1 Of Heithmork. See chapter 75.
1 On the boundary between the districts of Grenland and East Agthir.
1 Which is all that has come down to us of this poem.
2 Concerning its measure see note on stanza 279.
3 The portion of the refrain completing this line is not transmitted.
4 A bold headland just west of Lithandisness.
5 The present Tjernagel, a cluster of houses some fifteen miles north of the town of Haugesund; or, more likely, the peak of Hornelen. See “Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar,” chapter 85, note 1.
6 Now, Stemshesten, a high promontory north of the town of Molde.
7 Eelhome is the sea.
8 The valley (?) of the Nith River in Trondheim.
9 That is, the ravens.
1 An Icelandic skald. Only a few stanzas of his poem on King Knút are preserved.
2 Kenning for “warrior.”
1 A cluster of small islands west of Cape Lithandisness.
1 The single sail, fastened to a boom, could be hoisted or lowered by a halyard along the mast.
1 Small islands between the island of Bókn and Tunguness, northwest of the present city of Stavanger.
2 Kenning for “the sea.”
3 Erling.
4 Kenning for “the earth.”
5 On the island of Mosterey, near the present town of Ålesund, at the southern entrance of Bóknfjord.
6 The people of Horthaland.
1 i.e. the possession of land, of which he strove to deprive Óláf.
2 An Icelandic skald. Eight stanzas are preserved of this poem.
3 Gríthr is a troll woman; her “steed” is “the wolf.”
4 West of Ålesund, as are the localities mentioned in the next chapter.
1 Northwest of the town of Molde.
1 Near Lesjar in the Guthbrands Dale.
1 Between lakes Veneren and Vettern. His route apparently lay over the frozen Veneren, then through the Tiveden Forest.
2 Euphemistic for “beheaded.”
1 Something of the spirit of the previous rightful owner was supposed to reside in a treasured possession of his which would take revenge on the unlawful owner.
2 On his return from Russia.
1 King Óláf.
2 Russia. The two helmings seem to be from different poems.
3 That is, with King Óláf.
1 Name of the tidal current in the Pentland Firth.
1 That is, Great Bulgaria, a dominion about the middle course of the Volga.
1 The present Swedish province of Dalarne.
1 Kenning for “fire.”
2 People of the district of Trondheim.
1 All Icelandic skalds.
2 “Hethin’s leman” is the valkyrie Hild, whose name signifies “battle.”
3 That is, in Norway.
4 Thund is one of Óthin’s names; his “thing-of-arrows” is a kenning for “battle.”
1 In fornyrðislag meter. (Bothvar) Bjarki was one of the heroes among the legendary Danish King Hrólf Kraki’s warriors who fell fighting for his lord. These stanzas are the only ones of the lay preserved in the original. The remainder are found in Saxo Grammaticus’ Latin version, Gesta Danorum, Book II, 7. For a restoration of it see Axel Olrik’s The Heroic Legends of Denmark, vol. I, chapter II.
2 King Hrólf’s ally.
3 “Wound-snake” is a kenning for “sword.”
1 Hrút signifies “ram.”
2 Kenning for “battle.”
1 Some twenty-eight stanzas of this drápa are preserved, but not the burden.
2 That is, Thórth.
1 In Nitharós; see chapter 245.
1 Not to be confused with King Óláf’s bishop of the same name.
1 One of Kálf Árnason’s brothers.
1 That is, after Óláf was declared a saint.
2 Kenning for “warriors.”
1 Ygg is one of the names of Óthin; the whole a kenning for “warrior.”
2 Kenning for “warrior.”
3 Perhaps Sigvat returned from Rome by way of England.
1 The Old Norse bjorn means “bear.”
1 Kenning for “warrior.”
2 Kenning for “woman.”
1 Actually, the 31st of August (1030), as determined by the occurrence of the eclipse.
2 Kenning for “blood.”
1 In the kviðuháttr measure. See chapter 245 for the rest of the poem. Its title apparently means “Sea-calm-lay”—why is not known.
2 “Descendant of the mythical King Dag, prince.”
3 The royal race of Denmark, descendants of King Knút.
1 This miracle is not reported elsewhere.
1 Referring to King Óláf’s army before the battle of Stiklarstath.
1 See “Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar,” chapter 32.
1 Attributed to Sigvat. No more of it is preserved.
2 The only stanza preserved of this poem by an unknown skald.
1 In dróttkvœtt measure, as distinguished from his Magnússdrápa in hrynhent, stanzas 374, 375, which has an extra foot.
2 This locality has not been identified.
3 That is, Harald Fairhair’s.
4 The son of the skald Arnór. His poem, called Magnússflokkr, appears to have been preserved in its entirety.
1 See chapter 1, note 1, for the metre.
2 Kenning for “battle.”
3 The œgishjálmr of the original is probably (like the corresponding Greek, AIγιs) a helmet (or shield) decorated with the terror-inspiring Medusa or dragon. It is here used figuratively.
4 The ravens.
1 The “market town,” here, Nitharós.
1 It is uncertain what locality or occasion is referred to.
2 Sigvat’s father.
1 East of Cape Lithandisness.
2 The warriors’ shields were hung along the gunwales of the warships.
3 Nothing of this has come down to us.
1 See “Óláfs saga Helga,” chapter 122.
1 See “Óláfs saga Helga,” chapter 203.
2 The following lines are in the fornyrðislag meter.
1 That is, Harald Hardruler’s, Magnús.
1 Not to be confused with Thorgeir Flekk; see “Óláfs saga Helga,” chapter 203 and chapter 13 above.
1 Probably preserved in its entirety.
2 See “Haralds saga Hárfagra,” chapter 39.
3 Probably to the effect to let bygones be bygones.
4 Probably from the color of its parchment binding.
1 Probably the side planks of the beak.
2 This stanza is from his Magnúss drápa hrynhent.
3 The present city of Stavanger.
1 In north central Jutland.
1 See “Óláfs saga Helga,” chapter 153.
1 Stanzas 39, 40 are in hrynhent.
1 Western Pomerania and the island of Rügen, respectively.
1 “Sea-glow” is a kenning for “gold” (from the treasure of the Niflungs thrown into the Rhine). Its “keepers” are the kings.
