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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Þul Manna 6III/4 — húskarlar ‘housecarls’

Enn eru eptir         aldar heiti:
hirð ok gestir         ok húskarlar,
inndrótt ok hjón,         ef ek alt segi,
rúni ok þopti         ok ráðgjafi.

Enn eru eptir heiti aldar: hirð ok gestir ok húskarlar, inndrótt ok hjón, ef ek segi alt, rúni ok þopti ok ráðgjafi.

There are still names of people to come: court and guests and housecarls, bodyguard and household, if I mention everything, confidant and rowing-mate and counsellor.

readings

[4] húskarlar: so , C, A, ‘hurskarlar’ R, ‘huss[…]’ B, ‘huskarlar’ 744ˣ

notes

[4] húskarlar ‘housecarls’: In Icelandic, húskarlar means ‘man-servants’, but here these are members of the king’s (or earl’s) bodyguard or following. Skm (SnE 1998, I, 80) offers the following explanation of this term: Konungar ok jarlar hafa til fylgðar með sér þá menn er hirðmenn heita ok húskarlar, en lendir menn hafa ok sér handgengna menn þá er í Danmǫrku ok í Svíþjóð eru hirðmenn *kallaðir, en í Nóregi húskarlar, ok sverja þeir þó eiða svá sem hirðmenn konungum. Húskarlar konunga váru mjǫk hirðmenn kallaðir í fornesk<j>u ‘Kings and jarls have in their service those men who are called retainers and housecarls, but district chieftains also have men in their service who are called retainers in Denmark and Sweden, but housecarls in Norway, and yet they swear oaths just as retainers do to kings. The kings’ housecarls were frequently called retainers in ancient times’.

grammar

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