ESk Geisl 16VII/2 — ins ‘of the’
Ok hagliga hugðisk
hrøkkviseiðs ins døkkva
lyngs í lopt upp ganga
látrs stríðandi síðan.
Lét, sás landfolks gætir,
líknframr himinríki
umgeypnandi opnask
alls heims fyr gram snjǫllum.
Ok stríðandi látrs ins døkkva hrøkkviseiðs lyngs hugðisk síðan ganga hagliga upp í lopt. Líknframr umgeypnandi alls heims, sás gætir landfolks, lét himinríki opnask fyr snjǫllum gram.
And the enemy of the lair of the dark coiling fish of the heather [SNAKE > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN] thought then that he went easily up into the air. The outstandingly merciful encompasser [lit. holder in hand] of the whole world [= God], who watches over the people of the country, caused the kingdom of heaven to open before the clever king.
notes
[4, 2, 3] stríðandi látrs hins døkkva hrøkkviseiðs lyngs ‘the enemy of the lair of the dark coiling fish of the heather’: Cf. Bragi Þórr 5/3, 4III hrøkkviáll Vǫlsunga drekku ‘coiling eel of the Volsungs’ drink’ [POISON > SNAKE = Miðgarðsormr]. The kenning for Óláfr has multiple levels of meaning. On the surface it is a variation of the kenning-type ‘dispenser of gold’. Óláfr was a treasure-dispenser in this literal sense during his lifetime, and after his death he continues to reward his followers with miracles.
kennings
- ins døkkva hrøkkviseiðs lyngs — of the dark coiling fish of the heather [SNAKE]
- látrs ins døkkva hrøkkviseiðs lyngs — of the lair of the dark coiling fish of the heather [GOLD]
- stríðandi látrs ins døkkva hrøkkviseiðs lyngs — the enemy of the lair of the dark coiling fish of the heather [GENEROUS MAN]
grammar
Pronouns and determiners: Definite article
The definite article is normally suffixed to nouns, except in some cases where it is used with an adjective. If the noun form ends in a vowel, the 'i' in the article is dropped. If the noun form ends in 'um', the 'm' and 'i' are both dropped. E.g. hesta (acc. pl.) > hestana (acc. pl. definite); hestum (dat. pl.) > hestunum (dat. pl. definite)
| masc. | fem. | neut. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sing. | N A G D | inn inn ins inum | in ina innar inni | it it ins inu |
| pl. | N A G D | inir ina inna inum | inar inar inna inum | in in inna inum |