Snorri Sturluson

Edda
HáttatalSnorri Sturluson

Edda
Háttatal

Edited by

ANTHONY FAULKESSECOND EDITIONVIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

2007

© Anthony Faulkes 1991, 1999, 2007
First published by Clarendon Press in 1991.
Reprinted with addenda and corrigenda by
Short Run Press Limited, Exeter in 1999.
Second edition 2007.

ISBN: 978 0 903521 68 0

Contents
Manuscript Sigla ................................................................................... vi
Introduction ........................................................................................ vii
The Poem and its Author .............................................................. vii
Influences on the Work ................................................................. xii
Influence on Later Writers .......................................................... xvii
Evaluation .................................................................................. xviii
Preservation ..................................................................................xxi
This Edition ................................................................................ xxiii
Further Reading .......................................................................... xxiv
Text ........................................................................................................ 3
Textual Notes ....................................................................................... 41
Explanatory Notes ............................................................................... 47
Appendix: Examples of Snorri’s Metres in Other Old Norse Verse ....... 77
Bibliography ........................................................................................ 92
Glossary ............................................................................................... 98
Index of Names .................................................................................. 166
General Index .................................................................................... 170

Manuscript Sigla
R
T

U

W

Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, Gks 2367 4to; ed. SnE(1931); facsimile in Wessén (1940).
Utrecht, University Library, 1374; ed. W. van Eeden, De Codex
Trojectinus van de Snorra Edda (Leiden, 1913); Árni Björnsson,
Snorra Edda (Reykjavík, 1975); facsimile in Codex Trajectinus, ed.
Anthony Faulkes (Early Icelandic Manuscripts in Facsimile, 15;
Copenhagen, 1985).
Uppsala, University Library, DG 11; ed. SnE 1848–87, II 250–396;
facsimile in Snorre Sturlas(s)ons Edda. Uppsala-handskriften DG
11 (I, Stockholm, 1962; II, Uppsala, 1977).
Copenhagen, Arnamagnæan Institute, AM 242 fol.; ed. SnE 1924;
facsimile in Codex Wormianus (Corpus Codicum Islandicorum Medii
Aevi, 2; Copenhagen, 1931).

Introduction
The Poem and its Author
Háttatal is an Icelandic poem in 102 stanzas divided into three sections(kvæ›i) which exemplifies a wide variety of verse-forms available to Norse
poets in the thirteenth century, accompanied by a prose commentarythat points out the main features of each verse-form. The content of thepoem is praise in traditional skaldic style of Hákon Hákonarson, king of
Norway 1217–1263, and his co-regent and future father-in-law Earl Skúli(1188/9–1240), for their generosity and valour in battle. The first section,
stt. 1–30, is about Hákon, the second, stt. 31–67, is about Skúli, except
for st. 67, which is about both rulers; in the third, stt. 68–95 are also
mainly about Skúli, stt. 96–102 again seem to relate to both rulers; seenote to stt. 1–30 and Möbius (1879–81), I 35–6. It was composed bySnorri Sturluson (1179–1241), apparently in Iceland after his first visit
to Norway to visit the two rulers in 1218–20, and is thus an example ofthe modification of the skaldic tradition brought about by the increasinguse of the written word for literature in Scandinavia: instead of being
recited aloud from memory by the poet in person before the ruler and his
court, Snorri’s poem was (presumably) sent in manuscript form to its
patrons to be read by them or to them by someone else (cf. rita in
Glossary). There is no record of its reception. It is found in manuscripts
as the third part of Snorri’s Edda, after Gylfaginning (with its prologue)
and Skáldskaparmál, though it is likely to have been the first part to havebeen composed (see Wessén 1940, 31–2).
Snorri’s authorship of the poem is unequivocally confirmed both byattribution in the earliest manuscript (U) and by the attribution to him ofextracts from it quoted in Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar and the third
Grammatical Treatise (both by his nephew Sturla ﬁór›arson) and in
additions to Skáldskaparmál in W (cf. also the reference in TGT 96: í
hattatali ﬂví er Snorri hefir ort; the title is also found in rubrics in U andwith the quotations from the poem in Hákonar saga and TGT and in theheading in T). Whether he also wrote the commentary, and whether thiswas sent to the rulers of Norway along with the poem, is much less certain.
The prologue to the Grammatical Treatises in W seems to refer to itviii

Háttatal

naming Snorri as the author (eigi lengri reknar en Snorri lofar, GT
Prologue 155, cf. Háttatal 8/29–31), and the reference in TGT 96 canalso be taken to refer to the commentary. But there are occasional
discrepancies between the stanzas of the poem and the comments onthem that cannot all be blamed on inaccurate copying, though they may
be partly due to the poet’s difficulty in analysing his practice if this was
based on an intuitive rather than conscious grasp of principles. There are
the following apparent examples of the commentary not fitting the verses:(i) At 15/9–12 the etymology of the word aflei›ing suggests that it
belongs with the first word of st. 15 rather than the last of st. 14.
(ii) At 16/13 none of the possible meanings of tí›ar fall seems to fit thepairs of words exemplifying refhvƒrf in stt. 17–22.
(iii) The similar phrase at 23/11, í eina tí›, also does not seem to fit theexamples in st. 23.
(iv) Lines 23/11–16 seem to be in the wrong place, since st. 24 does
not involve variation in length of line or in arrangement of hendings;
these variations first appear in stt. 33 and 28 respectively.
(v) Lines 27/12–16 also seem to be in the wrong place, since the words
as they stand ought more naturally to refer to the preceding verse, and it
is rather artificial to make them introduce st. 28, with which they belong;cf. Möbius (1879–81), II 51–2.
(vi) Lines 28/12–13 mention the possibility of the frumhending fallingon the second syllable of the lines with skjálfhenda, which happens in st.
33 but not in st. 28.
(vii) Lines 32/9–10 claim that the two hendings in the even lines bothend á einum hljó›staf, which is not the case.
(viii) Lines 77/9–10 state that there may be 7 syllables in a line ofhálfhnept, but none of the lines of st. 77 has more than 6.
(ix) Line 79/10 states that the hendings in st. 79 are as in dróttkvætt,but line 3 has a›alhending.
(x) The statement at 82/10–12, whatever the meaning of hljó›stafr,
does not seem to apply to st. 82.
Some of these discrepancies may be oversights on the part of the author,
especially if there was an interval between the composition of the poem
and the compilation of the commentary. Others may be due to ourmisunderstanding of the author’s terminology, which in some cases may
have been experimental; and there is the perennial problem of medieval
rationalisation never quite conforming to our modern methods of analysis.
Certainly the fact that Snorri is clearly able to handle resolution with

Introductionix

short stressed syllables in his verse, though he is unable to give an
explanation of it that conforms to Sievers’s perception of it (6/22–8/14),
should not be used as evidence that he was not the author of thecommentary, though there do seem to be certain illogicalities and misunderstandings in the commentary that readers are reluctant to attributeto Snorri.
The kind of analysis and the way in which the dialogue form is handled(the speakers have no identity and the questions are not maintained
throughout the work) are also different from what is found in Gylfaginningand Skáldskaparmál, though this may be because Snorri’s techniquesdeveloped over the period he was engaged on his Edda (which may havebeen extensive, and Háttatal is assumed to have been written before theother two sections). The description of the kenning and particularly of
the sannkenning, the meaning of the word fornafn and the exemplificationof n‡gjƒrvingar are rather different in Skáldskaparmál from what we
find in Háttatal (see under these words in the Glossary). In spite of all
this there does not seem sufficient reason to doubt that the commentary
is by Snorri, and that it formed part of his overall purpose in compilingthe Edda as a handbook for young poets (see the so-called Epilogue,
Skáldskaparmál 5/25–32, and cf. Kuhn 1983, 326). Though Háttatal isformally addressed to the rulers of Norway, its didactic purpose as an aid
and encouragement to other poets and its intended Icelandic audience
are obvious. There is a clear authorial voice in places in the commentary
expressing unhesitant value-judgements on aspects of Norse poetry that
there is no reason not to accept as Snorri’s; these characteristically condemn
excesses of various kinds, such as over-use of attributives (4/18–20),
mixing of metaphors (6/16), repetition of words (8/27), using words in too
extravagant senses (16/13–16), inconsistency in verse-forms (58/14–16),
variation of metre for its own sake leading to lack of euphony (65/14).
There are clear references to identifiable historical events only in stt.
32–7, 39 and 63–6 (cf. Möbius 1879–81, I 39), apart from the mentionsof Snorri’s visit to Norway in 1218–20 (e.g. st. 93; there are otherreferences to his personal experiences in stt. 27–30, 67–70, 80–81, 95,
100–01). Stanzas 33–7 refer to the ‘Vágsbrúarsumar’ of 1214 (Hákonarsaga, ch. 10; the saga, however, does not stress Skúli’s involvement inthese events), and st. 32 refers to the killing of Páll dróttseti, recorded in
the annals under 1214 (Storm 1888, 124, 183; Flb IV 311), though theevent probably took place late in 1213 (Munch 1857, 555). This killing is
not mentioned in Hákonar saga, but it was in the longer version ofBƒglunga sƒgur, probably compiled c.1220 but now only extant in ax

Háttatal

Danish translation from about 1600 (Bƒglunga sƒgur 1988, II 126). It
may be noted that although Háttatal gives the impression that Páll was
killed in battle, he was in fact executed by Skúli for a treacherous attempton the king’s life. Stanza 39 mentions Skúli receiving an earldom fromhis half-brother King Ingi Bár›arson, which happened in 1217 shortly
before the king’s death (Hákonar saga, ch. 11); the two mentions in
Háttatal of Skúli as hertogi, though, presumably only use the word in its
general sense of ‘war-leader’, since Skúli only became duke in 1237
(Hákonar saga, ch. 190) and there is no likelihood that Háttatal wascomposed as late as that (cf. Möbius 1879–81, I 33–4). Stanzas 63–6
refer to the events of 1221–2, when Skúli led an expedition against the
Ribbungar in the Vík and a large party of them, including one of theirleaders, Gunnarr Ásuson, was killed at Apaldrssetr (Hákonar saga, ch.
74; Háttatal, stt. 63–4 are quoted in this chapter and st. 66 in ch. 75, theonly stanzas from Háttatal quoted in the saga). It is rather odd that st. 64
describes Gunnarr as fighting successfully and does not actually mention
his death; perhaps Snorri received a garbled account of what happened.
These events took place after Snorri’s return to Iceland and could nothave been known there before the summer of 1222, so that is the earliest
date for the composition of Háttatal; there is no reason to think that itwas composed long after that date either, since no subsequent events are
mentioned in it, not even the important happenings of 1223; cf. Möbius
(1879–81), I 34, and note to st. 95 below; and Finnur Jónsson (1920–24),
II 86. Konrá› Gíslason (1869), 147–8 accordingly dated Háttatal to1222–3, and this is the accepted date for the poem. Other references to
the king’s activities and dealings with his enemies are described in rather
general terms in Háttatal that hardly allow identification with particular
datable events (stt. 4–9, 17–22, 49–62; cf. Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, II 79);
the references to the punishment of evil-doers (stt. 1, 17) could, however,refer to the expeditions against the Slittungar (Hákonar saga, chs. 47–8)
and Ribbungar (Hákonar saga, chs. 66–9).
In spite of the mentions of the historical situation in Norway aroundthe time of Snorri’s first visit, there is very little evaluation on his part ofthe critical conflicts that were taking place and in which we may suppose
he took a keen interest (there is no mention, for instance, of the conflicts
between Norwegians and Icelanders or of the proposed military expedition
against Iceland in 1220, Hákonar saga, ch. 59). Most of his comments
are designed simply to glorify the position and qualities of Earl Skúli—sometimes to the implied detriment of the king himself. The overprominence Snorri gives to Skúli, however, ironically foreshadows his

Introductionxi

adherence to the earl’s side in the ensuing struggle for supremacy which
the king eventually won, an adherence which was one of the factors leading
to Snorri’s death in Iceland at the hands of an emissary of the king in
1241. Snorri seems already in Háttatal to undervalue King Hákon, his
praise often seeming even more perfunctory in his case than usual inskaldic verse; the king was after all too young at the time to have achieved
the martial prominence that Snorri’s verse attributes to him (he was bornin 1204), and the eulogy comes dangerously close to being há› en eigi
lof (‘scorn rather than praise’, Hkr I 5). The historical references are
therefore more informative about Snorri’s own political leanings thanabout the actual events or situation in Norway when he visited it, though
indeed the king’s youth may be his main reason for devoting the majorityof the poem to Skúli; there must have been rather little to say about Hákon
at that time. Skúli was, moreover, in fact the principal ruler of Norway
and at the zenith of his power at the time of Snorri’s visit, having been
granted a third of the country on his own account and being effectively
regent of the rest because of Hákon’s youth (Hákonar saga, chs. 22 and54). He must have seemed to most people around 1220 the most importantman in Norway and a candidate for future kingship (see Helle 1958, 92),
even though he did not openly try to become king until somewhat later(1223, Hákonar saga, ch. 88). By the time of Snorri’s second visit to
Norway (1237–9) there was open rivalry and sometimes hostility between
King Hákon and Earl Skúli, and Snorri not only spent most of his timewith the latter, but also deliberately flouted the king’s orders, showing
clearly which ruler he preferred (Hákonar saga, ch. 195). Moreover, theanecdote in Hákonar saga, ch. 194 suggests that Skúli responded
favourably to Snorri’s poetic gifts; there is no evidence that King Hákon
did. It is clear that on both his visits, Snorri was closer to Earl Skúli than
to the king (Sturl. I 271–2, 277–8, 444).
Similarly, Snorri’s references to himself in the poem are little morethan the standard skaldic references to the poet’s art and to the hospitality
and generosity of the recipients of his poem (stt. 27–31, 67–70, 80–81,
93, 95, 100). A few stanzas refer to his journey from Iceland to Norway
and provide the opportunity for some not unskilful descriptions of sailing(stt. 27, 101; cf. also stt. 19–22, 34, 36, 38 and 71–9, which are apparently
about expeditions in which Snorri took part while in Norway, and stt.
23–4, 29, 83, 86–9 and 91, which describe the feasting at the Norwegian
court—Snorri really seems to have been somewhat dazzled by the
spendour there), but it would be as much a mistake to look in this poem
for expression of personal response to experience as it is to look for it inxii

Háttatal

the poems of Snorri’s predecessors. A major part of the poem is devoted
to lively but unspecific and undetailed descriptions of battles supposedly
engaged in by Hákon and Skúli. The poem is both a technical exercise
and a part of the ritual of relationships between courtier and rulers, and is
not the place for self-revelation.

Influences on the Work
The forerunners of Háttatal are of three kinds. Many of the verse-forms
Snorri exemplifies had been used before by Norse poets (Norwegian or
Icelandic) of the Viking Age or later, though in some cases the origins
may have been in medieval Latin verse. A poem exemplifying various
Norse metres known as Háttalykill, ‘key of metres’, had been composed
by Hallr ﬁórarinsson and Earl Rƒgnvaldr of Orkney in the 1140s. And
there existed a number of Latin treatises on metre with examples, as wellas poems exemplifying the varieties of Latin metres.
In Latin literature probably the best-known treatment of metre was
Servius De centum metris (Keil 1855–80, IV xlv–xlvii, 456–67). It
contains a hundred examples of different metres composed by the author,
who refers to the work as ‘centimetrum’ (p. 457). The Venerable Bede, in
his own De arte metrica I xxiiii (1975, 138), uses the phrase in libris
Centimetrorum as if such works were common. Aldhelm also wrote a
treatise De metris (Epistola ad Acircium; 1919, 61–204). It is not certainthat any of these Latin treatises were known directly in medieval Iceland.
While Háttatal more than any other of the writings attributed to Snorri isreminiscent in manner and style and approach of the learned Latin treatises(particularly in its opening), the influence of any specific work cannot bedemonstrated either on its form or its actual scheme of categorisationand vocabulary. All that can be said is that the idea of composing a poem
to exemplify (about) a hundred verse-forms with a commentary is very
likely to have been suggested by knowledge, even if indirect, of one ormore of the above works. As in other matters, Snorri seems to be
influenced by foreign models, but his actual product is not imitative orderivative but based firmly on native tradition, though perhaps not forthe most part on his own original perceptions and analysis.
There is remarkable correspondence between the opening of Háttatal
and the beginning of Fortunatianus, Ars rhetorica, book 3 (4th c. AD;
Halm (1863), 120–21, with the text corrected from Faral (1924), 55 n. 2):

Introduction

xiii

Quot sunt generales modi dispositionis?
Duo.
Qui?
Naturalis et artificialis, id est utilitatis.
Quando naturalem ordinem sequemur?
Si nihil nobis oberit in causa.
Quid si aliquid occurrerit necessitate utilitatis?
Ordinem immutabimus naturalem.
Et quid sequemur?
Artificialem.
Quot modi sunt naturalis ordinis?
Octo.
Qui?
Totius orationis (per partes), per tempora, per incrementa, per status, per
scriptorum partes atque verba, per confirmationis ac reprehensionis discrimen,
per generales ac speciales quaestiones, per principales et incidentes.

But Fortunatianus is concerned with rhetoric, not metre, and his categories
are different; only the manner is similar, and no direct influence is likely.
Similarly, the use of the categories setning, leyfi, fyrirbo›ning seem tocorrespond to the three categories of Latin theorists (pars praeceptiva,pars permissiva, pars prohibitiva; see note to 0/7), but again the categories
are applied in a different way and to metrics rather than grammar or
rhetoric, and the similarity shows no more than a passing familiarity withthe manner of Latin textbooks.
Háttalykill was probably not designed as a survey of available Norse
metres, but was a tour de force involving the use of various metres, someof which were traditional Norse ones, but some of which were clearlymodelled on poetry in other languages (on Háttalykill see Kuhn 1983,
317–19). As pointed out in JH–AH 120–21, of the metres represented in
Háttalykill, only those of stt. 1 (ljó›sháttr), 2 (kvi›uháttr), 3 (dróttkvætt),8 (munnvƒrp), 26 (háttlausa), 13 (tøgdrápulag), 19 (Bálkarlag), 24(runhent), 16 (hrynhenda) are clearly traditional Norse metres that wereused at all widely in early verse. Snorri, in reproducing both the traditional
and innovatory forms of Háttalykill as well as giving examples of othermetres that had never in the ordinary way been used by Norse poets before,
must also to a certain extent be said to be exemplifying what was theoretically possible in Norse verse, not what had actually been practised. (Onuse of foreign metres in Háttatal cf. Bjarni Einarsson 1969, 30; Heusler
1925, I 313–14.) One untraditional feature in Snorri’s practice in Háttatal
is the tendency to end-stopping of lines. This is particularly noticeable(and indeed almost unavoidable) in the runhent metres and hrynhenda,

xiv

Háttatal

which are dominant in the latter part of the poem. Hrynhenda also tends
to trochaic metre, which emphasises its similarity to Irish and Latin forms.
A form of hrynhenda and runhent are combined in stt. 90–91; the result
is nearly identical with the ecclesiastical trochaic tetrameter, which may
indeed be the origin of this type (see JH–AH 131). Dunhenda, i›urmælt
and klifat use devices that are common ‘colours’ in classical rhetoric(JH–AH 127–8). Stúfar, of which Snorri has three variants (Háttalykill
has only one, st. 31, where the b-lines are st‡ft) are rare outside these
poems, and may also owe something to the influence of foreign metres(JH–AH 120). The device of refrún/refhvarf, not really common in Old
Norse poetry (though it is used in Háttalykill, stt. 20, 28, 35, and there
are seven kinds in Háttatal), may also originate in Latin tradition (JH–AH
124). The same may be true of greppaminni, sextánmælt and others(JH–AH 125–7). There are also many verse-forms both in Háttalykill
and Háttatal that are not found in earlier Norse verse except as sporadic
variants in individual lines of verses that are otherwise normal dróttkvætt,and many of these may originate outside the Norse area too. Jón Helgason
and Anne Holtsmark make much of the learned and foreign influenceson the poets of Háttalykill; they point out that the twelfth century was atime of experimentation in European metres, and that there was a great
deal of influence between Latin and the vernaculars in lyric forms.
But though the forms used in Háttalykill and Háttatal show wide
variation, they include few forms that use anything other than the eightline stanza (only Háttalykill, stt. 5 and 22, which each have ten lines;
Háttatal, st. 100 and Háttalykill, st. 1, which have six lines; and Háttatal,st. 101, which has seven) and none that lack alliteration; rhyme is variable
in its nature and placing, and not always present. Line-length varies fromthree syllables to nine; rhythms are almost infinitely variable, but very
few of those used in Háttatal are not Sievers types (stt. 72, 76 and 84; see
Sievers 1893, 113, 115). Kuhn (1983), 324 points out that fifty-six of thestanzas in Háttatal are basically dróttkvætt in form (as are nineteen of
those in Háttalykill), namely stt. 1–32, 35–48, 52–8, 66–7, 88; thevariations in stt. 24, 36–8, 41–8, 52–8, 66–7 concern only the arrangementof the hendings. Those of Snorri’s forms that do not conform to the
traditional rules of versification (according to Kuhn 1983, 325, stt. 9–10,
28, 37–8, 40, 43–4, 48, 57, 59–61) are rarely found used consistently inwhole poems outside the Háttalyklar.
Only one of the verse-forms of Háttalykill is completely lacking in
Háttatal (núfuháttr, st. 22). But many of the correspondences between
verses in the two poems are only approximate, and Háttatal often divides

Introduction

xv

Háttalykill forms into several variants (as for instance with tøglag), andoften has greater regularity and organisation in its forms as well as greater
complexity; the order is made more rational. Háttalykill is of course
incomplete, but fewer than half the forms in Háttatal correspond at all
closely to those of the earlier poem as it survives, and about forty-five
could be said to have no antecedent in it at all.
Háttalykill largely lacks the self-consciousness of Háttatal; the poets
do not speak so much of their art in the poem as Snorri does in his (see,for example, Háttatal, stt. 95–7, 100, 102), and there is no commentary
preserved. It also lacks the organisation of the later poem. The verseforms seem to appear in random order. It is not an exemplification of thecourt praise-poem; the subject-matter is an account of kings and heroesof the past, to a certain extent in chronological order, so that the poem
belongs more with genealogical poems like Ynglingatal and Háleygjatal
or catalogue-poems like Íslendingadrápa than with Háttatal.
The precedents for the verse-forms of Háttatal in Norse poetry arelisted in the Appendix. From this it will be seen that there are clear
precedents for just over thirty of them; just over thirty have no precedents
at all except in some cases in Háttalykill; and the rest have partial
precedents, that is to say the features of the verse-forms are found inindividual lines of earlier verse, but not used consistently throughout astanza or poem. Put another way, most of the variations of dróttkvætt—the stylistic or rhetorical ones, the syntactical ones, the use of elision,
contraction and resolution, those that involve particular arrangements ofhendings and alliteration and those that use particular rhythmical patterns,
exemplified in stt. 2–48, 52–8 and 66–7—are found in earlier poems
except for those of stt. 14 and 16, but except for stt. 13, 28, 35 and 66
generally only in odd lines and in some cases extremely rarely (as for
instance refhvarf, stt. 17–23). There are also precedents for hrynhenda,
tøglag, hálfhnept, Ha›arlag; the runhent forms based on fornyr›islag,málaháttr, dróttkvætt and hrynhenda; kvi›uháttr and the ‘eddic’ metresin stt. 62–4, 68–70, 77, 79–81, 83, 85–8, 90–91, 94–102, though not
generally conforming consistently to any one of the subtypes that Snorri
exemplifies. But there are no real precedents at all except in Háttalykill
for the stúfar (except in so far as these coincide with hálfhnept),
kimblabƒnd, draughent, grœnlenzki háttr, n‡i háttr, stúfhent, náhent,
hnugghent and alhnept of stt. 49–51, 59–61, 65, 71–6, 78, or for thevarieties of runhent in stt. 82, 84, 89, 92–3. On the other hand, while
there are probably no verse-forms used at all widely in earlier poetrythat are not represented in Háttatal, not all the variant patterns that poets

xvi

Háttatalused in the arrangement of hendings are found in it, particularly the typewith hendings between syllables in the odd and even lines combinedwith a separate pair of hendings in the even lines (the type Mál es lofs atl‡sa | ljósgar› es ﬂák bar›a, in Egill’s Skjaldardrápa, ÍF II 272; see
Kuhn 1981, 298–303). One of Snorri’s most characteristic tendencies,
and one in which he clearly departs from the practice of most earlier
poets, is his tendency to make all lines in a stanza consistent in form andrhythm. Earlier skaldic poets usually took advantage of the flexibility ofdróttkvætt to vary both rhythm and arrangement of hendings andalliterative staves from one line to another.
Háttatal exemplifies the development in attitudes to poetry in Icelandthat led both to a greater awareness of literary and linguistic theory andto more academic styles of composition. Háttalykill shows that thisdevelopment was well under way by the middle of the twelfth century; itis also already clearly discernible in the poetry of Einarr Skúlason, agreat experimenter both with form and content, as well as a carefulobserver of the ‘rules’ (cf. Kuhn 1983, 312–17). Alvíssmál and the ﬂulur
show the same underlying trend (whenever it was that they werecomposed), and Haukr Valdísarson’s Íslendingadrápa, Málsháttakvæ›i
and Bjarni Kolbeinsson’s Jómsvíkingadrápa can be considered to reveal
the same academic tendency. These last three poems are all preserved inmanuscripts of Snorri’s Edda, like the four Grammatical Treatises, whichdisplay the more specifically analytical attitude that developed towards
both language in general and poetry in particular once literacy wasestablished in Iceland. Several of the poems mentioned above haveconnections with Orkney, and there were also close relations between
Orkney and Oddi in southern Iceland, where Snorri was brought up. It
has seemed likely to many scholars that there might have been a ‘school’of (or indeed for) poets at Oddi with influence from and on Orkney. Bothplaces seem to have been particularly open to influence from more
southern parts of Europe while at the same time being especially concernedto preserve knowledge of native Scandinavian tradition and culture (seeBjarni Gu›nason 1963, 258 n.; on Orkney as an intermediary between
the cultures of the European continent and Iceland see Chesnutt 1968).
There is however little actual evidence for the existence of formal trainingof vernacular poets in medieval Iceland, though if there had been, Snorri’s
Edda would have been the ideal textbook (cf. Paasche 1957, 411–12); all
the sources indicate is informal apprenticeship such as is described in Egils
saga, ch. 78 (ÍF II 268). Composition of Latin verse was evidently taught
at the cathedral school at Hólar; see Jóns saga helga, ch. 8 (ÍF XV2 217).

