Anon (Ragn) 6^VIII (Ragn 36)

Samira ‘It is not fitting’

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2. semja (verb): befit

okkr ‘for the two of us’

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2. vit (pron.): we two

at ‘at’

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3. at (prep.): at, to

öldrum ‘a drinking session’

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ǫlðr (noun n.; °-s/-): ale

of ‘in’

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

notes

[2] of öndvegi ‘in our seats’: The reading of, retained by the eds of Skald, CPB, Ragn 1891 and Ragn 1985, read as af ‘from’ (?) by Rafn (FSN) and emended to í ‘in’ by all other eds, means strictly ‘over, above’ in a physical sense, with locational meaning if followed by the dat. (giving here the meaning ‘(each) on (his) seat’, ‘each in his place’, with öndvegi understood as dat. sg.) or directional if followed by the acc. (giving here the meaning ‘across the seat(s), from one seat to another’, with öndvegi understood as acc. sg. or pl.). The prose text indicates that both speakers are sitting on the same side of the table as their hosts: the first to arrive is directed to the higher or northern bench (á enn ędra bekk), where he takes up the space of two men, and the second is directed to sit further in (innar) on that same bench, where he evidently takes up the space of three men, since five men have to make way for the two of them together (cf. Ragn 1906-8, 170-1); and it is in the centre of the northern bench that the high seat, occupied by the host, was traditionally located (CVC: önd-vegi and önd-ugi). The prose is however inconsistent in its account of where on the bench the speakers are seated in relation to one another. The second speaker (of sts 33, 35, 37), is first said to have been placed innar ‘further in’, i.e. nearer the host than the first speaker (Ragn 1906-8, 171), but is described later as sitting útar ‘further out’ (Ragn 1906-8, 172). This inconsistency has implications for the translation of st. 37/8, below. 

öndvegi ‘our seats’

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ǫndvegi (noun n.)

notes

[2] of öndvegi ‘in our seats’: The reading of, retained by the eds of Skald, CPB, Ragn 1891 and Ragn 1985, read as af ‘from’ (?) by Rafn (FSN) and emended to í ‘in’ by all other eds, means strictly ‘over, above’ in a physical sense, with locational meaning if followed by the dat. (giving here the meaning ‘(each) on (his) seat’, ‘each in his place’, with öndvegi understood as dat. sg.) or directional if followed by the acc. (giving here the meaning ‘across the seat(s), from one seat to another’, with öndvegi understood as acc. sg. or pl.). The prose text indicates that both speakers are sitting on the same side of the table as their hosts: the first to arrive is directed to the higher or northern bench (á enn ędra bekk), where he takes up the space of two men, and the second is directed to sit further in (innar) on that same bench, where he evidently takes up the space of three men, since five men have to make way for the two of them together (cf. Ragn 1906-8, 170-1); and it is in the centre of the northern bench that the high seat, occupied by the host, was traditionally located (CVC: önd-vegi and önd-ugi). The prose is however inconsistent in its account of where on the bench the speakers are seated in relation to one another. The second speaker (of sts 33, 35, 37), is first said to have been placed innar ‘further in’, i.e. nearer the host than the first speaker (Ragn 1906-8, 171), but is described later as sitting útar ‘further out’ (Ragn 1906-8, 172). This inconsistency has implications for the translation of st. 37/8, below. 

þræta ‘to wrangle’

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2. þræta (verb): argue

hvar ‘where’

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hvar (adv.): where

notes

[3] hvar ‘where’: This interpretation is the most straightforward, requiring no emendation. To read ms. ‘hvar’ as hvárr produces a natural phrase hvárr okkar ‘both of us, each of us two’, which is adopted (with spelling variants) by CPB, Rafn (FSN) and Örnólfur Thorsson (Ragn 1985). However, it involves virtual duplication of hváðarr ‘which of two’ in l. 4. Other eds emend here to hvat ‘what’, n. acc. sg. of the interrog. pron. hverr ‘who, which’, making it the object of hefir unnit ‘has achieved’ in l. 3.