2 Hethin’s maid is the valkyrie Hild, “battle.”
3 Kenning for “king.”
4 Kenning for “warriors.”
5 Kenning for “battle.”
1 That is, who was the leader of the enemy.
2 Earl Svein.
3 Men of the Raums Dale.
4 Scandinavian term for franklins, farmers.
1 Earl Svein.
2 Inhabitants of Scania.
1 A Norwegian skald. Only two stanzas of his poem about King Magnús have come down to us.
2 See chapter 1, note 1 for the verse.
3 Kenning for “blood.”
4 Kenning for “battle.”
1 Reference to a later exploit of Harald not told by Snorri but evidently known to Thjóthólf.
1 A brother of Thjóthólf. Of his drápa about Harald, only this stanza and 80, 98, and 102 have come down to us besides a few other fragments.
2 Kenning for “
warrior.”
3 In the hrynhent measure, which has end rimes. Of this poem about Harald only a few verses are preserved.
1 She ruled 1028-1052; Michael Katalaktes, 1034-1041.
2 The name of the North Germanic mercenaries serving under the Greek empire.
1 Mercenaries from the Romance countries; or, possibly, Normans who spoke French.
2 An Icelandic skald. Only a few verses of his poem on Harald have come down to us.
3 The legendary king of the Huns who with treacherous intention invited the Burgundian kings Gunnar and Hogni to his court. See the Eddic lay of “Atlakviða.” In the original the sentence forms part of the refrain.
1 Stúf the Blind was an Icelandic skald at the court of Harald. Some eight stanzas of his drápa have come down to us.
2 This is part of the refrain, completed in stanzas 452 and 475.
3 The people of the district of Agthir.
1 He ruled (with Zóë) 1042-1054.
1 An Icelandic skald. No other verse by him has been preserved.
1 The harbor of Byzantium.
2 The lagoon at the mouth of the Dniepr.
3 Of these, only three stanzas besides the one cited here have come down to us.
4 Gerth is a goddess; the whole, a kenning for “woman.”
1 “Palace-plundering.”
1 An Icelandic skald. Besides this stanza and 459-462 we have some eight stanzas by him of a poem about Harald.
1 This sentence is supplied from other sources.
1 Harald.
1 The present Randersfjord.
2 Kennings for “woman.”
3 Kenning for the fluke of an anchor.
4 A skald unknown otherwise.
1 Of this poem we have some twelve stanzas.
2 That is, the inhabitants of the inner reaches of the Trondheimfjord.
3 That is, with warlike intent. Red shields indicated that.
4 Buthli is a sea-king; his pathway, “the sea.”
5 The present Danish district of Thy which, however, is on the the west side of Jutland.
6 Incomplete refrain.
1 Ironic, of course.
1 About 350 pounds.
2 The general assembly of Iceland.
1 An Icelandic skald. Stanza 497 seems to be the only one of his Úlfsflokk that has come down to us.
1 That is, be slain.
1 That is, he had to cut Kálf down to prevent his acquiring more power.
1 King of Dublin 1035-1038 and 1046-1052.
1 The cross, with the image of Christ on it.
1 A type of merchant vessel also used for war.
1 Kenning for “storm.”
2 That is, a meeting.
3 A point of land near the mouth of the Gaut Elf River.
1 The archipelago south of Funen.
2 Now called Laholms Bay.
3 In his Nizarvísur (Níz River Strains), of which seven stanzas are preserved.
1 Kelpland is “the sea”; the whole, a kenning for “ships.”
1 Here, honorific for “kings.”
2 That is, Harald’s ship.
3 Kenning for Svein.
1 “One who is in trouble.”
2 Which his exhumed skeleton proved to be true.
3 Supplied from the Friisbok version.
1 Snorri evidently does not know who composed it.
2 “Blueland” is a poetic synonym for “sea.”
1 Their present name is Trollhättan Falls, in the Gaut Elf River.
2 King Harald.
3 King Steinkel.
1 Logi is “wild-fire,” and also the name of the divinity of fire; the whole, a kenning for “conflagration.”
1 Because of a lack of seed corn and draft animals.
1 Ironic: to join the company of the departed.
2 That is, with the prince who feeds them.
1 Giant, troll.
2 The repetition of the last line is a feature of the galdralag or “magic measure.”
1 Meaning Óláf the Stout.
2 Kenning for “wolf,” which is the troll women’s mount.
1 This is the first line of the refrain of Stein’s Óláfs drápa, continued in stanza 535, and completed in a stanza handed down elsewhere. We have about seventeen stanzas of this drápa.
2 “Short poem about Harald,” in the fornyrðislag measure. Its author is not known.
1 Rime here in the original. The measure is fornyrðislag, considered inferior to dróttkvœtt.
2 Hild is a valkyrie; the whole, a kenning for “proud woman.”
1 An Icelandic (?) skald. Of his poem only this and the following stanza are preserved.
2 Valthjóf is the Old Norse form of Old English Wæltheow.
3 Ygg is one of Óthin’s names; the whole, a kenning for “warrior.”
4 Kenning for “wolf” as the mount of troll women.
1 See the estimate given of King Harold, chapter 91.
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