Introduction

xvii

Influence on Later Writers
As a composer of praise-poetry for the Norwegian court, Snorri is almost
at the end of the tradition, and his aim of revitalising the activity was notrealised. There was indeed another generation of poets who composed inhonour of the kings of Norway after him, of whom the most distinguished
was his nephew Sturla ﬁór›arson, but in the thirteenth century praisepoetry had become a largely literary activity (Háttatal itself, if it wasdelivered at all, must have been delivered in manuscript form), and it isdoubtful whether any new court poetry was transmitted or preserved orally
after Snorri’s time (Sturla’s poems are preserved as quotations, presented
as sources, in his own prose sagas). But as a means of preserving thememory of historical events, as well as as an organ of royal propaganda,skaldic poetry was being superseded by the written prose saga—had indeed
been since the time of King Sverrir—and as a part of the ritual andentertainment of the court was being superseded by various kinds of prose
narrative, including translated romances; taste in poetry was moving tofavour the ballad and its derivatives; in Iceland a new genre, the rímur,was to replace skaldic verse as a medium of entertainment both written
and oral. The skaldic tradition continued for a generation or so in alteredstyle as a medium for religious poetry, both narrative and devotional, andsome fourteenth-century poets refer to eddu reglur and eddu list (‘therules of [the] edda’, ‘the art of [the] edda’; Skj A II 348, 394, 429). The
references are usually part of a humility topos (the writer claims he knows
nothing about the rules and art of poetry), and edda by now may mean
nothing more than ‘poetics’ or ‘rhetoric’ in general, but the remarks areevidence that as a result of Snorri’s work there was a greater awarenessof poetic theory in late medieval Icelandic poets. For these religious poets
as for the composers of rímur it is likely that Skáldskaparmál was more
influential than Háttatal, though the latter probably played its part inencouraging the metrical experimentation, variation and complexity thatcharacterise Icelandic poetry in the late Middle Ages and later. The use ofunusual metres in verses quoted in Sturlunga saga is also probably due inpart to the influence of Háttatal; some of them seem to be direct imitationsof forms in Snorri’s poem (see e.g. JH–AH 126); Snorri’s nephew Sturlaﬁór›arson also clearly chose metres for his poems from those exemplifiedin Háttatal. The specific tradition of the ‘key of metres’ initiated by Rƒgnvaldr
Kali, Hallr ﬁórarinsson and Snorri was continued by various Icelandic
poets in the late Middle Ages and afterwards, for example, the Háttalyklar
attributed to Loptr inn ríki Gutthormsson (Småstykker 1884–91, 203–82,

xviii

Háttatal

297–344; see Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, III 20–22), Máríulykill (JónHelgason 1936–8, II 203–28), the Háttalykill of ﬁór›ur Magnússon á
Strjúgi (Småstykker 1884–91, 345–60) and that of Hallur Magnússon
(see Jón ﬁorkelsson 1888, 361–7, cf. 243 n. 1; Möbius 1879–81, I 43 n.).
Snorri’s technical vocabulary is different from that of FGT and overlaps
to only a limited extent with that of SGT (see hljó›stafr in Glossary;compare SGT 50–54 with the beginning of Háttatal) and TGT (see, forexample, samstafa in Glossary), though TGT does quote and use Háttatal
in various places. It is FoGT that is most clearly influenced by Snorri’s
work, quoting it quite extensively (see especially FoGT 136–7) and usingmuch of its terminology. The prologue to the Grammatical Treatises inW (probably written by the compiler of FoGT: Finnur Jónsson 1920–24,
II 922 n. 3) also refers to Háttatal (as well as to Gylfaginning and
Skáldskaparmál). The treatises, however, are in general more learned
than Snorri, and show clearer signs, both in their terminology and methods,of knowledge of particular Latin treatises, TGT and FoGT being basedquite closely on extant Latin sources, principally Priscian, Donatus andAlexander de Villedieu; see Foote (1982); Raschellà (1983), 302–04.
The names Snorri (or later scribes of his work) gave to the various verseforms of Háttatal may in some cases have been traditional before histime; a number appear in headings in Háttalykill, though often in variant
forms which may not be purely scribal, and the use of minni and minztr
in some of them is reminiscent of the Irish mór/becc in Irish Treatises (Iam indebted to Stephen Tranter [personal communication] for this observation, cf. Tranter 1997, 117–18), but a number of them were obviously
originally names for phenomena occurring sporadically in skaldic verse(such as stælt, hjástælt, tiltekit, tilsagt, refhvarf, ﬂríhent, dunhenda, náhendr), and only when Snorri had constructed stanzas using them consistently did they become names of verse-forms (Kuhn 1983, 326). As aresult of the influence of Háttatal many of them have remained in use inmodern Icelandic (about 40% of Snorri’s terms appear in Helgi Sigur›sson
1891, 13–38, though not always with the same meanings as in Háttatal).

Evaluation
Though Snorri is now celebrated mainly for his prose writing, particularly
Heimskringla, but also for his mythological work in Gylfaginning and
Skáldskaparmál, his contemporaries seem to have thought more highlyof him as a poet. While there is only passing reference to his historical
works in Sturlunga saga (Sturl. I 342), he is in several places referred to as

Introduction

xix

a poet (Sturl. I 269, 271, 278, 284; cf. Gunnlaugs saga, ÍF III 51 n. 3; see
Bjarni Einarsson 1969, 27), though without special reference to Háttatal;
but evaluation of his other work is difficult when so little of it survives:
Skáldatal (SnE 1848–87, III 270–86) mentions poems now lost on King
Sverrir, King Ingi Bár›arson, Earl Hákon galinn (d. 1214; see Sturl. I 269);
a poem Andvaka on Earl Hákon’s wife is mentioned in Sturl. I 271 (seeBjarni Einarsson 1969); of two poems on Earl Skúli besides Háttatal, allthat is preserved is the stef, three lines, of one of them, Sturl. I 278, cf. 284
and Háttatal 69; of a poem apparently about Bishop Gu›mundr Arason
only a couplet survives (quoted TGT 76). Snorri was evidently quite aprolific poet, but besides Háttatal and the two fragments just mentioned
all that survives of his poetry is six and a half lausavísur quoted in
Sturlunga saga, TGT, FoGT, additions to Skáldskaparmál in W, andHákonar saga Hákonarsonar.
Scholars this century have not rated Háttatal highly as a poem: theusual judgement has been that it shows technical brilliance but lacks
inspiration—a more extreme version of the commonest view of skaldic
praise-poems in general; cf. Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, II 88, who rates
the lausavísur higher; Jón Helgason (1953), 131, 157–8; Hallberg (1975),
2. Spontaneity, expressiveness and sincerity were probably not, however,qualities thought indispensable in court poetry in the Middle Ages, whenartistry and control of technique were more highly valued. Hans Kuhn,
indeed, even criticised Snorri’s versification, and has claimed that hereveals that he does not understand certain aspects of Norse metre (1983,
327; 1969a, 230–31), and that he fails to observe some of the restrictions
on placing of parts of speech in the verse-line that were almost invariably
observed by earlier skalds, constructing, for instance, lines with a nominal
element before the first stave (1969, 226; cf. 1983, 282, 325–7). In fact
various changes in the language (e.g. changes in the relative stressing ofdifferent word-classes and blurring of quantitative distinctions, see Noreen
1923, § 125) resulted in poets of the later Middle Ages perceiving stressand metre rather differently from poets of the Viking Age, and it was
becoming impossible to preserve the nuances of line-structure that had
been natural to those poets in any case. Háttatal also seems more often touse artificial word-order than earlier skaldic verse, though not so frequently if the interpretations proposed by E. A. Kock in NN are accepted,
rather than those of Finnur Jónsson in Skj B and LP. But the use of complex,
almost regularly interwoven clauses at times (e.g. in stt. 36, 78, 98)
becomes reminiscent of vers rapporté (on which see Raynaud de Lage
1951, 157–8 and de Vries 1964–7, II 31; cf. Háttalykill, st. 35). Snorri’s

xx

Háttatal

lapses are not unprecedented, though they were usually avoided by the‘stricter’ court poets, and various kinds of licence seem to have been
permitted in the less formal verse such as is often quoted in Sagas of
Icelanders; see Kuhn (1983), 218–20; (1937), 63, where he quotes references to such freedom in Sighvatr’s lausavísa 29 (Skj A I 274), Bjƒrn Hítdælakappi’s lausavísa 21 (ÍF III 190) and Sneglu-Halli’s lausavísa 7 (ÍF IX
292–3); cf. also Kuhn (1981). The only stanzas in Háttatal that seem not
to be analysable according to Sievers’s principles seem to be 72 (the evenlines), 76/1, 3, 5 and 84. It might be said that Snorri’s use of kennings
shows little imagination too, considering the range of knowledge of themhe shows in Skáldskaparmál, but a spirited defence of his verbal artistry
has been made by Bjarne Fidjestøl (1982), 246–55. One apparent lack in apoem that is supposed to be a model for court poets is that the poem
overall lacks a stef; but this is a consequence of varying the metre fromstanza to stanza, making the traditional kind of stef impossible (the only
use of a stef is the klofastef exemplified in the section on tøglag, stt. 68–70;
cf. Fidjestøl 1982, 248). Though many will still find the content of Háttatal rather repetitious and tedious, most will be able to respond to the poet’s
exultation and pride in his technical originality and achievement in his
claim to have composed praise-poetry of an unprecedented kind and that his
poem, his tour de force, will be remembered for ever (stt. 70, 95–7, 100, 102).
The commentary is a remarkable achievement; the level of analysis of
the more technical aspects of verse-structure is impressive. But in a
number of places the writer fails to bring out completely what seem to be
the real distinctive features of stanzas (cf. Kuhn 1983, 326). In particular
he clearly has only an intuitive grasp of resolution (the substitution of adisyllable with short first syllable for a long syllable in stressed position)and is unable to describe it accurately (see, for instance, 7/11–8/14). In
general, though, if the writer does not analyse the metres quite in the waythat a modern writer would, he shows remarkable perception given themeans available to him. Another feature that disturbs modern analysts isthat he tends to assign the name of a class of phenomena to a subclass ofitself (e.g. 2/10–11 and 4/21–2), but this is common medieval (and indeed
classical) practice, not a sign of incompetence.
In the arrangement of verse-forms, Snorri puts dróttkvætt first and fornyr›islag and its variants last, in defiance of the usual assumptions about
the historical development of Norse metres. This, however is not due toignorance. Snorri knew that eddic poems—and hence their metres—had alonger history than skaldic poems, as is evident from Gylfaginning, where
he excluded the latter from within the dialogue to avoid anachronism (eddic

Introductionxxi

poems he claims to have in some cases been composed by the Æsir inprehistoric times; skaldic poems are by historical vikings). The arrangementin Háttatal is not intended to be historical—which seems the natural
approach only to modern scholars—but typological. The verse-forms arearranged and analysed structurally and evaluated hierarchically, with thestandard form (for praise-poems, which is Snorri’s topic) first and the simplest
types, inir smæri hættir, those hardly, in Snorri’s view, being elaborate enoughfor court poetry, at the end. The section on fornskálda hættir (stt. 54–8)
shows that he was well aware of the way in which the historical development of dróttkvætt took place, and that he realised that variation in thearrangement of hendings was characteristic of the earliest skaldic verse,
even if the precise variations he attributes to particular early poets are notspecific to the work of theirs that has survived. His view of the status of the‘older’ poets probably owes something to the medieval attitude to the classics.
Snorri’s is by far the earliest medieval treatise on the metres of poetry in a
Germanic language; before his time the only European vernacular in whichsuch treatises were written was Irish (see Murphy 1961; de Vries 1964–7, II 32).
His poem and its commentary are therefore of immense importance for our
understanding of Germanic metres and of the ways in which medieval poets
in northern Europe perceived their work. It is particularly remarkable that
Snorri was contemporary with the first writers in southern Europe to deal in
the vernacular with vernacular versification (Raimon Vidal, c.1200; Uc
Faidit c.1240; see Patterson 1935, I 34), though his work is not very similar
to theirs (it is more similar in method and approach to the Irish treatises, but
it is improbable that he could have been influenced by them either; cf. Tranter1997). It is possible that the Icelandic interest in poetic theory was one of
the effects stimulated by the visit of Rƒgnvaldr Kali and his party to Provencein the mid-twelfth century, and by the subsequent mediation of cultural
influence from Europe to Iceland via Orkney (cf. Heusler 1925, I 313).

Preservation
There are four independent manuscripts that contain all or a substantial
part of Háttatal. In the Codex Regius (R = Reykjavík, Stofnun ÁrnaMagnússonar GkS 2367 4to, written in the first half of the fourteenth
century) it is virtually complete, though some passages at the tops of pages
have been rubbed so as to be nearly illegible (of two lines in one stanza,
no. 94, very little can be read, and the text at this point is not extant elsewhere) and it seems clear that some words and phrases have been omitted

xxii

Háttatalfrom the commentary (e.g. that to st. 53); the commentary is entirely
lacking for st. 38, which is placed at the end of the poem. The commentaryin various places requires emendation to make sense. The text of the verses
has in many places been corrected or amended by a second contemporary
hand (R*), which has also added some headings (see Finnur Jónsson
1892). Codex Trajectinus (T = Utrecht, University Library 1374, written
about 1595, but probably a copy of a thirteenth-century manuscript nowlost) has a text very similar to that in R, though inaccurate in many places
and ending after st. 61 (the last leaves of the manuscript are lost). Codex
Wormianus (W = Copenhagen, Arnamagnæan Institute, AM 242 fol., written
about the middle of the fourteenth century) included Háttatal after the four
Grammatical Treatises, but the leaves containing stt. 1–6 and 87–102 arenow lost (they have been replaced on paper by text copied in the seventeenth
century from extant manuscripts) and various passages in the commentary
are omitted. The Uppsala manuscript (U = Uppsala, University Library,
DG 11, written in the first quarter of the fourteenth century, and probably
the oldest extant manuscript) has a text that breaks off after st. 56 (itseems that for some reason the scribe did not write any more) and is, as
elsewhere in the prose Edda, rather different from the other manuscripts.
The commentary seems in some places to have been shortened and is frequently incoherent, but also often contains words, phrases and headings
lacking in the other manuscripts. Although the text is often inaccurate, it
may well be derived from Snorri’s original independently of the hyparchetype of R, T and W, or may even derive from an early draft made by Snorri.
As well as the text down to st. 56, U has, before the heading to the poem
(and after the version of the second Grammatical Treatise that is included
after Skáldskaparmal) a list of the names of most of the first thirty-six
verse-forms together with the opening lines of the corresponding stanzas(this part of the text is denoted U*). Since many of the names of theverse-forms are omitted from the other manuscripts, this is a most welcome
addition to the text, whether or not the names derive from Snorri. It is,however, difficult to see any possible purpose in this arrangement of thetext other than as an aide-mémoire to someone who knew the text of thepoem by heart, but wanted to be reminded of the order of the verses and of
the names of the verse-forms. It may have been used either in conjunction
with performance, or, perhaps more likely, in conjunction with an oral discussion or lecture on the various metres represented. The reason for stoppingwith st. 36 is not apparent. Other material in the Uppsala manuscript (Skáldatal, the Sturlung genealogy, the list of lawspeakers) suggests that the manuscript is derived from a compilation made from Snorri’s working papers.

Introduction

xxiii

Theoretically, agreement between the text of U and one other manuscript
ought to represent the reading of the archetype (if U goes back independently to Snorri’s original, this would have been an authorial version),but contamination and scribal revision make the situation less straightforward. In some places all four manuscripts seem to share errors (e.g. in
the placing of 8/38–40). The oldest manuscript (U) was written morethan half a century after Snorri’s death and all four contain many patentinaccuracies and omissions. The text of Háttatal, therefore, cannot be
said to be well preserved, and reconstruction of the original is scarcely
possible, at least as regards the commentary; there is not often reason to
doubt the essential accuracy of the text of the poem itself.
Stanzas 63, 64 and 66 are quoted in Sturla ﬁór›arson’s Hákonar saga
Hákonarsonar (chs. 74–5; with attribution to Snorri), stt. 5/3–6, 15/7–16/1,
28/3–4, 40/1–4, 73/1–4, 83/5–6 in the third Grammatical Treatise (withattribution to Snorri except in the case of 40/1–4; the first of these in AM
748 I b 4to, the second, third, fourth and fifth in AM 748 I b 4to and (lines
1–2 only of st. 73) W, the sixth in AM 757 a 4to and W), stt. 12 and 14 in
the fourth Grammatical Treatise (in W with no attribution), stt. 2/5–8 and40/7–8 in the additions to Skáldskaparmál in W (with attribution to Snorri).

This Edition
The spelling is normalised to a thirteenth-century standard and abbreviations are expanded, without notice except where there could be ambiguity.
Punctuation, capitalisation and paragraphing are added, though the occurrence of large capitals in R is noted.
Reconstruction of the author’s original or of the archetype have bothbeen judged impossible, and the text is based on R, supplemented where
necessary (where the text does not give acceptable sense or is clearlydamaged) from T, W and U. Additions and corrections in the second
hand in R when noted are marked R*, the names of metres and readings
from the list of opening lines of stanzas in U are marked U*. Letters andwords no longer legible in R are enclosed in square brackets, letters andwords lacking in R and added from other MSS or by editorial conjecture
are enclosed in pointed brackets. (Round brackets are part of the editorial
punctuation.) An asterisk before a word indicates that it has been emended,
the dagger-sign (†) that the order of words in R has been departed from,or that words in R have been relegated to the textual notes. The text has
been checked with the manuscript, but some readings are legible in photo-xxiv

Háttatalgraphs made before its restoration that are no longer visible in the manuscript itself; and in some places the facsimile edition (1940) is more legible
than either. Many of the readings reported in SnE (1931) and Skj A II,
however, cannot be substantiated, and these editions have too many clear
inaccuracies of detail for such readings to be accepted. The textual notes
record all departures from the text of R and the manuscript sources, ifany, of emendations, but do not attempt in general to record variants, forwhich the reader is directed to the separate editions of T, W and U.
Various rubricated headings in R are now indistinct or illegible (often
it is even difficult to see whether there was a heading or not) and they areinconsistent in the other manuscripts. Where these rubrics of R can be deciphered they are given in the textual notes. There is sporadic numbering of
the stanzas, sometimes rubricated (and difficult to decipher), and presumably
by the original scribe, sometimes in black in the margin, and presumably
the latter are later additions. The numbering is in some cases of verse-forms
rather than stanzas, so that st. 9 is made no. 2 etc. (cf. 67/10–12 and note).
The glossary includes all technical and poetical words with full references, but many ordinary words that should cause no difficulty are omitted.

Further Reading
The fullest edition of Háttatal with discussion and commentary is Möbius
(1879–81). There are notes and especially good interpretations of theverses (in modern Icelandic) by Magnús Finnbogason in SnE (1952).
The text of course appears in the editions of Snorra Edda, of which SnE(1931) has the fullest textual notes, though they are not entirely accurate,and in the facsimiles of the manuscripts (see p. vi above). There is a
Latin translation in SnE (1848–87), I and English ones in Snorri Sturluson,
Edda, tr. Anthony Faulkes (Dent: Everyman’s Library, London, 1987),
and in Martin (1974). The text of the poem (and of other verses by Snorri)appears with Danish translation in Skj and there are comments on
individual stanzas in NN. Metrical matters are discussed in Kuhn (1983),
there is literary discussion in Fidjestøl (1982) and Hallberg (1975), 2 andcomparison with Irish treatises in Tranter (1997). The most important
text for comparison with Háttatal is Háttalykill enn forni (1941). For
Snorri’s life and other writings see Gylfaginning (2005), xxxi–xxxii, andfurther Snorri: Átta alda minning (Reykjavík, 1979); John Simon, ‘Snorri
Sturluson: His Life and Times’, Parergon, 15 (1976), 3–15.

Snorri Sturluson

Edda
PA RT I I I

[Háttatal]<er Snorri Sturluson orti um Hákon konung okSkúla hertoga>
Hvat eru hættir skáldskapar?
ﬁrent.
Hverir?
Setning, leyfi, fyrirbo›ning.
Hvat er setning háttanna?
Tvent.
Hver?
Rétt ok breytt.
Hvernig er rétt setning háttanna?
Tvenn.
Hver?
Tala ok *grein.
Hvat er tala setningar háttanna?
ﬁrenn.
Hver?
Sú er ein tala, hversu margir hættir hafa fundizk í kve›skap hƒfu›skálda. ¯nnur tala er ﬂat, hversu mƒrg vísuor› standa í einu eyrindi í
hverjum hætti. In ﬂri›ja tala er sú, hversu margar samstƒfur eru settar
í hvert vísuor› í hverjum hætti.
Hver er grein setningar *háttanna?
Tvenn.
Hver?
Málsgrein ok hljó›sgrein.
Hvat er málsgrein?
Stafasetning greinir mál allt, en hljó› greinir ﬂat at hafa samstƒfur
langar e›a skammar, har›ar e›a linar, ok ﬂat er setning hljó›sgreina er
vér kƒllum hendingar, svá sem hér er kve›it:Lætr sár Hákun heitir(hann rekkir li›) bannat(jƒr› kann frelsa) fyr›um
fri›rofs konungr ofsa;

3

6

9

12

15

18

21

24

27

30
1
3

4
6

9

12

15

18

21

24

27

Háttatalsjálfr ræ›r allt ok Elfar,
ungr stillir sá, milli(gramr *á gipt at fremri)
Gandvíkr jƒfurr landi.

Hér er stafasetning sú er hætti ræ›r ok kve›andi gerir, ﬂat eru tólf
stafir í eyrindi ok eru ﬂrír settir í hvern fjór›ung. Í hverjum fjór›ungi eru tvau vísuor›. Hverju vísuor›i fylgja sex samstƒfur. Íƒ›ru vísuor›i er settr sá stafr fyrst í vísuor›inu er vér kƒllum hƒfu›staf. Sá stafr ræ›r kve›andi. En í fyrsta vísuor›i mun sá stafr
finnast tysvar standa fyrir samstƒfun. ﬁá stafi kƒllum vér stu›la. Efhƒfu›stafr er samhljó›andi ﬂá skulu stu›lar vera enn inn sami stafr
svá sem hér er:Lætr sá er Hákun heitirhann rekkir li› bannat.
En rangt er ef ﬂessir stafir standa fyrir samstƒfun optar e›a sjaldnar
en svá í fjór›ungi vísu. En ef hljó›stafr er hƒfu›stafrinn ﬂá skulu
stu›lar vera ok hljó›stafir, ok er fegra at sinn hljó›stafr sé hverr
ﬂeira. ﬁá má ok hl‡›a at hljó›stafr standi fyrir optar í fjór›ungi ífornƒfnum e›a í málfylling ﬂeiri er svá kve›r at: ‘ek’ e›a svá: ‘en,er, at, í, *á, of, af, um’, ok er ﬂat leyfi en eigi rétt setning.
¯nnur stafasetning er sú er fylgir setning hljó›s ﬂess er hátt gerirok kve›andi. Skal sú grein í dróttkvæ›um hætti svá vera at fjór›ungr
vísu skal ﬂar saman fara at allri stafasetning ok hljó›a. Skal í fyrra
vísuor›i ﬂannig greina ﬂá setning:Jƒr› kann frelsa fyr›um.

30

33

Hér er svá: ‘jƒr› . . . fyr›-’. ﬁat er ein samstafa í hvárum sta› ok sinnhljó›stafr fylgir hvárri ok svá upphafsstaf[r en einir stafir eru] eptir
hljó›staf í bá›um or›um. ﬁessa setning hljó›falls kƒllum vér skothending. En í ƒ›ru vísuor›i er svá:Fri›rofs konungr ofsa.

36

39

Svá er hér: ‘-rofs . . . ofs-’. ﬁar er einn hljó›stafr ok svá allir ﬂeir er
eptir fara í bá›um or›um, en upphafsstafir greina or›in. ﬁetta heitaa›alhendingar. Svá skal hendingar setja í dróttkvæ›um hætti at hinsí›ari hending í hverju vísuor›i, er heitir vi›rhending, hon skalstanda í ﬂeiri samstƒfu er ein er sí›ar, en sú hending er frumhending
heitir stendr stundum í upphafi or›s—kƒllum vér ﬂá oddhending—stundum í mi›ju or›i—kƒllum vér ﬂá hluthending. ﬁetta er drótt-

Háttatal5kvæ›r háttr. Me› ﬂeima hætti er flest ort ﬂat er vandat er. ﬁessi erupphaf allra hátta sem málrúnar eru fyrir ƒ›rum rúnum.
Hvernig er breytt setning háttanna?
Tvá vega.
Hvernig?
Me› máli ok hljó›um.
Hvernig skal me› máli skipta?
Tvá vega.
Hvernig?
Halda e›a skipta háttunum.
Hvern< i> g skal breyta háttunum ok halda sama hætti?
Svá: at kenna e›a sty›ja e›a reka e›a sannkenna e›a yrkja atn‡gjƒrvingum.
Hvat eru kendir hættir?
Svá sem ﬂetta:
Fellr of fúra stilli
fleinbraks, limu axla,Ham›is *fang, ﬂar er hringum
hylr ættstu›ill skylja;
holt felr hildigelti
heila bœs, < ok> deilirgulls í gelmis stalli
gunnsei› skƒrungr rei›ir.
Hér eru ƒll heiti kend í ﬂessi vísu, en hendingar ok or›aleng› okstafaskipti fara sem fyrr var ritat. Kenningar eru me› ﬂrennum
háttum greindar: fyrst heita *kenningar, annat tvíkent, ﬂri›ja rekit.
ﬁat er kenning at kalla fleinbrak orrostu, en ﬂat er tvíkent at kalla
fleinbraks < fúr> sver›it, en ﬂá er rekit ef lengra er.
Úlfs bága verr ægisítr báls hati málu;
sett eru bƒr› fyrir bratta
brún Míms vinar rúnu;
orms vá›a kann ei›uallvaldr gƒfugr halda;
menstrí›ir njót mó›urmellu dólgs til elli.
Hvat eru sannkenningar?
Svá sem ﬂetta:

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Stinn sár ﬂróask stórum,sterk egg frƒmum seggjum
hvast skerr hlífar traustar;hár gramr lifir framla.
Hrein sver› litar har›ahverr drengr; gƒfugr ﬂengill(ítr rƒnd furask undrum)
unir bjart< r> snƒru hjarta.

ﬁat er sannkenning at sty›ja svá or›it me› sƒnnu efni, svá at kalla stinnsárin, ﬂvíat hƒfug eru sár stór; en rétt er mælt at ﬂróask. ¯nnur
sannkenning er sú at sárin ﬂróask stórum. Nú er eitt vísuor› ok tværsannkenningar. Í ƒ›ru vísuor›i er kƒllu› sterk egg, en framir seggir.
Í inu ﬂri›ja er svá, at hvast skerr, hlífin er traust; ok í fjór›a or›i at
kalla konunginn mikinn, en líf hans framligt, ﬂar næst at kalla hreint
sver› ok har›liga ro›it, en einnhverr li›smanna, ok væri rétt málﬂótt ma›r væri nefndr. Gƒfugr er konungrinn kalla›r, rƒndi< n> var
kostig ok fura›isk undarliga skjótt; konungrinn un›i gla›r frœknu
hjarta. Nú eru hér s‡ndar sextán sann[kenningar í átta] vísuor›um,
en ﬂó fegra ﬂær mjƒk í kve›andi at eigi sé svá vandliga eptir ﬂeim
farit.
Sannkenningar hafa ﬂrenna grein: heitir ein sannkenning, ƒnnur
stu›ning, ﬂri›ja tvíri›it.!
Ó›har›a spyr ek ey›a
egg fullhvƒtum seggjum;dá›rƒkkum veldr dau›adreng ofrhuga›r ﬂengill;hamdøkkum fær Hlakkar
hauk munnro›a aukinn(*veghrœsinn spyr ek vísa)
vald< r> ógnﬂorinn skjaldar.
Hér fylgir stu›ning hverri sannkenning, svá sem kƒllu› er egginó›hƒr›, en fullhvatir menninir. ﬁat er sannkenning: hƒr› egg, enhvatir menn. ﬁat er stu›ning er annat sƒnnunaror› fylgir sannkenning.
Hvat eru n‡gjƒrvingar?
Svá sem ﬂetta:
Svi›r lætr sóknar na›raslí›rbraut jƒfurr skrí›a;Háttatal
ótt ferr rógs ór réttum
ramsnákr fetilhamsi;
linnr kná sver›a sennu
sveita bekks at leita;
ormr yrr vals *at varmri
víggjƒll sefa stígu.

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at eru n‡gjƒrvingar at kalla sver›it orm ok kenna rétt, en slí›rirnar   9gƒtur hans, en fetlana ok umgjƒr› hams hans. at heldr til ormsins
náttúru at hann skrí›r ór hamsi svá at hann skrí›r mjƒk til vatns.
Hér er svá sett n‡gjƒrving at hann ferr leita bló›s bekkjar at ar er 12hann skrí›r hugar stígu, at eru brjóst manna. á ykkja n‡gjƒr­vingar vel kve›nar ef at mál er upp er tekit haldi of alla vísuleng›.
*En *ef *sver› *er ormr kalla›r, <en sí›an> fiskr e›a vƒndr e›a annan 15
veg breytt, at kalla menn nykrat, ok ykkir at spilla.
Nú er *dróttkve›inn *háttr me› fimm greinum, ok er ó hinnsami háttr réttr ok óbrug›inn ok er optliga essar greinir sumar e›a 18
allar í einni vísu ok er at rétt, víat kenningar auka or›fjƒl›a,sannkenningar fegra ok fylla mál, n‡gjƒrvingar s‡na kunnustu ok   21or›fimi.
at er leyfi háttanna at hafa samstƒfur seinar e›a skjótar, svá atdragisk fram e›a aptr ór réttri tƒlu setningar, ok megu finnask svá
seinar at fimm samstƒfur sé í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i, svá sem   24
  hér er:Hjálms fylli spekr hilmir
hvatr Vindhlés skatna;*hann kná hjƒrvi unnumhræs jó›ár ræsa;‡gr hilmir *lætr eigaƒld dreyrfá skjƒldu;styrs r‡›r stillir hersum
sterkr járngrá serki.

