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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sjórs Lv 3II/1 — skjǫld ‘shield’

Skjótt bark skjǫld inn hvíta
— skald biðr, at goð valdi —
ár til eggja skúrar
ótrauðr, en frá rauðan.
Þat hefk hǫgg of hǫggvit
handvíst á Blálandi,
— goð ræðr sókn ok sigri —
svanni, þínum manni.

Ár bark ótrauðr inn hvíta skjǫld skjótt til skúrar eggja, en frá rauðan; skald biðr, at goð valdi. Þat handvíst hǫgg hefk of hǫggvit manni þínum á Blálandi, svanni; goð ræðr sókn ok sigri.

Earlier I, not unwilling, carried the white shield speedily to the shower of sword-blades [BATTLE], and [when I carried it] back [it was] red; the poet asks that God prevail. That sure blow I have struck for your husband in Africa, woman; God rules war and victory.

notes

[1] inn hvíta skjǫld ‘the white shield’: For red and white shields and their significance, see Falk 1914, 128-32. White shields seem to have been less prestigious than red shields and also a sign of peace. That Sigurðr carried a red shield when he returned from the battle not only implies that the shield had been reddened with blood, but also that he had gained honour from the fighting.

grammar

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