Arn Þorfdr 10II/8 — brenna ‘burning’
Hátt bar Hjalta dróttinn
hjalm at geira jalmi
— ógnstœrir rauð Írum
odd — í ferðar broddi.
Minn dróttinn naut máttar
mildr und brezkum skildi;
hendi Hlǫðvis frændi
hermenn ok tók brenna.
Dróttinn Hjalta bar hjalm hátt í broddi ferðar at jalmi geira; ógnstœrir rauð odd Írum. Mildr dróttinn minn naut máttar und brezkum skildi; frændi Hlǫðvis hendi hermenn ok tók brenna.
The lord of Shetlanders [= Þorfinnr] bore his helmet high in the vanguard of his troop in the tumult of spears [BATTLE]; the sweller of battle-dread [WARRIOR] reddened his point on Irishmen. My bounteous lord made use of his strength beneath a British shield; Hlǫðvir’s kinsman [= Þorfinnr] captured warriors and began burning.
readings
[8] tók brenna: tóksk senna R702ˣ
notes
[8] ok tók brenna ‘and began burning’: (a) The cl. follows frændi Hlǫðvis hendi hermenn ‘Hlǫðvir’s kinsman captured warriors’ so that hermenn may be the understood object of brenna inf. ‘burning’, hence ‘Þorfinnr captured [the surviving] warriors and burned [the slain]’, although burning seems usually to be reserved for evil-doers, heathens and insurrectionists (cf. the reference to the burning of the Wendish dead in Arn Magndr 8, also Fidjestøl 1982, 206). Brenna could alternatively refer to the burning of dwellings, and hence anticipate st. 11. (b) The variant enn tóksk senna (R702ˣ) could mean ‘yet again battle began’ (cf. tóksk morð af því ‘killing started up from that’ in Sigv Tryggfl 1/2I), since senna ‘verbal contest’ can stand alone to mean ‘battle’ (see LP). However, a statement that battle began would be inappropriate here.