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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Gsind Hákdr 1I

Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Guthormr sindri, Hákonardrápa 1’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 157.

Guthormr sindriHákonardrápa
12

Bifrauknum trað bekkjar
blárǫst konungr ôrum;
mætr hlóð mildingr Jótum
Mistar vífs í drífu.
Svangœðir rak síðan
sótt Jalfaðar flótta
— hrót Giljaðar hylja —
hrafnvíns at mun sínum.

Konungr trað blárǫst {bifrauknum bekkjar} ôrum; mætr mildingr hlóð Jótum í {drífu {vífs Mistar}}. {{{Hrafnvíns} svan}gœðir} rak síðan flótta {sótt Jalfaðar} at mun sínum; {hrót Giljaðar} hylja.

The king trod the blue trail [sea] {in shuddering draught animals of the rowing-bench} [SHIPS] with oars; the excellent generous one heaped up the Jótar in {the snow-storm {of the woman of Mist <valkyrie>}} [VALKYRIE > BATTLE]. {The benefactor {of the swan {of raven-wine}}} [(lit. ‘swan-benefactor of raven-wine’) BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR] then pursued those who fled {with the illness of Jǫlfuðr <= Óðinn>} [SPEAR] at his pleasure; {the roofs of Giljaðr <= Óðinn>} [SHIELDS] conceal [them].

Mss: (86v), F(15ra), J1ˣ(51v), J2ˣ(48v) (Hkr); 61(4rb), Bb(5va), Flat(7rb) (ÓT)

Readings: [1] ‑rauknum: ‑roknum 61, Flat    [2] ‑rǫst: ‘‑raustr’ Bb;    ôrum: austan Bb    [3] Jótum: ýtum 61    [5] ‑gœðir: ‑brœðir Flat    [6] sótt: skjótt F;    Jalfaðar: almveðrs Flat    [7] hrót: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 61, Flat, hvat‑ Kˣ, hlaut‑ Bb;    Giljaðar: Gyljaðar J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 61, Bb, ‘geliadar’ Flat;    hylja: ‘hyliaþar’ J1ˣ, ‘hvliaþra’ J2ˣ, hyljar Flat    [8] hrafn‑: hrafns Bb;    at: af Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 61-2, Skj BI, 55, Skald I, 34, NN §§250, 1928, 1929; Hkr 1893-1901, I, 176, IV, 46, ÍF 26, 157-8, Hkr 1991, I, 100 (HákGóð ch. 6), F 1871, 68; Fms 1, 27, Fms 12, 26, ÓT 1958-2000, I, 26 (ch. 17), Flat 1860-8, I, 52 .

Context: Learning that the fall of his brother Eiríkr in England has removed any threat from that direction, Hákon moves to counter Danish raiders in Vík (Viken). He pursues them to Jótland (Jutland), where they regroup and a major battle is fought. Hákon fights valiantly, has the victory and pursues the fleeing enemy inland.