okkar ‘of us’

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2. vit (pron.): we two

notes

[4] hváðarr okkar ‘each of us two’: Finnur Jónsson (1901, 82) notes, in addition to the present instance, two instances in skaldic poetry of hvaðarr, the original uncontracted form of hvárr ‘each of two’, from the C10th: Glúmr Gráf 12/8^I and Korm 76/2^V. He describes the present instance as a lærd efterligning ‘learned imitation’ of the earlier form (cf. Olsen, Ragn 1906-08, 220). In each of the two C10th instances the initial syllable of hvaðar(r) constitutes the second stressed element in the line and is thus not subject to resolution (see Poole 2005e, 271; Russom 2002, 314). In the present instance, as Finnur indicates in LP: hvaðarr, it is necessary to assume a long first syllable in order to ensure a metrical line of six syllables.

hefir ‘has’

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hafa (verb): have

unnit ‘achieved’

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2. vinna (verb): perform, work

hváðarr ‘each’

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hvaðarr (pron.): [both]

notes

[4] hváðarr okkar ‘each of us two’: Finnur Jónsson (1901, 82) notes, in addition to the present instance, two instances in skaldic poetry of hvaðarr, the original uncontracted form of hvárr ‘each of two’, from the C10th: Glúmr Gráf 12/8^I and Korm 76/2^V. He describes the present instance as a lærd efterligning ‘learned imitation’ of the earlier form (cf. Olsen, Ragn 1906-08, 220). In each of the two C10th instances the initial syllable of hvaðar(r) constitutes the second stressed element in the line and is thus not subject to resolution (see Poole 2005e, 271; Russom 2002, 314). In the present instance, as Finnur indicates in LP: hvaðarr, it is necessary to assume a long first syllable in order to ensure a metrical line of six syllables.

framar ‘more than’

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framr (adj.; °compar. framari/fremri, superl. framastr/fremstr): outstanding, foremost

öðrum ‘the other’

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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second

Þú ‘You’

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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you

stótt ‘stood’

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standa (verb): stand

þar ‘where’

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þar (adv.): there

er ‘’

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

bar ‘bore’

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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry

bára ‘a wave’

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1. bára (noun f.; °-u; -ur): wave

branda ‘of prow-sides’

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brandr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): sword, prow; fire

kennings

notes

[6] hjört branda ‘the stag of prow-sides [SHIP]’: Brandar (nom. pl.) must refer to specific parts of a ship in this kenning, rather than standing pars pro toto for the whole ship, although Jesch (2001a, 147-8) finds no evidence of such specific usage in the earlier skaldic corpus (cf. Note to 35/5, above). Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 220) takes brandr here as synonymous with svíri (Fritzner: svíri 2), understanding it as referring to one of the two posts at a ship’s fore-stem that were used to fasten it either to the mooring rope or to the anchor cable and could be seen as resembling a stag’s antlers. Falk (1912, 43-5; cf. Jesch 2001a, 147-9), on the other hand, sees it as referring to a triangular piece of wood on each side of the ship’s stems (see also Shetelig and Falk 1937, 358-9).

hjört ‘the stag’

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hjǫrtr (noun m.; °hjartar, dat. hirti (hjǫrt Æv¹ˆ 58²²n.); hirtir, acc. hjǫrtu, (gen. hirta GlossPsalt 9¹²)): hart

kennings

notes

[6] hjört branda ‘the stag of prow-sides [SHIP]’: Brandar (nom. pl.) must refer to specific parts of a ship in this kenning, rather than standing pars pro toto for the whole ship, although Jesch (2001a, 147-8) finds no evidence of such specific usage in the earlier skaldic corpus (cf. Note to 35/5, above). Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 220) takes brandr here as synonymous with svíri (Fritzner: svíri 2), understanding it as referring to one of the two posts at a ship’s fore-stem that were used to fasten it either to the mooring rope or to the anchor cable and could be seen as resembling a stag’s antlers. Falk (1912, 43-5; cf. Jesch 2001a, 147-9), on the other hand, sees it as referring to a triangular piece of wood on each side of the ship’s stems (see also Shetelig and Falk 1937, 358-9).