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Í essi vísu eru allar oddhendingar <inar fyrri hendingar>, ok er ó     9essi háttr dróttkvæ›r at hætti.
Nú skal s‡na svá skjótar samstƒfur ok svá settar nær hverja annarri
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at af ví eykr leng› or›sins:
Klofinn spyr ek hjálm fyrir hilmis
hjara<r> egg; duga seggir;

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ﬂví eru heldr ﬂar er sk< e> kr skjƒldu
skafin sver› litu› fer›ar;bila muna gramr ﬂó at gumna
gular rítr nái líta;
draga ﬂorir hann yfir hreina
hvatan brand ﬂrƒmu randa.

Hér er í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i níu samstƒfur, en í ƒ›ru ok í fjór›asjau. Hér er ﬂat s‡nt hversu flestar samstƒfur megu vera í vísuor›ime› dróttkvæ›um hætti, ok af ﬂessu má ﬂat vita at átta e›a sjau
megu vel hl‡›a í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i. Í ﬂessi vísu eru allar
frumhendingar hluthendur, ok dregr ﬂat til at lengja má or›it, at
sem flestar samstƒfur standi fyrir hendingar.
ﬁat er annat leyfi háttanna at hafa í dróttkvæ›um hætti eitt or›e›a tvau í vísu me› álƒgum e›a detthent e›a dunhent e›a skjálfhente›a me› nokkvorum ﬂeim hætti er eigi spilli kve›andi. ﬁri›ja leyfi er
ﬂat at hafa a›alhendingar í fyrsta e›a ﬂri›ja vísuor›i. Fjór›a leyfi
er ﬂat at skemma svá samstƒfur at gera eina ór tveim ok taka órannarri hljó›staf. ﬁat kƒllum vér bragarmál, svá sem hér, er kva›ﬁórarinn máhlí›ingr:*Var›ak mik ﬂars myr›irmor›fárs vega *ﬂor›i.

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Enn er sú grein út sett myklu lengra. ﬁat er hit fimta leyfi at skiptatí›um í vísuhelmingi. Sétta leyfi er ﬂat at hafa í dróttkvæ›um hætti
samhendingar e›a li›hendingar. ﬁat er it sjaunda at hafa eittmálsor› í bá›um vísuhelmingum, ok ﬂykkir ﬂat spilla í einstaka
vísum. Átta er ﬂat at n‡ta ﬂótt samkvætt ver›i vi› ﬂat er á›r er ort
vísuor› e›a skemra. Níunda er ﬂat at reka til hinnar fimtu kenningar,
er ór ættum er ef lengra er rekit; en ﬂótt ﬂat finnisk í fornskálda
verka ﬂá látum vér ﬂat nú ón‡tt. Tíunda er ﬂat at vísu fylgir drage›a stu›ill.! Ellipta er ﬂat at ‘er’ e›a ‘en’ e›a ‘at’ má hafa optar eneitt sinn í vísuhelmingi, svá sem Refr kva›:Sæll er hinn er hrannahád‡ra vel st‡rir(tí› erumk vitnis vá›a*vínger›) unir sínu.
Ok svá ﬂó at ﬂat sé í sí›ara helmingi, ef ma›r er nefndr e›a kentnafn hans í fyrra helmingi, ﬂótt ﬂat sé eigi nafn annan veg en ‘hann’e›a ‘hinn’ e›a ‘sá’ e›a ‘sjá’. Tólpta er atri›sklauf.

Háttatal

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Hvat er tí›askipti?
ﬁrent.
Hvernig?
ﬁat er var, ﬂat er < er> , ﬂat er ver›r.
Hver setning er ﬂat at breyta háttum me› máli einu?
ﬁat má svá gera at gefa nafn háttum ok greina svá tƒlu háttannaina fyrstu, en halda annarri ok inni ﬂri›ju tƒlu setningar. ﬁat er sem
fyrr var ritat, at hafa átta vísuor› í ørindi, ok hin ﬂri›ja tala at hafa
sex samstƒfur í vísuor›i ok sƒmu setning hendinganna. Háttum erskipt me› ‡missum or›tƒkum, ok er ﬂessi einn háttr er kalla›r er
sextánmæltr:Vex i›n. Vellir ro›na.
Verpr lind. ﬁrimu snerpir.
Fæsk gagn. Fylkir eignask.
Falr hitnar. Se›sk vitnir.
*Skekr rƒnd. Skildir bendask.
Skelfr askr. Gri›um raskar.
Brandr gellr. Brynjur sundrask.
Braka spjƒr. Litask ƒrvar.
Hér eru tvau mál fullkomin í hverju vísuor›i, en or›aleng› ok samstƒfur ok hendingar ok stafaskipti sem dróttkvætt.
Nú er breytt annan veg dróttkvæ›um hætti ok enn me› máli einu.
ﬁenna hátt kalla menn áttmælt:Jƒr› verr siklingr sver›um.
Sundr rjúfa spjƒr undir.
Lind *skerr í styr steinda.
Støkkr hauss af bol lausum.
Falla fólk á velli.
Fremr mildr jƒfurr hildi.
Egg bítr á lim l‡ti.
Liggr skƒr sni›in hjƒrvi.
Hér er mál fyllt í hverju vísuor›i. ﬁessi er hinn ﬂri›i:†skelfir kann úlfum
au›mildr búa gildi.
Lætr gyl›is kyn gáti
gunnsnarr una harri.
Fær gotna vinr vitni
valbjór afar stóran.

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Vargr tér ór ben bergja
bló›drykk ok grƒn rjó›a.
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Hér l‡kr máli í tveim vísuor›um. Sjá háttr er nú skal rita er hinnfjór›i ﬂeira er breyttir eru, en hinn fimti at háttatali; ﬂetta er stælt
kallat:Hákun veldr ok hƒl›um(har›rá›um gu› jar›ar
tiggja lér me› tíri)
teitr ﬂjó›konungs heiti.
Vald á ví›rar foldar(vindræfurs jƒfurr gæfuƒ›lingi skóp ungum)ƒrlyndr skati gjƒrla.
<Hér er svá:>
Hákun veldr ok hƒl›um†teitr ﬂjó›konungs heiti,

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en annat ok it ﬂri›ja vísuor› er sér um mál, ok er ﬂat stál kallat.
ﬁessi er hinn fimti:
Mannd‡r›ir fá mær›armæt ƒld, fira gæti,l‡tr audgjafa ítrum
ƒll. Stó› sær of fjƒllum.
Rjó›vendils gat randa
rœki-Njƒr› at sœkja
(hæf fer› var sú har›a)heim. Skaut jƒr› ór geima.
ﬁetta kƒllum vér hjástælt. Hér er it fyrsta <vísuor›> ok annat ok
ﬂri›ja sér um mál, ok hefir ﬂó ﬂat mál eina samstƒfun me› fullu or›iaf *hinu fjór›a vísuor›i, en ﬂær fimm samstƒfur *er eptir *fara lúka
heilu máli, ok skal or›tak vera forn minni.
ﬁessi er hinn sjaundi:
Hákun ræ›r me› hei›an—hefir drengja vinr fengit(lƒnd verr bu›lungr brandi
brei›feld) mikit veldi;

Háttatal

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rógleiks náir ríki
remmi-T‡r at st‡ra(ƒld fagnar ﬂví) eignu—or›róm konungdómi.
Hér hefr upp mál í inu fyrsta vísuor›i ok l‡kr < í> inu sí›arsta, ok eru
ﬂau sér um mál. ﬁessi er inn átti háttrinn:
ﬁeim er, grundar grímu
gjaldsei›s ok var faldinn,(drótt man enn *ﬂann) áttiá›r hans fa›ir rá›a.
*Gunnhættir kná gr‡ttu(gramr b‡r of ﬂrek) st‡ra(stórt ræ›r hann, en hjarta
hvetr) bu›lunga setri.
Hér er hinn fyrri vísuhelmingr leiddr af ﬂeiri vísu er á›r var kve›inok fylgir ﬂat málsor› er aflei›ing er kƒllu›, er sí›arst var í hinni fyrrivísu, ﬂessum vísuhelmi< n> gi, ok er sá vísuhelmingr eigi elligar rétt< r>
at máli.
ﬁess er hinn níundi háttr:Setr of vísa vitranvígdrótt—en ﬂar hníga—(‡r dregsk) vi› skotskúrum
skjaldborg—í gras *aldir;
vápnrjó›r stikar ví›a(vellbrjótr á lƒg) spjótum(*ﬂryngr at sver›a sƒngvi)
sóknhar›r ﬂrƒmu jar›ar.
ﬁat málsor› er fyrst er í ﬂessi vísu er sí›ars< t> *í hinni fyrri, ok er hin*sí›ari svá dregin af hinni fyrri. ﬁví heita ﬂat drƒgur.
ﬁessi er hinn tíundi háttr er vér kƒllum refhvƒrf. Í ﬂeima hætti
skal velja saman ﬂau or›tƒk er ólíkust sé at greina ok hafi ﬂó einnar
tí›ar fall bæ›i or› ef vel skal < vera> . En til ﬂessa háttar er vant at
finna ƒll or› gagnsta›lig, ok er hér fyrir ﬂví sum or› dregin tilhœginda. *En s‡nt er í ﬂessi vísu ﬂat er or›in munu finnask ef
vandliga er leitat, ok mun hér ﬂat s‡nask at flest frumsmí› stendr til
bóta. Svá er hér kve›it:

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Síks gló›ar verr sœkir
slétt skar› hafi jar›ar;hlífgranda rekr hendir
heit kƒld loga ƒldu;fljótt válkat skilr fylkir
fri›læ—rƒ›ul< s> sævar
ránsi› ræsir stƒ›var—
rei›r—gla›r frƒmum mei›um.

Hér er í fyrsta vísuor›i svá kve›it: ‘síks’ ok ‘gló›ar’, ‘verr sœkir’. Sík
er vatn, gló› er eldr, en eldr ok vatn hatar hvárt ƒ›ru. ‘Verr sœkir’:ﬂat er ólikt at verja ok sœkja. [Ann]at vísuor› er svá: ‘slétt skar›hafi jar›a< r> ’. Slétt, ﬂat er jafnt, skar›, ﬂa< t> er óslett, ok svá: ‘hafi
jar›ar’. Sær er haf, land er jƒr›. En ﬂá er í *eitt *fall mælt at sá ferr
af hafi til jar›ar. *ﬁri›ja vísuor› er svá: ‘hlífgranda’. ﬁat er ljóst
refhvƒrfmælt, ok svá: ‘rekr hendir’. Sá flytr braut er rek< r> , en sástƒ›var er hendir. < Svá er it fjór›a:> ‘heit kƒld’, ﬂat er ljós or›, ok
svá: ‘loga ƒldu’. Logi er eldr, alda er sjár. Fimta or› er svá: ‘fljótt
válkat’. Fljótt er ﬂat er skjótt er, válkat ﬂat er seint er, ok svá: ‘skilr
fylkir’. Sá er skilr dreifir, en sá er fylkir samnar. Sétta or› er svá:‘fri›læ’. Fri›r er sætt, læ, ﬂat er vél, ok enn: ‘rƒ›ull sævar’. Rƒ›ull er
sól ok gengr hon fyrir eld í ƒllum kenni< n> gum. Sær er enn sem fyrr ímóti eldi. Sjaunda or› er svá: ‘ránsi›’. Rán, ﬂat er ósi›r, ok svá:‘ræsir stƒ›var’. Sá flytr er ræsir, en sá heldr aptr er stƒ›var. Átta or›er svá: ‘rei›r gla›r’. ﬁat er ljóst mælt, ok svá: ‘frƒmum mei›um’. ﬁater ójafn< t> at vinna manni frama e›a meizlur. Hér eru s‡nd í ﬂessi
vísu sextán or›tƒk sundrgreinilig, ok eru flest ofljós til rétts máls at
fœra, ok skal ﬂá svá upp taka: síks gló›, ﬂat er gull; sœkir gulls, ﬂat
er ma›r; hann verr skar› jar›ar hafi slétt, ﬂat eru Fir›ir, svá heitir
fylki í Nóregi; hlífgrandi, ﬂat er vápn; hendir loga ƒldu er ma›r, er
rekr kƒld heit sver›inu, ﬂat er at hegna ósi›u; fljótt válkat má ﬂat
kalla er skjótt rá›it er, ﬂat skilr hann af ófri›inum; konungr heitir
fylkir; ránsi› ræsir stƒ›var sævar rƒ›uls frƒmum mei›um. ﬁetta
heita in mestu refhvƒrf.
ﬁessi eru ƒnnur refhvƒrf, ok eru hér hálfu færi vísuor› ﬂau er refhvƒrfum eru ort, ok eru ﬂau tvenn í ƒ›ru vísuor›i, ok eru fyrir ﬂvíkƒllu› in mestu:
Bló› fremr (hlƒkk at há›isk
heldr slitnar dul) vitni;skjƒldr, en skatnar foldir,

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skelfr har›r, taka var›a;fal *lætr < of> her hvítan
hollr gramr rekinn fram›an,
en tiggja sonr (seggjum
svalr brandr) dugir (grandar).
Hér eru ﬂau refhvƒrf í ƒ›ru hverju or›i: ‘heldr’ ok ‘slitnar’, ok ‘dul’
ok ‘vitni’. Dul er laun, en vitni er sannan. En í fjór›a vísuor›i eru
ﬂessi: ‘skelfr har›r’, ‘taka var›a’. Í sétta vísuor›i er svá: ‘hollr
gramr’, ‘rekinn fram›an’. Í átta vísuor›i er svá: ‘svalr brandr’(brandr er elds heiti), ‘dugir grandar’. ﬁetta er ofljóst ort. Hér eru
ok ƒnnur máltƒk ﬂau er til máls skal taka, svá at kalla bló› fremr
vitni (ﬂat er vargr), en dul e›a laun slitnar e›a rofnar, at hlƒkk
há›isk (ﬂat er orrosta). Ok í ƒ›rum fjór›ungi er svá, at har›rskjƒldr < skelfr> , en skatnar taka var›a ríki. Ok < í> ﬂri›ja fjór›ungi ersvá, at hollr gramr of her lætr fram›an fal hvítan rekinn; sá erframi›r < er> framar er settr. Í fjór›a fjór›ungi er svá, at svalr brandr
grandar seggjum, en tiggja sonr dugir.
ﬁessi er hinn ﬂri›i refhvarfaháttr:Segl skekr of hlyn—Huglar—(hvast drífa skip) rasta,en fƒll of gram Gylli
grunn (djúp) hata [unna];
ne Rán vi›< r> hafhreinum
háraust—skapar flaustum—(hrƒnn fyrir húfi ﬂunnum
heil klofnar) fri›—deilu.
ﬁessi eru at kalli in mestu refhvƒrf. Hér er eitt vísuor› í hvárum
helmingi ﬂat er refhvƒrfum er ort ok tvenn ór hvárum, svá sem hér:‘grunn djúp’, ‘hata unna’. < En í> inum efra helmingi er svá: ‘heil
klofnar’, ‘fri› deilu’. ﬁessi eru at kalli in mestu refhvƒrf ok minzt af
ﬂessum.
Nú hefjask in minni refhvƒrf. Hér eru ein refhvƒrf í vísuor›i:
Hélir hl‡r at stáli,hafit fellr, en svífr ﬂelli(fer› dvƒl firrisk) har›afram mót lagar glammi;
vindr réttr vá›ir bendir,
vefr rekr á haf snekkjur,

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Háttatalve›r ﬂyrr; vísa i›jur(varar f‡sir skip) l‡sa.

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Hér er eitt refhvarf í hverju vísuor›i ok flest ofljós. ﬁessi eru ƒnnur
in minni:
Lung frá ek l‡›a ﬂengils(lá reis of *skut) geisa,
en svƒr› of her her›a;hljóp stó› und gram *Ró›a.
ﬁjó› fær ﬂungra skei›aﬂrƒng rúm skipat lƒngum;
stál lætr styrjar deilirstinn kløkk í mar søkkva.
Hér er refhvƒr< f> í ƒ›ru hverju vísuor›i. ﬁessi eru in ﬂri›ju:
Himinglæva str‡kr hávar(hrƒnn skilja sog) ﬂiljur;lƒgstíga vill lœgir
ljótr fagrdrasil brjóta;l‡sheims náir ljóma(lí›r ár) of gram blí›um(u›r rekkir kjƒl *kløkkvankƒld) eisa; far geisar.
Hér eru refhvƒrf í hvárum helmingi. ﬁessi eru in minztu refhvƒrf.
Enn er sá háttr er vér kƒllum refhvarfa bró›ur:
Firrisk hƒnd me› harra
hlumr; lí›r vetr af sumri,
en flaust vi› lƒg Listalƒng taka hvíld at gƒngu.
¯l mœ›ir li› l‡›a(létt skipask hƒll) *it rétta,en skál at gjƒf góla
gulls svífr (tóm) in fulla.
Hér er í ƒ›ru ok fjór›a ﬂau or› er gagnsta›lig eru sem refhvƒrf,enda standa eigi saman ok er ein samstafa millum ﬂeira ok lúkask
bæ›i eigi < í> eina tí›. ﬁessir hættir er nú eru rita›ir eru dróttkvæ›ir at
hendingum ok or›aleng›: hér eru sex samstƒfur í hverju vísuor›i oka›alhendingar í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a en skothendur í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja.

Háttatal

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Hvernig skal skipta dróttkvæ›um hætti me› hendi< n> gum e›aor›aleng›?
Svá sem hér er:
Hreintjƒrnum gle›r horna(horn ná lítt at ﬂorna,mjƒ›r hegnir bƒl bragna)
bragningr skipa sagnir;
fólkhƒmlu gefr framlaframlyndr vi›um gamlar,
hinn er heldr fyrir skot skjƒldum,skjƒldungr hunangs ƒldur.
Hér er ﬂat málsor› fyrst í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i er sí›arst er í inu
fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja. ﬁetta er tilsagt:Rƒst gefr ƒ›lingr jastar—ƒl vir›i ek svá—fyr›um.
ﬁƒgn fellir brim bragna—bjórr forn er ﬂat—horna.
Máls kann mildingr heilsu—mjƒ›r heitir svá—veita.
Strúgs kemr í val veiga—vín kallak ﬂat—galli.
Nú er or›skvi›uháttr:Fúss br‡tr fylkir eisu
fens—breg›r hƒnd á venju.
Ránhegnir gefr Rínar
rƒf—spyrr ætt at jƒfrum.
Mjƒk trúir ræsir rekka
raun—sér gjƒf til launa.
Rá› á lof›ungr l‡›alengr—vex hverr af gengi.
Ískalda *skar ek ƒldueik (var sú› in bleika
reynd) til ræsi[s fundar]ríks. Emk ku›r at slíku.
Brjótr ﬂá hersirs heiti
hátt (dugir sœm› at vátta)

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Háttatalau›s af jarla pr‡›iítrs. Vara siglt til lítils.

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ﬁetta er álagsháttr. Hér hefr upp annat ok hit fjór›a vísuor› me›
fullu or›i ok einni samstƒfu, ok lei›ir ﬂat or› af hinu fyrra vísuor›i,en ﬂær fimm samstƒfur er ﬂá eru eptir eru sér um mál.
ﬁessi er hinn fyrsti háttr er rita›r sé ﬂeira er breytt er af dróttkvæ›um hætti me› fullu háttaskipti, ok he›an frá skal nú rita ﬂær
greinir er skipt er dróttkvæ›um hætti ok breytt me› hljó›um ok
hendingaskipti e›a or›aleng›, stundum vi› lagt en stundum af tekit.
ﬁetta er tvískelft:
Vandbaugs veitti sendir
vígrakkr—en gjƒf ﬂakkak
skjaldbraks skylja mildum—*skiprei›u mér—hei›a;fann næst fylkir unna
fƒl d‡r at gjƒf st‡ri
stálhreins; styrjar deilis
stórlæti sá ek mæta.
Hér < er> í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i ﬂat er háttum skiptir: hérstandask hljó›fyllendr svá nær at ein samstafa er í milli ﬂeira. ﬁeir
gera skjálfhendur stu›lar ok er hinn fyrri upphaf vísuor›s, enhendingar standask sem first. En ef frumhending er í ﬂeiri samstƒfu
er næst er hinni fyrstu, ﬂá bregzk eigi skjálfhenda.
ﬁessi er detthendr háttr:Tvær man ek hilmi h‡rum
heimsvistir ótvistar,hlaut ek ásamt at sitja
seimgildi fémildum;
fúss gaf fylkir hnossir
fleinst‡ri margd‡rar,
hollr var hersa stilli
hoddspennir fjƒlmennum.
Hér skiptask hættir í ƒ›ru ok fjór›a vísuor›i, ok ræ›r in fjór›a samstƒfun
háttunum. ﬁetta er draugsháttr:ﬁoll bi› ek hilmis hylli
halda grœnna skjalda,Háttatal

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askr bei› af ﬂví ﬂroska
ﬂilju Hrungnis ilja;
vígfoldar njót valdi
vandar margra landa—n‡tr vartu oss—til ítrar
elli dólga fellir.
Hér er enn í fjór›a ok í ƒ›ru vísuor›i ﬂat er háttum skiptir, ok ræ›r
hér hin ﬂri›ja samstafa.
Nú hefr upp annat kvæ›i:
Stáls dynblakka støkkvi
stinnge›s samir minnask(álms bifsœki aukum
Yggs *feng) á lof ﬂengils;
odds bláferla jarliƒrbrjót ne skal ﬂrjóta(Hárs saltunnu hrannirhrœrum) ó› at stœra.
ﬁetta heitir bragarbót. Hér skiptir háttum í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i.
Hér standask sem first má stu›lar, en hendingar svá at ein samstafa
er á milli. ﬁat greinir háttuna.
ﬁenna hátt kalla menn ri›hendur:
Él ﬂreifsk skarpt of Skúlask‡s snarvinda lindar,
egg var› hvƒss í hƒggum
hræs dynbrunnum runnin;sveimﬂreytir bjó sveita
snjallr ilstafna hrafni;
Páll var› und fet falla
fram ﬂrábarni arnar.
Hér skiptir háttum í ƒ›ru ok fjór›a vísuor›i: standa ﬂar hendingarbá›ar samt nær enda ok lúkask á einu[m hljó›sta]f bá›ar, ok er betr
at samhljó›andi *sé eptir a›ra.
ﬁessi háttr er kallat veggjat:
Lífs var› rán at raunum(ré› sver›) skapat mjƒk fer›um,stƒng ó› ﬂrátt á ﬂingi
ﬂjó›sterk, li›u fram merki;

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Háttatalhrau› of hilmis bró›urhvƒss egg fri›ar ván seggjum,
spjót ná›u blá bíta,
búandmenn hlutu ﬂar renna.

Hér er háttaskipti í ƒ›ru ok fjór›a vísuor›i ok er ﬂar ein samstƒfun
sett í svá at tvær eru sí›ar ok aukit ﬂví leng› or›sins. Nú er flag›aháttr:Flaust bjó fólka treystirfagrskjƒldu›ustum ƒldum,lei› skar bragnings bró›ir
bjartveggju›ustu reggi;
hest rak hilmir rasta
har›sveipa›astan reipum,sjár hlaut vi› ﬂrƒm ﬂjóta
ﬂunghúfu›ustu lungi.
Hér skiptir háttum í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i: er hér aukit bæ›i
samstƒfu ok fullnat or›tak sem framast, ok eptir ﬂá samstƒfun eru
ﬂrjár samstƒfur ok er rétt dróttkvætt ef hon er ór tekin.
ﬁessi háttr er in forna skjálfhenda:
Reist at Vágsbrú vestan(varrsíma bar fjarri)
heitfastr hávar rastir
hjálm-T‡r svƒlu st‡ri;
støkr óx er bar blakka
brims fyrir jƒr› it grimma
herfjƒl› (húfar svƒl›u)*hrannlá› búandmanna.
Hér er skjálfhent me› a›alhending í ﬂri›ja vísuor›i í hvárum
tveggja helmingi, en <at> ƒ›ru sem dróttkvætt. ﬁenna hátt fann fyrst
Veili. ﬁá lá hann í útskeri nokkvoru, kominn af skipsbroti, ok hƒf›u ﬂeir
illt til klæ›a ok ve›r kalt. ﬁá orti hann kvæ›i er kallat er kvi›anskjálfhenda e›a drápan steflausa, ok kve›it eptir Sigur›ar sƒgu.
ﬁetta er ﬂríhent kallat:
Hristi hvatt ﬂá er reistiskherfƒng mjƒk lƒng véstƒng,sam›i fólk en frƒm›usk
fullsterk hringserk grams verk;

Háttatal

19hƒnd lek—*herjum reyndisk—hjƒrr kaldr—allvaldr mannbaldr;
egg frá ek brei›a bjoggju
bragning fylking; stó› ﬂing.
ﬁrennar a›alhendingar eru hér í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i, ok
lúkask allar einnig, ok fylgir samstƒfun fyrir hverja. Nú er hinn d‡riháttr:
Vann (kann vir›um bannavald) gjald (hƒfundr aldar)
fer› ver› fólka her›i
fest mest (sá er bil lestir);hátt ﬂrátt hƒl›a áttar
—hrau› au› jƒfurr rau›um—(ﬂat) gat ﬂengill skatna
ﬂjó› (stó› af gram) bjó›a.
Hér eru í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i tvær a›alhendingar samt í upphafi,
en hin ﬂri›ja at hætti vi› enda.
*Farar snarar fylkir byrjar,
freka breka lemr á snekkjum,
vaka taka vísa <rekkar,vi›ar> skri›ar at ﬂat bi›ja;
svipa skipa s‡jur heppnarsƒmum ﬂrƒmum í byr rƒmum,Haka skaka hrannir blƒkkum
hli›ar, mi›ar und kjƒl ni›ri.
<Hér eru ﬂrjár hendingar í vísuor›i ok skothend í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja
vísuor›i in ﬂri›ja hending ok fylgir samstafa hverri hendingu.>
ﬁessi háttr er kallat tiltekit:
Ok hjaldreifan hófu
hoddstiklanda miklir(mor›fl‡tir kná mœtamálmskúrar dyn) hjálmar
hjaldrs ﬂá er hilmir foldar
hugd‡rum gaf st‡ri(ógnsvellir fær allan)
jarldóm (gƒfugr sóma).

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Háttatal

Hér skiptir háttum it fimta vísuor› ok lei›ir í ﬂví or›i máltak af fyrra
vísuhelmingi ok dregsk ﬂat vísuor› me› hljó›fylling mjƒk eptir
skjálfhendu inni n‡[ju].
ﬁessi háttr er kallat greppaminni:
Hverr fremr hildi barra?
Hverr er mælingum ferri?
Hverr gerir hƒpp at stœrri?
Hverr kann au› at ﬂverra?
Veldr hertogi hjaldri,
hann er first *blikurmanni,
hann á hƒpp at s‡nni,
hann vélir blik spannar.
*ﬁessum *hætti er breytt til dróttkvæ›s háttar me› or›um. Nú er sáháttr er vér kƒllum li›hendur:
Velr ítrhuga›r ‡tum
otrgjƒld jƒfurr snotrum,
opt hefr ﬂings fyrir ﬂrøngvi
ﬂungfarmr Grana sprungit;hjƒrs vill rjó›r at rí›irei›málmr Gnitahei›ar,vígs er hreytt at hættis
hvatt Niflunga skatti.
ﬁat eru li›hendur er hinn sami stafr stendr fyrir hendingar, ok ﬂá errétt ort li›hendr háttr at í ƒ›ru ok í hinu fjór›a vísuor›i se oddhending ok skothending vi› ﬂær hendingar er í *inu < fyrra> vísuor›ieru, ok ver›r ﬂá einn upphafsstafr allra ﬂeira ﬂriggja hendinganna.
Nú er sá háttr er vér kƒllum rétthent:
Alrau›um drífr au›i,ógnrakkr firum hlakkar,
veit ek, *hvar vals á reitu
verpr hringdropa snerpir;snjallr lætr á fit falla
fagrregn jƒfurr ﬂegnum(ógnfl‡tir verr ‡tumarm) Mardallar hvarma.
Hér eru a›alhendingar í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i, en gætt at taka ór
skothendur.

