Gamlkan Jóndr 2VII/8 — hreina ‘of the reindeer’
Brigð kómu þess brátt, es hugði
bǫlfyldr konungr verða skyldu,
harðla fljótt, þvít huggan veitti
hreggskríns jǫfurr frænda sínum.
Alla náði eirar stillis
ítr postoli dýrð at líta,
humra nausts þás hǫfðu flestir
hreina þollar fréttir einar.
Brigð kómu brátt þess, es bǫlfyldr konungr hugði skyldu verða, þvít jǫfurr hreggskríns veitti huggan frænda sínum harðla fljótt. Ítr postoli náði at líta alla dýrð stillis eirar, þás flestir þollar hreina nausts humra hǫfðu einar fréttir.
Changes came about abruptly in that which the baleful king thought should happen, for the lord of the storm-shrine [HEAVEN > = God] granted comfort to his relative very quickly. The noble Apostle was able to see all the glory of the disposer of mercy [= God], of which most fir-trees of the reindeer of the boat-house of lobsters [SEA > SHIP > SEAFARERS] have only reports.
readings
[8] hreina: hreinir 649a
notes
[8] hreina ‘(gen. pl.) of reindeer’: The ms. reading is hreinir, which would be nom. pl. of the adj. hreinn ‘pure’. The subject of the sentence is evidently an extended (rekit) man-kenning whose base-word is a term for ‘tree’ (þollar ‘fir-trees’). The last part of the determinant is clearly itself a kenning for ‘sea’ (humra naust ‘boat-house of lobsters’). Since a man-kenning ‘tree of the sea’ would be without parallel, all eds follow Bugge and emend hreinir to hreina (gen. pl. of hreinn ‘reindeer’; Bugge 1874, 934 nn. 1 and 4). This yields a man-kenning of the type ‘tree of the ship’ (cf. Meissner, 278).
kennings
- hreina nausts humra — of the reindeer of the boat-house of lobsters [SHIP]
- flestir þollar hreina nausts humra — most fir-trees of the reindeer of the boat-house of lobsters [SEAFARERS]
grammar
case: gen.
number: pl.