at ‘to’

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3. at (prep.): at, to

[6] at: ‘at at’ 1824b

notes

[6] at sundi ‘to the sound’: Or perhaps simply ‘on the sea’. The prep. at can have directional as well as locational meaning (Barnes 2008, 186); the former seems marginally preferable here, given the more specifically directional sense of ll. 7-8. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) takes it however in the latter sense, no doubt seeing at sundi as equivalent to á sundi ‘on the water, afloat, at sea’ (LP: sund). Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 220) emends to at sandi ‘to shore’, lit. ‘to sand’, influenced by the strikingly similar HHund I 48/1-4, but although this provides aðalhending in l. 6, emendation is not necessary.

sundi ‘the sound’

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sund (noun n.; °-s; -): sound, strait; swimming

notes

[6] at sundi ‘to the sound’: Or perhaps simply ‘on the sea’. The prep. at can have directional as well as locational meaning (Barnes 2008, 186); the former seems marginally preferable here, given the more specifically directional sense of ll. 7-8. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) takes it however in the latter sense, no doubt seeing at sundi as equivalent to á sundi ‘on the water, afloat, at sea’ (LP: sund). Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 220) emends to at sandi ‘to shore’, lit. ‘to sand’, influenced by the strikingly similar HHund I 48/1-4, but although this provides aðalhending in l. 6, emendation is not necessary.

en ‘and’

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2. en (conj.): but, and

ek ‘I’

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

sat ‘sat’

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sitja (verb): sit

þar ‘where’

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þar (adv.): there

[7] þar: þér 1824b

notes

[7] þar er rá reiddi ‘where the sail-yard brought’: Alone among previous eds, Rafn (FSN), reads þer (sic) and reiði here. All subsequent eds adopt the emended readings þar and reiddi (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. of reiða ‘swing, carry’), suggesting the idea of the sail-yard, the spar slung from the mast and used for suspending the sail, bringing the (prow of a) ship from the open sea by way of a sound into harbour.

er ‘’

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

notes

[7] þar er rá reiddi ‘where the sail-yard brought’: Alone among previous eds, Rafn (FSN), reads þer (sic) and reiði here. All subsequent eds adopt the emended readings þar and reiddi (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. of reiða ‘swing, carry’), suggesting the idea of the sail-yard, the spar slung from the mast and used for suspending the sail, bringing the (prow of a) ship from the open sea by way of a sound into harbour.

rá ‘the sail-yard’

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3. rá (noun f.): sail-yard

notes

[7] þar er rá reiddi ‘where the sail-yard brought’: Alone among previous eds, Rafn (FSN), reads þer (sic) and reiði here. All subsequent eds adopt the emended readings þar and reiddi (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. of reiða ‘swing, carry’), suggesting the idea of the sail-yard, the spar slung from the mast and used for suspending the sail, bringing the (prow of a) ship from the open sea by way of a sound into harbour.

reiddi ‘brought’

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2. reiða (verb): carry

[7] reiddi: ‘rreiðe’ 1824b

notes

[7] þar er rá reiddi ‘where the sail-yard brought’: Alone among previous eds, Rafn (FSN), reads þer (sic) and reiði here. All subsequent eds adopt the emended readings þar and reiddi (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. of reiða ‘swing, carry’), suggesting the idea of the sail-yard, the spar slung from the mast and used for suspending the sail, bringing the (prow of a) ship from the open sea by way of a sound into harbour.

rauðan ‘the red’

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rauðr (adj.; °compar. -ari): red

notes

[8] rauðan stafn ‘the red prow’: See the Note to 35/8, above.

stafn ‘prow’

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stafn (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): prow

notes

[8] rauðan stafn ‘the red prow’: See the Note to 35/8, above.

til ‘into’

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til (prep.): to

hafnar ‘harbour’

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1. hǫfn (noun f.; °hafnar; hafnir(/hafnar(Streng 234³²)): haven, harbour