Keth Lv 10^VIII (Ket 15)

Fljúga fólknöðrur,         frækn er Dalakappi;
ljótr er leikr sverða,         litat er skegg á karli.
Skrapa skinnkyrtlar,         skjálfa hringskyrtur,
hristaz járnserkir,         hræðiz biðill meyjar.

{Fólknöðrur} fljúga, {Dalakappi} er frækn; ljótr er {leikr sverða}, skegg á karli er litat. Skinnkyrtlar skrapa, hringskyrtur skjálfa, járnserkir hristaz, biðill meyjar hræðiz.

{Battle-snakes} [SPEARS] fly, {Dalakappi (‘the Dale-champion’)} [= Áli Uppdalakappi] is bold; {the play of swords} [BATTLE], is ugly, the beard on the man is coloured [with blood]. The hide-kirtles rustle, the ring shirts quiver, the iron shirts shake, the suitor of the girl is afraid.

Mss: 343a(56v), 471(53v) (Ket)

Readings: [1] ‑nöðrur: so 471, ‑nöðrum 343a    [3] sverða: eggja 471    [4] litat: lítit 471    [6] hringskyrtur: járnserkir 471    [7] járnserkir: hringskyrtur 471

Editions: Skj AII, 282, Skj BII, 303, Skald II, 160; FSN 2, 126, FSGJ 2, 168, Anderson 1990, 52, 97, 437-8; Edd. Min. 95.

Notes: [1] fólknöðrur fljúga ‘battle-snakes [SPEARS] fly’: The cpd fólknaðra ‘battle-snake’ corresponds to a common type of weapon-kenning, whose base-word is a term for ‘snake’ (see Meissner 153-4). While this stanza is the only example of this usage of the component f. noun naðra, the corresponding m. noun naðr is often used in this way (see LP: naðr, naðra). — [4]: An alternative reading (so 471) is lítit er skegg á karli ‘there is little beard on the man’. This reading is preferred by Skj B and Skald. It is indubitably an insult which implies that the opponent is old (hairless and feeble) or not a ‘real man’ (cf. the derogatory remark about the beardless Njáll in Nj chs 41, 44, ÍF 12, 107, 113). A similar remark about an opponent’s beard appears in Ket 38/1. — [8] biðill meyjar hræðiz ‘the suitor of the girl is afraid’: A provocative remark, indicating Áli’s cowardice. Cf. by contrast Ket 40/1 where Ketill’s lack of cowardice is highlighted. 

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. FSN = Rafn, Carl Christian, ed. 1829-30. Fornaldar sögur nordrlanda. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
6. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
7. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
8. ÍF 12 = Brennu-Njáls saga. Ed. Einar Ólafur Sveinsson. 1954.
9. Edd. Min. = Heusler, Andreas and Wilhelm Ranisch, eds. 1903. Eddica Minora: Dichtungen eddischer Art aus den Fornaldarsögur und anderen Prosawerken. Dortmund: Ruhfus. Rpt. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
10. Anderson, Sarah M. 1990. ‘The Textual Transmission of Two Fornaldarsögur: Ketils saga høings and Gríms saga loðinkinna’. Ph.D. thesis. Cornell University…
11. Internal references
12. 2022, ‘ Anonymous, Njáls saga’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 1220-1313. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=55> (accessed 19 April 2024)
13. Beatrice La Farge (ed.) 2017, ‘Ketils saga hœngs 38 (Framarr víkingakonungr, Lausavísur 3)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 593.
14. Beatrice La Farge (ed.) 2017, ‘Ketils saga hœngs 40 (Ketill hœngr, Lausavísur 23)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 595.