BjRagn Lv 4^VIII (Ragn 29)

Þat ‘The’

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1. sá (pron.; °gen. þess, dat. þeim, acc. þann; f. sú, gen. þeirrar, acc. þá; n. þat, dat. því; pl. m. þeir, f. þǽ---): that (one), those

var ‘was’

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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

fyrst ‘first thing’

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fyrstr (num. ordinal): first

er ‘that’

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2. er (conj.): who, which, when

notes

[1] er ‘that’: The particle er (older es), most often translated as ‘when’ when functioning as a conj., seems here to have the function of the conj. at ‘that’ in introducing a dependent statement, cf. LP: es 6, 7.

fórum ‘we went’

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fara (verb; ferr, fór, fóru, farinn): go, travel

[1] fórum: ‘forv[…]’ 1824b

Freys ‘of Freyr’

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Freyr (noun m.): (a god)

kennings

notes

[2] leika Freys ‘the games of Freyr <god> [BATTLES]’: Battle-kennings with leikr ‘game, sport’ as their base-word most often have a determinant referring to weapons, and the legendary figure Hildr also occurs, but only rarely the name of a god (Meissner 199). Yggr, a name for Óðinn, occurs once as a determinant with leikr as base-word, in Anon Pl 34/3^VII; and Freys, gen., occurs twice, once here and once in Þhorn Harkv 6/4^I. As well as being a god of fertility, Freyr is described as ‘battle-skilled’ (bǫðfróðr) in ÚlfrU Húsdr 7/2^III.

leika ‘the games’

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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play

kennings

notes

[2] leika Freys ‘the games of Freyr <god> [BATTLES]’: Battle-kennings with leikr ‘game, sport’ as their base-word most often have a determinant referring to weapons, and the legendary figure Hildr also occurs, but only rarely the name of a god (Meissner 199). Yggr, a name for Óðinn, occurs once as a determinant with leikr as base-word, in Anon Pl 34/3^VII; and Freys, gen., occurs twice, once here and once in Þhorn Harkv 6/4^I. As well as being a god of fertility, Freyr is described as ‘battle-skilled’ (bǫðfróðr) in ÚlfrU Húsdr 7/2^III.

tók ‘to conduct’

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2. taka (verb): take

ek ‘I’

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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

heyja ‘proceeded’

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2. heyja (verb): fight, wage (battle)

þar ‘where’

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þar (adv.): there

notes

[3-4] þar er áttum einiga öld ‘where we had no allies’: (a) This edn, with all others except CPB, emends to áttum ‘we had’ and, with Rafn (FSN), Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) and Örnólfur Thorsson (Ragn 1985), takes einiga as f. acc. sg. of pron. and adj. engi ‘no (one)’, or of adj. einigr ‘not any’ (ONP: einigr 2; cf. ANG §476), qualifying öld, to give ‘where we had no people’ (i.e. allies or followers, hence our heroism was all the greater) or alternatively ‘where we spent little time’. This seems the simplest solution and involves little emendation. (b) Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214), influenced by a statement about a lack of food in the prose preceding Ragn 28 (Ragn 1906-8, 160), emends to þars vér einig ôttum eldi ‘where we found little to sustain or delay us (in the way of hospitality)’, and is followed here by Eskeland (Ragn 1944) and Ebel (Ragn 2003). However, emendation to n. acc. pl. einig eldi is unnecessary, and it is not certain that eldi referring to the feeding and/or housing of human beings would have a pl. form: cf. LP: elði 1 and ONP: elði 2. (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), followed by Guðni Jónsson (FSGJ), emends einiga to andvíga ‘rivalling’, hence: ‘where we found our match, found people to rival us’. (d) Kock (NN §496) emends einiga to eivíga ‘ever ready for war, very warlike’, postulating an otherwise unrecorded adj. eivígr by analogy with eilífr ‘ever-living’ and eilítill ‘very small’. However, his translation of áttum, 1st pers. pl. pret. of eiga (‘have, own, possess’) as vi … funno ‘we found, we encountered’, is questionable.

er ‘’

