Saell Alan

 

<branda elg á bylgjur

<(the) elk of blades on (the) billows>

 

This Alan I liked very much because it is a kenning, the elk of blades being the ship, but in  Gordon they give elgr as an elk and brandr elgr as a beaked ship could that mean that the ship had an elk's head carved as a figure head,  page 341 but on page 336 Gordon gives brandar as parts of the ship's beak and brandr as a brand or blade, it is the use of the phrase the beak of the ship, it is not a term I know, I am no sailor, and only used it because of finding it in Gordon, I have assumed the beak to be up at the pointed end of the vessel where the figure head would be found.

This is not clear to me even now, and I would appreciate some advice please

Kveðja

Patricia

----- Original Message -----
From: AThompson
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 11:40 AM
Subject: RE: [norse_course] Miscellanea Section L Subsection (ii)/Translation

Sæl

 

Here is my translation. Comments on others’ translations in separate posts. I too had some difficulties with parts of the verse so I hope some one else can help out here.

 

Question 1 relates to the two lines: ‘saurs vara vant, er várum, viðr, í Grímsbœ miðjum’ Firstly I have to question whether this text from Gordon is accurate because in Gordon´s own glossary, the phrase ’saurs eigi vant viðr’, cross referenced to the lines in question, is glossed as ’there was no lack of mud.’ Somehow, ’vara’ has replaced ’eiga.’ I searched the web but could not find an on-line text of Orkneyinga saga to see which version was correct. Can anyone say what the correct text should be? And then provide an explanation?

 

Question 2 relates to the words: ’Nú'r þat's...’ can someone say precisely what this expression means and how the syntax works? Is it a common expression?

 

Kveðja

Alan

 

Þá var Kali fimtán vetra er hann fór með kaupmönnum vestr til Englands, ok hafði góðan kaupeyri.

Then was Kali fifteen winters (old) when he travelled with traders west to England, and had good wares [acc sg] (for trade).

 

Þeir heldu til  þess kaupstaðar er Grímsbœr heitir.

They held (course) to that trading town which is called Grimsby.

 

Kom þar mikit fjölmenni bæði af Nóregi ok Orkneyjum, af Skotlandi ok Suðreyjum.

Came there a great gathering of men both from Norway and (the) Orkneys, from Scotland and (the) Southern Isles (Outer Hebrides).

 

Eptir þat fór Kali vestan á hinu sama skipi ok  kómu útan at Ögðum ok heldu þaðan til Björgynjar.

After that, Kali travelled from the west on that same ship and came from without (ie reached land) at Agðir and held (course) from there to Bergen.

 

Þá  kvað hann vísu:

Then composed he a verse:

 

'Vér höfum vaðnar leirur

’We have waded mud-flats

 

 vikur fimm megingrimmar;

(for) five  terrible weeks;

 

saurs vara vant, er várum,

(one) expects [?] a lack of mud, when (we) were,

 

viðr, í Grímsbœ miðjum.

with, in (the) middle of Grimsby.

 

Nú'r þat's más of mýrar

Now when there is [?] over (the) gull´s moor

 

meginkátliga látum

most joyfully (we) let

 

branda elg á bylgjur

(the) elk of blades on (the) billows

 

Björgynjar til dynja.'

to Bergen roar.’

 

Transposed: For five terrible weeks, we have waded mud-flats, (there was) [no] lack of mud when we were in the middle of Grimsby; Now it is that, most joyfully, over the gull’s moor, we let the elk of blades roar across the billows to Bergen.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: norse_course@yahoogroups.com [mailto:norse_course@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
AThompson
Sent:
Friday, 1 July 2005 7:33 PM
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [norse_course] Miscellanea Section L Subsection (i)

 

Sæl

 

This week we continue Section L from Gordon´s Miscellanea. As mentioned last week, the text is from Orkneyinga saga, Subsection (iii) will follow next week.

 

Kveðja

Alan

 

Verses by Earl Rögnvald Kali

(ii) Rögnvald at Grimsby

Þá var Kali fimtán vetra er hann fór með kaupmönnum  vestr til Englands, ok hafði góðan kaupeyri. Þeir heldu til  þess kaupstaðar er Grímsbœr heitir. Kom þar mikit fjöl-  menni bæði af Nóregi ok Orkneyjum, af Skotlandi ok Suðreyjum. Eptir þat fór Kali vestan á hinu sama skipi ok  kómu útan at Ögðum ok heldu þaðan til Björgynjar. Þá  kvað hann vísu:

'Vér höfum vaðnar leirur 

vikur fimm megingrimmar;

saurs vara vant, er várum,

viðr, í Grímsbœ miðjum. 

Nú'r þat's más of mýrar

meginkátliga látum 

branda elg á bylgjur 

Björgynjar til dynja.'


 




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