Þul Manna 2III/2 — hǫlðar ‘freeholders’
Bragnar, þegnar, beimar, hǫlðar,
firar ok flotnar, fyrðar, hǫlðar,
fǫruneyti, drótt, flokkr, harðmenni,
kníar ok kappar, kenpur, nautar.
Bragnar, þegnar, beimar, hǫlðar, firar ok flotnar, fyrðar, hǫlðar, fǫruneyti, drótt, flokkr, harðmenni, kníar ok kappar, kenpur, nautar.
Noble ones, freemen, warriors, freeholders, vital ones and seamen, vital ones, freeholders, company, retinue, flock, tough ones, kníar and champions, fighters, mates.
notes
[2] hǫlðar ‘freeholders’: Pl. of hǫlðr m. This is an Old Norse legal term which denoted a high-ranking yeoman who by right of birth held property under the Norwegian allodial system (óðal). See Note to Anon Nkt 15/2II. According to the law of S. Óláfr, Icelanders enjoyed the right of a hǫlðr while in Norway (DI I, 65: jslendingar eigo at hava hꜹldz rétt i noregi). In Rþ 24/4, Hǫlðr is the name of one of the sons of Karl. In poetry hǫlðar means ‘men’ in general. — [4] hǫlðar ‘freeholders’: The repetition of the heiti hǫlðar, which was already mentioned in l. 2, is probably caused by dittography. Kock (NN §2160) suggests that the correct word in this context could have been aldir ‘men, people’ (pl. of ǫld ‘age, population’; see st. 3/1).