Bǫðmóðr Lv 3VIII (Ket 32)
Beatrice La Farge (ed.) 2017, ‘Ketils saga hœngs 32 (Bǫðmóðr Framarsson, Lausavísur 3)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 584.
Reyndr ‘experienced’
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reyna (verb): test, try, experience
notes
[1] reyndr ‘experienced’: Lines 1-2 contain no words that alliterate, and some previous eds have introduced or suggested various emendations to replace the p. p. reyndr ‘experienced’ with a word that alliterates with ganga or hervígis: Finnur Jónsson emends reyndr to gamall ‘old’ (Skj B), but other eds suggest words beginning with <h>: the p. p. hremdr (‘badly treated, anxious’, Valdimar Ásmundarson 1885-9, 2, vii; cf. Edd. Min. 83 n.), the adj. hrumr ‘weak, feeble’, Edd. Min. 83 n., or the p. p. *heyndr ‘felled’ (Skald), a word not attested in Old Norse but which Kock postulates on the grounds that there are corresponding words in Gothic and Old English (NN §794). Since the mss all have the reading reyndr, it is useless to speculate about the original wording of the passage (neither CPB II, 559 nor FSGJ emend the line).
ertu ‘You are’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
fóstri ‘foster-father’
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fóstri (noun m.): foster-brother, foster-father, foster-son
notes
[1] fóstri ‘foster-father’: This mode of address refers to Ketill’s age in relation to that of Bǫðmóðr (the son of Ketill’s opponent), and is not to be taken literally. In Ket 33 Ketill himself says that he has lived a long time.
at ‘in’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
ganga ‘going’
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2. ganga (verb; geng, gekk, gengu, genginn): walk, go
hervígis ‘army-slaughter’
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hervígi (noun n.)
notes
[2] hervígis ‘army-slaughter’: The cpd hervígi can be translated lit. as ‘slaughter/battle (vígi) of an army (herr)’ and is attested in prose texts (Fritzner, ONP: hervígi); a very similar poetic cpd (hervíg) is used in this sense in skaldic poetry from C11th onward (see LP: hervíg). Finnur Jónsson seems to regard hervígis (gen. sg.) as a form of hervíg (LP: hervíg), but Heusler and Ranisch (Edd. Min. 140 and Heggstad et al. 2008: hervíg and hervígi) regard hervíg and hervígi as two separate words; the ONP database regards all occurrences in prose texts as forms of hervígi n.
til ‘to’
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til (prep.): to
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[3] ok berjaz við Framar til fjár ‘and in fighting with Framarr for wealth’: This line is apparently inconsistent with the reason the saga names for the battle between Ketill and Framarr: Ketill’s refusal to give his daughter to Framarr in marriage against her will. However, Ket 38/4 refers to Ketill as ‘the father of the maiden’, suggesting the marriage motif. The line could also be understood to mean that Ketill had fought Framarr previously, although no other battle between them is mentioned in the saga. Framarr is a fairly common name in fornaldarsögur (Lind 1905-15) and is considered to be etymologically related to the adv. fram ‘forward’ and the adj. framr ‘pre-eminent, superior, prominent’ (Naumann 1912, 34).
berjaz ‘in fighting’
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2. berja (verb; °barði; barðr/bariðr/barinn): fight
notes
[3] ok berjaz við Framar til fjár ‘and in fighting with Framarr for wealth’: This line is apparently inconsistent with the reason the saga names for the battle between Ketill and Framarr: Ketill’s refusal to give his daughter to Framarr in marriage against her will. However, Ket 38/4 refers to Ketill as ‘the father of the maiden’, suggesting the marriage motif. The line could also be understood to mean that Ketill had fought Framarr previously, although no other battle between them is mentioned in the saga. Framarr is a fairly common name in fornaldarsögur (Lind 1905-15) and is considered to be etymologically related to the adv. fram ‘forward’ and the adj. framr ‘pre-eminent, superior, prominent’ (Naumann 1912, 34).
við ‘with’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
notes
[3] ok berjaz við Framar til fjár ‘and in fighting with Framarr for wealth’: This line is apparently inconsistent with the reason the saga names for the battle between Ketill and Framarr: Ketill’s refusal to give his daughter to Framarr in marriage against her will. However, Ket 38/4 refers to Ketill as ‘the father of the maiden’, suggesting the marriage motif. The line could also be understood to mean that Ketill had fought Framarr previously, although no other battle between them is mentioned in the saga. Framarr is a fairly common name in fornaldarsögur (Lind 1905-15) and is considered to be etymologically related to the adv. fram ‘forward’ and the adj. framr ‘pre-eminent, superior, prominent’ (Naumann 1912, 34).
