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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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ÞKolb Eirdr 5I/3 — helsingja ‘geese’

Jǫfrum varð, en urðu
allhvasst Danir falla,
blóðhelsingja bræðir,
brœðr Sigvarðar, œðri.

Bræðir blóðhelsingja varð œðri jǫfrum, en Danir urðu falla allhvasst brœðr Sigvarðar.

The feeder of blood-geese [RAVENS/EAGLES > WARRIOR] overcame princes, and the Danes had to fall most rapidly before the brother of Sigurðr [= Eiríkr].

readings

[3] ‑helsingja: ‘hesingia’ FskAˣ

notes

[3] blóðhelsingja ‘of blood-geese [RAVENS/EAGLES]’: Cf. Þórðr’s synonymous kenning blóðgǫgl ‘blood-geese’ (ÞKolb Lv 11/6V (BjH 38)). Helsingr ‘(long-)neck’ is a sword-heiti (see Þul Sverða 8/7III and Note) and a bird-heiti (Þul Fugla 1/4III), seemingly referring to the barnacle goose. If helsingja is gen. sg. it would imply a nom. sg. *helsingi, and this is assumed in Meissner 120 and LP: blóðhelsingi, but there appears to be no ON attestation of this form, and gen. pl. is probable here.

kennings

grammar

case: gen.
number: pl.

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