Glúmsson, Poem about Hákon jarl(?) 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. 363.
varðar ‘’
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2. varða (verb): defend
þar ‘’
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þar (adv.): there
at ‘’
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4. at (conj.): that
var ‘’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
Varðat ‘It was not’
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1. verða (verb): become, be
[1] Varðat: so FskAˣ, var at þar FskBˣ, varðar 510
hœgt ‘easy’
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1. hœgr (adj.; °acc. -an/-jan; comp. hǿgri, superl. hǿgstr/hǿgastr): convenient, calm, pleasant
er ‘’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
þar ‘’
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þar (adv.): there
notes
[1] þás ‘when’: Þars ‘where’ in 510 would be equally acceptable, and it is adopted by Konráð Gíslason (1892, 19).
hurðir ‘doors’
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hurð (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): door
kennings
hjǫrklofnar hurðir Geitis‘the sword-riven doors of Geitir ’
= SHIELDS
the sword-riven doors of Geitir → SHIELDS
hjǫrklofnar ‘the sword-riven’
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hjǫrklofinn (adj./verb p.p.): [sword-riven]
kennings
hjǫrklofnar hurðir Geitis‘the sword-riven doors of Geitir ’
= SHIELDS
the sword-riven doors of Geitir → SHIELDS
er ‘’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
sá ‘’
hrørna ‘’
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hrørna (verb)
horna ‘’
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horn (noun n.; °-s; -): horn
het ‘’
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2. heita (verb): be called, promise
hôtt ‘loudly’
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
[3] hôtt: ‘het’ FskAˣ
sǫng ‘sang’
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syngja (verb): sing
hjǫrva ‘’
kennings
hregg Hǫgna‘the storm of Hǫgni ’
= BATTLE
the storm of Hǫgni → BATTLE
notes
[3] Hǫgna ‘of Hǫgni <legendary hero>’: The 510 variant hjǫrva ‘of swords’ would also form a battle-kenning with hregg ‘storm’.
gáttar ‘’
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gátt (noun f.): door, gate
gjætti ‘’
Geitis ‘of Geitir’
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Geitir (noun m.): Geitir
[3] Geitis: so 510, ‘giætte’ FskBˣ, ‘gattar’ FskAˣ
kennings
hjǫrklofnar hurðir Geitis‘the sword-riven doors of Geitir ’
= SHIELDS
the sword-riven doors of Geitir → SHIELDS
notes
[3] Geitis ‘of Geitir <sea-king>’: Geitir appears among heiti for sea-kings in Þul Sækonunga 1/7III, and in a shield-kenning garðr Geitis ‘enclosure of Geitir’ in Þjóð Haustl 20/5III. Kock (Skald; NN §385), pointing out the awkwardness of the word order assumed here and in previous eds, opts for the FskAˣ reading gáttar and reads hregg gáttar Hǫgna ‘storm of the door of Hǫgni [SHIELD > BATTLE]’. This, however, leaves hurðir ‘doors’ in l. 1 as a shield-kenning without a determinant, and Kock’s suggestion that a determinant is supplied in the following adj. hjǫrklofnar ‘sword-riven’ does not entirely convince.
hers ‘’
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herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host
kennings
hregg Hǫgna‘the storm of Hǫgni ’
= BATTLE
the storm of Hǫgni → BATTLE
til ‘’
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til (prep.): to
Vagns ‘Vagn’
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2. Vagn (noun m.): [Vagn, with Vagn]
notes
[4] Vagns ‘Vagn’: Vagn Ákason, one of the leaders of the force known in later tradition as the Jómsvíkingar; see skald Biography of Vagn.
at ‘to’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
leggja ‘attack’
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leggja (verb): put, lay
Þar ‘There’
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þar (adv.): there
gengum ‘advanced’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
vér ‘we’
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
þrꝍngrar ‘’
þrongann ‘’
þrøngvar ‘forcers’
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þrøngvir (noun m.): forcer
[5] þrøngvar (‘þro᷎nguar’ or ‘þio᷎nguar’): so 510, ‘þrongann’ FskBˣ, ‘þrꝍngrar’ FskAˣ
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
notes
[5] þrøngvar ‘forcers’: Emendation to nom. sg. þrøngvir would produce an apostrophe to a single warrior, presumably to Hákon jarl (see Introduction), but if this straightforward nomen agentis were the original reading it would be difficult to account for its corruption. The pl. form leads Fidjestøl (1982, 165) to suggest that the stanza is a lausavísa addressed after the battle to Vígfúss’s comrades. It could alternatively be taken in apposition to vér ‘we’.