Notes: [All]: The source of the stanza is identified as Guthormr sindri’s Hákdr in Hkr and ÓT, except that ms. Flat lacks the title at this point, while it identifies st. 6, erroneously, as coming from GráfeldardrápaDrápa about [Haraldr] gráfeldr’ (Flat 1860-8, I, 58). — [1-2]: Interpretations have varied. (a) In this edn, following NN §1928 (cf. ÍF 26; Hkr 1991), bekkjar ‘of the rowing-bench’ is taken with -rauknum ‘draught animals’ to form a ship-kenning; cf. the similar use of þopta ‘rowing-bench’ in HólmgB Lv 9/6V (Korm 44); also Meissner 216. Bekkjar meaning ‘of the stream’ might also yield a ship-kenning, but the parallels involve named rivers (Meissner 214, 217). The element bif- in bifrauknum probably represents bifa ‘quake, tremble’, referring to the shuddering or trembling of a ship at sea. The verb trað ‘trod’ maintains consistency of image with rauknum ‘draught animals’. The cpd blárǫst ‘blue trail’ is treated as a heiti for ‘sea’, similar to a kenning but with an adj. rather than a noun as the first element (cf. CPB II, 30; Meissner 3; ÍF 26; Hkr 1991; cf. also Notes to Eyv Lv 2/4 and Þloft Tøgdr 5/6). (b) Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) takes bekkjar as a determinant for blárǫst, thus ‘blue trail of the sea’ or similar, and emends ôrum to ára (gen. pl.) ‘of oars’ to supply a determinant for bifrauknum, but this is unnecessary. (c) Reichardt (1928, 31) and Kock (NN §1928) accept the emendation but assume the opposite pairing of determinants and base-words. — [4] drífu vífs Mistar ‘the snow-storm of the woman of Mist <valkyrie> [VALKYRIE > BATTLE]’: (a) The majority of eds interpret the phrase in this way. Here is it assumed that a ‘woman of Mist’ is one of this valkyrie’s entourage; cf. HHund II 7/4 systir Gunnar ‘sisters of Gunnr [VALKYRIES]’ (NK 152), and other redundant relationship terms in kennings, e.g. Anon Liðs 5/1, 4 hlýri ara ‘eagle’s brother [EAGLE]’. (b) Alternatively, mist could be a noun for ‘battle’ (as in Tindr Lv 2/7V (Heið 15)), its ‘woman’ a ‘valkyrie’ and the ‘snow-storm’ of the valkyrie again ‘battle’ (so Hkr 1893-1901, IV; LP: Mist; ÍF 26; Hkr 1991). (c) Kock (NN §1929) emends vífs to knífs, to obtain a kenning drífu knífs Mistar ‘snow-storm of the knife of Mist <valkyrie> [SWORD > BATTLE]’, but emendation is not necessary. — [5-8]: One component, containing a subject, a finite verb, an object, and adverbials, is clearly defined: Hrafnvíns svangœðir rak síðan flótta at mun sínum ‘The benefactor of the swan of the raven-wine [(lit. swan-benefactor of the raven-wine) BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR] then pursued those who fled at his pleasure’. Remaining, as more intractable components, are sótt Jalfaðar and hrót Giljaðar hylja. No definitive solution seems attainable. (a) The interpretation tentatively adopted here posits that the helmingr contains two clauses. The first of these, cited above, appears to include the kenning sótt Jalfaðar ‘illness of Jǫlfuðr’, where Jalfaðar is gen. sg. of the Óðinn-heiti Jǫlfuðr or Jalfaðr: see AEW: jǫlfuðr; Note to Þul Óðins 8/4III. His sótt ‘illness’ may be ‘spear’, the god’s characteristic weapon and that by which he sacrificed himself to himself (Hávm 138). Alternatively the kenning might conceivably mean ‘battle’, based on the idea of an affliction (for others) brought about by Óðinn (for battle-kennings with base-words meaning ‘harm, damage’ see Meissner 200, but the examples there are problematic). If the f. sg. noun sótt is taken as dat. or instr., as here, rather than nom. or acc., the phrase as a whole signifies ‘with the spear’ and modifies rak flótta, thus ‘pursued those who fled with the spear’. The second finite verb is hylja (3rd pers. pl. pres. indic.) ‘(they) conceal’, with the tacit object flótta ‘those who fled’ understood from the other clause (for this syntactic feature, see NS §21; cf. Sigv Nesv 1/8; Hharð Gamv 2/1II; SnH Lv 8II; ÞjóðA Lv 8II). The pres. tense in an otherwise entirely pret. narration, while uncommon, has clear analogues in other C10th poetry (e.g. Þjóð Haustl 13/3III; cf. Poole 1991, 44-55). The subject of the verb must be hrót Giljaðar ‘the roofs of Giljaðr’, adopting the n. noun hrót ‘roof, space under the roof’ (Fritzner IV; AEW: hrót), the majority reading in the mss. Giljaðr appears to be an Óðinn-heiti (see Note to l. 7), and Óðinn’s hrót ‘roof(s)’ would be ‘shield(s)’, on the same pattern as þekja Gauts ‘roof of Gautr’ (Þmáhl Máv 17/8V (Eb 19)) and hrót Fjǫlnis ‘roof of Fjǫlnir’ (Hskv Útdr 1/2II; cf. Meissner 170). The pursuit of a (ship-borne) enemy who use shields to cover their backs is described in Þhorn Harkv 11/1-4. (b) Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 26, followed by Hkr 1991) posits a kenning sótt Jalfaðar hrótgiljaðar ‘illness of the betrayer of Óðinn’s roof [(lit. illness of Óðinn’s roof-betrayer) SHIELD > SWORD > (another) SWORD]’. The logical basis would be that in combat one sword may damage another. Bjarni interprets hylja as a form of hylr ‘deep pool (in a stream)’, following Finnur Jónsson (1884, 83; Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; cf. Skald), and reads it as part of a kenning hrafnvíns hylja svangœðir ‘benefactor of the swan of the pools of raven-wine [(lit. swan-benefactor of the pools of raven-wine) POOLS OF BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR]’. The sense of the whole sentence is then ‘the warrior then drove those who fled with his sword’. The element hylja ‘of pools’ is, however, superfluous. (c) Finnur Jónsson (1884, 84; Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) emends sótt to sótti ‘sought’, Jalfaðar to Jalfaðs, and hrót to hrókr, in arriving at the following solution: Jalfaðs svangœðir rak síðan flótta; hrókr hylja hrafnvíns sótti ‘giljaðar’ at mun sínum ‘The benefactor of the swan of Jalfaðr <= Óðinn> [RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR] then pursued those who fled; the cormorant of the pools of raven-wine [POOLS OF BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE] sought the enticing food at his own pleasure.’ This, aside from being overly drastic, yields an unmetrical l. 6 and leaves giljaðar, tentatively glossed as ‘enticer, betrayer’, or ‘enticing food’, not fully accounted for. (d) Kock (NN §250) tentatively emends ms. sótt to sóttr ‘attacked’, adopts the Bb reading hlaut ‘obtained’ in place of hrót, and emends gyljaðar to gyljaðr ‘howler (wolf)’, with þá ‘then’ added to restore the correct number of syllables. He interprets this as follows: Jalfaðar svangœðir sóttr rak síðan flótta; gyljaðr hlaut þá hylja, vín hrafns at mun sínum ‘The benefactor of the swan of Jalfaðr <= Óðinn> [RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR], attacked, then pursued those who fled; the howler [wolf] then obtained the pools, the wine of the raven [BLOOD] at his pleasure’. — [7] Giljaðar ‘of Giljaðr <= Óðinn>’: Giljaðar and Gyljaðar are both hap. leg. in gen. sg. and both could denote Óðinn. Giljaðr would be an agentive from gilja ‘to seduce, beguile, entice’ (Fritzner: gilja; SnH Lv 8II; ÞjóðA Lv 8II), hence ‘seducer’, etc. This would be congruent with the god’s behaviour toward women, e.g. Gunnlǫð, daughter of Suttungr (Hávm 105-10), and with the Óðinn-heiti Glapsviðr ‘strong at enticement, seduction’ (so LP: Glapsviðr, and see Note to Þul Óðins 3/3III). Gyljaðr could be an agentive from a verb *gylja ‘blow’ (?) or ‘howl’ (cf. AEW: Gyljaðr and Gyljandi), which might be comparable with another Óðinn-heiti, Viðrir, which associates the god with winds and storms (cf. AEW: Viðrir). Óðinn-heiti also occur in l. 6 (Jalfaðar) and st. 5/7 (Sveigðir).

