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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Hallv Knútdr 4III/3 — baug ‘ring’

Rauðljósa sér ræsir
(rít brestr sundr in hvíta)
baugjǫrð brodda ferðar
(bjúgrend) í tvau fljúga.

Ræsir ferðar brodda sér rauðljósa baugjǫrð fljúga í tvau; in hvíta, bjúgrend rít brestr sundr.

The impeller of the journey of missiles [BATTLE > WARRIOR] sees the bright red ring-land [SHIELD] split in two; the white, curve-edged shield bursts apart.

notes

[3] baugjǫrð ‘ring-land [SHIELD]’: Baugr as a heiti for shield is also recorded in Þul Skjaldar 3/3 (see Note there). Although baugr (lit. ‘circle, ring’) can function as a pars pro toto term for ‘shield’ (see SnE 1998, I, 67), it also forms the determinant in shield-kennings; hence ‘the land of the baugr’, as here, is a shield. However, the kenning was clearly not transparent: ms. A, which generally preserves an excellent text of Hallvarðr’s poem, has bauggjǫrð ‘ring-belt, shield-belt’ (cf. sikulgjǫrð ‘sword-belt’, st. 2/2).

kennings

grammar

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