Bǫlv Hardr 3II/2 — gekk ‘entered’
Snjallr rauð í styr stillir
stôl ok gekk á mála;
háðisk hvert ár síðan
hildr, sem sjalfir vilduð.
Snjallr stillir rauð stôl í styr ok gekk á mála; hildr háðisk hvert ár síðan, sem sjalfir vilduð.
The valiant ruler reddened swords in battle and entered paid service; war was waged every year thereafter, as you yourself wanted.
notes
[2] gekk á mála ‘entered paid service’: Kock (NN §2036) translates ganga á mála as bryta fredsfördraget ‘break the peace settlement’. However, both Fms (6, 134) and Flat (1860-8, III, 290) paraphrase the st. in the prose and state explicitly that Haraldr entered the service (gekk á mála) of the emperor: Geck Haralldr þegar med o᷎llu ꜳ konungs mala ‘Haraldr at once entered the paid service of the king eagerly’ (Flat 1860-8, III, 290). For máli ‘payment, remuneration’, see Fritzner: máli 2 and Jesch 2001a, 194. For Haraldr’s service in the Greek army, see Sigfús Blöndal 1978, 56-102.
grammar
Verbs: Strong Verbs
The stem of the subjunctive pl. is i-mutation of the indicative pl..
lúka ‘shut, end’
| Indicative | Subjunctive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | Past | Present | Past | ||
| Active voice | |||||
| sing. | 1 2 3 | lýk lýkr lýkr | lauk laukt lauk | lúka lúkir lúki | lyka lykir lyki |
| pl. | 1 2 3 | lúkum lúkið lúka | lukum lukuð luku | lúkim lúkið lúki | lykim lykið lyki |
| infinitive pres. part. past part. | lúka lúkandi lúkinn, lúkin, lúkit | ||||
| Middle voice | |||||
| sing. | 1 2 3 | lýkumk lýksk lýksk | laukumk laukzk lauksk | lúkumk lúkisk lúkisk | lykumk lykisk lykisk |
| pl. | 1 2 3 | lúkumk lúkizk lúkask | lukumk lukuzk lukusk | lúkimk lúkizk lúkisk | lykimk lykizk lykisk |
| infinitive pres. part. past part. | lúkask lúkandisk lúkizk | ||||