Patricia
Nor am I a maritime expert but here´s the OED definition of beak:
beak1
· n.
1 a bird’s horny projecting jaws; a bill. Ø a projecting jaw in some other animals.
2 a projection at the prow of an ancient warship, used to pierce the hulls of enemy ships.
– DERIVATIVES beaked adj. beaky adj.
– ORIGIN ME: from OFr. bec, from L. beccus, of Celtic origin.
And at this site: http://www.d.umn.edu/~ahartley/marhistcitOED.html I found the following citation for brand for the OED.
BRAND sb. new meaning
1295 in Archaeologia aeliana ser. 4 vol. II (1926) 183 In C de folio argenti ad brand' Galee depingend'..
trans: for [the purchase of] 100 pieces of silver-leaf for decorating the galley's stem (AHH)
etym: cf. A. Jal Glossaire nautique (1848-50) s.v. brant: Le cap du navire..; le sommet de son étrave; son éperon.
trans: the head of the ship..the top of its stem; its beak (AHH)
Jal quotes Wace's Roman de Rou (c1160):
Sor li chief de la nef devant
(le marinier apelent brant)
trans: over the ship's head forward (which sailors call the brant) (AHH)
etym: The Norman Fr. word is probably of Scandinav ian origin; cf. ON brandar (pl. of brandr) `ship's beak' in a verse of Rognvald Kali (c1150) cited in E. Gordon An introduction to Old Norse (1957) 156 (AHH)
Zöega cites two other instances of the use of brandr with this apparent mreaning:
fellr brattr breki bröndum hæri, the waves break high above the ‘brandar’
brandana af knerrinum lét hann setja yfir útidyrr sínar, he had the ship´s beaks placed over his outer door
My guess is that brandr gained this meaning because the ship´s prow, being pointy, was likened to a sword cutting through the billows, or enemy ships
Kveðja
Alan
-----Original Message-----
From: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:norse_course@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Patricia
Sent:
Wednesday, 6 July 2005
3:16 AM
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [norse_course]
Miscellanea Section L Subsection (ii)/Translation
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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