Eil Þdr 12III/4 — harð ‘of the harsh’
Ok †sifuna† síðan
sverðs liðhat*ar gerðu
hlífar borðs við Hǫrða
harðgleypnis dyn barða,
áðr hylriðar hæði
hrjóðendr fjǫru þjóðar
við skyld-Breta skytju
skálleik Heðins reikar.
Ok síðan gerðu †sifuna† sverðs liðhat*ar dyn harðgleypnis borðs hlífar við Hǫrða barða, áðr hylriðar, hrjóðendr þjóðar fjǫru, hæði Heðins reikar skálleik við skyld-Breta skytju.
And afterwards the … haters of the help of the sword [= Þórr and Þjálfi] held a din of the harsh swallower of the board of defence [SHIELD > SWORD > BATTLE] against the Hǫrðar of precipices [GIANTS], before the pool-steppers [= Þórr and Þjálfi], the destroyers of the people of the shore [GIANTS], could engage in the game of the bowl of the hair-parting [HAT] of Heðinn <legendary hero> [(lit. ‘bowl-game of the hair-parting of Heðinn’) HELMET > BATTLE] against the kin-Britons of the markswoman [= Skaði] [GIANTS].
notes
[4] harðgleypnis ‘of the harsh swallower’: This edn emends the mss’ gleipnis or ‘gleifnir’ to gleypnis, an agent noun from the weak verb gleypa ‘swallow, devour’. Harðgleypnir ‘the harsh swallower’ is an appropriate base-word in a sword-kenning formed according to the pattern that characterises swords as harmful, aggressive animals (Meissner 155; cf. LP: harðgleipnir; NN §2495C). Most eds connect gleipnis with Gleipnir, the name of one of the three fetters that bind the wolf Fenrir in Gylf (SnE 2005, 25, 28). Finnur Jónsson (1900b, 391) incorporates the word into a shield-kenning, borð harðgleipnis hlífar ‘plank of the hard fetter of the shield [SHIELD-STRAP > SHIELD]’, which contains a term for ‘shield’ twice, once as the referent of the entire kenning and once in hlífar ‘of the shield’ (in LP: harðgleipnir, however, he abandons this interpretation). Kock (NN §456, followed by Reichardt 1948, 364) combines Gleipnir, interpreted as ‘fetter’, with barða ‘of ships’ in a shield-kenning because, according to him, shields hanging from the gunwale formed a chain around a ship.
kennings
- harðgleypnis borðs hlífar — of the harsh swallower of the board of defence [SWORD]
- dyn harðgleypnis borðs hlífar — din of the harsh swallower of the board of defence [BATTLE]