Háttatal

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Enn er sá háttr er vér kƒllum ina minni *alhendu, ﬂat eru skothendur í inu fyrsta vísuor›i í bá›um helmingum, svá sem hér segir:Samﬂykkjar fremr søkku< m>snarr Baldr hjarar aldir,
gunnhættir kann Grottagla›dript hra›a skipta;
féstrí›ir kná Fró›afri›bygg li›i tryggva,
fjƒlvinjat hylr Fenju
falr meldr alinveldi.
In minni alhenda er ﬂá rétt ort at haldit se vísuleng› saman, en ef
henni er skotit í fulla alhendu svá at skothendur sé ﬂar sumar e›aallar í vísuor›i, ﬂá er ﬂat eigi rétt.
Nú er alhent:
Frama skotnar gram; gotnum(gjƒf sannask) rƒf spannar—
menstiklir—vensk mikla—
mannd‡r›ir vann sk‡r›ar;
herfjƒl›—bera hƒl›ar—hagbáls lagar stálafri›ask sjaldan vi› valdi—
vallands svala branda.
Hér eru tvennar a›alhendingar í hverju vísuor›i. ﬁessi ﬂykkir vera
fegrstr ok vandastr, ef vel er ortr, ﬂeira hátta er kvæ›i eru ort eptir,
ok er ﬂá full alhending ef eigi finn< sk> í ‘at’, ‘ek’, ‘en’, e›a ﬂau
smáor› er ﬂeim fylgja, nema ﬂau standi í hendingum, en eigi hafa
allir menn ﬂat varazk, ok er ﬂat fyrir ﬂví eigi rangt, sem kva› Klœingr
byskup:Ba› ek sveit á gla› Geitis,
gƒr er í› at fƒr tí›um,drƒgum hest á lƒg lesta,li› fl‡tr en skri› n‡tum.

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ﬁetta er stamhendr háttr:Lætr undin brot brotna
bragningr fyrir sér hringa,

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Háttatalsá tekr fyrir men menjamætt or› of sik fættir;armr kná vi› *blik blikna
brimlands vi›um randa
ﬂar er hƒnd at li› li›narl‡sló›ar berr gló›ir.

[Hér er í] fyrsta ok ﬂ[ri›ja vísuor›i tv]íkve›it at einni samstƒfu okhaft ﬂat til hendinga, ok fyrir ﬂví kƒllum vér ﬂetta stamhent at
tvíklypt er til hendingarinnar, ok standa svá hendingar í or›inu sem
ri›hendur.
Nú er sá háttr er samhent er kallat:
Vir›andi gefr vir›um*verbál li›ar skerja,gle›r vellbrjóti vellumver›ung *afar ﬂungum;‡tandi fremr ‡ta
au›s sæfuna rau›um
ﬂar er mætum gram mætimarblakks skipendr ﬂakka.
Hér eru ﬂær hendingar er vér kƒllum samhendur, ﬂví at ﬂessar eru
allar me› einum stƒfum ok eru í *fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i svá settar
sem skothendur í dróttkvæ›um hætti.
Nú er i›urmælt:Seimﬂverrir gefr seimaseimƒrr li›i beima,
hringmildan spyr ek hringum
hringskemmi brott ﬂinga;
baugstøkkvir fremr baugum
bauggrimmr hjarar draug< a> ,vi›r gullbroti gulli
gullhættr ska›a fullan.
Hér er ﬂrim sinnum haft *samhending, tysvar í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja
vísuor›i, en í ƒ›ru ok hinu fjór›a er haldit afhending sem í dunhendum hætti.
ﬁessi háttr heitir klifat:*Au›kendar verr au›i
au›-T‡r boga nau›ir,

Háttatal

23*ﬂar er au›vi›um au›it
au›s í gulli rau›u;hei›mƒnnum b‡r hei›ishei›mildr jƒfurr rei›ir,*venr hei›frƒmu›r hei›arhei›gjƒf vala lei›ar.
Hér halda samhendingar of allan vísuhelming ok taka me› a›alhending ina sí›ari í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i.
Nú eru ﬂeir hættir er stúfar heita:
Hjaldrremmir tekr Hildi(hringr brestr at gjƒf) festa,
hnígr und Hƒgna meyjar
hers valdandi tjald;He›ins mála b‡r hvílu
hjálmlestanda flestum,mor›aukinn ﬂiggr mækimund Hja›ninga sprund.
Hér er it fjór›a vísuor› st‡ft ok tekin af samstafa er í dróttkvæ›umhætti skal setja me› hending. ﬁessi er meiri stúfr:
Yggs drósar r‡fr eisa
ƒld mó›sefa tjƒld,gló› støkkr í hof Hlakkar
hugtúns firum brún;ge›veggjar svífr gluggaglæs dynbrími hræs,hvattr er hyrr at slétta
hjaldrs gnapturna aldrs.
Hér er st‡ft annat ok it fjór›a vísuor›. Nú er hinn mesti stúfr; héreru ƒll vísuor› st‡f›:
Herstefnir lætr hrafn
hungrs fullse›jask ungr,
ilspornat getr ƒrn
aldrlausastan haus;vilja borg en vargr
vígsára klífr grár,
opt sólgit fær ylgr(jƒfurr gó›r vill [sv]á) bló›.

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Háttatalﬁessir hættir er nú eru rita›ir *eru greindir í ﬂrjá sta›i, ﬂvíat mennhafa ort fyrr svá at í einni vísu var annarr helmingr st‡f< ›> r en annarr
helmingr tvíst‡f< ›> r, ok eru ﬂat háttafƒll. Sá er hinn ﬂri›i er alst‡f›r er,
ﬂví at hér eru < ƒll> vísuor› st‡f›.
Nú skal rita ﬂann hátt er skothendr heitir:Sær skjƒldungs ni›r skúrum,skƒpt darra›ar lyptask,
hrindr gunnfana grundar
glygg *of frœk[num tiggja];geisa [vé fyr vísa,
ve›r stƒng] at hlym Gungnis,
styrk eru mót und merkjum
málms of ítran hilmi.
Hér eru skothendur í ƒllum vísuor›um, en annat sem dróttkvæ›r
háttr. Nú er sá háttr er vér kƒllum li›hendur:
Stjóri vensk at stœra
stór verk dunu geira,halda kann me› hildi
hjaldr-T‡r und sik foldu;
harri slítr í hverri
Hjarranda fƒt snerru,
falla ﬂar til fyllar
fjallvargs jƒru ﬂollar.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru li›hendur me› tvennu móti, en a›rar á ﬂá lund atvi› ina fyrri hending í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i < . . .>Nú skal rita ﬂá háttu er fornskáld hafa kve›it ok eru nú settir
saman, ﬂótt ﬂeir hafi ort sumt me› háttafƒllum, ok eru ﬂessir hættir
dróttkvæ›ir kalla›ir í fornum kvæ›um, en sumir finnask í lausum
vísum, svá sem orti Ragnarr konungr lo›brók me› ﬂessum hætti:Sk‡tr at Skƒglar ve›ri(en skjaldagi haldask)
Hildar hlemmidrífu
of hvítum ﬂrƒm rítar;en í sœfis sveita
at sver›togi fer›arr‡›r aldar vinr odda
(ﬂat er jarlmegin) snarla.

Háttatal

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Her < er> í fyrsta ok ﬂri›j< a> vísuor›i háttlausa, en í ƒ›ru ok fjór›aa›alhendingar, en hƒfu›stafrinn stendr svá, sá er kve›andi ræ›r, íƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i, at ﬂar er fyrir sett samstafa ein e›a tvær,en at ƒ›ru sem drottkvætt.
Nú skal rita Torf-Einars hátt:
Hverr séi jƒfra œgi
jarl fjƒlvitrum betra,e›a gjarnara at gœ›aglym hra›sveldan skjalda?
Stendr *af stála skúrar
styrr ólítill Gautiﬂá er fólks *ja›arr foldir
ferr sig-Njƒr›um var›a.
Hér er í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i háttlausa, en í ƒ›ru ok fjór›askothent ok ri›hent. Nú er Egils háttr:Hverr ali bló›i byrsta
bens rau›sylgjum ylgi
nema svá at gramr of gildi
grá› dag margan vargi?
Gefr oddviti undir
egg n‡bitnar vitni,
herr sér Fenris fitjar
fram klólo›nar ro›na.
Hér er í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i háttlausa, en í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›aa›alhendingar ok ri›hent. Nú er Fleins háttr:Hilmir hjálma skúrir
her›ir sver›i ro›nu,
hrjóta hvítir askar,
hrynja brynju spangir;
hnykkja Hlakkar eldarhar›[a] svar›ar landi,
remma rimmu gló›ir
randa grand of jarli.
Hér er svá farit hendingum sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti, en hendingar eru
settar saman í ƒndur›u vísuor›i. Nú er Braga háttr:

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Er til hjálma hyrjar
herjum styrjar væniﬂar svá at jarl til ógnar
egnir tognu sver›i;sjá *kná gar› fyrir grundu
grindar ﬁundar ja›raer skatna vinr skjaldar
skyldisk galdr at fremja.

Hér er í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i it sí›arsta málsor› haft til hendingar,
en missir ﬂess or›s ins fyrra er gera skyldi skothending, en vi› ﬂetta
hendingaror› eru í ƒ›ru ok *inu fjór›a vísuor›i hendingar, ok er ﬂatƒnnur hending skothenda ok li›< hending en ƒnnur a›alhendingvi›> ina fyrstu, en ﬂessar hendingar er standa í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›avísuor›i† standa sem í Fleins hætti. [Ví›a er ﬂat í] fornskálda verka
er í einni vísu eru ymsir hættir e›a háttafƒll, ok má eigi yrkja eptir[ﬂví] ﬂó at ﬂat ﬂykki eigi spilla í fornkvæ›um.
Nú eru ﬂeir hættir, greindir í ﬂrjá sta›i, er kimblabƒnd heita. ﬁessi
er einn:Hjálmlestir skerr Hristar
hreggƒld Sigars veggi,
gramr lætr í byr brjóta
brands hnigﬂili randa stranda;
stálhrafna lætr stefnir
styrvind of sik ﬂyrja,
ﬂiggr at Gƒndlar glyggvi*gagn oddviti bragna sagna.
Hér er í fjór›a vísuor›i í hvárum helmingi aukit a›alhending me›
tveim samstƒfum eptir vísuor›, en at ƒ›ru sem dróttkvætt. Nú er itmeira kimblaband:Álmdrósar skylr ísaár flest meginbára sára,kœnn lætr hræ[s] á hrƒnnum
hjálmsvell jƒfurr gella fella;styrjƒkla kná stiklir,
stinn, mens legi venja benja,lætr stillir frár fylla
fólk sund hjarar lunda unda.

Háttatal27

Hér eru tvenn kim< b> labƒnd á hvárum helmingi. ﬁessi eru in mestu
kim< b> labƒnd:Hræljóma fellr hrími (tímihár vex of gram sára ára)—frost nemr—of *hlyn Hristar—Mistar
herkaldan ﬂrƒm skjaldar aldar;
gullsendir br‡tr grundar Hrundar
gunnveggs stƒfum leggi hreggi,
sóknvallar (spyr ek) svelli (elli)svá skotnar ﬂat (gotna ﬂrotna).
Hér fylgir hverju vísuor›i kimblaband.
Nú skal rita hrynjandi háttu; ﬂessi er hinn fyrsti:
Tiggi sn‡r á ógnar áru(undgagl veit ﬂat) sóknar hagli,
yngvi drífr at hreggi hlífa(hjƒrr vélir fjƒr) brynju éli;vísi heldr of fjƒrnis foldir(fólk skipta svá) boga driptum,
skúrum l‡str of hilmi hraustan(hans fregnum styr) Mistar regni.
Hér er it fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor› aukit framan tveim samstƒfum til
háttar setningar, en ef ﬂær eru af teknar ﬂá er eptir sem dróttkvætt,en ór ƒ›ru ok fjór›a vísuor›i má taka málsor› ﬂat er tvær samstƒfur
fylgja, in fimta ok in sétta í vísuor›i; ﬂá er ﬂat or› ok dróttkvætt.
Í hrynhendum háttum eru optast átta samstƒfur í vísu< or›i> , enhendingar ok stafaskipti fara sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti. ﬁetta kƒllum
vér dróttkvæ›a hrynjandi.
Nú skal s‡na fleiri skipun háttanna. Er ﬂessi hrynhenda kƒllu›trollsháttr:Stála kend< i> steykkvilundumstyrjar valdi rau›u falda,
rekkar st‡r›u rétt til jar›arro›nu bar›i austan fjar›ar;oddum rendi eljunstrandir‡ta fer›ar hringa sker›ir,
hilmir stœr›i hvƒssu sver›iheila grundar meginundir.

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Hér eru átta samstƒfur < í hverju vísuor›i; hér eru hluthendur í ƒllum
or›um ok fylgja *ﬂrjár samstƒfur> hverri hendingu, ok svá faraskothendur ok a›alhendingar ok stafaskipti sem í hrynhendu.
ﬁessi er einn hrynhendr háttr:Vaf›i lítt er vir›um mœtti
vigrœkjandi fram at sœkja,sk[er›ir gekk í s]kúrum Hlakk[arSkƒglar serks fyrir] ro›num merkjum;
ruddisk land en ræsir ﬁr[œnda]Ribbungum skóp bana [ﬂun]gan,Gunnarr skaut und Gera fótar
grimmsett[a il hjar]na kletti.
ﬁetta er hrynhenda óbr[eytt]. ﬁetta er draughent:
Vápna hrí› velta ná›ivæg›arlaus feigum hausi,
hilmir lét hƒggum mœtaher›a klett bana ver›< a> n;fleina lands fylkir rendifjƒrnis hlí› meginskí›i(*ƒflugt *sver› *eyddi fyr›umjƒfri kent) holdi fenta.
< Í> ﬂessum hætti eru tí›ast sjau samstƒfur < í> hverju vísuor›i, en
hendingar ok stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›um < hætti> , ok ef hér er órtekin ein samstƒfun fyrsta e›a ﬂri›ja vísuor›i sú er stendr næst hinni
fyrstu, ﬂá falla hljó›in ƒll sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti. Svá má ok aftaka í ƒ›ru ok hinu fjór›a vísuor›i ina sƒmu samstƒfun ok er ﬂá ﬂat
dróttkvætt; ok ver›r sumt eigi mjúkt.
ﬁenna hátt kƒllum vér munnvƒrp:Eyddi úthlaupsmƒnnum
ítr hertogi spjótum,sungu stál of stillis(stó› ylgr í val) dólgum;
hal margan lét hƒf›i
hoddgrimmr jƒfurr skemra,svá kann rán at refsarei›r oddviti ﬂjó›um.

Háttatal29

Hér er háttlausa < í> inu *fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i, en í ƒ›ru ok inu
fjór›a skothendur. Nú er sá háttr er kalla›r er háttlausa:
Ortak ƒld at minnumﬂá er alframast vissakof siklinga snjallame› sex tøgum hátta.
Sízt hafa veg né vellum
er vir›an mik létu
á aldinn mar orpit(ﬂat er oss frami) jƒfrar.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru øngvar hendingar, en stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti. Nú eru saman settir í tveim kvæ›um sex tigir hátta
ok um fram ﬂær átta greinir er fyrst er skipat < í> dróttkvæ›um hætti
me› málsgreinum ﬂeim er fylgja hættinum, ok eru ﬂessir hættir allir
vel fallnir til at yrkja kvæ›i eptir ef vill.
Nú skal upp hefja it ﬂri›ja kvæ›i ﬂat er ort er eptir inum smærum
háttum, ok eru ﬂeir hættir ﬂó margir á›r í lofkvæ›um. Hér hefr upp
tøgdrápulag:
Fremstr var› Skuli—
Skala lof dvala,sem ek mildum grammær› fjƒlsnœr›a;meir skal ek stœri
styrs hró›r fyrir(kærr var ek harra)*hers gnótt bera.
Hér er í ƒ›ru ok í fjór›a vísuor›i fjórar samstƒfur ok tvær a›alhendingar ok svá settr hƒfu›stafr sem í dróttkvæ›u, en í fyrsta ok
ﬂri›ja vísuor›i eru ok fjórar réttar samstƒfur ok in fimta afkleyfissamstafa, ﬂat er ‘ek’ e›a ‘af’ e›a ‘en’ e›a ‘er’ e›a ﬂvílíkt. ﬁar eru okskothendingar ok ein hljó›fylling vi› hƒfu›stafinn.
ﬁetta er annat tøglag:
Kunn bjó ek kvæ›ikonungs bró›ur ﬂjó›
—ﬂann veit ek ﬂengil—
ﬂrenn—fjƒlmennan;

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fram skal in fjór›afólkgla›s va›aljóss elds lagar
lofun fri›rofa.
Svá ferr hér *annat ok fjór›a vísuor› sem í fyrra hætti, en it fyrsta ok
ﬂri›ja vísuor› er hér hendingalaust, en tveir hljó›fyllendr vi› hƒfu›staf sem í dróttkvæ›u.
ﬁessi er hinn ﬂri›i háttr, er vér kƒllum [hagmælt]:[Mitt] er of mœti[mart lag bra]gará›r ókve›it
oddbraks spakan;hl‡tr [gram]s geta
greppr óhnepp[rask‡]rr skrautfara.
—skjƒldunga ungr.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru skot[hendingar] í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i ok
stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti, en at ƒ›ru sem tøgmælt. Í ƒllutøglagi er eigi rangt ﬂótt fimm samstƒfur sé í vísuor›i er skammar
eru sumar ok skjótar. ﬁat er tøgdrápuháttr at stef skal vera til fyrsta
vísuor›s ok lúka ﬂví máli í inu sí›arsta vísuor›i kvæ›isins, ok er réttat setja kvæ›it me› svá mƒrgum stefjamélum sem hann vil, ok er ﬂat
tí›ast at hafa ƒll jafnlƒng, en hvers stefjaméls skal stef upphaf okni›rlag.
Nú er grœnlenzki háttr:Sló› kann snei›irseima geima
hnigfák Haka
hleypa greypa,hinn er af hlunni
hesta festalætr leyf›r skati
langa ganga.
Hér er hit fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor› svá sem hagmælt, en annat ok
fjór›a me› a›alhendingum, ok eru tvær samstƒfur a›alhendar á ok
*endask bá›ar í einn staf.
Nú er hinn skammi háttr:Háttatal

31

Gull *kná—greppar—
glóa—róa,
váss eru seggir
samir framir;eik má und jƒfri
una bruna,ﬂá n‡tr vísi
vi›ar skri›ar.
Hér er it fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor› hendingalaust, en annat ok it
fjór›a sem grœnlenzki háttr ok skemri or›tƒkin. Nú er n‡i háttr:Ræsir glæsir
Røkkva *døkkva
hvítum rítum
hreina reina,
skreytir hreytirskafna stafnahringa stingahjƒrtum svƒrtum.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru í hverju vísuor›i fjórar samstƒfur en tvær a›alhendingar ok lúkask í einn staf bá›ar ok engi afkleyfisor›. ﬁetta er stúfhent:Hafrƒst hristir
hlunnvigg tiggja,bor›grund bendir
brimd‡rs st‡ri;
blá veit brjóta
byrskí› ví›i*bƒ›har›r *bƒr›umbu›lungr ﬂungan.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru fjórar samstƒfur í vísuor›i en hendingar ok stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti nema ﬂat at allar hendingar eru
náhendar. ﬁetta er náhent:
Hrinda lætr hniggrund
hafbekks snekkjur,ﬂá er falla, fleinﬂollr
frár, mál, stálum;hlumi lítr *hergramr
hir›menn spenna

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Háttatal—en rœ›i *raungó›—
rógálfr—skjálfa.

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Í ﬂessum hætti eru fjórar samstƒfur í vísuor›i ok er eigi rangt < í> inu
fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja ﬂótt fimm sé; ﬂar eru skothendur; í ƒ›ru ok inu
fjór›a eru a›alhendingar ok bá›ar saman ok in fyrri st‡f›, en stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›u.
ﬁetta er hnugghent:
Hrannir str‡kva hla›inn bekk,
haflau›r skeflir,
kasta náir kjalar stíg
kalt hl‡r sƒltum;svƒrtum hleypir svana fjƒll
snjallmæltr stillir
hlunna of Haka veg
hrí›feld skí›um.
Hér er í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i sjau samstƒfur ok hendingalaust en
rétt at stƒfum, en annat ok it fjór›a hefir fjórar samstƒfur en rétt atstƒfum ok skothending ok oddhent ok st‡f› in fyrri hending.
Nú er hálfhnept:[Sny›ja] lætr í sólro›snekkjur á Manar hlekk,árla sér ungr jarlallvaldr [brek]a fall;lypta[sk kn]á l‡›r opt
lauki of kjalar raukn,grei›a náir glygg vá›,greipum mœta dragreip.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru sex samstƒfur í vísuor›i, en eigi er rangt ﬂóttver›i fimm e›a sjau. Í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i eru skothendur, ena›alhendingar í ƒ›ru ok hinu fjór›a; í hvárumtveggja sta› in fyrrihending rétt í dróttkvæ›u en in sí›ari st‡f› e›a hnept, ﬂat er allt eitt.
Sjá háttr er alhneptr:Hrƒnn skerr—hvatt ferr—
húfr kaldr—allvaldr,lá br‡tr—lƒg sk‡tr—limgarmr—rangbarmr;
brátt skekr—byrr rekr—
blán vegg—ráskegg,Háttatal

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jarl lætr almætr
ósvipt húnskript.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru fjórar samstƒfur í vísuor›i ok tvær a›alhendingar< ok lúkask> bá›ar í einn staf ok allar hendingar hneptar. ﬁetta er
Ha›ar lag:Læsir leyf›r vísi
landa útstrandirblí›r < ok> bláskí›u< m>bar›a randgar›i;ern kná jarl ﬂyrna
oddum valbroddajƒr› me› élsnœr›umja›ri hræna›ra.
Í ﬂessum hætti eru fimm samstƒfur í vísuor›i en hendingar ok stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti.
Nú eru ﬂeir hættir er runhendur eru kalla›ar. ﬁeir eru me› einu
móti: hverr háttr runhendr skal vera me› a›alhendingum tveim ok í
sínu vísuor›i hvár hending. ﬁessi er rétt runhenda:
Lof er flutt fjƒrum
fyrir gunnƒrum
(né spur› spƒrum
spjƒll grams) snƒrum;hefi ek hans fƒrum
hró›rs ƒrumypt óvƒrum
fyrir au›s bƒrum.
ﬁessi háttr er haldinn me› einni hending í hverju vísuor›i; ok svá er
sú runhending er skilr hendingar ok skiptir or›um. ﬁví er ﬂetta
runhent kallat.
ﬁetta er hin minni runhenda:
Fluttak frœ›i*of frama grœ›i(tunga tœ›i)me› tƒlu rœ›i;
stef skal stœra
stilli Mœra

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34(hró›r dugir hrœra)ok honum fœra.
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Hér gengr hending of há< lfa> vísu en ƒnnur í sí›ari helmingi.
ﬁessi háttr er st‡f›r e›a hneptr af inum fyrra; ﬂessi er in minzta
runhenda:
Slíkt er svá,
siklingr á(ƒld ﬂess ann)*or›róm ﬂann;
jarla er
austan ver
skatna sk‡rstr
Skúli d‡rstr.
< Í> ﬂessum hætti eru ﬂrjár samstƒfur í vísuor›i, en tvau vísuor› sér
um hending; stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›u. Enn finnsk ﬂat svá at eigi
er rangt ef stendr einu sinni fyrir málsor› hljó›stafr sá er kve›andi ræ›r.
ﬁessir eru enn runhendir:Na›rs gnapa ógn alla,ey›ir baugvalla,
hlunns of hástalla
hestar svanfjalla;
orms er glatt gallame› gumna spjalla;
jarl fremr sveit snjalla,
slíkt má skƒrung kalla.
ﬁessi háttr er ort me› fullri runhending ok eru ﬂar tí›ast fimm samstƒfur
í vísuor›i, e›a sex ef skjótar eru. ﬁessi er annarr:Or› fekk gott gramr,
hann er gunntamr,mjƒk er fullframr
fylkir rausnsamr;
hinn er mál metr
milding sízt getr
ﬂann er svá setr
seggi hvern vetr.
ﬁessi er hneptr [af inni fyrri] runhending.

Háttatal

35Mær› vilk aukaM[istar] lauka
góma [sver›i]grundar sker›i;d‡r› skal segja(drótt má ﬂegja)
styrjar gló›a
støkk[vi-Mó]›a.
Í ﬂeima hætti eru fjórar samstƒfur í hverju vísuor›i en hƒfu›stafr
sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti ok fylgir ﬂeim einn hljó›fyllandi.
ﬁessi er hinn ﬂri›i háttr runhendr:
Veit ek hrings hra›aí hƒll la›a(gott < er> hus Hla›a)hir› ƒlsa›a;*drekkr gramr gla›a—en at gjƒf va›avitar valsta›a—vandbaugska›a.
ﬁetta er rétt runhending, ok er ﬂessi háttr tekinn af tøglagi. Hér eru
fjórar samstƒfur í vísuor›i e›a fimm ef skjótar eru.
ﬁessi er hin minni runhenda:
Drífr handa hlekkr
ﬂar er hilmir drekkr,
mjƒk er brƒgnum bekkr
blí›skálar ﬂekkr;
leikr hilmis her
hreingullit ker(segi ek allt sem er)vi› or›a sker.
ﬁessi er hneptr af hinum fyrra. ﬁessi er in minzta:
En ﬂá er hir› til hallarher< s> oddviti kallar,
opt tekr jarl at fagnavi› ótali bragna;
búin er gjƒf til greizlu
at gullbrota veizlu,

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3

6

9

87
3

6

9
88
3

6

36

Háttatalﬂrƒngt sitr ﬂjó›ar sinni,
ﬂar er mestr frami inni.

9

89
3

6

9

90
3

6

9
91
3

6

9

92

ﬁessi runhenda er tekin af dróttkvæ›um hætti ok eru hér jafnmargar
samstƒfur ok svá stafaskipti sem í dróttkvæ›u.
Nú hefr upp inn fjór›a bálk runhendinga:
Hir› gerir hilmis kátt,hƒll skipask ﬂrƒngt at gátt,au› gefr ﬂengill ﬂrátt,
ﬂat spyrr fram í átt;slíkt tel ek hilmis hátt,hans er rausn of mátt,jarl br‡tr sundr í smáttslungit gull vi› ﬂátt.
ﬁessi háttr er hneptr af inum fyrra ok rétt runhendr. Nú er minni
runhenda:Mƒrg ﬂjó› ferr til siklings sala,sœm› er ﬂar til allra dvala,tiggi veitir seim< a> svala,satt er bezt of hann at tala;bresta spyrjum bauga flata—bragna vinr kann gulli hata—(œ›ri veit ek at gjƒflund gatagrundar vƒr›r) fyrir hringa skata.
ﬁessi runhenda er tekin af hrynhendum hætti.
ﬁiggja kná me› gulli glƒ›gotna fer› at ræsi mjƒ›,drekka lætr hann sveit at sín
silfri skenkt it fagra vín;greipum mœtir gullin skál,
gumnum sendir Rínar bál—eigi hittir œ›ra mann—jarla beztr—en skjƒldung ﬂann.
ﬁessi er hneptr af hinni fyrri runhendu.
Hér hefr upp hinn fimta runhendan bálk:
Getit var grams fara,gert hefi ek mær› snara,

Háttatal

37

ﬂengil mun ﬂess vara,
ﬂat nam ek lítt spara;
finnrat frœknarafœ›i gunnstara,mann né mildara,
merkir bló›svara.
ﬁessi er ok full runhenda. ﬁessi er hin minni runhenda †ok tekin af
hálfhneptum hætti e›a náhendum:ﬁengill lætr hƒpp hrest,
honum fylgir dá› mest;
vísi gefr vel flest
verbál ólest.
Húfar brutu haf ljótt,heim *let ek jƒfur sótt,yngva lofa< r> ƒll drótt,jarl< s> sá *ek frama gnótt.
ﬁessi er st‡f›r e›a hneptr af fyrra hætti.
[. . . . . . . . . .] gramr,
gull< i> søri Kraki fram< r> ,efla frágum Haka hjaldr,[. . . . . . . . . .] aldr;
ormi veitti Sigur›r sár,slíkt var allt fyr li›it ár,
Ragnarr ﬂ[ótti] skatna sk‡rstr;
Skúli jarl er myklu d‡rstr.
< Málaháttr:>
Mun›a ek mildingi,
ﬂá er Mœra hilmi
fluttak fjƒgur kvæ›i,
fimtán stórgjafar.
Hvar viti á›r ortame› œ›ra hætti
mær› of menglƒtu›ma›r und himins skautum?