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2. er (conj.): who, which, when

notes

[3-4] þar er áttum einiga öld ‘where we had no allies’: (a) This edn, with all others except CPB, emends to áttum ‘we had’ and, with Rafn (FSN), Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) and Örnólfur Thorsson (Ragn 1985), takes einiga as f. acc. sg. of pron. and adj. engi ‘no (one)’, or of adj. einigr ‘not any’ (ONP: einigr 2; cf. ANG §476), qualifying öld, to give ‘where we had no people’ (i.e. allies or followers, hence our heroism was all the greater) or alternatively ‘where we spent little time’. This seems the simplest solution and involves little emendation. (b) Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214), influenced by a statement about a lack of food in the prose preceding Ragn 28 (Ragn 1906-8, 160), emends to þars vér einig ôttum eldi ‘where we found little to sustain or delay us (in the way of hospitality)’, and is followed here by Eskeland (Ragn 1944) and Ebel (Ragn 2003). However, emendation to n. acc. pl. einig eldi is unnecessary, and it is not certain that eldi referring to the feeding and/or housing of human beings would have a pl. form: cf. LP: elði 1 and ONP: elði 2. (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), followed by Guðni Jónsson (FSGJ), emends einiga to andvíga ‘rivalling’, hence: ‘where we found our match, found people to rival us’. (d) Kock (NN §496) emends einiga to eivíga ‘ever ready for war, very warlike’, postulating an otherwise unrecorded adj. eivígr by analogy with eilífr ‘ever-living’ and eilítill ‘very small’. However, his translation of áttum, 1st pers. pl. pret. of eiga (‘have, own, possess’) as vi … funno ‘we found, we encountered’, is questionable.

einiga ‘no’

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einigr (pron.): only

notes

[3-4] þar er áttum einiga öld ‘where we had no allies’: (a) This edn, with all others except CPB, emends to áttum ‘we had’ and, with Rafn (FSN), Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) and Örnólfur Thorsson (Ragn 1985), takes einiga as f. acc. sg. of pron. and adj. engi ‘no (one)’, or of adj. einigr ‘not any’ (ONP: einigr 2; cf. ANG §476), qualifying öld, to give ‘where we had no people’ (i.e. allies or followers, hence our heroism was all the greater) or alternatively ‘where we spent little time’. This seems the simplest solution and involves little emendation. (b) Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214), influenced by a statement about a lack of food in the prose preceding Ragn 28 (Ragn 1906-8, 160), emends to þars vér einig ôttum eldi ‘where we found little to sustain or delay us (in the way of hospitality)’, and is followed here by Eskeland (Ragn 1944) and Ebel (Ragn 2003). However, emendation to n. acc. pl. einig eldi is unnecessary, and it is not certain that eldi referring to the feeding and/or housing of human beings would have a pl. form: cf. LP: elði 1 and ONP: elði 2. (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), followed by Guðni Jónsson (FSGJ), emends einiga to andvíga ‘rivalling’, hence: ‘where we found our match, found people to rival us’. (d) Kock (NN §496) emends einiga to eivíga ‘ever ready for war, very warlike’, postulating an otherwise unrecorded adj. eivígr by analogy with eilífr ‘ever-living’ and eilítill ‘very small’. However, his translation of áttum, 1st pers. pl. pret. of eiga (‘have, own, possess’) as vi … funno ‘we found, we encountered’, is questionable.

áttum ‘we had’

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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have

[3] áttum: ‘atum’ 1824b

notes

[3-4] þar er áttum einiga öld ‘where we had no allies’: (a) This edn, with all others except CPB, emends to áttum ‘we had’ and, with Rafn (FSN), Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) and Örnólfur Thorsson (Ragn 1985), takes einiga as f. acc. sg. of pron. and adj. engi ‘no (one)’, or of adj. einigr ‘not any’ (ONP: einigr 2; cf. ANG §476), qualifying öld, to give ‘where we had no people’ (i.e. allies or followers, hence our heroism was all the greater) or alternatively ‘where we spent little time’. This seems the simplest solution and involves little emendation. (b) Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214), influenced by a statement about a lack of food in the prose preceding Ragn 28 (Ragn 1906-8, 160), emends to þars vér einig ôttum eldi ‘where we found little to sustain or delay us (in the way of hospitality)’, and is followed here by Eskeland (Ragn 1944) and Ebel (Ragn 2003). However, emendation to n. acc. pl. einig eldi is unnecessary, and it is not certain that eldi referring to the feeding and/or housing of human beings would have a pl. form: cf. LP: elði 1 and ONP: elði 2. (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), followed by Guðni Jónsson (FSGJ), emends einiga to andvíga ‘rivalling’, hence: ‘where we found our match, found people to rival us’. (d) Kock (NN §496) emends einiga to eivíga ‘ever ready for war, very warlike’, postulating an otherwise unrecorded adj. eivígr by analogy with eilífr ‘ever-living’ and eilítill ‘very small’. However, his translation of áttum, 1st pers. pl. pret. of eiga (‘have, own, possess’) as vi … funno ‘we found, we encountered’, is questionable.

