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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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HSt Rst 13I/3 — grœðis ‘of the ocean’

Húns nótt hverja knôttu
hirðmenn konungs spenna
gylld horn grœðis meldrar;
glaðr vísi drakk þaðra.
Víðfrægr velja téði
vín húskǫrlum sínum
allvaldr einkar mildum.
Óláfr und veg sólar.

Hverja nótt húns knôttu hirðmenn konungs spenna gylld horn grœðis meldrar; glaðr vísi drakk þaðra. Víðfrægr allvaldr téði velja einkar mildum vín húskǫrlum sínum. Óláfr und veg sólar …

Every bear’s night [WINTER] the king’s retainers gripped the gilded horns of the ocean of flour [ALE]; the cheerful ruler drank there. The widely famous sovereign provided wine exceptionally generously for his housecarls. Óláfr under the path of the sun [SKY] …

notes

[3] grœðis meldrar ‘of the ocean of flour [ALE]’: Meldr ‘flour’ functions like the reference to malt or grain that is more usual in ale-kennings (cf. Konráð Gíslason 1895-7; Meissner 433). Finnur Jónsson (LP: grœðir, meldr 2) sees meldr here as a synonym for the magic mill Grotti or Grótti which rests on the sea-bed and produces gold (see Grott). However, as Kock points out in NN §1175 it is difficult to see what meaning that could have; a gold-kenning would be out of place.

kennings

grammar

case: gen.

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