þunn ‘of the slender’
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
þunn ‘of the slender’
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
þunn ‘’
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin
þunn ‘’
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þunnr (adj.): slender, thin
ísi ‘’
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íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice
enn ‘’
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2. enn (adv.): still, yet, again
íss ‘ ice’
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íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
íss ‘ ice’
(not checked:)
íss (noun m.; °íss; dat. ísi/ís; ísar): ice < þunníss (noun m.): [slender ice]
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
bauð ‘’
(not checked:)
bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite
borð ‘’
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borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table
í ‘into’
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í (prep.): in, into
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
grimnar ‘’
gunni ‘’
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gunnr (noun f.): battle
at ‘’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
bǫð ‘battle’
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bǫð (noun f.; °-s; -): battle
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
Gunnar ‘of Gunnr’
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Gunnr (noun f.): Gunnr
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
Gunnar ‘of Gunnr’
(not checked:)
Gunnr (noun f.): Gunnr
[6] þunníss í bǫð Gunnar: ‘þunn enn borð at gunne’ FskAˣ, ‘þunn ise baud grimnar’ 510
kennings
þrøngvar þunníss Gunnar;‘forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr; ’
= WARRIORS
the slender ice of Gunnr; → SWORD
forcers of the SWORD → WARRIORS
strǫng ‘mighty’
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strangr (adj.): strong
vas ‘was’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
danskra ‘of the Danish’
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danskr (adj.): Danish
notes
[7] danskra drengja ‘of the Danish warriors’: This phrase could instead be taken with darra flaug ‘flight of spears’ (l. 8), as by Kock in Skald and NN §386, though Kock does not rule out the arrangement above, which is adopted by most eds. Jesch (2001a, 130, cf. 232) finds the use of the word drengr to refer to opponents ‘rather odd’ since in early usage it generally refers to fellow-warriors on the same side, and she counts the stanza’s authenticity as ‘doubtful on other grounds’, but drengr could be honorific, showing how tough the opposition was. An ironic use of drengr is possible (e.g. Þvíðf Lv 1/2IV), but unlikely here. On the word, see Jesch (2001a, 216-32) and Goetting (2006).
dǫrru ‘’
drengja ‘warriors’
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drengr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ir, gen. -ja): man, warrior
notes
[7] danskra drengja ‘of the Danish warriors’: This phrase could instead be taken with darra flaug ‘flight of spears’ (l. 8), as by Kock in Skald and NN §386, though Kock does not rule out the arrangement above, which is adopted by most eds. Jesch (2001a, 130, cf. 232) finds the use of the word drengr to refer to opponents ‘rather odd’ since in early usage it generally refers to fellow-warriors on the same side, and she counts the stanza’s authenticity as ‘doubtful on other grounds’, but drengr could be honorific, showing how tough the opposition was. An ironic use of drengr is possible (e.g. Þvíðf Lv 1/2IV), but unlikely here. On the word, see Jesch (2001a, 216-32) and Goetting (2006).
flaug ‘the flight’
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flaug (noun f.): flight
til ‘towards’
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til (prep.): to
knarrar ‘the vessel’
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knǫrr (noun m.; °knarrar, dat. knerri; knerrir, acc. knǫrru/knerri): (a kind of) ship
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
It was not easy to attack Vagn, when I saw the sword-riven doors of Geitir <sea-king> [SHIELDS] split; the storm of Hǫgni <legendary hero> [BATTLE] sang loudly. There we advanced into battle towards the vessel of the Danish warriors, forcers of the slender ice of Gunnr <valkyrie> [SWORD > WARRIORS]; the flight of spears was mighty.
Hákon jarl, though prevailing against the Jómsvíkingar at Hjǫrungavágr (Liavågen), has not yet captured Vagn Ákason’s high-sided ship. He orders his larger ships to be advanced and the smaller ones withdrawn. Fsk introduces the stanza, Um þat orti Vígfúss Víga-Glúmsson ‘Vígfúss Víga-Glúmsson composed about that’, while 510 seems to set its composition more explicity within the time of the action (Fms 11): kvað […] þá, er menn sóktu at skeiðinni Vagns Ákasonar ‘then, as men attacked Vagn Ákason’s warship, [he] said’.
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