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. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
  4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  5. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  6. 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.
  7. AEW = Vries, Jan de. 1962. Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2nd rev. edn. Rpt. 1977. Leiden: Brill.
  8. 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.
  9. CPB = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and F. York Powell, eds. 1883. Corpus poeticum boreale: The Poetry of the Old Northern Tongue from the Earliest Times to the Thirteenth Century. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon. Rpt. 1965, New York: Russell & Russell.
  10. Flat 1860-8 = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and C. R. Unger, eds. 1860-8. Flateyjarbók. En samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. 3 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
  11. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
  12. NK = Neckel, Gustav and Hans Kuhn (1899), eds. 1983. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern. 2 vols. I: Text. 5th edn. Heidelberg: Winter.
  13. NS = Nygaard, Marius. 1906. Norrøn syntax. Kristiania (Oslo): Aschehoug. Rpt. 1966.
  14. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
  15. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
  16. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
  17. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
  18. Fritzner IV = Hødnebø, Finn. 1972. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog af Dr. Johan Fritzner: Rettelser og tillegg. Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø: Universitetsforlaget.
  19. ÓT 1958-2000 = Ólafur Halldórsson, ed. 1958-2000. Saga Óláfs Tryggvasonar en mesta. 3 vols. EA A 1-3. Copenhagen: Munksgaard (Reitzel).
  20. Poole, Russell. 1991. Viking Poems on War and Peace: A Study in Skaldic Narrative. Toronto Medieval Texts and Translations 8. Toronto, Buffalo and London: University of Toronto Press.
  21. Finnur Jónsson. 1884. Kritiske studier over en del af de ældste norske og islandske skjaldekvad. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
  22. Reichardt, Konstantin. 1928. Studien zu den Skalden des 9. und 10. Jahrhunderts. Palaestra 159. Leipzig: Mayer & Müller.
  23. Internal references
  24. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=4> (accessed 19 March 2024)
  25. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=60> (accessed 19 March 2024)
  26. Russell Poole 2012, ‘(Biography of) Guthormr sindri’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 154.
  27. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Hákonar saga góða’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=130> (accessed 19 March 2024)
  28. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Anonymous Poems, Liðsmannaflokkr 5’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1022.
  29. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Óðins nǫfn 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 739.
  30. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Óðins nǫfn 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 751.
  31. Not published: do not cite ()
  32. Not published: do not cite ()
  33. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Lausavísur 2’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 216.
  34. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Gamanvísur 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 36-7.
  35. Edith Marold (ed.) 2022, ‘Kormáks saga 44 (Hólmgǫngu-Bersi Véleifsson, Lausavísur 9)’ 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, p. 1103.
  36. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Halldórr skvaldri, Útfarardrápa 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 484-5.
  37. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Nesjavísur 1’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 558.
  38. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sneglu-Halli, Lausavísur 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 329-30.
  39. R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorbjǫrn hornklofi, Haraldskvæði (Hrafnsmál) 11’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 106.
  40. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Haustlǫng 13’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 451.
  41. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Lausavísur 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 173.
  42. Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Þórarinn loftunga, Tøgdrápa 5’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 858.
  43. Kate Heslop (ed.) 2022, ‘Eyrbyggja saga 19 (Þórarinn svarti máhlíðingr Þórólfsson, Máhlíðingavísur 17)’ 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, p. 440.
  44. Colin Grant (ed.) 2022, ‘Heiðarvíga saga 14 (Tindr Hallkelsson, Lausavísur 2)’ 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, p. 1005.
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