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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Marm Lv 4VIII (Hálf 9)

Hubert Seelow (ed.) 2017, ‘Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka 9 (Marmennill, Lausavísur 4)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 312.

MarmennillLausavísur
345

Hefir ‘she has’

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hafa (verb): have

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á ‘On’

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3. á (prep.): on, at

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höfði ‘head’

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hǫfuð (noun n.; °-s; -): head

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hjálm ‘a helmet’

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1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet

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upp ‘’

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upp (adv.): up

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spenntan ‘clasped’

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2. spenna (verb): span, surround

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herkuml ‘war token’

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herkuml (noun n.): war token

kennings

harðligt herkuml Heðins,
‘the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero>. ’
   = HELMET

the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero>. → HELMET

notes

[3-4] harðligt herkuml Heðins ‘the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero> [HELMET]’: The meaning of herkum(b)l is ‘war token’ (Fritzner: herkuml), ‘helmet’ (LP: herkum(b)l). Herkuml Heðins ‘the war token of Heðinn’ has the character of a kenning, although not listed by Meissner as such. Meissner does, however, mention herkumbl as a heiti for ‘helmet’, and lists kennings in which a famous hero’s headgear means ‘helmet’. In Ásm 10/7, where the same expression is used in the pl., herkumbl harðlig ‘hard war tokens’, its meaning is clearly ‘wounds’, but even in this instance it is closely associated with a helmet.

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harðligt ‘the hard’

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harðligr (adj.): [hard]

kennings

harðligt herkuml Heðins,
‘the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero>. ’
   = HELMET

the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero>. → HELMET

notes

[3-4] harðligt herkuml Heðins ‘the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero> [HELMET]’: The meaning of herkum(b)l is ‘war token’ (Fritzner: herkuml), ‘helmet’ (LP: herkum(b)l). Herkuml Heðins ‘the war token of Heðinn’ has the character of a kenning, although not listed by Meissner as such. Meissner does, however, mention herkumbl as a heiti for ‘helmet’, and lists kennings in which a famous hero’s headgear means ‘helmet’. In Ásm 10/7, where the same expression is used in the pl., herkumbl harðlig ‘hard war tokens’, its meaning is clearly ‘wounds’, but even in this instance it is closely associated with a helmet.

Close

Heðins ‘of Heðinn <legendary hero>’

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2. Heðinn (noun m.): [Heðinn, champions]

kennings

harðligt herkuml Heðins,
‘the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero>. ’
   = HELMET

the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero>. → HELMET

notes

[3-4] harðligt herkuml Heðins ‘the hard war token of Heðinn <legendary hero> [HELMET]’: The meaning of herkum(b)l is ‘war token’ (Fritzner: herkuml), ‘helmet’ (LP: herkum(b)l). Herkuml Heðins ‘the war token of Heðinn’ has the character of a kenning, although not listed by Meissner as such. Meissner does, however, mention herkumbl as a heiti for ‘helmet’, and lists kennings in which a famous hero’s headgear means ‘helmet’. In Ásm 10/7, where the same expression is used in the pl., herkumbl harðlig ‘hard war tokens’, its meaning is clearly ‘wounds’, but even in this instance it is closely associated with a helmet.

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af ‘with’

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af (prep.): from

notes

[4] af létta ‘with ease’: Andrews (Hálf 1909, 84-5) suggests á fléttum ‘on (her) plaits’, which would be a nice parallel to á höfði in l. 1 and is very close to the ms. reading. Bugge (Hálf 1864, 10) and Wimmer (1875, 200) think that the reading of l. 4 must have been a version of a Hildr-kenning, like Heðins of leika ‘Heðinn’s playmate’, i.e. Hildr; so do Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) and Heusler and Ranisch (cf. Heðins of beðja ‘Heðinn’s bed-mate’ Edd. Min.). Patzig (1924) explains af létta by presupposing the existence of an otherwise unknown f. noun aflétta, meaning ‘obliging female companion’, derived from the adj. afléttr ‘willing (to give things away)’ (see Fritzner: afléttr).

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létta ‘ease’

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léttr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): easy, light

notes

[4] af létta ‘with ease’: Andrews (Hálf 1909, 84-5) suggests á fléttum ‘on (her) plaits’, which would be a nice parallel to á höfði in l. 1 and is very close to the ms. reading. Bugge (Hálf 1864, 10) and Wimmer (1875, 200) think that the reading of l. 4 must have been a version of a Hildr-kenning, like Heðins of leika ‘Heðinn’s playmate’, i.e. Hildr; so do Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) and Heusler and Ranisch (cf. Heðins of beðja ‘Heðinn’s bed-mate’ Edd. Min.). Patzig (1924) explains af létta by presupposing the existence of an otherwise unknown f. noun aflétta, meaning ‘obliging female companion’, derived from the adj. afléttr ‘willing (to give things away)’ (see Fritzner: afléttr).

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Skammt ‘a short time’

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skammr (adj.): short

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mun ‘will have’

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munu (verb): will, must

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‘I see’

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2. sjá (verb): see

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sem ‘as’

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sem (conj.): as, which

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hildar ‘for war’

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1. hildr (noun f.): battle

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at ‘to’

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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)

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hér ‘here’

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hér (adv.): here

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á ‘to ’

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3. á (prep.): on, at

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ferli ‘be on its way’

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ferill (noun m.; °dat. ferli): route, track

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