öld ‘allies’

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ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age

notes

[3-4] þar er áttum einiga öld ‘where we had no allies’: (a) This edn, with all others except CPB, emends to áttum ‘we had’ and, with Rafn (FSN), Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) and Örnólfur Thorsson (Ragn 1985), takes einiga as f. acc. sg. of pron. and adj. engi ‘no (one)’, or of adj. einigr ‘not any’ (ONP: einigr 2; cf. ANG §476), qualifying öld, to give ‘where we had no people’ (i.e. allies or followers, hence our heroism was all the greater) or alternatively ‘where we spent little time’. This seems the simplest solution and involves little emendation. (b) Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214), influenced by a statement about a lack of food in the prose preceding Ragn 28 (Ragn 1906-8, 160), emends to þars vér einig ôttum eldi ‘where we found little to sustain or delay us (in the way of hospitality)’, and is followed here by Eskeland (Ragn 1944) and Ebel (Ragn 2003). However, emendation to n. acc. pl. einig eldi is unnecessary, and it is not certain that eldi referring to the feeding and/or housing of human beings would have a pl. form: cf. LP: elði 1 and ONP: elði 2. (c) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), followed by Guðni Jónsson (FSGJ), emends einiga to andvíga ‘rivalling’, hence: ‘where we found our match, found people to rival us’. (d) Kock (NN §496) emends einiga to eivíga ‘ever ready for war, very warlike’, postulating an otherwise unrecorded adj. eivígr by analogy with eilífr ‘ever-living’ and eilítill ‘very small’. However, his translation of áttum, 1st pers. pl. pret. of eiga (‘have, own, possess’) as vi … funno ‘we found, we encountered’, is questionable.

í ‘into’

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í (prep.): in, into

Róma ‘of Rome’

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Róma (noun f.): [Rome] < Rómaveldi (noun n.)

veldi ‘the realm’

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veldi (noun n.): realm < Rómaveldi (noun n.)

[4] ‑veldi: ‘v[…]di’ 1824b

Þar ‘There’

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þar (adv.): there

lét ‘let’

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láta (verb): let, have sth done

ek ‘I’

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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

of ‘across’

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3. of (prep.): around, from; too

grön ‘moustache’

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grǫn (noun f.): mouth

[5] grön: ‘grauu’ 1824b

grána ‘a grey’

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gránn (adj.): grey

gall ‘screamed’

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gjalla (verb): to scream, shriek; to repay, return, pay for

örn ‘an eagle’

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1. ǫrn (noun m.; °arnar, dat. erni; ernir, acc. ǫrnu): eagle

of ‘above’

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3. of (prep.): around, from; too

val ‘fallen’

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1. valr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ir): corpse, the slain < valfall (noun n.): slaughter

falli ‘slain’

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fall (noun n.; °-s; *-): fall < valfall (noun n.): slaughter

at ‘in’

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4. at (conj.): that

mann ‘man’

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maðr (noun m.): man, person < mannskœðr (adj.): [deadly disease]

[7] mannskæðu: ‘menn sc[…]’ 1824b

notes

[7] mannskæðu ‘man-harming’: I.e. ‘mortal’; so Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214; cf. Skj B) and most subsequent eds. The same adj. is used in Þhorn Gldr 2/6^I (of a warrior) and Anon Nkt 50/5^II (of a disease). Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) reads menskerða, gen. pl. of menskerðir m. ‘necklace-destroyer [GENEROUS MAN]’, thus presumably understanding the phrase at menskerða morði to mean ‘in the slaying of chieftains’, i.e. ‘in battle’, which gives tolerable sense in the context.

skæðu ‘harming ’

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skœðr (adj.): dangerous < mannskœðr (adj.): [deadly disease]

[7] mannskæðu: ‘menn sc[…]’ 1824b

notes

[7] mannskæðu ‘man-harming’: I.e. ‘mortal’; so Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 214; cf. Skj B) and most subsequent eds. The same adj. is used in Þhorn Gldr 2/6^I (of a warrior) and Anon Nkt 50/5^II (of a disease). Valdimar Ásmundarson (Ragn 1891) reads menskerða, gen. pl. of menskerðir m. ‘necklace-destroyer [GENEROUS MAN]’, thus presumably understanding the phrase at menskerða morði to mean ‘in the slaying of chieftains’, i.e. ‘in battle’, which gives tolerable sense in the context.

morði ‘combat’

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1. morð (noun n.; °-s; -): killing, battle

mitt ‘my’

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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my

sverð ‘sword’

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sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword

dregit ‘drawn’

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2. draga (verb; °dregr; dró, drógu; dreginn/droget(Hirð NKS 1642 4° 146v²⁹; cf. [$962$])): drag, pull, draw

verða ‘be’

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1. verða (verb): become, be