Hi Andy,

Gordon has "wound-grouse" in the glossary, but simplifies this
to "eagle", as you say, in the notes. This is a kenning of a kind
much used by Old Norse poets. The name of any bird is combined with
a warlike attribute (such as "wound" or "blood" or "battle" or the
name of Odin or one of the valkyries) to mean raven, or eagle.
According to convention, a drink or any other liquid mentioned in
connection with such a bird is to be understood to mean blood.

Ravens as bird: http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/rbird.html
Blood as drink: http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/drink.html

For all your kenning needs: [ http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/ ]. If
you klick on kennings, then "analytical glossary", you'll find 'ben-
þiþurr' "wound partridge = raven". Browsing through the entries you
can see how the same few ideas are expressed is many different
ways. I don't know if it's always possible to say for sure whether
a raven or an eagle is meant in all such kennings (raven seems more
common, as the archetypal carrion eating bird), but maybe that's not
such a big difference as the bird is almost always aluded to in its
role as an eater of carrion.

Another anomaly I just noticed, Gordon in the notes translates 'und'
= undir "under". But in the glossary 11/80 is translated "behind".
I don't know why that is. Zoega just has under + acc. with motion.
But if they're standing behind/under their shields, they wouldn't be
going under them, so that's a bit puzzling. As far as I know 'ráða'
is being used here just as a meaningless poetic auxiliary like
the "did" in Gordon's translation. Anyone know more about this?

Llama Nom





--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Andrew Higgins
<asthiggins@...> wrote:

>
> Hey All
>
> I have been working my way through E.V. Gordon's Intro
> to Old Norse (after learning the basics of Grammer
> through the groups excellent website and the Michael
> Barnes books). I am in the middle of the Fostbroetra
> Saga (pages 126-127) and have a question about an
> animal mentoned in the poem that Thormod recites to
> the women in the barley barn about the Battle at
> Stikalstad and Olfr's fall (a rainy battle field I
> visted this Monday). In the poem on page 127 (line
> 83) Thromod says
>
> Hringr ok Dagr at thingi
> redu their und rauthar
> randir prutt at standa
> fekk benthithurr blakkan
> bjor - doglingar fjorir
>
> Which I traslate as:
>
> Hringr and Dingr at the meeting of sharp swords
> did stand proudly beside shields of blood (? - red
> shields)
> the ??? received the/his black beer (?) - the four
> valiant princes!
>
> The ??? is the question - according to Zoega a
> thithurr is a wood-grouse, capercailye - but Gordon's
> translation is "eagle" which seems to make more sense!
> Any thoughts here - and is "black beer" use anywhere
> else - perhaps as a kenning for victory, revenge -
> over the four valiant princes.
>
> Thanks, Andy
>
>
>
>
>
>
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