3

6

9

93
3

6

9
94
3

6

9
95
3

6

Háttatal

38
9
96
3

6

9
97
3

6

9

12

98
3

6

99
3

6

< Fornyr›islag:>Ort er of ræsiﬂann er r‡›r granar
vargs ok ylgjar
ok vápn litar;
ﬂat mun æ lifa
nema ƒld farisk,bragni< n> ga lof,e›a bili heimar.
< Bálkar lag:>
Lypta ek ljósu
lofi ﬂjó›konungs,
upp er fyrir ‡tajarls mær› borin;hverr muni heyra
hró›r gjƒflata
seggr svá kve›innseims ok hnossa?
Sú er grein milli ﬂessa hátta at í fornyr›islagi eru í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja
vísuor›i einn stu›ill, en í ƒ›ru ok fjór›a vísuor›i ﬂá stendr hƒfu›stafr ími›ju or›i; en í stikkalagi eru *tveir stu›lar en hƒfu›stafr í mi›ju or›i,en í Bálkar lagi standask stu›lar ok hƒfu›stafr sem í dróttkvæ›u.
Starka›ar lag:
Veit ek ver›ari
ﬂá er vell gefa,brƒndum beita
ok búa snekkjur,hæra hró›rar
en heimdrega—unga jƒfra—en au›spƒru›.
ﬁeir ró jƒfrar
alvitrastir,hringum hæztir,
hugrakkastir,vellum verstir,
vígdjarfastir,Háttatal

39

hir› hollastir,happi næstir.
Ljó›aháttr:Gløggva grein
hefi ek gert til bragar,
svá er tírœtt hundra› talit;hró›rs ørv< er> ›rskala ma›r heitinn vera
ef sá fær alla háttu ort.

9
100
3

6

Galdralag:
Sóttak frem›,sótta ek fund konungs,
sóttak ítran jarl,ﬂá er ek reist—ﬂá er ek renna gat—kaldan straum kili—
kaldan sjá kili.
Njóti aldrs
ok au›salakonungr ok jarl.
ﬁat er kvæ›is lok.
Falli fyrr
fold í ægi
steini studd
en stillis lof.

101
3

6

102
3

6

Textual Notes
0/1–3 Heading from U; R has no legible heading, but begins 0/4 with a large
decorated capital. In T the heading is Upphaf Háttatals. The beginning of Háttatal(to 6/10) is lacking in W 0/15 grein TU, málsgrein R 0/23 written háttanda
R 0/28 greinir (2)] so U, written grein er RT
1/1 Heading in U*: Fyrst er dróttkvæ›r háttr, in U: Dróttkvæ›r háttr. i., in T: It
fyrsta kvæ›i 1/7 á T, of RU 1/23 Unlike T, R has a stop after kve›r, insteadof after at
1/24 á is a conjecture: RT have o, U has io (and lacks í
but adds ok) 1/31 supplied from T 1/44 Heading in U: Kendr háttr. ij. 1/55
begins with a large capital in R
2/1 There are traces of red, but no legible heading in R (read Kendir hættir
in SnE (1931), etta er kent in Skj A II; probably belongs at 1/55). Heading ii.
kenningar T, Kendr háttr U* (cf. 1/44) 2/3 fang] written f√ng R, faung T, favng
U 2/6 ok] added by R*; also in T; en U 2/8 -sei›] a letter written after the s(n?) deleted R 2/11 written renningar R 2/13 fúr TU
3/1 R has a trace of red but no legible heading; Rekit (numbered iii) TU,
Rekit U*
4/1 Heading: Sannkent U*, Sannkent. iiij. U 4/8 bjartr TU 4/8 supplied
from TU
4/21 Traces of a red heading R (etta er tvíri›it?) 4/22 RT add
etta er tvíri›it kallat, but no example follows. Possibly an explanation or exem­pli­fication has been lost from the text
5/1 Heading in R not legible; in U (numbered v.) and U*: Tvíri›it; in T:
Stu›ningar v. (which seems to be correct) 5/7 vig- R, veg- R* -hrœsinn] firstvowel written o RU, ø R*, π T 5/8 vald RU, valdr T 5/10 en (2) altered in R
6/1 Heading in R not legible; N‡gjƒrvingar U (numbered vi.) and U* (spelt
gerv-), N‡gjƒrningar vi. T (which uses this form consistently in the text too) 6/7
at R* (?) and UT, ór R 6/14–15 corrected from WU (U has sver›it, kallat); svá
sem sver› (written seer› R) sé ormr kalla›r, fiskr RT 6/17 corrected from T;
dróttkvæ›um hætti R, dróttkvæ›r háttr WU 6/22 R has a large capital
7/1 Heading: Oddhent U*, Oddhent. vii. U, vii T 7/2 written -hlæs R 7/3
hann R* and TWU, hér R 7/5 ‡gr] TWU. R has yggr, which is possibly an adjec­
tive, but a long vowel is to be expected for the rhyme (though cf. explanatory notes
to 16/12–13, 38/10 and st. 58), and the scribe does not consistently distinguishlong and short consonants lætr UW (though in W the vowel is unclear), hætr(written hetr) T; R has etr with h added above the line; this is altered to hvetr by
R* 7/9 supplied from WU (lacking also in T)
8/1 Heading in U: ¯nnur oddhending (?—nearly illegible), in T: viii. (no title
to this verse in U*) 8/2 the -r added in R*; also present in WU (in T hiara reg
is written for hjarar egg) 8/3 the e in skekr added by R* 8/8 written r√mu

42

Háttatal

R (?), altered to ﬂrymu R*; ﬂrumu TW, ﬂrimu U 8/19 tveim] altered to tveimr
R*
8/22 Var›ak T, Var›at R (the couplet is lacking in WU)
8/23 ﬂor›i T,
ﬂor›u R 8/32 stu›ill] All four MSS place lines 38–40 (sjá) here 8/37 -ger›TW(-gjƒr›)U, -gri› R 8/41 R has a large capital, W opens a new paragraph, U—lm— ) 8/44
has a rubricated heading Hér segir af sextánmæltum (abbreviated -m
er WTU
9/1 R had a red heading here: Sextánmæltr (?); ii.háttr T, Sextánmælt U* 9/5
skekr R*TWU, skefr R 9/11 Trace of a heading in R.
10/1 Heading in U*: Áttmælt, in U: Áttmæltr háttr, in T: iii. háttr 10/3 skerr
WU, sekr R, skekr T (cf. 9/5)
11/1 Heading in TU*: Fjór›ungalok (T adds: iiii. háttr)12/1 Heading in RTU*: Stælt (T adds: v. háttr) 12/1, 10 ok altered from en R
12/4 -konungs R*TW, -konungi R, konungr U 12/5 Vald RWU; altered to V√ld
?R*, vauld T 12/9 supplied from W, RT omit; ﬁetta er it fyrsta U 12/11 R and
T repeat lines l–2 of the stanza instead of lines 1 and 4, as in WU (which here has
konungs)
13/1 Heading in R*U*: Hjástælt, in T: vi. háttr 13/5 gat] appears to havebeen written gatk or gack in R (?) and altered to kann by R* (?) 13/9 supplied
from WU, lacking in RT 13/11 hinu W, inu U; hina R (the phrase is lacking
in T) er eptir fara WU, eru eptir vísuor› R, en ﬂær eru eptir vísuor› T
14/1 Heading in R*U*: Langlokum 14/9 í WU, lacking RT
15/1 Heading in R*: Tiltekit, in U*: Aflei›ingum
15/3 ﬂann] conjecture;
ﬂanns R, ﬂats WT, ﬂess U
15/5 -hættir R* and TWU, -heitir R
16/1 Heading in R*U*: Drƒgur 16/4 aldir R*TWU, aldri R 16/7 ﬂryngr
R*TW, ﬂungr R, ﬂraungr U 16/9 corrected from W; sí›ars er R, sí›arst er í T,
sí›ast var í U 16/10 sí›ari U, sí›ara RT (clause omitted in W) 16/11 begins
with a large capital, and there may have been a heading R; heading in T: Refhvƒrf.
x. háttr, in U (rubricated): Hér segir um refhvƒrf 16/13 vera WU, lacking RT
16/15 En TWU, er R
17/1 Heading in U*: Refhvƒrf 17/5 válkat] written válkar R(?) 17/6 rƒ›uls
U, rƒ›ul RTW (cf. 17/23 and 38)
17/11 Annat] unclear; perhaps An[nat] R
17/13 eitt fall TWU, ætt full- R 17/14 written ﬁri›u R 17/16 supplied from
WU, lacking in RT 17/19 skilr] R adds fylkir, deleted 17/32 rƒ›uls] -s added(or altered from -l) R 17/34 Heading in U: A[nnat] refhvarf, in T: xi. háttr
18/1 Heading in U*: ¯nnur refhvƒrf 18/5 lætr of] conjecture; látit RTWU
(cf. 18/18) 18/17 skelfr] lacking in all MSS í WU, lacking RT 18/19 er TWU
19/1 Heading in U*: In iii. refhvƒrf, in T: xii. háttr (and similarly in the
succeeding stanzas; from st. 26 omitting the word háttr, from st. 30 with arabic
numerals 19/4 unna TWU 19/5 written vi R 19/ 11 En í] supplied from WU(though these lack inum); lacking in RT
20/7 ﬂyrr could he read ﬂvæ RT; ﬂurr U, unclear W
21/1 Heading in U*: ¯nnur in minni 21/2 skut TWU, skot R 21/4 Ró›a WT,
rjó›a R, altered to ró›a R*, bjó›a U

Textual Notes

43

22/1 Heading in U*: In ﬂri›ja 22/4 -drasill R, altered to -drasil R*, drasil W,
written drûsil T, drasill U 22/7 kløkkvan R*TWU, kykkvan R
23/1 Heading in U*: Refhvarfa bró›<i>r
23/6 it U, at (réttu) T, hin W, in R
(written en) 23/11 í T, lacking RU; W reads ok eiga eina tí› 23/14 R has alarge capital here; T opens a new paragraph with the heading: Dunhent. xvii
háttr, U has a new chapter with the rubricated heading: Hér segir hversu skipta
skal hættinum
24/1 Heading in R*: Dunhenda, in U*: Dunhent (cf. T at 23/14)
25/1 Heading in U*: Tilsagt
26/1 Heading in U*: Or›skvi›uháttr (written Orﬂr-)
27/1 Heading in U*: Álagsháttr skar R*TU, skal R, braut W 27/3 fundar
TWU (funda added in a later hand R) 27/16 ﬁetta has a large capital in R
28/1 Heading in U*: Tvískelft 28/4 skiprei›u TW, -ræ›i U, -rei›um R 28/7
stál- R*TWU, stol- R 28/9 er TWU
28/14 Large capital in R
29/1 Heading in U*: Detthent
29/2 -vistir written vist er R
29/6 flen- R, flein- R*TWU 29/10 ﬁetta has a large capital in R
30/1 Heading in U*: Draugsháttr
31/1 Heading in U*: Bragarháttr støkkvi R*, støkki R 31/4 feng R*TWU,
fengs R 31/7 written saltaunnu R
32/1 Heading in U*: Li›hendum
32/10 supplied from T; í einum staf W,
bá›ar i einn hljó›staf U 32/11 sé TWU, sem R
33/1 Heading in U*: Veggjat
33/10 Nú with large capital R; could beread Ne
34/1 Heading in U*: Flag›alag
34/2 fagrskjƒldu›ustum] final -m (nasal
stroke) unclear R 34/6 har›sveipa›astan] first s unclear; perhaps i R(?)
35/8 -lá› R*TU, -rá› R, -li› W 35/10 at TWU
36/1 Heading in U*: ﬁríhent 36/5 herjum R*TU, hverjum RW
38 This stanza is written at the end of Háttatal in R (where it is followed by
Jómsvíkingadrápa), after st. 54 and its commentary in W, and not at all in T
(which lacks the end of the poem). It is found in this place only in U. In W it is thisstanza that is said to be in a metre invented by Veili (35/10–13); there is nocommentary on the stanza in R or U. 38/9–10 are only in W (after the lines about
Veili). The words í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i in W are deleted, the second syllableof skothend is abbreviated, and in is written enn 38/1 is thus in WU; in R it is
written Snarar farar arar snarar fylkir byrjar, with arar snarar deleted by R*
and a mark indicating that the order of the first two words is to be reversed
added
38/3–4 inserted at the end of the stanza R (probably not R*)
38/5s‡jur] written sygior R with the g deleted by R* 38/7 Haka written Hvaka R andthe v deleted by R*
39/5 foldar R*TWU; apparently written folkar or folrar R
40/3 gerir unclear in R
40/6 blikur TU, bliknir R, blikur ?R*, blikurs W
40/9 ﬁessum hætti TU, ﬁessi heiti (or hetti = hætti) R, Í ﬂe[ss]um hætti W44

Háttatal

41/3 ﬂrøngvi R*TWU, ﬂrøngi R 41/7 written hættiz (i.e. hættisk?) R 41/11
inu T, einu R, lacking U; fyrra U, lacking RT (clause lacking in W)
42/3 hvar TWU, hvat R(?) 42/11 alhendu U, aﬂalhendu RT, sentence lacking
in W
43/1 søkkum TWU; written søkkv R, søkkvi R* 43/7 -Vinjat RTU, -vinja›r
R*, -vinjar W
44/1–18 come before 43/1 in W, which is the more logical order (W omits
42/11–13 and 43/12 and 44/19) 44/6 hagbáls] -s deleted R*(?)
45/5 blik R*TWU, brim R (? perhaps briu or brici) 45/9 supplied from TWU
46/2 verbál TWU, verbáls R
46/4 afar TWU, aurar R 46/6 au›s]-s deleted R*(? ) 46/10 fyrsta W, ƒ›ru RTU 46/12 R has a large capital
47/4 ﬂinga RTU, stinga R*, -ninga W 47/6 drauga WU, draugar T, draugum
R* 47/9 samhending TWU, samhendingin R 47/12 Large capital R
48/1 Au›kendar TU, Au›kendur R, Au›kendum W 48/3 ﬂar R*WU, ﬂat RT
48/7 venr TWU, verr R? 48/11 R has a large capital
49/9 st‡ft] R adds tekin50/2 mó› R*T(? or me›)WU, written m› R
51/9 eru U, ok RT, W omits 51/12 ƒll WU, RT omit
52/4 of T, af RW, um U 52/4–6 supplied from TWU (U has fyrir for fyr; theword is abbreviated in W)
53/3 kann] perhaps hann R 53/11 Heading in U: Hættir fornskálda
54/1 Heading in T: Ragnars háttr (and numbered 46; R may also have had thenumeral xlvi here, but it is no longer legible) 54/7 vinr] the -r has possibly beenerased in R (by R*?) 54/9 er TWU
55/1 Numbered 47 in T; the number in R is no longer legible 55/4 hra›sveldan]s deleted in R, altered to hra›feldan R* 55/5 af TWU, of R 55/7 ja›arr WU,
jar›ar RT 55/10 Nú large capital in R
56/1–10 after 57/10 in W (which omits Nú . . . háttr in each case) Stanzanumber no longer legible in R (numbered 48 in T) 56/7 herr altered to hann R*
56/10 The text of U ends here Nú] R has a large capital
58/5 kná R*TW; R appears to have búa or bna 58/11 inu T, written ena R, W
omits 58/12 The words supplied are editorial conjecture; f. 50r in R ends withli›, which may be an abbreviation for li›hending; the top line of f. 50v (which isnearly illegible) seems to begin with ina fyrstu. T has skothending ok li›hendingvi› ina fyrstu; W omits this part of the sentence
58/14 vísuor›i] RT add er
58/14, 16 Ví›a er ﬂat í . . . ﬂví] supplied from TW
59/7 Glƒndlar R 59/8 gagn TW, gang R
60/3 hræs] so W, hress T, hre[. .] R (with an alteration that is not legible; SnE(1931) reads hvatt) 60/7 frár R*; written fr√r R, frπr T, fƒr W
61/1 fellr R*, felr RTW 61/3 hlyn R*W, hlynr RT 61/8 skotnar has beenaltered (by R*?)
61/10 The text of T ends here
62/13 supplied from W 62/16 hrynhenda] altered to hrynjandi R (apparently
in the same hand)Textual Notes

45

63/1 kendi R*W 63/9–10 added at foot of page with indicative sign R 63/10
ﬂrjár] emendation; fjórar R, W omits this part of the sentence
64/3–8 supplied from W
65/7 corrected from W; ƒflum sótti oddi R 65/9–10 supplied from W
66/1 Rubric in R: lviii 66/9 corrected from W; fyrstu R
67/11 í supplied by editors; me› W 67/14 R has a large capital here, W opens
a new paragraph68/8 hers R*W, hans R
69/9 annat W, annan R 69/12 supplied by editors; the sentence is omitted in
W ( for the name hagmælt cf. 71/9)
70/1–7, 9 supplied from W (though there skothendingar is abbreviated skoth.
and the verb at 70/9 is singular)
71/1 R has an illegible rubric snei›ir] R*; R seems to have snæ›ir 71/7
leyf›r seems to have been altered in R 71/11 endask W, endar R
72/1 Rubric in R: lxv kná er R, altered to knáir R* (i.e. the two words arejoined by a line; this may be intended as a 3rd pers. sg. form)
73/1 Rubric in R: lxvi
73/2 døkkva W, støkkva R, altered to døkkva R*
73/10 a›alhendingar] abbreviated a›alhend. R
74/1 Rubric in R: lxvii 74/7 bƒ›har›r bƒr›um W, bƒ›hjar›r hƒr›um (alteredto bƒr›um R*) R
75/1 Rubric in R: lxviii
75/2 snekkjur altered to snekkjum R*
75/5
hergramr W, her fram R (possibly an error for herframr) 75/7 raungó› W, rau›gó› R 75/9 supplied from W
76/1 Rubric in R: lxviiii 76/11 skothending] abbreviated skothend. R
77/1 Rubric not legible R 77/1–5 supplied from W 77/2 hlekk] perhaps
hlokk R 77/11 a›alhendingar] abbreviated a›alhend. R
78/10 supplied from W
79/1 Rubric in R: lxxii 79/3 corrected from W; R* seems to have um blásko›u
79/6 val-] fal- R*W 79/7 élsnœr›um] the second vowel written o R 79/11
Rubric: lxxiii R
80/6 R* adds til before hró›rs; W reads til hró›rar ƒrum] written √rum R,
altered to geyrum (i.e. gørum) R*, gjƒrum W
81/1 Rubric in R: lxxiiii (?)
81/2 of] emendation; ok R, um R*W
81/9
corrected from W
82/1 Rubric in R: lxxv 82/4 or›róm R*W, ƒ›rum R 82/9 supplied from W
83/4 -fjalla R*W, -fjallar R
83/5 galla] altered from gjalla? R (or R*?)
83/6 gumna] altered from gunna R? 83/7 fremr written freimr R
84/ l Rubric illegible R 84/9 supplied by editors (according to Finnur Jónsson,
SnE (1931), 249, fyrri is written in the margin); ok me› minni runhendu(abbreviated runh.) W
85/2–3 and 8 supplied from W
86/3 er R*W 86/5 drekkr R*W, dregr R. The text of W ends with this line
86/11 written hrunhenda R here and at 88/9

46

Háttatal

88/1 Rubric illegible R 88/2 hers R*, her R
89/1 Rubric illegible R 89/10 runhenda] abbreviated runh. R
90/1 Rubric illegible R
90/3 seima R*
90/9 runhenda] abbreviatedrunh. R
91/1 Rubric illegible R 91/9 runhendu] abbreviated runh. R
92/1 Rubric illegible R
92/9–10 ok tekin . . . náhendum written after
runhenda (1) in line 9 in R, but seems to belong to the description of st. 93
92/10 -hneptum written hnefstum R
93/6 leit R 93/7 lofar R*, lofa R 93/8 jarls R* (?), jarl R ek] er R
94/2 framr R*, fram R 94/9 Heading added by R*; similarly 95/9, 96/9
97/10 vísuor›i] R adds er 97/11 tveir] ﬂrír R 97/13 Heading in margins R(where it apparently relates to st. 99) and R*
99/9 Heading added in margin R
100/4 -ver›r R* 100/7 Heading in margin R
102/8 R has st. 38 here without any commentary, see textual note above; thenfollow Jómsvíkingadrápa (beginning at f. 53r29) and Málsháttakvæ›i

Textual Notes

47

Explanatory Notes
0/1. Háttatal: ‘enumeration of metres’; though since some of Snorri’s
varieties are stylistic or grammatical rather than metrical, perhaps‘enumeration of verse-forms’. Hættir at 0/4 seems to be used in aneven broader sense, in view of the answer given at 0/7. Cf. also 95/6.
At 1/25 and in the term háttlausa (see Glossary) it is internal rhyme (orthe lack of it) that is referred to; cf. 58/14–16 and note, and Glossary
under tøgdrápulag.
0/7. These three categories are clearly based on the traditional parspraeceptiva, pars permissiva and pars prohibitiva of Latin grammarians.
The first normally referred to Donatus’ books 1 and 2 (orthography
and grammar or morphology), the second and third to the figures ofspeech (those that were permitted and those that were considered defectsof style) in book 3. On leyfi cf. GT Prologue 155.
0/11. Rétt ok breytt: ‘normal and varied’. Compare the opposition
naturalis~artificialis, applied to rhetorical ordering of discourse in a
direct or a roundabout way in Fortunatianus, Ars rhetorica, 3.1 (Halm
1863, 120; see Introduction, pp. xii–xiii above). Alcuin (1941), 100 has
the exchange: ‘An semper perspicue exordiri debet orator?—Aliquando
perspicue, aliquando per circuitionem.’ The terms naturalis and artificiosus are applied in the Rhetorica ad Herennium, 3.16.28 to memoria.
0/16: i.e. réttrar setningar. Similarly at 0/23.
0/19. tala: another term derived from the terminology of grammar. The
three categories into which Snorri divides it are illogically on threedifferent levels of discourse and are not complementary to each other.
0/29. har›ar e›a linar: presumably referring to quality of sound as
opposed to length, though it is possible that the terms refer to accented
and unaccented syllables. Accentuation, however, is less relevant torhyme, which seems to be the topic under discussion here. Cf. GT
Prologue 154.
Stanzas 1–30 are in praise of King Hákon, 31–98 are predominantly inpraise of Earl Skúli; the last few stanzas praise the two rulers together.
Finnur Jónsson (1920–24), II 79 and de Vries (1964–7), II 79 bothstrangely claim that stt. 68–101 are predominantly about Hákon, butthere is no unequivocal mention of the king after st. 67 until st. 97. Cf.
st. 69 and ﬂrennr in Glossary.

48

Háttatal

1/9–16. Cf. TGT 96–7, where alliteration is also discussed. Kve›andi
seems here and in some other places to be used to mean ‘poetical effect’in the most general sense, but elsewhere it seems to refer particularly
to either alliteration (e.g. 1/13) or rhyme (e.g. 1/26).
1/40–41. or› here as frequently elsewhere = vísuor›. The objects of kƒllum
in these two lines may be understood (i.e. frumhending), but possiblyﬂá is the fem. acc. pron. rather than the adverb.
1/44. The writer distinguishes three kinds of variation of form (háttr):
variation in sound, breytt me› hjó›um 1/47, 27/14 (i.e. in arrangementof rhyme or alliteration or in length of line), stt. 28 onwards (though st.
24 seems to belong with these, cf. 27/13 n.); rhetorical variations, me›máli skipta but halda sama hætti 1/48, 52 (systematic use of kenningsetc.), stt. 2–6; and syntactical variations, breyta háttum me› máli einu
8/45 (end-stopped lines, various kinds of parenthesis, linking of stanzas
etc. and use of antithesis), stt. 9–23 (and 25–7). Stt. 7–8 involve
variations in length of line due to various kinds of elision and resolution,
which he also does not seem to think of as ‘real’ variations (cf. 67/10–12).
2/5–8: quoted in the additions to Skáldskaparmál in W to illustrate
kennings for the head (SnE 1924, 111).
2/10–11. As elsewhere, one of the subdivisions of the category (kenning)has the same designation as the class to which all three subdivisions
belong. Presumably the first category should be understood as ‘simple
kenning’; cf. 4/21 (sannkenningar). These passages, which seem tohave been written before the accounts of the kenning in Skáldskaparmál,
chs. 1 and 67, are the clearest indication that Háttatal was the first partof the Edda to be composed. Snorri’s analysis of the kenning was refined
after the writing of the commentary to Háttatal.
Stanza 3 seems to be exemplifying the systematic use of tvíkent (twoexamples in lines 1–2, one in line 5, one in lines 7–8); rekit (whenkennings have more than two determinants) is not exemplified in a
separate stanza, though examples appear in 2/1–2 and 3/4. Cf. textual
note on 3/1.
4/8. E. A. Kock (NN 2174) points out that the pattern of this stanza requires
an adjective with each noun and an adverb with each verb, and that R
in fact has the neuter form bjart, which could be taken as adverbial(with unir; though it does not give easy sense as such). On the other
hand the writer’s paraphrase of this line at 4/17 uses the masculine
adjective gla›r as equivalent of bjartr (which is the reading of T and U
at 4/8), and an adjective in agreement with the subject in such a context
is virtually adverbial in force.

Explanatory Notes

49

4/18–20. An acknowledgement that Snorri has systematised a variant(using it in every line when one would expect it to be only an occasional
embellishment), thus making a new ‘form’ from it. Cf. 6/18–21.
4/21–5/11. This passage (cf. also 6/20) was used by the reviser of Skáldskaparmál in W, see SnE (1924), 105/1–5. The confusion noted in 4/22,
textual note reappears there; perhaps the mistake arises from separatingstu›ning and tvíri›it. Stanza 5 illustrates the systematic use of stu›ning(though apparently only in lines 1–4: the compounds in the second half ofthe stanza are of a different kind), and there is no stanza illustrating
tvíri›it.
5/3–6: quoted in TGT 107 in illustration of epitheton.
6/9. The meaning of n‡gjƒrvingar in Skáldskaparmál is slightly different.
It is there used to refer to extensions of meaning by the use of nearsynonyms even if the result does not involve metaphor; that is, it means
the making of new kennings on the pattern of older ones (cf. especially
Skáldskaparmál, ch. 33). According to Hallvard Lie in KLNM IX 560(‘Kvi›uháttr’), n‡gjƒrvingar are particularly frequent in kvi›uháttr
poems (see note to st. 102).
6/15–16. Egill Skallagrímsson sometimes used nykrat: lausavísa 23 (ÍFII 172) ‘ﬁél høggr stórt fyrir stáli’; Hƒfu›lausn 8, 17 (ÍF II 188, 191);
cf. also TGT 80, FoGT 131. Snorri’s comments on mixed metaphorshave been compared with Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 8. 6. 50 (1920–
22, III 328–31), but the similarity, though striking, is not sufficient toindicate derivation. On nykrat in Norse poetry in general see MacraeGibson (1989), 170–71 and references in notes 45–6.
6/17. dróttkve›inn is the reading of T and is the form likely to have givenrise to the erroneous reading in R; but this is the only occurrence of
this pp. in the text and W and U have the more usual dróttkvæ›r.
6/17–18. hinn sami háttr: i.e. stt. 2–6 are not really in a different verseform from st. 1. Cf. 1/52 and 1/44 n., 4/18–20 n.
6/24. í ƒ›ru ok inu fjór›a vísuor›i: i.e. of each half-stanza, as throughout
the commentary to Háttatal. Similarly 8/9: í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i.
Cf. Glossary under vísuor›.
Stanza 7: all four of the five-syllable lines (and one six-syllable one, line 3)
contain contracted words which at an earlier stage of the language would
have had an additional syllable: -hlés, kná, hræs, -ár, -fá, -grá. Though
the author does not say this, it is likely that such contractions gave riseto short lines and made the lack of a syllable acceptable, though it isalso likely that the extra syllables continued to be used in performanceof poetry long after they had disappeared from ordinary prose speech.

