Þfagr Sveinn 10II/5 — hauld ‘of freeholders’
Hætt hafa sér, þeirs sóttu
Sveins fundar til, stundum;
lítt hefr þeim at þreyta
þrimr bragningum hagnat.
Þó hefr hauldvinr haldit
— hanns snjallr konungr — allri
Jóta grund með endum
ógnstarkr ok Danmǫrku.
Hafa stundum hætt sér, þeirs sóttu til fundar Sveins; þeim þrimr bragningum hefr lítt hagnat at þreyta. Þó hefr hauldvinr haldit, ógnstarkr, allri grund Jóta með endum ok Danmǫrku; hanns snjallr konungr.
They have frequently put themselves at risk, those who sought an encounter with Sveinn; for those three lords little has been gained by their striving. Yet the friend of freeholders [KING] has held, battle-strong, all the land of the Jótar from border to border and Denmark, too; he is a clever king.
notes
[5] hauldvinr ‘the friend of freeholders [KING]’: The mss have hölld-vinr (so JÓ), ‘holldvinr’ (so 20dˣ) or ‘ho᷎llduinr’ (so 873ˣ); see ÍF 35, 134, 225-6 n. The form hauld- is Norw. (see ANG §105 Anm.). A hauldr (Icel. hǫlðr) was a yeoman or freeholder. See Note to Anon Nkt 15/2. The quality of the consonant cluster (ld not lð) is ensured by the internal rhyme. Skj B emends hǫldvinr to hǫlða vinr (hǫlða m. gen. pl.) and Skald has hǫlda vinr. These emendations are unnecessary from a metrical point of view.
kennings
- hauldvinr — the friend of freeholders [KING]