Framar ‘Framarr’
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Framarr (noun m.)
notes
[3] ok berjaz við Framar til fjár ‘and in fighting with Framarr for wealth’: This line is apparently inconsistent with the reason the saga names for the battle between Ketill and Framarr: Ketill’s refusal to give his daughter to Framarr in marriage against her will. However, Ket 38/4 refers to Ketill as ‘the father of the maiden’, suggesting the marriage motif. The line could also be understood to mean that Ketill had fought Framarr previously, although no other battle between them is mentioned in the saga. Framarr is a fairly common name in fornaldarsögur (Lind 1905-15) and is considered to be etymologically related to the adv. fram ‘forward’ and the adj. framr ‘pre-eminent, superior, prominent’ (Naumann 1912, 34).
til ‘for’
(not checked:)
til (prep.): to
notes
[3] ok berjaz við Framar til fjár ‘and in fighting with Framarr for wealth’: This line is apparently inconsistent with the reason the saga names for the battle between Ketill and Framarr: Ketill’s refusal to give his daughter to Framarr in marriage against her will. However, Ket 38/4 refers to Ketill as ‘the father of the maiden’, suggesting the marriage motif. The line could also be understood to mean that Ketill had fought Framarr previously, although no other battle between them is mentioned in the saga. Framarr is a fairly common name in fornaldarsögur (Lind 1905-15) and is considered to be etymologically related to the adv. fram ‘forward’ and the adj. framr ‘pre-eminent, superior, prominent’ (Naumann 1912, 34).
fjár ‘wealth’
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fé (noun n.; °fjár/féar; -): cattle, money
notes
[3] ok berjaz við Framar til fjár ‘and in fighting with Framarr for wealth’: This line is apparently inconsistent with the reason the saga names for the battle between Ketill and Framarr: Ketill’s refusal to give his daughter to Framarr in marriage against her will. However, Ket 38/4 refers to Ketill as ‘the father of the maiden’, suggesting the marriage motif. The line could also be understood to mean that Ketill had fought Framarr previously, although no other battle between them is mentioned in the saga. Framarr is a fairly common name in fornaldarsögur (Lind 1905-15) and is considered to be etymologically related to the adv. fram ‘forward’ and the adj. framr ‘pre-eminent, superior, prominent’ (Naumann 1912, 34).
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1). — [4] á léttum aldri ‘in his youth’: Lit. ‘at a light age’, i.e. as a young man, when most things come easily to one. The adj. léttr is not used of age elsewhere in poetry, but it occurs in this sense in prose texts (cf. Fritzner: léttr 2; ONP: aldr 6).
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1). — [4] á léttum aldri ‘in his youth’: Lit. ‘at a light age’, i.e. as a young man, when most things come easily to one. The adj. léttr is not used of age elsewhere in poetry, but it occurs in this sense in prose texts (cf. Fritzner: léttr 2; ONP: aldr 6).
léttum ‘his’
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léttr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): easy, light
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1). — [4] á léttum aldri ‘in his youth’: Lit. ‘at a light age’, i.e. as a young man, when most things come easily to one. The adj. léttr is not used of age elsewhere in poetry, but it occurs in this sense in prose texts (cf. Fritzner: léttr 2; ONP: aldr 6).
léttum ‘his’
(not checked:)
léttr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): easy, light
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1). — [4] á léttum aldri ‘in his youth’: Lit. ‘at a light age’, i.e. as a young man, when most things come easily to one. The adj. léttr is not used of age elsewhere in poetry, but it occurs in this sense in prose texts (cf. Fritzner: léttr 2; ONP: aldr 6).
aldri ‘youth’
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aldr (noun m.; °aldrs, dat. aldri; aldrar): life, age
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1). — [4] á léttum aldri ‘in his youth’: Lit. ‘at a light age’, i.e. as a young man, when most things come easily to one. The adj. léttr is not used of age elsewhere in poetry, but it occurs in this sense in prose texts (cf. Fritzner: léttr 2; ONP: aldr 6).
aldri ‘youth’
(not checked:)
aldr (noun m.; °aldrs, dat. aldri; aldrar): life, age
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1). — [4] á léttum aldri ‘in his youth’: Lit. ‘at a light age’, i.e. as a young man, when most things come easily to one. The adj. léttr is not used of age elsewhere in poetry, but it occurs in this sense in prose texts (cf. Fritzner: léttr 2; ONP: aldr 6).
gaf ‘gave’
(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1).
honum ‘him’
(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1).
Óðinn ‘Óðinn’
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Óðinn (noun m.): Óðinn
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1).
sigr ‘victory’
(not checked:)
sigr (noun m.; °sigrs/sigrar, dat. sigri; sigrar): victory
notes
[4-5]: As it stands aldri and Óðinn are the alliterating words in this long-line. Since the adj. léttum is the first nominal form in the first half-line and therefore should alliterate (cf. von See 1967, 19), some eds regard the line as corrupt: Jón Þorkelsson suggested the emendation of léttum to ungom ‘young’; see Edd. Min. 83 n.; Kock changes the word order to Á aldri léttom (FF §§12A, 43). Óðinn’s function as a god who grants victory is mentioned in many texts (see Kommentar III, 700-1 to Hyndl 3/1).
mjök ‘is very’
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mjǫk (adv.): very, much
kveð ‘say’
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kveða (verb; kveð, kvað, kveðinn): (str.) say, recite, sing
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
hann ‘he’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
vígum ‘killings’
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vígr (adj.): aggressive, pernicious
vanan ‘accustomed to’
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3. vanr (adj.): accustomed
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
When Ketill gets up to descend from the mound he slips, and Bǫðmóðr evidently interprets this as a bad omen. He warns Ketill that, when Framarr was a young man, Óðinn promised him victory. This stanza is introduced by the words: Þá kvað Böðmóðr vísu ‘Then Bǫðmóðr spoke a stanza’.
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