50

Háttatal

Cf. Kuhn (1983), 69–70. Eilífr Gu›rúnarson, ﬁórsdrápa 5/8 (Skáldskaparmál, ch. 18) may have been Snorri’s model for st. 7; as elsewhere
he has made a new verse-form out of an occasional phenomenon (cf.
Bjarni Einarsson 1971, 22–3; 1987, 151–3). Note also Kormakr’s
lausavisa 18/8, ÍF VIII 222. Similar phenomena occur in eddic verse,
e.g. PE Vƒluspá 42/4, Gu›rúnarkvi›a I 13/4, 19/6, 26/8.
Stanza 8. One of the extra syllables in each line except line 3 is accounted
for as providing resolution of a stress with a preceding short syllable,
in each case in the first word of the line. Other additional syllables in
the odd lines would disappear if pronouns were suffixed (spyrk in line 1)
and conjunctions were contracted (ﬂvíro, ﬂars in line 3, ﬂótt in line 5)
and if the monosyllabic forms fyr and of were used for the prepositions
fyrir and yfir (lines 1 and 7). Lines 5 and 7 have further resolutions(muna and ﬂorir). Line 3 still has an extra syllable, and this can only be
got rid of by making the first verb singular, as in W, as well as eliding
its vowel (reading ﬂvís). It may be therefore that this stanza actuallycontains no ‘additional’ syllables in reality.
Snorri does not clearly show that he understands the principle ofresolution. Contraction and elision he describes below as bragarmál.
In manuscripts many scribes have expanded such contractions (just as
they may have contracted such words as account for the short lines inst. 7) and it was maybe this that led Snorri to think that the extra syllables
could have been pronounced without spoiling the metre, though it islikely that most readers would not have pronounced them, but would
automatically have elided them whether they were written or not.
Skaldic stanzas rarely contain extra syllables that cannot be accounted
for in one of the above ways, but whether Snorri believed that extra
unstressed syllables were acceptable in dróttkvætt as they were in eddic
metres even if they were neither for resolution after short stressedsyllables nor capable of elision is difficult to say. The remark at 8/12–14
suggests that he thought of the extra syllables as being a prelude or
anacrusis. Since the initial syllable in each line (except line 3) is short,the hending would not normally fall upon it anyway, cf. 38/10 n. andKuhn (1983), 80–82, where examples from tenth-century verse are
given; hendings with short syllables were avoided by later poets, see
Kuhn (1977). On the positions where resolution was acceptable indróttkvætt see Kuhn (1977); (1983), 55–6, 68–9; for examples ofresolution and elision see Sievers (1878).
8/8. The reading of R is uncertain (see textual note), though Finnur Jónsson
read ﬂr√mu in Skj A II 54 (ﬂrumu in SnE 1931) and adopted ﬂrƒmuExplanatory Notes

51‘edges’ in Skj B II 63; but the use of a kenning might be expected here
(ﬂrumu randa = battle). Hreinn is an odd adjective to use with it; perhaps
it could be translated ‘pure’. W and T have hreinna (gen. pl. with randa).
8/10. hversu flestar: see Heusler (1950), § 394.
8/13. It is uncertain whether ﬂat refers to the preceding clause or thefollowing one in line 14 (in the former case the second comma in line
13 should be omitted and at interpreted as ‘so that’).
8/16. med álƒgum: cf. álagsháttr, st. 27.
detthent: st. 29.
dunhent: st. 24 (cf. textual note).
skjálfhent: cf. 28/11 and st. 35.
8/17–18. Cf. rétthent, st. 42.
8/18–20: i.e. var›ak for var›a ek, ﬂars for ﬂar er. These are usually taken
to be archaisms rather than poetical elision. Cf. Noreen (1923), §§ 158,
465, 473 Anm. 2; Einar Ólafur Sveinsson (1958), 97 and 101.
8/22–3. The stanza from which these two lines (only present in R and T)
come is in Eyrbyggja saga, ÍF IV 38 (Skj A I 111, B I 105). The sentence
as quoted is incomplete: the indirect object of var›ak is kvinna fr‡ju(‘from women’s reproach’). Myr›ir mor›fárs refers to the poet.
8/24. sú grein: i.e. leyfi.
8/24–5. skipta tí›um: cf. 8/41–4 and TGT 77.
8/26. samhendingar, li›hendingar: see stt. 46–8 and 41, 53, 58.
8/29. vísuor› e›a skemra: apparently ‘whether it be [repetition] of a wholeline or less’. Repetition of words within a stanza is normally not permitted (cf. 8/32–40), but may be an acceptable leyfi if it is effective (at n‡ta).
8/29–31. The longest known kenning in Germanic alliterative poetry is
the one with 8 elements in the verse of ﬁór›r Sjáreksson quoted in Hkr
I 187, verse 78 (Skj B I 302). Cf. LP s.v. gimsløngvir.
8/31–2. drag e›a stu›ill: both unexplained; it is not even certain whether
these are two terms for the same thing. Stu›ill here is clearly different
from stu›ill as applied to alliterating staves (1/14 etc.). Drag may mean
an extra line added at the end of a stanza (when this occurs it usually
repeats or echoes line 8; cf. galdralag, see st. 101 n.), or could be thesame as drƒgur (st. 16). There are various examples of the former quoted
from dream-verses in Möbius (1879–81), II 129 (including Skj B I 400,
st. 10, which is in Hkr III 177; see also Skj B II 609 under varselsvers).
Cf. also Háttalykill, st. 22 (núfuháttr), which has a refrain-like addition
to each quatrain. Snorri seems to confine the term galdralag to ljó›aháttrwith an extra line at the end of the stanza (st. 101), while the dreamverses referred to above often add the extra line to dróttkvætt stanzas.

52

Háttatal

8/33. í vísuhelmingi: í vísuor›i would make better sense (er comes twice
in 8/34).
8/34–7. Not recorded elsewhere; taken to be part of Refr’s poem about acertain ﬁorsteinn (perhaps the son of Snorri go›i). For Hofgar›a-Refr’s
extant verse see Skj A I 318–21 (it is only preserved in manuscripts ofthe prose Edda, Heimskringla and Óláfs saga helga).
8/38–40: i.e. to repeat a reference to an individual previously named orreferred to, even if only by the use of a pronoun, is counted as leyfi.
This clause presumably belongs with the seventh leyfi above (8/26–8).
Cf. textual note on 8/32.
8/45. me› máli einu: i.e. syntactical variation, cf. 1/44 n. Here Snorri
introduces the first of what he considers to be real variations of form
and from now on most variations are given a name (8/46–7).
8/46–9. Cf. 0/19–22.
11/9–10. Stt. 2–8 were not considered to be fully breytt (cf. 1/52), since
the variations in them were only rhetorical, or else involved leyfi (stt.
7–8). Stanza 12 is therefore the fourth variant verse-form (st. 10 was
the second, cf. 9/11) and the fifth stanza-type including the standard
type of st. 1. Stanza 13 is the fifth variant (12/13), stt. 14–17 arerespectively the seventh to tenth verse-forms (taking st. 1 as the first).
Stanzas 12 and 14 are quoted in FoGT 136–7 in illustration of antitheton.
13/4, 8. The two ‘traditional statements’ ( forn minni 13/12) are clearly
connected with an account of creation, but have not been preserved
elsewhere. Cf. Ps. 104 (103): 6 and PE Vƒluspá 4, 59 (see Fidjestøl
1982, 249).
14/1. Langlokum (see textual note). The name in the dat. is elliptical,
meaning ‘(composed) with langlokur’, rather as some place-names wereused in the dative (with a preposition), e.g. á Hallfre›arstƒ›um, ÍF XI
97. The form langlokum is also used in Háttalykill, st. 30 and FoGT136. Cf. Möbius (1879–81), II 65 (such datives are used on otheroccasions in U, see textual notes on 15/1, 32/1; SnE (1848–87), II 377/23.
15/1–2. There seems to be a redundant element in the kenning: either
gjaldsei›r or grundar sei›r would be sufficient to mean ‘serpent’. Cf.
hranna hád‡r 8/34–5 and 60/3 n. If the kenning is to be analysed as
equivalent to sei›r gjaldgrundar it is similar in structure to vandbaugska›i 86/8 and vandbaugs sendir 28/1 (see also rƒ›ull in Glossary and17/6 n.). Such kennings employ a kind of tmesis, on which see 36/7–8 n.
Cf. also Meissner (1921), 164.
15/9–12: i.e. ﬁeim er (15/1) is dependent on konungdómi (14/8). It is odd
that the word aflei›ing is applied to the latter word rather than to theExplanatory Notes

53

first word of st. 15; sá vísuhelmingr means the first half of st. 15, which
is not correct tiltekit (15/1 textual note) unless it is syntactically linked tothe preceding stanza (cf. st. 39). See Möbius (1879–81), II 56, where theillogicality is taken as evidence of alteration or corruption in the archetype.
16/9–10. Cf. TGT 94, where 15/7–8 and 16/1 are quoted as an example
of anadiplosis. The device is used extensively in Old French and Middle
English. Cf. Gordon (1953), 89 and see also JH–AH 129. Similar linking
of stanzas is found in medieval Irish verse, see Heusler (1925), I 313.
Cf. st. 39 and 39/9–10 n.
16/11–15. Again Snorri seems to be making consistent verse-forms byregular use of what would normally be sporadic embellishments (cf.
4/18–20). He himself uses refhvƒrf as an occasional device, e.g. 44/8
and 54/3 (if there was a verb hlemma ‘stop’; see Fritzner 1883–96, II 7).
16/12–13. hafi ﬂó einnar tí›ar fall: tí› here can scarcely mean ‘tense’as it clearly does at 8/25 and 8/41 (and TGT 76), since many of theexamples of refhvƒrf below concern nouns and adjectives rather thanverbs. The phrase may mean the opposite of lúkask bæ›i eigi í eina tí›(23/10–11), whatever that is, and possibly the same as í eitt fall mælt(17/13; in neither place can fall have its usual meaning of ‘grammaticalcase’). Tí› could perhaps mean ‘rhythm’or ‘cadence’ (though in thefirst two and some other examples of refhvƒrf the two contrasted words
are of one and two syllables respectively). The concept ‘metrical foot’does not really apply to dróttkvætt; even if one does apply it, verr andsœkir in 17/1 would not by most people be considered to be in thesame foot; the phrase may, however, simply mean that the two contrasted
words must be adjacent (cf. 23/10), or possibly that they must be on
the same side of the caesura (in the same hemistich), cf. Kuhn (1983),
89–90 (some of the pairs of antithetical words in st. 23 are divided by
the caesura, cf. 23/11). Perhaps the most likely thing is that tí› refers tosyllabic quantity, as perhaps fall ∂›r tíma does at GT Prologue 154,and certainly tí› does in TGT 52–3, though for instance hafi jar›ar(17/2) and frƒmum mei›um (17/8) do not fulfil this condition either. In
fact the only way in which all Snorri’s examples can fulfil his condition
is if the phrase means that both words must be stressed. Cf. endaskbá›ar í einn staf 71/11 and lúkask á einum hljó›staf bá›ar (32/10),
lúkask allar einnig (36/10), lúkask í einn staf bá›ar (73/10, 78/10). It
is possible that the statement is meant to apply, not to the two words
linked by refhvƒrf, but to the two words involved when there is ofljóst.
Ofljóst can involve two words with vowels of different quantity, though
this does not seem to happen with any of the examples in Háttatal, and54

Háttatal

Snorri may mean that it should be avoided; cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 74,
TGT 172, Bjarni Einarsson (1987), 160. Similarly, hendings can link
syllables with vowels of different quantity, though this was generally
avoided, at least as far as a›alhending was concerned, cf. 38/10 n.,
79/10 n. and st. 8 n. (see Kuhn 1977, especially p. 528).
16/16. frumsmí›: i.e. either this kind of verse has never been attempted
before, or this is the first time that Snorri has attempted this kind ofverse. Cf. stt. 70 and 95.
17/3. reka elsewhere in the text means ‘drive, hammer’ literally or
metaphorically. With the object kƒld heit it could mean ‘fulfils (coldpromises or threats)’, sc. to punish evil-doers (LP s.v. heit interprets
the hostility as towards gold, i.e. indicating the ruler’s generosity, though
this conflicts with Snorri’s own interpretation below, 17/30), but it isperhaps more likely that the threats come from the enemy and that thephrase means ‘drives away cold threats’ (in Skj B II 65 the verb istranslated ‘straffer’).
17/6. If the reading rƒ›ul sævar is correct (in spite of 17/32), rƒ›ul-sævar
mei›um would be equivalent to rƒ›ul-mei›um sævar; cf. 15/1–2 n.
17/13. í eitt fall mælt: perhaps ‘said in the same breath, in the samephrase (clause?) or expression’; cf. 16/12–13 n. But it is difficult to see
what the rest of the sentence means. Possibly Snorri has in mind thaton their own hafi jar›ar (respectively dative and genitive) could imply‘from sea to land’, since the two cases fundamentally signify origin
and destination (see Nygaard 1906, §§ 113–16 and 141).
17/14, 16, 24. ljóss may have its normal meaning of ‘clear, obvious’ inthis passage, but it may be connected with the use of ofljóss at 17/26,
18/13 and 20/9, which is almost certainly being used in its ironicalsense ‘containing word-play, punning’, as in Skáldskaparmál, ch. 74.
Refhvƒrf as exemplified in stt. 17–23 nearly always requires thecontrasting words to be taken in one sense to provide antithesis, but in
another sense as part of the meaning of the verse.
Stanza 20. The first two words in each line give the following antitheses,
usually by taking them in different senses from those required forinterpreting the meaning of the verse ( flest ofljós 20/9): freezes ~ warms;
raised ~ falls; travel ~ stay; away ~ towards; twists ~ straight; wraps ~unwraps; steps ~ rushes; warns ~ exhorts.
Stanza 21. Antitheses at the beginning of the even lines: lay ~ rose; ran ~stood; confined ~ spacious; stiff ~ pliable.
Stanza 22. Antitheses in the first two words of lines 4 and 8: ugly ~ fair;cold ~ embers.

Explanatory Notes

55

Stanza 23. Antitheses in the second halves of the even lines: winter ~summer; rest ~ movement; leaning ~ straight; empty ~ full.
23/10–11. lúkask bæ›i eigi í eina tí›: cf. 16/12–13 n. It is unclear whether
this means the same as standa eigi saman ok er ein samstafa millum
ﬂeira, or whether it refers to some other difference from ordinaryrefhvƒrf. The pairs of antithetical words in this stanza all include one
monosyllable and one disyllable, as well as being not adjacent andperhaps not being considered to be in the same phrase (there is a similar
problem with the meanings of lúkask á einum hljó›staf bá›ar and lúkask
allar einnig, 32/10 and 36/10, see notes to these lines). They are allstressed words, though in some cases if the lines are taken to be Sievers
type D they may be only half-stressed (this is, however, unlikely, sincethen there would have to be greater stress on the preceding verbs). All
the main syllables are metrically long (though their length may bedifferent according to the rules in TGT 52–3), but then so were most of
those in the contrasted words in ordinary refhvƒrf.
23/11–15. But variations involving hendings do not in fact appear untilst. 28, though the repetition of words in st. 24 does result in similar
hendings in each pair of lines (cf. stt. 41, 47, 48, 53). Variations in lengthof lines do not appear until st. 33. Cf. 27/12–15; Möbius (1879–81), II 51.
23/14–15. This seems to be the last question in the commentary to Háttatal.
Stanza 24 is very similar to st. 47, except that the latter has identicalsyllables at the beginning and end of the odd lines, as well as at the endof the odd lines and beginning of the even lines. In Egill’s lausavísa 4(ÍF II 110), the first couplet is like st. 47, the second and last like st. 24.
Cf. also Háttalykill, st. 33 (see JH–AH 127), Egill’s lausavísa 16 (ÍF II156), Hallfre›r’s lausavísa 11 (Hkr I 331).
Stanza 25. The first part of the even lines, i.e. up to the final disyllabic
word, is parenthetical and in each case provides a gloss (segir til) to a
kenning in the main statements in the odd lines (to which the last wordin each of the even lines belongs). The device of providing a gloss to a
kenning is used by Egill in Hƒfu›lausn 8/4. Stanzas 25–7 do not involve
change of metre or arrangement of alliteration and hendings otherwise
than to fix the position of the caesura in the even lines, and logicallythey belong with stt. 9–16, especially st. 13. All three stanzas involve
regularly placed parentheses that occupy less than a full line. (Cf. Kuhn
1983, 167–8.)
Stanza 26. The main statements come in the odd lines and the first word
(always a monosyllable) of the even lines. The remainder of the even lines
are parenthetical proverbial or gnomic statements (or›skvi›ir). Cf. st. 13.

56

Háttatal

Stanza 27. The parentheses in this stanza have no specified content,
though they are positioned as in st. 26, with a caesura after the firstsyllable of the even lines (with a slight irregularity in line 3; this also
has a caesura after its first syllable, which belongs in sense to the second
part of line 2). The description in 27/9–11 could apply to st. 26 as well.
Cf. JH–AH 132.
27/7. jarla pr‡›i presumably refers to Hákon, the subject of this part ofthe poem, though according to Sturl. I 278 it was Skúli who gave Snorri
the ship mentioned in the next stanza.
27/13. me› fullu háttaskipti: i.e. with variation in length of line orarrangement of alliteration or rhyme. ﬁessi (27/12) refers to st. 28,
though in fact st. 24 too can be seen as involving variation in thehendings (cf. 23/14 and 1/44 n.; Möbius 1879–81, II 5l–2); or
alternatively as having linking of lines rather like the linking of stanzas
in stt. 15–16.
Stanza 28: this is the metre of Hallar-Steinn’s Rekstefja (Skj A I 543–52),
see Kuhn (1983), 333–4.
28/3–4: quoted in TGT 79 in illustration of cacemphaton (-braks skylja).
28/4. King Hákon may indeed have given Snorri a ship-levy estate (Snorri
is said in Sturl. I 278 to have been made a lendr ma›r), but in view of
the undoubted gift of a ship mentioned in the second half of the stanza
and the uncertainty about the ending of skiprei›u (see textual note), it
may be that the word should be skiprei›a (skiprei›i m. ship’s gear or
rigging).
28/6. The gift of a ship (though by Skúli, not the king) is mentioned inÍslendinga saga (Sturl. I 278), cf. note to st. 95. D‡r is pl., though it
seems unlikely that Snorri was given more than one. Because of thefrequency of the generic sg. and the apparent occasional use of pl.
when sg. is meant, as well as the similarity of some sg. and pl. forms, it
is often difficult to know whether it is one ship or more that is referred
to in Háttatal. See Glossary under skip, sog.
28/14. It is not clear whether it is permitted to have the first rhyme-syllable
delayed in the odd lines too; this only occurs in the even lines in st. 28.
Cf. 35/3 and 7. Lines 28/12–13 perhaps mean that if the hending falls
on the second syllable in the odd lines, it will still be skjálfhenda but
no longer tvískelft (or maybe ‘if the first hending falls on the syllable
next after the first, the skjálfhenda [i .e. the position of the alliteratingstaves] will not be affected’). One of the characteristics of skjálfhenda
seems to be that it uses type A lines with a ‘heavy’ first dip, which can
carry the first hending; this is a common feature of Hallvar›r háreks-

Explanatory Notes

57

blesi’s Knutsdrápa and Hallar-Steinn’s Rekstefja (see Sievers 1893,
107–8 and cf. 35/13 n.).
29/1–2. The two visits were presumably in the winters of 1218 and 1219
(not Snorri’s first and second visits to Norway), see Sturl. I 271–2.
29/9–10. The fourth syllables of the even lines are all long stressedsyllables (with the caesura before them) which form the first syllablesof trisyllabic words concluding the lines. The even lines are consequently all Sievers type E, made up of two trisyllables. The namedetthent (‘falling rhymed’) probably refers to this rhythm (–´ –` ×), cf.
JH–AH 131.
30/9–10. The third syllable in each of the even lines is a long stressedsyllable, the first of a disyllabic word (which is involved in neither
alliteration nor rhyme); the even lines are all made up of three disyllabic
words with long first syllables and are consequently all Sievers type A.
Stanza 31 begins the (section of the) poem about Skúli. On this stanza
see Kuhn (1969a), 228–30; (1983), 147. The odd lines are all type Dwith the first hending falling on the third syllable; in st. 32 it is theeven lines that have this pattern.
Stanza 32: see Kuhn (1983), 165.
32/5. If seim- is read (as in TWU) the kenning would mean ‘gold-spender’.
32/10–11: obscure. The rhymes in even lines normally involve syllables
containing the same vowel (followed by the same consonant or consonant group), so lúkask á einum hljó›staf bá›ar may refer to the vowels
in the following unstressed syllables, though in st. 32 they are only thesame vowels in line 2 (and in line 6 in W, which reads ilstafni; even if
einum were taken to mean ‘a’ rather than ‘the same’, the description
would still only be applicable to line 6). Similarly it would seem thatsamhljo›andi sé eptir a›ra can only refer to the final consonants at theend of the unstressed syllables, though both rhyme-words have unstressedsyllables ending in consonants in line 4 and neither has them in line 6.
In a number of places it seems that the writer thinks of rhyme-words asnormally having two syllables, cf. 38/10, 48/9–10, stt. 74–5 (which are
distinguished by having monosyllabic words providing the first hendingin each line; st. 45 also has monosyllabic rhyme-words), 76/11,
77/11–12, 78/10. Cf. also 36/10 (lúkask allar einnig), 71/11 (endaskbá›ar í einn staf ), 73/10 (lúkask í einn staf bá›ar), 78/10 (lúkask bá›arí einn staf ); the first and last of these phrases relate to monosyllabic
rhyme-words, the other two to disyllabic rhyme-words where bothsyllables rhyme. Cf. TGT 50–52 and 98; the example there given ofri›hent has two-syllable rhymes and illustrates homoeoteleuton. On

58

Háttatal

two-syllable rhymes generally in skaldic verse see Kuhn (1983), 83,
and note stt. 71–3; there are also examples in Kormakr’s lausavísur
38/5 and 63/7 (with Bugge’s emendation, see Skj A I 91), ÍF VIII 271,
301. Cf. 16/12–13 n.
33/2. TW read rei›, R* has ri›u (U reidd); with sver› as subject this verb
would mean ‘swing, be wielded’.
33/5 hilmis bró›ur: Skúli was (half-)brother of King Ingi Bár›arson(1204–17); stt. 32–7 refer to the events of 1213–14, while Ingi wasstill king. (That Ingi and Skúli had different mothers is implied by theuse of the word samfe›ra in Hákonar saga, ch. 9; but Skúli is in various
places called Ingi’s bró›ir, and in the same chapter claims to be skilfenginn, ‘legitimate’; cf. also ch. 88, where he describes himself as‘bro›ir Inga konungs samfe›ri ok skilgetinn’. Earl Hákon galinn, on
the other hand, was Ingi’s half-brother on the mother’s side. SeeBƒglunga sƒgur (1988), II 26–7.)
33/9–10. The writer identifies the antepenultimate syllable as the
additional one in the even lines and thus this syllable never takes partin the alliteration or rhyme. Preceding this syllable each of his evenlines is Sievers type A2k (first dip a long, half-stressed syllable, second
lift a short syllable by licence, Sievers 1893, § 61.4) or perhaps D2(since the second syllable carries the rhyme and may be fully stressed);
but if the third syllable in each line were considered to have resolution
the fifth syllable would constitute the second dip and would not thenbe ‘extra’ (type A2ab or D1). Cf. st. 8, where resolution provides atleast one ‘extra’ syllable in seven out of the eight lines and see Kuhn
(1983), 68.
34/9–10. Here it is the fourth syllable from the end (or the fourth fromthe beginning) that is identified as the additional one; it could be
regarded as providing resolution with the preceding short syllable, which
if the lines are taken to be Sievers type D would be half-stressed, or thefifth syllable in the line could be regarded as an extra unstressed syllable
in the dip of a type D line, with the half-stressed syllable short bylicence (D2, Sievers 1893, § 61.4). The requirement that the first wordin the even lines be a superlative adjective introduces a grammaticaland non-metrical element into the variation. Cf. st. 9/2 in Víglundarsaga, ÍF XIV 104.
35/11. ﬁorvaldr veili’s only recorded stanza (see ÍF XII 262) does notuse skjálfhenda. The poem referred to at 35/12–13 does not survive.
There seems to be an implication that the name of the poem (and themetre) was connected with the shivering produced by the cold, rather

Explanatory Notes

59

than from the sound of the verse-form, though it seems possible thatthe name originally referred to the sound of alliterating staves coming
close together early in the line (see next note; the name tvískelft, st. 28,
would support this: that stanza had skjálfhenda twice in each halfstanza), in which case Snorri’s note is based on folk-etymology (orVeili’s poem had nothing to do with the metre skjálfhenda). The termkvi›a is often used of poems that have no refrain, being found in thenames of many narrative poems as well as of poems in the metre
kvi›uháttr (see Appendix and Wessén 1915, 129), but the phrase drápan
steflausa seems a contradiction in terms, since a refrain is usuallyconsidered an essential feature of a drápa (though indeed Íslendingadrápa, Skj B I 539–45, is without one).
35/13. It seems clear from Snorri’s three accounts of it that for him theessential feature of skjálfhenda was the occurrence of the alliteratingstaves in the odd lines on the first and third syllables, rather than any
particular arrangement of the hendings, though in 35/3, 7 this arrangement of the stu›lar is combined with the placing of the first hending on
the second syllable of the line, as in Háttalykill, st. 41/3 and 7, which
Kuhn (1983), 105, 289, 333–4 takes to be an essential feature of thepattern; in tvískelft (st. 28) this arrangement of the alliteration is
combined with the first hending falling on the first syllable of the line,
in in forna skjálfhenda (st. 35) there are skjálfhendur in the third lineof each half-stanza only, combined with a›alhending. Lines 39/9–11
imply that in n‡ja skjálfhenda had skjálfhendur in the odd lines combinedwith skothending (as in Háttalykill, st. 41). All skjálfhent lines arecharacterised by having a ‘heavy’ first dip (Sievers type A2a), whether
or not the first hending falls upon it.
Stanza 36. On ﬂríhent see JH–AH 130, where parallels in Latin verse arequoted.
36/7–8. In SnE (1952), 471 egg- . . . -ﬂing is taken as a compound separated
by tmesis; this figure is also assumed at 19/3–4 (grunnfƒll; cf. grunn in
Glossary) and 62/6–7 ( folkskúrum) by Finnur Jónsson in Skj B II 66,
78. But although tmesis undoubtedly occurs in skaldic verse—theclearest examples involve the splitting of compound proper names, butthere are cases with other nominal compounds too, especially kenningcompounds; see Finnur Jónsson (1933); Reichardt (1969); Amory (1979);
Kuhn (1983), 108–9, 111–12—all three supposed examples in Háttatal
are capable of more satisfactory interpretations. See also 15/1–2 n.
36/10. lúkask allar einnig: i.e. all the rhyme-words are monosyllables(or monosyllabic second halves of compound words; they have no60

