Hfr ErfÓl 6I/6 — þinga ‘of meetings’
Herskerðir klauf harðan
— hann gekk reiðr of skeiðar —
svarðar stofn með sverði
sunnr eldviðum kunnum.
Kunni gramr at gunni
— gunnþinga jarnmunnum
margr lá heggr of hǫggvinn —
holdbarkar rô sarka.
Herskerðir klauf harðan stofn svarðar kunnum eldviðum með sverði sunnr; hann gekk reiðr of skeiðar. Gramr kunni sarka rô holdbarkar at gunni; margr heggr Gunnþinga lá of hǫggvinn jarnmunnum.
The army-diminisher [RULER] split the hard stump of the scalp [HEAD] of famous sword-trees [WARRIORS] with a sword in the south; he went angry through the warships. The prince knew how to redden the yard-arm of flesh-bark [MAIL-SHIRT > SWORD] in battle; many a cherry-tree of meetings of Gunnr <valkyrie> [BATTLES > WARRIOR] lay chopped down by iron mouths.
readings
[6] gunnþinga jarnmunnum: so A, gunnþings á hjǫr þunnum 54, Bb
notes
[6] Gunnþinga ‘of meetings of Gunnr <valkyrie> [BATTLES]’: Gunnr is a valkyrie-name and a common noun (as in l. 5) and here, as frequently, it is difficult to tell them apart; hence ‘of battle-meetings’ is also possible, though it would not be a true kenning. On Gunnr/Guðr see further Note to Þul Valkyrja 1/6III. — [6] Gunnþinga jarnmunnum ‘of meetings of Gunnr <valkyrie> [BATTLES] ... by iron mouths’: Semantically there is little to choose between the reading of ms. A adopted in the Text above and Gunnþings/gunnþings á hjǫr þunnum, the reading of 54 and Bb, and the latter is preferred by some previous eds (Wisén 1886-9, I, 35; Skald, reading af for á). Gen. sg. Gunnþings ‘of the meeting of Gunnr <valkyrie> [BATTLE]’ is equivalent as a determinant to gen. pl. Gunnþinga, while á hjǫr þunnum ‘by/on thin blades’ takes the place of jarnmunnum ‘by iron mouths’. But the prep. á ‘on, in’, necessary to preserve scansion, is odd in context (occasioning Skald’s emendation to af ‘by’), and this combined with the parallel in Hókr Eirfl 7/4 for jarnmunnum (below) tips the balance in favour of A’s reading.
kennings
- Gunnþinga — of meetings of Gunnr <valkyrie> [BATTLES]
- margr heggr Gunnþinga — many a cherry-tree of meetings of Gunnr <valkyrie> [WARRIOR]
grammar
case: gen.
number: pl.