Þjóð Yt 9I/10 — temja ‘tame’
Þat telk undr,
ef Agna her
Skjalfar rôð
at skǫpum þóttu,
þás gœðing
með gollmeni
Loga dís
at lopti hóf,
hinns við †tꜹr†
temja skyldi
svalan hest
Signýjar vers.
Þat telk undr, ef rôð Skjalfar þóttu her Agna at skǫpum, þás dís Loga hóf gœðing at lopti með gollmeni, hinns skyldi temja svalan hest vers Signýjar við †tꜹr†.
I call it a wonder if Skjǫlf’s plans seemed to the liking of Agni’s troop when the sister of Logi [= Skjǫlf] heaved the prince aloft with the gold neck-ring, the one who had to tame the cool horse of the lover of Signý [= Hagbarðr > GALLOWS] near …
readings
[10] temja: tæma R685ˣ
notes
[10, 11-12] temja svalan hest vers Signýjar ‘tame the cool horse of the lover of Signý [= Hagbarðr > GALLOWS]’: The image is comparable to the widespread expression ‘ride the gallows’; cf. st. 12/5-6 and, with similar use of the verb temja ‘tame’, Eyv Hál 4/1-4; cf. also OE þæt his byre rīde giong on galgan ‘that his son should ride, young, on the gallows’ (Beowulf ll. 2445-6, Beowulf 2008, 84), and Early ModGer. ir müst den galgen raiten ‘you must ride the gallows’ (Keller 1853, 428; cf. also Amira 1922, 100). The determinant of the kenning, vers Signýjar ‘the lover of Signý’, is based on the Danish legend of Hagbarðr, who was hanged by his lover’s father. The story is known from Saxo Grammaticus (Saxo 2005, I, 7, 7, 1-17, pp. 464-77) and forms the basis for several skaldic kennings (Meissner 435).