Háttatalending syllables); fylgir samstƒfun fyrir hverja: each is preceded by a(non-rhyming) syllable. According to normal scansion the rhyming
syllables in the even lines of this stanza are all in the dips (half-stressed
if taken as type A2ab), and normally dróttkvætt lines end in a disyllabic
word with the second syllable unstressed.
Stanza 37: On hinn d‡ri háttr see JH–AH 129.
37/5–8. E. A. Kock (NN 1311) tries to simplify the somewhat tortuous
syntax of this half-stanza by taking hátt as an adverb (‘nobly’) parallel
to ﬂrátt (instead of as an accusative noun, object of bjó›a) and linking
the whole of 37/5 with the following line (‘the prince of the clan ofhƒl›ar distributed red wealth nobly, repeatedly’). He then takes ﬂat as
the object of bjó›a and ﬂjó› as the subject of stó›, and is forced toaccept the reading of (R*W; U has um) in place of RT’s af. This isundeniably smoother, but the use of hátt is unusual, jƒfurr, thoughfrequently used in the poem, does not elsewhere appear with dependent
genitive, and the statement ‘people stood around the ruler’ fits ill into
the context.
37/9. í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja: in the even lines too!
38/10: i.e. an unstressed syllable follows each rhyming syllable, in contrast
to st. 37, where the first two rhyming syllables in each line weremonosyllables (cf. st. 36). The first two rhyme-syllables in each line ofthis stanza, moreover, are all short, and with the following unstressedsyllables provide resolution (giving Sievers type A2a or D lines; typeD4 or E in lines 4, 6 and 8). It is unusual for the penultimate syllable ofa line also to be short as in line 6, but this may be the result of the
difficulty of finding a long-syllable rhyme for the short syllables earlier
in the line, and short penultimate syllables are used in st. 90. See noteson stt. 8 and 16/12–13 and cf. Kuhn (1977); (1983), 80–82. Short andlong consonants in pairs of rhyming syllables, however, as in lines 2,
3, 5 and 7, are not all that uncommon (Kuhn 1983, 77–8).
39/5–8. King Ingi (hilmir foldar) invested Skúli with an earldom in 1217.
39/9–10. It could be the echo of hjaldreifan (line 1) in hjaldrs (line 5)that is being referred to—or possibly that of hjálmar (line 4) in hilmir(line 5), cf. stt. 16 and 24—but by analogy with st. 15, also describedas tiltekit (see textual note on 15/1), it would seem to be the syntacticallinking of the two halves of the stanza by ﬂá er that is the feature meant.
Stanzas 39 and 40 would then both be syntactical rather than metricalvariants and would belong logically with stt. 9–16 and 25–7. It is
presumably accidental, rather than an essential part of tiltekit, that thealliteration in these lines (hjálmar | hjaldrs ﬂá er [or ﬂás?] hilmir) isExplanatory Notes

61

reminiscent of skjálfhenda (39/10–11). The writer does not explain
how skjálfhenda in n‡ja differs from in forna (st. 35, cf. st. 28), but it ispresumably that in the former the lines that have skjálfhendur haveskothending rather than a›alhending.
40/1–4: quoted in TGT 94–5 as an example of anaphora. The stanza isalso similar to áttmælt (st. 10). Cf. FoGT 150–51 and EysteinnÁsgrímsson, Lilja 62 (Skj B II 406), quoted by P. G. Foote (1982), 114;
(1984), 256–7; also JH–AH 125–6 (who quote PE Helgakvi›a Hundingsbana II 5–6 and Skj B II 157 st. 48, Sturl. I 428); the quatrains in
Grettis saga, ÍF VII 151–2 form a similar stanza too. See VésteinnÓlason (1969).
40/7–8: quoted in the additions to Skáldskaparmál in W in illustration ofdescriptions of men as distributors of gold (SnE 1924, 105).
40/9. me› or›um could mean either ‘with its lines’ or perhaps more
likely ‘with words’, i.e. the same as me› máli (1/47–8, 8/45, 9/11):‘varied as regards dróttkvætt in meaning’—but not in sound. In any
case this is another syntactical variant: it is identical with dróttkvætt
metrically (breytt til: ‘based on’?) and does not conform to thedescription at 23/14–15. Note, however, that the repetition of hverr andhann as internally rhyming words in lines 1–4 and 6–8 has resulted in
virtual end-rhyme in these lines too (cf. st. 99 and note; also stt. 41 and 53).
41/9: i.e. the alliteration falls on the same syllables as the rhymes. Cf. stt.
53 and 58 (and also stt. 24, 46, 47).
42/9. Cf. 8/18.
42/12. í inu fyrsta vísuor›i: and in the third, too; and the skothendur are
double in each case.
Stanza 43, in minni alhenda, probably ought to come after st. 44, alhent,
as it does in W.
43/9–11. The author here shows his concern for consistency throughout
individual stanzas; cf. 51/9–11, 53/11–13, 58/14–16; also 1/26–7,
4/18–20 and note, 8/15–17.
43/10–11: i.e. if one or more skothendingar occur in an alhenda stanza.
Stanza 44. On alhent see Kuhn (1983), 305–6.
44/7. E. A. Kock (NN 3146) points out that the preposition vi› should not
really carry both alliteration and rhyme, and suggests that it should betaken as postposition (thus capable of carrying a primary stress) withherfjƒl›, and that valdi should be taken as nominative and subject offri›ask. There are other places, however, where the metre forces thepoet to stress unusual words (e.g. hann 1/2, 7/3, 8/7, fram 20/4, fyrir
80/2, hans 80/5, 89/6, ﬂar 88/8, honum 93/2).

62

Háttatal

44/15–18. Not recorded elsewhere (Skj A I 534, B I 515). The metre
would be more regular if contracted forms were used (bragarmál), i.e.
ba›k in line 1 and gƒrs in line 2. The first lift of line 3 has resolution;
cf. st. 8. On the line-type in lines 1 and 3 see Kuhn (1983), 156–9; italso appears in 44/1 and 7.
Stanza 45. Cf. Kuhn (1969a), 226–7; (1983), 157, 289.
45/11–12. sem ri›hendur: i.e. together at the end of the line, cf. stt. 32,
55, 56.
Stanza 46. Samhent is rather like li›hendur, st. 41, except that its oddlines have a›alhending like retthent, st. 42, and the alliteration does
not invariably fall on the same syllables as the rhyme in even lines. In
addition, li›hendur has skothending between odd and even lines;i›urmælt (st. 47) has a›alhending between them.
46/10. me› einum stƒfum: i.e. they have the same initial sounds (aswell as final ones).
Stanza 47 (i›urmælt) corresponds to Háttalykill, st. 29 (though this isless regular than Snorri’s stanza); cf. JH–AH 127. The closest parallels
are perhaps Egill Skallagrímsson’s lausavísa 4/1–2 (ÍF II 110) and
Hallfre›r’s lausavisa 11/1–2 (Hkr I 331).
47/10–11: i.e. st. 24 (see textual note on 24/1).
Stanza 48 (klifat) is similar to Háttalykill, st. 12; see JH–AH 127.
48/9–10. taka me› a›alhending ina sí›ari: i.e. the a›alhending in the
odd lines rhymes also with the a›alhending in the even lines (as indeed
they also do in i›urmælt, st. 47); in addition there is skothending between
the rhymes in the first half-stanza and those of the second. On the deviceof having the same word repeated in several successive lines cf.
Hallfre›r’s lausavísa 11 (Hkr I 331).
48/11 There appears to be no connection between the stúfar here and thepoet Stúfr and his poem Stúfa (Stories from Sagas of Kings, ed. Anthony
Faulkes, London 2007, 47/18).
Stanza 49 contains a series of allegorical references to Hildr Hƒgnadóttir,
whose name means ‘battle’. Hildr is also the name of a valkyrie (e.g.
PE Vƒluspá 30) and is frequently used in kennings for battle and armour;both persons can be used as personifications of battle and they are notalways kept clearly distinct. The device is a form of ofljóst.
49/9. it fjór›a vísuor›: i.e. of each half-stanza, as usual; similarly 50/9.
49/10. skal setja me› hending: i.e. is included after the second rhymesyllable. Cf. 32/10–11 n.
51/10. annarr helmingr st‡f›r: i.e. in one line only, as contrasted with
tvíst‡f›r and alst‡f›r.

Explanatory Notes

63

Stanza 53 differs from st. 41 in that instead of a›alhending in the evenlines, which forms skothending with both rhymes in the odd lines, thereis skothending in both odd and even lines, but a›alhending between
the first rhyme-syllables in each pair of lines. (On rhymes such as-ór ~ -jór see Kuhn 1983, 76.) Part of the sentence describing this isomitted in all manuscripts; it must have continued in some such way as‘. . . there are full rhymes in the second and fourth [lines], and theother [helping rhymes] such that with the second rhyme-syllable there
are half-rhymes in the second and fourth [lines]’ (. . . eru a›alhendingarí ƒ›ru ok fjór›a, en a›rar at vi› ina sí›ari hending eru skothendingar íƒ›ru ok fjór›a). There is the further difference between stt. 53 and 41,
which is not pointed out in the commentary as it stands, that st. 53 has
oddhending in all lines, while st. 41 has it only in even lines. See
NN 2182; Sievers (1893), 108.
53/11–14. Here again (as also at 51/9–11) the writer acknowledges that
he is making a systematic use (eru nú settir saman) of what in earlier
poets had been sporadic lapses or variations of metre found in occasionallines rather than in every line of a stanza. Cf. 58/14–16, where histendency to prescriptiveness in this matter is most marked.
53/14. None of the verses attributed to Ragnarr in Ragnars saga lo›brókar
seems to be consistently in this metre, though some of them, likeKrákumál too (Skj B I 649–56; no longer attributed to Ragnarr), haveoccasional a›alhending in even lines and frequently no hendings in
the odd lines; but it is doubtful whether any of them are genuine anyway.
The features of st. 54 are actually found more commonly in verse
attributed to Bragi and Egill.
54/10–11. Cf. 1/11–13. The inclusion of an unstressed syllable before
the hƒfu›stafr is a common feature of early skaldic verse (e.g. that of
Bragi and Egill Skallagrímsson) as well as of verse attributed to Ragnarr,
including Krákumál; see Kuhn (1983), 168–9.
Stanza 55. Of the five lausavísur attributed to Torf-Einarr in Skj A I 31–2,
none corresponds exactly to Snorri’s example, though the odd lines
nearly all lack rhyme and the even lines frequently have skothending. But
some couplets have skothending and ri›hendur in the even lines (1/1–
2, 5–6, 2/7–8, 3/5–6, 4/3–4, 5/5–6). Line-lengths could be made moreregular by reading sé in line 1, e›r gjarnara¬at in line 3, ﬂás in line 7.
Stanza 56. The features of Egils háttr are found in occasional couplets in
Egill’s lausavísur, never in a whole stanza; see his lausavísur 6/1–2,
19/5–6, 40/7–8 (ÍF II 119, 163, 269). The odd lines of his stanzas
frequently lack hendings, however.

64

Háttatal

56/7. All other manuscripts, and R* as well, have hann for herr; but both
readings make good sense.
56/8. There seems to be no advantage in reading framkló lo›nar (or lo›na:
cf. Skj B II 76); see Fidjestøl (1982), 72–3. Klo›- in Skj A II 67 is an error.
57/9–10. On the rule for the position of the second hending in the line see
Kuhn (1983), 89–90. Lines with the second hending not on the final
stressed syllable are another feature of the earliest skaldic verse.
Stanza 58: see Kuhn (1981). None of Bragi’s surviving stanzas (Skj A I
1–5, B I 1–5) has all the features Snorri specifies for Braga háttr, though
in a number of places the lack of hendings in one line of a pair is so to
speak compensated by a rhyme between one syllable in that line andthe hendings in the other line of the pair; but this only rarely seems toform a›alhending with either of them. See Ragnarsdrápa 4/5–6, 7–8,
9/5–6, 7–8, 13/3–4, 16/3–4, Bragi 2: 3/1 –2, 3–4. Skothending between
as well as within pairs of lines is found in Ragnarsdrápa 11/3–4, 7–8.
18/3–4; cf. also Ragnarsdrápa 17/2–3 and Egill’s lausavísa 27,
ÍF II 200. In none of these cases are the hendings positioned as in
Fleins háttr, though the two features are found (in different lines) in
the stanza in ÍF II 224–5 (cf. 57/9–10 n. and see Kuhn 1981). In lines
3–4 of Snorri’s example, his a›alhending appears to be formed between
syllables with long and short vowels (ógn- ~ togn-), but see Noreen(1923), § 127. 3. Cf. 79/7 and note to 79/10; Kuhn (1983), 80–82.
58/14–16. Inconsistency in the arrangement of hendings is especiallycharacteristic of Bragi’s verse and of that of many other very earlyskaldic poets. Later poets became more regular (see Kuhn 1981). On
the use of háttr to mean primarily the pattern of hendings being used
see 0/1 n.
58/17. On kimblabƒnd see JH–AH 129–30. The device seems not to be a
traditional Norse one and is probably adapted from French and Latinverse.
60/3–4. hræs seems to add a redundant gen.; hræs hrannir would be asatisfactory kenning for blood, as would hrannir fella (cf. 15/1–2 n.).
‘Waves of corpse-fellers’ would, however, also be a possible kenningfor blood and there seems no reason to reject the readings of T, W and(probably) R. The correction that Finnur Jónsson claimed (SnE 1931,240) had been made, to hratt, cannot now be read, and though it would
perhaps give easier sense, is of doubtful authenticity (it is read hraustrin Skj A II 68). Kock in NN 2184 proposed taking fella as inf. parallelto gella, though this is stylistically unlikely, and in any case falla would
be the expected verb.

Explanatory Notes

6560/8. It has been questioned whether fólk ever really does mean ‘sword’in Old Norse poetry; the sense-development is certainly problematical(see Richardson 1975). It is listed in the ﬂula of sword-names (or ofnames of parts of swords) in Skáldskaparmál (1998), 120, and though
the compiler may have included it as a result of misunderstanding fólk(er) í dreyra in Gunnlaugr Leifsson’s Merlinússpá II 66 (Skj B II 37),
where the word perhaps really means ‘warriors’, Snorri could easily
have made the same assumption and is likely also to have known the
ﬂula. There does not, therefore, seem to be any reason why Snorri should
not have intended the meaning ‘sword’ here and possibly also infólkskúrum (62/6–7; see next note), even if the meaning was not in fact
sanctioned by earlier poets. The expression lætr sund unda fylla fólk,
however, is odd whether fólk is taken to mean ‘battle’ or ‘sword’. Kock(NN 2184) proposed taking fólk as the first half of a compound withsund, meaning ‘mighty sea’ (obj. of fylla; cf. her-, ﬂjó›-); stinn in line
6 would then either have to be emended to stinnr and taken with stiklir(so Skj B II 77) or, as suggested by Kock, taken as first half of acompound stinnmen ‘stiff neck-ring’. A further possibility would be toread lætr stinn fólk fylla sund unda ‘lets firm warriors fill a sea of wounds’.
62/5–8. Kock (NN 191) suggested that vísi should be taken as subject ofheldr rather than of *skiptir (which necessitates adopting the readingof W for this word and taking heldr as impersonal), fólk skipta svá as aparenthetical clause ( fólk cannot, however be taken as object of *skiptir,
since this verb normally takes the dative), boga driptum as object ofheldr rather than of *skiptir, skúrum as adverbial dative rather than as
object of l‡str and Mistar regni as object of l‡str rather than of heldr.
This has the advantage both of avoiding the emendation of skipta (iffólk is taken as subject) and the highly doubtful compound fólkskúrum,which involves both the questionable meaning of fólk = ‘sword’ andthe use of tmesis. Cf. 36/7–8 n., 60/8 n. Kock’s arrangement also resultsin symmetrical organisation of the parenthetical clauses in each coupletof the stanza, rather than the tortuous syntax of Skj B II 78.
62/9–12: i.e. in this form of hrynjandi the first two syllables in the odd lines
and the fifth and sixth in the even lines are not involved in the alliterationor rhymes (the stu›lar come near the end of the odd lines); Snorri always
identifies the ‘extra’ syllables in verse-forms that have more than six
in each line in this way (cf. 33/9–10 and note; when he says ﬂá er eptir
sem dróttkvætt, he means, of course, that the rhythm would then be as
dróttkvætt, though the sense would be destroyed). The rhythm in the
odd lines tends to be trochaic, i.e. the four syllables after the first two

66

Háttatalare Sievers type A, while in the even lines the first four syllables
constitute Sievers types D or E. There are no resolutions, but note thatthe fifth syllable in hrynjandi is often short (62/6, 63/8, 64/6, 7).
Stanzas 63–6 refer to events of 1221, when Skúli defeated the Ribbungar
in the Vík and brought about the death of one of their leaders, GunnarrÁsuson. Stanzas 63–4 and 66 are quoted in connection with the accountof these events in Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, chs. 74–5.
63/9–11: i.e. in every line the first hending falls on the third syllable (thefirst of a two-syllable word) and is followed by three unrhymed syllables(though they are not all unstressed) before the second hending; therhythm is entirely trochaic (all Sievers type A lines). The ‘extra’ syllablesin this stanza would presumably be identified as the fifth and sixth in
the even lines and the first and second in the odd lines (although thefirst syllables carry the alliteration). The occurrence of alliteration andthe alternation of oddhending and a›alhending are as in hrynhenda (=hrynjandi, st. 62), though their positions within the lines are not
identical; in st. 62 the first rhyme-syllables were the third syllables ofthe line in odd lines but the second in even lines.
63/12. einn perhaps ought to read enn; the sentence is lacking in W.
64/9. óbreytt: this stanza (64) differs from st. 62 in that the stu›lar fallon the first and third (instead of the third and fourth) lifts of the oddlines (as in st. 63), and from st. 63 in that in three out of the four evenlines the first rhyme (which falls on the second lift, or on the halfstressed element of a type E line) is on the second syllable of the line
(as in st. 62), instead of the third (as in the odd lines and every line ofst. 63). The odd lines have trochaic rhythm, and so has line 4 ( fyrirprobably to be pronounced fyr), but lines 2, 6 and 8 begin with Sievers
types D or E. This stanza thus has its odd lines like st. 63 (except thatthe caesura falls after the third instead of the fourth syllable) and its
even lines (predominantly) like st. 62. Cf. Möbius (1879–81), II 47.
Lifts fall on short syllables in 62/6, 63/8, 64/ 6, 7. Except in 63/8 (andperhaps 64/7), these are under the regular conditions for licence (i.e.
there is an immediately preceding long stressed syllable, see Sievers
1893, §§ 9.2 and 61.4). Serks in 64/4 does not alliterate, cf. note to st. 76.
65/9–14: i.e. each line begins with Sievers type A*2 or D*; the fourthsyllables of lines 4 and 6 are short, i.e. these lines are type D*2 (cf.
note to 62/9–12). The metre could be regarded as málaháttr (orHa›arlag, st. 79) with an added trochee, just as dróttkrætt is usuallyregarded as fornyr›islag with an added trochee and hrynjandi as
dróttkvætt with an added trochee. Cf. Sievers (1893), 112, 240.

Explanatory Notes

67

65/14. eigi mjúkt: i.e. this metre sounds jerky (a heavy caesura tends tocome after the third syllable); it presumably does not mean it is nolonger mjúkt if the syllables are taken away. This metre seems not to be
used except in Háttatal and Háttalykill, st. 4.
Stanza 66. Cf. st. 55; the only difference is in the position of thefrumhending.
67/2. This clause is dependent on siklinga.
67/9–10. sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti: except that the hƒfu›stafr is not at
the beginning of the even lines (cf. 1/11–13), as is also permitted in st.
54; in both stanzas the even lines are all types B or C. 67/8 appears tohave double vowel alliteration (oss, jƒfrar).
67/10–12. Stanzas 1–8 are all counted as one verse-form (regulardróttkvætt), since the variations were only rhetorical or examples ofleyfi; cf. 1/52, 6/17–18, 8/45–50. Stanza 9 is counted as the first verseform that is distinct from dróttkvætt. At 67/11 fyrst means at the
beginning of Háttatal.
67/14. it ﬂri›ja kvæ›i: see 69/4–5 n.
Stanza 68: all lines are regular Sievers types whether or not the ek iscontracted in lines 3, 5, 7, so that as far as the metre is concerned thisstanza is fornyr›islag (like stt. 69–71). There are five syllables in line
2, but the first two constitute resolution, so the five are the equivalentof four. The final stressed (half-stressed?) syllables in lines 2, 6 and 8
are short by licence; they are type A2k—though some of these lines
could perhaps be taken as type D, like line 4, cf. Sievers (1893), 33,
100, 112. Note the a›alhending in syllables apparently containing æand œ in line 4 (cf. LP s.v. mær›; but it is doubtful if there are enoughearly examples of mær- rhyming with -œr- to confirm the existence ofan alternative form mœr›). Line 1 lacks both a fifth syllable and skothending, presumably because it belongs with 70/8 in sense (and imitates
the stef ‘Knutr vas und himnum’ in Sighvatr’s Knútsdrápa (Skj B I
232–4), which also lacks skothending though most other lines in thepoem have hendings; see JH–AH 60). Stanza 68 has skothending
and a single stu›ill in the odd lines (except line 1) and a›alhending
in the even lines, st. 69 has two stu›lar but no hendings in the oddlines and a›alhending in the even lines, st. 70 has skothending andtwo stu›lar in the odd lines and a›alhending in the even lines. All
three variations are found in tøglag poems (see Appendix, pp. 87–8
below), but only Einarr Skulason’s Haraldsdrápa II (Skj B I 425–6)
seems consistently to use one of them (it follows the pattern ofst. 70).

68

Háttatal

Stanza 69: there is again resolution in lines 2 (type D4 or E?) and 8 (typeD2). Line 7 has only four syllables (type A2k). Cf. Sievers (1893), 112.
69/4–5. ﬂrenn . . . fjór›a: cf. 95/3. Snorri seems to be referring to thesecond and third sections of Háttatal (cf. 30/11 and 67/14) and two otherpoems about Skúli, making four in all. Cf. Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, II 78;
Sturlunga saga I 278; Möbius (1879–81), I 34. See ﬂrennr in Glossary.
69/12. hinn ﬂri›i háttr: i.e. the third kind of tøglag.
Stanza 70. Like st. 68, with both a›alhendingar and skothendingar, butwith two stu›lar rather than one.
70/1–4: is Snorri claiming to be using new metres, previously not employedby court poets? Note that mœti is indefinite; it does not seem to mean
just that such poetry has never before been composed about Skúli.
70/10–12. Cf. st. 8. As there, some of the extra syllables in stt. 68–70 are
the result of resolution (skammar samstƒfur?), some are unstressed
enclitics which can usually be contracted (skjótar samstƒfur?—but at
83/10 skjótar seems to refer to resolution too, at 86/10 to both resolution
and enclitics). In st. 70 the first is the only line with five syllables.
70/12–16. Snorri provides as an example of a stef 68/1 and 70/8, which
together make up a sentence independent of the rest of the three stanzas(i.e. it is a klofastef ). Stanzas 68–70 thus exemplify one stefjamél, anda complete tøglag poem would contain several such sections, with the
beginning and end of each marked by the occurrence of the lines of thestef. Snorri does not indicate whether each stefjamél can be marked bya different stef, as in Egill’s Hƒfu›lausn (Skj B I 30–33)—though thatpoem is not in tøglag.
Stanza 71 differs from st. 70 in that in it the a›alhendingar are twosyllable rhymes, as in stt. 72 and 73. Cf. 32/10–11 and note; see also
JH–AH 129 and Kuhn (1983), 83.
72/9–10. But in st. 72 there is only one stu›ill in lines 3 and 7.
72/10. skemri or›tƒkin: the stressed syllables in lines 4, 6 and 8 areshort; in line 2 they end in vowels (the result of loss of -w-), and Snorri
may have considered these also to be short, cf. Hreinn Benediktsson(1968); Sievers (1893), 58; Noreen (1923), § 49; Heusler (1950), 15;Kuhn (1983), 54. Sievers (1893), 113 compares these light lines tooccasional occurrences of somewhat similar lines in tøglag. The oddlines are regular Sievers types, though line 7 is type C with delayed
alliteration; see Kuhn (1983), 50; Sievers (1893), 38.
Stanza 73. All type A lines and two-syllable rhymes (cf. st. 71 n.). Thisverse-form is quite possibly Snorri’s invention, cf. 70/1–4 n.
73/1–4: quoted in TGT 98 in illustration of homoeoteleuton.

Explanatory Notes

69

73/2: normalised Rƒkkva dƒkkva in Skj B II 80; but there is insufficientevidence for the existence of an alternative form of tøglag with ƒ (seeLP s.v. dƒkkr; Noreen 1923, § 167), and the vowel in the sea-king’s
name can hardly be said to be certain even though it rhymes with Hlƒkk
in a stanza of Bjƒrn Hítdœlakappi (ÍF III 140). In any case by Snorri’s
time the vowels ø and ƒ would probably have been sufficiently similar
for them to be used to provide a›alhending together (cf. note on st.
68). R’s støkkva cannot be right.
73/10. lúkask í einn staf bá›ar: cf. 71/11 and 32/10–11 n.
73/11. In view of 74/11 and 75/11, Möbius (1879–81), II 103 assumed
that the names of the verse-forms in stt. 74 and 75 were accidentally
reversed in R (they are not given in any other manuscript; the verseform of Háttalykill that corresponds to Háttatal, st. 75 is there named
háhent (st. 15), cf. JH–AH 64).
Stanza 74. Since the first hending falls on the second syllable, all lines
must be type A2a1 (secondary stress on first dip); similarly the evenlines in st. 75.
75/4. It is awkward to have to take frár with fleinﬂollr and mál with falla;
in the other even lines of this stanza there is a compound word in thisposition, and one would at least expect that frár and mál would go
together; but Kock’s suggested fœr (NN 2185), even though it can bejustified because the original reading of R is unclear (W has fjƒr), cannot
really go with mál. The adjective means ‘passable’ (of a road) or‘capable’ (of a person), though it is found also in the phrase fœrt ve›r(‘weather in which it is possible to travel’; e.g. Sturl. II 144).
75/9–10. Lines 3 and 7 seem to be type A2b with anacrusis, an unusual
feature to find in skaldic verse. Line 5 is A2ab with resolution of thefirst stress, line 1 is A*2b. Line 3 has six syllables unless ﬂá er is readﬂás. The even lines are all type A2a. See Sievers (1893), 113.
75/11. st‡f›: i.e. monosyllabic.
Stanza 76. Lines 1, 3 and 5 are not Sievers types; their rhythm is like thatof hrynjandi (stt. 62–4) with the final syllable omitted (cf. st. 91). The
third word in each of these lines has a short syllable followed by an
ending syllable, so they could be taken as type D* with an added longsyllable at the end. Line 7 has only six syllables and as a whole (i.e.
including the final syllable) can be taken as type A2b; Rask (SnE 1818,
262) and later editors have added fram after hlunna to make it the sameas lines 1, 3 and 5. Line 6 seems to have double alliteration, but whereas
sv- and sn- were probably considered to alliterate together and with s,
st- usually alliterates only with st- (like sk-; cf. stt. 64, 73, 83, 91 and70

Háttatal

see Kuhn 1983, 50). Line 8 has a›alhending and line 1 might beconsidered to have skothending: Finnur Jónsson (SnE 1931, 246 and
Skj B II 82) emends bekk to bor›, following W; the sense is not affected,
but it avoids the possible skothending with str‡k- which is not required.
76/11. st‡f›: i.e. the first rhymes fall on monosyllables or long stressedsyllables (the first parts of compounds) followed by other long and probably half-stressed syllables, rather than ending syllables. Cf. 32/10–11 n.
Stanza 77. Cf. Ormr Steinﬂórsson 1, Skj B I 385–6 (unless the poem isst‡ft, st. 51) and Óttarr svarti, Óláfsdrápa sœnska (Skj B I 267). See
Kock (1933).
77/9–10. If all the main verbs are taken to be unstressed, each line is typeA2b with a long, presumably half-stressed syllable in the second dip(line 4 type A2ab? or D*4?), though lines 3, 5 and 7 can also be taken
as type A*2. There are resolutions in lines 2, 6 and 7 and perhaps line
4, but there is no way of making each line equivalent in number ofsyllables. Lines 1 and 8 are irreducibly six syllables, lines 3, 4 and 5
have only five. No lines have seven syllables.
77/12. rétt í dróttkvæ›u: i.e. the hending syllable is followed by an
unstressed syllable, as is normal (though by no means invariable) in
dróttkvætt. Cf. 32/10–11 n.
Stanza 78. All lines type A2ab, stu›lar always on the first and third
syllables, hendings on second and fourth. Cf. JH–AH 130.
78/10. bá›ar í einn staf perhaps refers to the fact that all hendings aremonosyllabic (i.e. are not followed by an ending syllable; this phrase
would then be tautologous with ok allar hendingar hneptar), or perhaps
to the fact that the whole consonant groups at the end of the hending
syllables are identical, unlike e.g. lauki ~ raukn 77/6, heldr ~ skjƒldum
24/7, spjƒr ~ ƒrvar 9/8. Cf. 73/10, 71/11, 36/10 etc.
Stanza 79: All lines type D*, all hendings on first and penultimate
syllables, all stu›lar on first and third syllables. Metrically, the stanzais málaháttr.
79/6. Finnur Jónsson (SnE 1931, 247; Skj B II 83) adopts the reading of
R*W, but while falbroddr may be a more normal kind of expression inskaldic verse, valbroddr is not impossible.
79/10. sem í dróttkvæ›um hætti: but line 3 has a›alhending instead ofskothending. In line 7 the rhyme-syllables have long and short vowels(cf. Kuhn 1977; 1983, 80–82; see also notes to 38/10 and st. 58 above).
79/12–13. í sínu vísuor›i hvár hending: i.e. the two rhyme-words arein successive lines, instead of in the same line as in dróttkvætt. In full(or rétt) runhending the same rhyme is used throughout the stanza.

