Anon Óldr 2I/2 — stólkonungr ‘emperor’
Mætr hefr minna látit
mik stólkonungr sólar
snjallr, an sómði þolli
sverðéls, bragar verðan.
Þó vilk Þróttar skýja,
þeim es engr vas beima,
eldveitanda ítrum,
alfríðri, lof smíða.
Mætr, snjallr stólkonungr sólar hefr látit mik verðan minna bragar, an sómði þolli sverðéls. Þó vilk smíða lof ítrum Þróttar skýja eldveitanda, þeim es engr beima vas alfríðri.
The excellent, valiant emperor of the sun [= God] has made me worthy of lesser poetry than befitted the fir-tree of the sword-storm [BATTLE > WARRIOR = Óláfr]. Nevertheless I will craft praise for the splendid offerer of the fire of the clouds of Þróttr <= Óðinn> [(lit. ‘fire-offerer of the clouds of Þróttr’) SHIELDS > SWORD > WARRIOR = Óláfr], the one than whom no-one among men was finer in all respects.
notes
[2] stólkonungr ‘emperor’: This term, lit. ‘throne-king’, refers in prose to the Byzantine emperor (Fritzner: stólkonungr; cf. ÞSkegg Hardr 1/3II stólþengill ‘emperor’, lit. ‘throne-lord’ and Note). Combined with l. 2 sólar ‘of the sun’, it can be construed in two ways (both offered in Meissner 379): as a kenning for God, unusual since ‘lord of the heavens’ is the normal pattern, or as an inverted kenning, konungr stóls sólar ‘king of the throne of the sun [HEAVEN > = God]’ (Skj B; LP). This too would be unusual since the cpd stólkonungr lacks the incongruity characteristic of inverted kennings, which encourages the audience to analyse the structure as inverted.
kennings
- Mætr, snjallr stólkonungr sólar — The excellent, valiant emperor of the sun [= God]
grammar
case: nom.