RvHbreiðm Hl 53III/4 — Selju ‘of Selja’s’
Ák frá Óláfi
— eiðar þrár meiðum
sløngði *á* svanvengi
Selju mens — telja.
Fréttu fleystéttar
— fengu gjǫf drengir —
harðir hyr-Nirðir
hildings fémildi.
Ák telja frá Óláfi; þrár eiðar sløngði meiðum mens Selju *á* svanvengi. Harðir fleystéttar hyr-Nirðir fréttu fémildi hildings; drengir fengu gjǫf.
I must tell about Óláfr; the one firm of oath flung trees of Selja’s <island’s> necklace [SEA > SHIPS] onto the swan-meadow [SEA]. Harsh Nirðir <gods> of the fire of the ship-path [(lit. ‘ship-path’s fire-Nirðir’) SEA > GOLD > MEN] heard about the leader’s generosity; the warriors received a gift.
notes
[4] mens Selju ‘of Selja’s <island’s> necklace [SEA]’: Selja is an island off the western coast of Norway (see ESk Lv 14/3, Þul Eyja 2/1 and Þul Islands l. 3). It is taken here as a determinant in a kenning for ‘sea’, which again functions as a determinant in the ship-kenning meiðum mens Selju ‘the trees of the necklace of Selja’ (ll. 2-3) (for meiðr ‘tree’ as base-word in kennings for ‘ship’, see Meissner 221). ‘Fling ships onto the sea’ means ‘launch ships’ (see the similar meaning of the verb skjóta lit. ‘shoot’; LP: skjóta 2).
kennings
- mens Selju — of Selja’s <island’s> necklace [SEA]
- meiðum mens Selju — trees of Selja’s <island’s> necklace [SHIPS]