Explanatory Notes

71

80/6 has only 3 syllables; R* adds til before hró›rs. Otherwise the stanza(like st. 81) is metrically similar to fornyr›islag (or its variants in stt.
97–8) though the lifts come on some unusual words (fyrir line 2, hansline 5).
80/10–11. ﬁví er ﬂetta runhent kallat: the reason, however, is not clear.
If the name refers to the ‘run’ or series of rhymes running through thestanza, the versions in which the rhyme changes within the stanza would
not be the reason for the name. Cf. runhenda in Glossary.
81/10–11 must refer to st. 82, in which the lines are one or more syllables
shorter than those in st. 81 and the rhymes are masculine ones rather
than feminine as in stt. 80–81. Cf. st. 102, where the odd lines havethree syllables.
82/9–10. tvau vísuor› sér um hending: i.e. each pair of lines has aseparate rhyme.
82/10–11. hljó›stafr does not seem ever to refer to alliterating staves
elsewhere in Old Icelandic (see Glossary), though (like ljó›stafr) it
does in modern Icelandic (see Helgi Sigur›sson 1891, 26). If it does
do so here, it may mean that single alliteration in the odd lines ispermitted in this metre (einu sinni fyrir málsor›: ‘[only] once at the
beginning of a word’; cf. 85/10 and see JH–AH 49). It is possible,
however, that the sentence refers to the fact that the rhyming vowel inline 2 constitutes a complete word (á: ‘the vowel that constitutes therhyme stands on one occasion in place of a word’). The phrase rá›a
kve›andi elsewhere refers to alliteration, however (1/13, 54/10), andthe text of W unequivocally makes hljó›stafr refer to alliteration byadding í runhendum háttum at í fyrsta ok ﬂri›ja vísuor›i after rangt inplace of ef.
Stanza 83: all lines seem to be type D*1 (or C*1 )—though line 1 has
two short syllables (resolution?) after the first lift—except for line 6,
which is type A with anacrusis. The sixth syllable in line 8 is causedby resolution of the second stress (83/10 ef skjótar eru: cf. 70/10–12
and note). On the alliteration in line 8, cf. note on st. 76. The rhythm of
the stanza is like málaháttr (see st. 95). Cf. Sievers (1893), 115.
83/2. ey›ir as it stands must be vocative (addressing Skúli). The vocative,
however, is, usually accompanied by an imperative elsewhere in thepoem (e.g. 3/7–8, 30/5–8). Finnur Jónsson (following Rask’s suggestion, SnE 1818, 264 note 1) in Skj B II 84 emends to ey›is (dependenton hestar; cf. variants in Skj A II 73).
83/5–6: quoted in TGT 52 in connection with a discussion of hendings;
cf. 32/10–11 n.

72

Háttatal

83/9. ort: for the lack of concord cf. 41/10 (though there the word-ordermakes it less striking).
me› fullri runhending: i.e. there is the same rhyme throughout thestanza.
84/9: i.e. the rhymes are masculine ones. The stu›lar also come in adjacentsyllables at the end of the line (cf. st. 45). The stanza is not easy toscan; all lines have four syllables and could be type A with long, halfstressed syllables in the second dip, but then the hƒfu›stafr in line 2
would be in the wrong place and there are other irregularities. If one
thinks of the final dip in each line as having been omitted (hneptr),
they could all be either type C or D*.
85/10. ok fylgir ﬂeim einn hljó›fyllandi: i.e. there is only one stu›ill inthe odd lines (as in st. 96, but always on the first lift), in contrast to stt.
80–81. All lines are type A.
85/11. The runhent metres are arranged in groups of three (in each group
there is one full runhenda, one minni, one minzt), though the three ineach group do not seem to have clear characteristics in common.
86/9. rétt: having the same rhyme throughout the stanza, cf. 79/13, 83/9
and note.
It is not altogether clear why this metre is said to be based on tøglag
more than the other short-lined runhent metres. There are four syllables
in lines 2, 4, 5 and 8 and five in lines 1, 3, 6 and 7. In lines 1 and 3 theextra syllable is an enclitic (cf. 68/11–12), in line 7 it is the result of
resolution of the first lift. With ef skjótar eru (86/10), cf. 83/10 and st.
83 n., 70/10–12 and note. Stanza 86 is also characterised by having thetwo stu›lar in adjacent syllables near the ends of the first three oddlines (as in st. 84 and in three cases in st. 83); in st. 86 these lines aretype C. It differs from st. 84 mainly in having feminine rhymes, but
seems essentially the same as st. 80.
Stanza 87: cf. Háttalykill, st. 24 and Egill’s Hƒfu›lausn; see JH–AH
130–31.
87/9. hneptr: but the lines still have four or five syllables, though therhymes are masculine ones. The stu›lar are in syllables separated by
one syllable; the odd lines are all type B (as are also lines 2 and 8). The
five-syllable lines both contain enclitics. Line 7 has six syllables;
perhaps read segik or segk?
88/9–10. But lines 4 and 6 have unstressed syllables before the hƒfu›stafr.
Lines 1, 5 and 8 have seven syllables each (leyfi, one of them in eachcase being an enclitic (bragarmál); cf. st. 8).

Explanatory Notes

73

89/9. hneptr: i.e. the unstressed syllable at the end of the line is omitted.
Lines 1 and 2 still have six syllables owing to resolution of the secondsyllables (they are presumably type A2a with secondary stress in thefirst dip) and line 5 has an enclitic ek (read telk?).
Stanza 90. Lines 1, 3 and 7 have the stu›lar in the same position as st.
62. In line 5 they are as in stt. 63–4. The rhythm is trochaic except
perhaps in line 1 (the first four syllables = type D). There is an extra
syllable in line 7 (enclitic ek) and in line 8 (for fyrir read fyr?). The
rhyme-syllables are short (thus making the end of the lines unlike stt.
62–4, but metrically equivalent to those of st. 91). The metre of thisstanza is used in Háttalykill, st. 17 (where it is called rekit) and in
Málsháttakvæ›i (c. 1200; Skj B II 138–45; preserved in R after the endof Háttatal), alternating with that of st. 91 and generally, like st. 91, in
minzta runhenda. It is similar to the ecclesiastical tetrameter found in
medieval Latin, which may be its origin. Cf. JH–AH 131.
Stanza 91. In lines 1–4 the stu›lar are in the same position as in st. 62, inlines 5–8 as in stt. 63–4. The rhythm is trochaic throughout and there
are no extra syllables (seven in every line). On the alliteration of line 4
cf. st. 76 n. The metre of stt. 90 and 91 is equivalent, the former having
the final lift in the form ∪´ ×, the latter having it in the form –´ . Bothtypes are used in Málsháttakvæ›i.
Stanza 92. The rhythm seems to be like that of st. 83, i.e. five-syllable
lines, or six with one resolution or enclitic (read hefk in line 2?), except
for line 3; but the penultimate syllables are all short (and probably only
half-stressed; licence following long stressed syllables, see Sievers 1893,§ 9.2) and the stu›lar come on the first and third or fourth syllables. Alllines can be taken as D*2 or A2b (lines 1–4). Cf. Sievers (1893), 115.
92/9–10. ok tekin af hálfhneptum hætti e›a náhendum: in R placed at
the end of the previous sentence, but it is st. 93 that is like hálfhnept(st. 77) and (rather less like) náhent (st. 75).
Stanza 93. The rhythm is like that of st. 77. Lines 1 and 3 have fivesyllables, line 4 only four (cf. st. 75, náhent). The rest have six, in eachcase including a word which has a short first syllable which may be
counted as constituting resolution with the second (lines 6 and 8 also
include enclitics). The stu›lar are placed as in st. 77 except in line 1,
where they fall on the last two syllables as in st. 84. All lines can betaken as type A2b or A*1b or A*2b (or A2ab: they all have a long halfstressed syllable in the last dip; the second word in each line except
line 4 is a finite verb, probably unstressed; cf. 77/9–10 n.)74

Háttatal

93/9. This comment seems to refer to st. 93 (this and the misplaced clauseat 92/9–10 may in the exemplar have been written in the margin, withthe result that the scribe of R was unclear where they should be inserted).
Though the majority of the lines in st. 93 have six syllables, they are infact very like lines 1–4 of st. 92 with the final two short syllables
replaced by one long one. Af fyrra hætti would normally mean ‘fromthe preceding verse-form’ (though it is perhaps possible that it means‘from a preceding verse-form’); cf. 69/9, where the similar phrase clearlymeans ‘in the preceding verse-form’, and 91/9. Stanza 94 is also st‡f›r,
but from hrynhenda (stt. 62–4) or st. 90—like st. 91, with which it
seems to be identical in rhythm except that it has a large number ofshort stressed syllables which possibly constitute resolution (lines 3, 5,
6 and two in line 2; cf. 62/9–12 n. and 64/9 n.); and the stu›lar are in
the last two words in each odd line (cf. st. 62; only applies to the firsthalf of st. 91). As in st. 91 and frequently in hrynhenda, there is atendency for each line to have a finite verb in second position and to be
end-stopped. Both stt. 91 and 94 are in minzta runhenda. The references
to traditional heroes in st. 94 are reminiscent of Háttalykill.
Stanza 95 has double alliteration in every odd line. All lines are either
type D* or type A with anacrusis except line 5, which is type C withextended first dip. Cf. st. 79. Fluttak fjƒgur kvæ›i: cf. 69/4–5 n. Fluttak
presumably means no more than ‘composed’ (and maybe sent) here,
since if Háttatal was composed in Iceland after Snorri’s first visit to
Norway he would not actually have been able to deliver the third andfourth of his four poems to Skúli himself (in spite of the occasional use
of vocatives in Háttatal, see 83/2 n.); but the first and second would
have been composed before he left Norway in 1220. The words cannot
mean that Háttatal was not completed until Snorri’s second visit to
Norway (1237–9). The fifteen gifts Snorri received from Skúli are
mentioned in Íslendinga saga (Sturl. I 278), but the source is probably
Háttatal.
Stanza 96 has single alliteration in odd lines. All lines are type A or type
C except line 7, which is type E. Since all the even lines are type C, thehƒfu›stafr is in no case on the first syllable of the line (cf. 97/10–11).
As far as st. 96, the third poem (st. 68 onwards) seems to be exclusively about Earl Skúli.
97/11. stikkalagi: probably an error for Starka›ar lagi, since thedescription fits st. 98, but cf. 97/13 textual note: if st. 99 is Starka›arlag, perhaps stikkalag is the correct name for the metre of st. 98. St. 99
is not, however, metrically more similar to verse attributed to Starka›rExplanatory Notes

75

than st. 98; and the poems Sƒrlastikki (Skj A II 242) and Haraldsstikki(Skj A I 424, Hkr III 181) are not in the metre of st. 98 either. As in st.
96, the even lines in st. 98 are all type C, so that the hƒfu›stafr isinevitably delayed. Only occasional couplets in the verses attributed to
Starka›r in Gautreks saga (Skj B II 343–50) conform to the pattern ofst. 98 and Snorri’s description of stikkalag; but they are unlikely to begenuine anyway. The closest is st. 23; cf. also TGT 68.
97/12. sem í dróttkvæ›u: i.e. there is double alliteration in the odd lines
and the hƒfu›stafr is at the beginning of the even lines. In st. 97 alllines are type A or type D.
Stanza 99, except for line 1, seems identical in metre to st. 97: all lines
are type A or D, there is double alliteration in the odd lines and thehƒfu›stafr comes at the beginning of the even lines (line 1 would also
fit into Bálkarlag if it were read Eru ﬂeir jƒfrar or ﬁeir eru jƒfrar).
There is, however, the difference that in st. 99 all lines are kept to foursyllables by the avoidance of resolutions and enclitics, which appear
in four of the lines of st. 97. Stanza 99 also has virtual end-rhyme inlines 2–8 (cf. st. 40 and 40/9 n.), though according to TGT 52 suchgrammatical rhymes were not cultivated in Norse verse, and each ofthese lines ends with a superlative (cf. st. 34); but these features may
not be intended as part of the prescribed pattern. If stt. 99 and 94 (or86?), which both seem to duplicate earlier verse-forms, were omitted, thepoem would have exactly 100 stanzas, like a Latin centimetrum; cf. 100/3.
Stanza 100. Lines 1 and 4 each have only three syllables (not uncommon
in eddic ljó›aháttr); there is only single alliteration in line 4; lines 2
and 5 are type B with extended first dip; there are three lifts in lines 3
and 6.
100/1–3. This could be taken to refer to the commentary to Háttatal, thus
confirming that it is by the poet. A hundred was the traditional numberof verse-forms to include in Latin metrical treatises (centimetra).
Stanza 101. Line 1 has only three syllables (as sometimes in eddic
galdralag verse); there is only single alliteration in lines 1 and 4 (line 2
is presumably type C and sótta in that line unstressed and not alliterating,like ﬂá in line 5, which is type B). Lines 6 and 7 each have three lifts,
and perhaps line 3 too. It is, however, possible that lines 2 and 5 are to
be read with three lifts as well, with two parallel alliterations with thepreceding lines (cf. PE Sigrdrífumál 18/5–6, 19/1–2). Galdralag is used
occasionally in eddic poems predominantly in ljó›aháttr, such as
Hávamál and Sigrdrífumál. Heimdalargaldr, of which the only known
fragment is quoted in Gylfaginning (ch. 27), may have been entirely in

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this metre. Its distinguishing feature is its having a seventh line, with
its repetition or echo of the sixth; cf. 8/31–2 n. above. Stanzas 100 and
101 are the only ones in Háttatal not to have eight lines (Háttalykill,
stt. 5 and 22, like Krákumál, use a ten-line stanza).
Stanza 102 is kvi›uháttr: the name is found in TGT 63 and in Háttalykill,st. 2; cf. Wessen (1915). The metre was used by Egill Skallagrímsson
in both Arinbjarnarkvi›a and Sonatorrek (ÍF II 258–67, 246–56), byﬁjó›ólfr of Hvinir in his Ynglingatal (preserved in Snorri’s Ynglinga
saga, Hkr I 26–83) and by Eyvindr skáldaspillir in his Háleygjatal (Skj
B I 60–62; quoted widely in Heimskringla and Skáldskaparmál). In
Snorri’s example there are three syllables in odd lines (four if there is
resolution) and four in even lines (or five if there is an enclitic); thefirst half of the stanza has single alliteration in the odd lines, the second
half has double. All his odd lines have stressed initial and final syllables,
whereas the earlier poets use a greater variety of rhythms. Sievers (1893,
117) suggested that kvi›uháttr originated in the systematisation of theoccasional occurrence of three-syllable lines in fornyr›islag. The
relationship, however, might be the reverse. Cf. also st. 82.

Explanatory Notes

77

Appendix: Examples of Snorri’s Metres in
Other Old Norse VerseOf the 102 variants that Snorri exemplifies in Háttatal, a large number
are not in the strict sense of the term metrical variants: stt. 2–6 illustrate
the use of kennings and are in the same metre as st. 1, which exemplifies
the ‘standard’ dróttkvætt form, by far the commonest of those used byskaldic poets (Háttalykill, st. 3), though as Kuhn (1983), 327 points out,
Snorri uses rather a restricted range of possible rhythms in his dróttkvætt
verses, probably unintentionally, in keeping with his general tendency
towards making all the lines of individual verses more consistent in pattern
than was customary in earlier poets. It does not seem to be usual, however,to use kennings in a regularised way as Snorri does in stt. 2–6, so that asingle stanza confines itself to one particular pattern of kenning. Nordoes it seem that earlier poets took advantage of the possibilities of‘licence’ provided by contraction, elision and resolution to produce verses
that seem to have a regular pattern of more or fewer than the usual six
syllables in normal dróttkvætt as Snorri does in stt. 7–8 and in veggjat(st. 33), though resolution, contraction, and elision are all common enoughin individual lines of verse, see Kuhn (1977); (1983), 55–6, 67–72; seealso Sievers (1878). St. 7 may be inspired particularly by Eilífr Gu›runarson’s ﬁórsdrápa 5/8 (Skj A I 149; Skáldskaparmál, ch. 18). St. 34( flag›aháttr) also contains an extra syllable because of resolution thatcomes in superlative adjectives. This is also exemplified in Háttalykill,st. 32, and is found in one line of a stanza in Víglundar saga (Skj A II 457,
st. 10; ÍF XIV 104, st. 9).
Sextánmælt and áttmælt (stt. 9–10) are also exemplified in Háttalykill,
stt. 21 and 38, but as patterns regularised over a whole stanza seem tobe adopted from Latin poetry (JH–AH 126–7 quote as possible models
verses by Matthew of Vendôme, Marbod and other writers of the eleventh
to thirteenth centuries; with st. 9, sextánmælt, cf. Bede, De arte metrica
I xii; 1975, 116–18). Few examples of these patterns being usedthroughout a stanza have been found elsewhere in Norse verse, though
FoGT 151 has two stanzas in sextánmælt in the form of questions andanswers, cf. greppaminni below. But although Snorri puts sextánmælt
along with áttmælt and fjór›ungalok as a rhetorical device, it in fact

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Háttatal

involves a particular type of line-rhythm which though exceptional isfound quite widely in skaldic verse (in individual lines of stanzas); see
Kuhn (1983), 120, 194, 268, 307, 334, who gives examples of this linestructure in individual lines of Arnórr jarlaskáld and other poets (e.g.
Arnórr’s ﬁorfinnsdrápa 7/5–7, ÍF XXXIV 47; there are a number ofexamples in Hallar-Steinn’s Rekstefja, e.g. 5/3, 17/1, 6–7, 18/7, Skj B I
526–9; cf. also Kormakr’s lausavísa 37/1, ÍF VIII 269). Bjarni Kálfsson,
lausavísa, Skj A I 536–7 is quoted by Möbius (1879–81), II 129 as an
example of áttmælt; there seems to be another in FoGT 134, st. 3; cf. also
Hkr I 367–8, stt. 165–8 and 166/5–8; Hkr I 202, st. 90/3–8; Óttarr svarti,Óláfsdrápa sœnska 6, Skáldskaparmál, 85/29–32; Hallr Snorrason 1,
Skáldskaparmál, 88/10–13. End-stopped lines and couplets as in stt. 10–11
are of course not uncommon in skaldic verse (they become commoner inthe later period), but even fjór›ungalok (st. 11) is not often used in a
regular way to form a consistent verse-form in the way that Snorri uses it(it is found for example in Egill’s lausavísur 3 and 27, ÍF II 109, 200;
also Einarr Skúlason, Elfarvísur 1, Hkr III 358–9; Hallfre›r, Óláfsdrápa(erfidrápa) 1, 22/5–8, 27/5–8; ﬁór›ar saga hre›u, stt. 1 (almost) and 6,
ÍF XIV 168, 198; FoGT 134, 150; see Kuhn 1969, 65–72). Greppaminni(st. 40; itself a form of áttmælt) corresponds to Háttalykill, st. 23, though
here the full complement of internal rhymes is not included in the waythat Snorri managed to do it; the only other parallels to this in Norse
verse may all be later than Háttalykill (see JH–AH 125–6; Vésteinn Ólason
1969; cf. 40/1–4 n.). Similar rhetorical devices are found in Latin verse.
Parenthetical sentences such as Snorri uses in stælt (st. 12) are common
in skaldic verse, but it is not all that common for them to extend over thewhole of lines 2–3 of a half-stanza; cf. Hallfre›r’s Óláfsdrápa (erfidrápa)
6/5–8, 20/5–8, 25/1–4, Skj A I 160, 163, 165, B I 151, 154, 156; Einarr
Skúlason, Geisli 1/1–4, Skj B I 427; FoGT 136–7 can only exemplify thisfrom Háttatal, but there is a surprising number of examples in ﬁorkell
Gíslason’s Búadrápa: stt. 1, 3/5–8, 4, 7/5–8, 8, 1/1–4, Skj B I 536–8; cf.
also Jómsvíkingadrápa 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35 (Skj A II 4–8, B II 4–8);
lines 1, 4, 5, 8 of these stanzas form a stef (klofastef ). For hjástælt (st.
13), however, there was a well-known model in Kormakr’s Sigur›ardrápa(Skj A I 79–80, B I 69–70; preserved in quotations in Skáldskaparmál
and Heimskringla); this seems to be the only example of the use of forn
minni (though some lines in the Norwegian Runic poem, Skj B II 248–9,
are comparable), which according to Snorri is essential to the form. But
examples of the same line-structure are not uncommon, and for instance
Snorri’s stt. 26–7 (or›skvi›uháttr and álagsháttr) and Háttalykill, st. 40

Appendix

79

also use it; cf. Haraldr har›rá›i’s lausavísur 15–16, Skj A I 359–60, B I
331 and various further examples of individual lines with this pattern in
Kuhn (1983), 179–82 (cf. also 289; proverbs are not normally used,however, and examples with the pattern in every couplet of a stanza as in
Háttatal, stt. 26–7 and Háttalykill, st. 40 are not found). See also JH–AH
131–2 and Kuhn (1969c), 72, who compares ﬁjó›ólfr, Haustlƒng 17/1–4,
Skj B I 17. The structural pattern of tilsagt (st. 25; Háttalykill, st. 34,‘tilsegjandi’) is also quite common (Kuhn 1983, 167–8, 194–5); many,though not all, parenthetical sentences in this position in the verse are
explanatory as in Snorri’s example (in Egill’s Hƒfu›lausn 8/4, ÍF II 188,
the metre is not dróttkvætt; but cf. Egill’s lausavísa 42/4, ÍF II 274 and
Skj B I 399, st. 6/7). Langlokum (st. 14) seems to be exemplified only in
Háttalykill, st. 30, though the device is similar to that of the klofastef, stt.
68–70; cf. FoGT 136, Fidjestøl (1982), 249, JH–AH 133–4. On the namesee 14/1 n.; it is presumably derived from a phrase such as yrkja langlokum.
Syntactical linking of different stanzas, especially grammatical subordination of parts of a verse to a preceding one (tiltekit, st. 15), is generally
avoided by skaldic poets (Kuhn 1969c, 63), but because so few connectedstanzas from skaldic poems have survived, it is difficult to tell how often
it occurred; if the first extant line of a stanza seems to be dependent on apreceding line this is usually taken to mean that a preceding line from thesame stanza has been lost. The only clear example seems to be Einarr
Skúlason’s Geisli 1–2 (Skj A I 459, B I 427; there are examples also in
Sonatorrek, see ÍF II 247, note on st. 3, but this is not dróttkvætt). Stanzas
beginning with ok, unz or á›r do, however, occur (Bragi, Ragnarsdrápa
8, 11, Skj A I 2–3; ﬁjó›ólfr, Haustlƒng 11, 20, Skj A I 18, 20, B I 16, 18;
Einarr skálaglamm, Vellekla 7, 16, Hkr I 208, 242; cf. also Háttatal, stt.
39 and 88). Syntactical linking of the two halves of a stanza (st. 39) isless uncommon (examples from ﬁorbjƒrn hornklofi’s Glymdrápa are
given in Fidjestøl (1982), 218; see also Kuhn (1969c), 63–4, 72, whoquotes Hallfre›r, Óláfsdrápa (erfidrápa) 29. Drƒgur (st. 16) seems to becommoner outside Norse poetry (in Old French and Middle English, see
16/9–10 n.); TGT 94 is only able to offer Snorri’s example in illustrationof this kind of verse-linking (which is there called anadiplosis), but ofcourse more examples might be apparent in skaldic verse if we had more
complete series of stanzas preserved. Refhvƒrf (stt. 17–23) appear also in
Háttalykill, stt. 20, 28 and 35, where the antitheses are called refrún; thisdevice is also found widely in medieval Latin verse (JH–AH 119, 124–5).
Snorri also uses it as an occasional embellishment elsewhere (Háttatal,st. 44/8), but its frequency in Norse verse hardly justifies the amount of80

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space (with his careful subdivisions of types where it is used in regularpatterns within stanzas) that he devotes to it in Háttatal. The type represented by Snorri’s síks gló›ar (17/1) of course appears in all kennings forgold of the type ‘fire of the sea’; the type involving ofljóst, such as heitkƒld (17/4) is hard to parallel (cf. Meissner 1921, 83; de Vries 1964–7, II 31).
A second type of verse-form that Snorri has a number of examples ofis also not strictly metrical, but involves special arrangements of thehendings. Dunhenda (st. 24; Háttalykill, st. 33), samhent (st. 46), i›urmælt
(st. 47; Háttalykill, st. 29, though with less regular hendings) and klifat(st. 48; cf. Háttalykill, st. 12) involve repetition of complete syllables
either within the line or from one line to another; li›hendur (stt. 41 and 53)
involves assonance where syllables both alliterate and have skothending,and also continues the rhyme in the even lines. There are examples ofthese devices in skaldic verse, though the particular types of repetition
Snorri enumerates are rarely if ever maintained with complete regularity
throughout a stanza. The development of their use is traced by Hans Kuhn
(1981); they are particularly common in the verse of Egill (see his
lausavísur 4, 16, 22/3, 41/1, 47, ÍF II 110, 156, 170, 269, TGT 86), ﬁorbjƒrn
hornklofi (Glymdrápa 4/1–2, 6, 8/1–4, Hkr I 103, 112–13, 121; hence
perhaps the poem’s name; cf. Fidjestøl 1982, 219–21), ﬁjó›ólfr of Hvinir(Haustlƒng 9/1–2, 12/7–8, 19/3–4, Skáldskaparmál, chs. 17, 22) and
Einarr skálaglamm (Vellekla 1, 5/3–4, 15/1–2, 36, Skj A I 122–3, 125,
131). Their frequency declines in later poets. who more and more adopted
the rigid pattern of regular dróttkvætt, but examples occur in Eilífr
Gu›rúnarson, ﬁórsdrápa 16, Skj A I 151; Kormakr, lausavísur 5/7–8,
10/7–8, 17/1–2, 5–6, 27/1–2, 28/1–4, 31/7–8, 35/5–6, 38/7–8, 44/7–8,
47/5–6, 60/3–4, ÍF VIII 211, 214–15, 221, 242–3, 245, 268, 271, 276,
283, 289; Úlfr Uggason, Húsdrápa 3/1–2, Skj A I 137; Glúmr Geirason,
poem on Eiríkr bló›øx 1, TGT 94; his Gráfeldardrápa 3/3–4, Hkr I 162;
Halldórr ókristni, Eiríksflokkr 1/3–4, Hkr I 350; Óttarr svarti, Hƒfu›lausn
2, 4/3–4, 10/7–8, Hkr II 6, 20; Eyvindr skáldaspillir’s lausavísa 9/1–2,
Skj A I 73; Sighvatr ﬁór›arson, Austrfararvísur 14/1–2, Hkr II 139; ﬁór›rKolbeinsson, Eiríksdrápa 11/1, Skj A I 216 (only in AM 61 fol.); Gísli
Súrsson’s lausavísa 30, ÍF VI 105–6; Hallfre›r’s lausavísa 11, Hkr I
331, ÍF VIII 161–2 and his Óláfsdrápa 9, Hkr I 265; Bjƒrn Hítdœlakappi’s
lausavísa 19/1–2, ÍF III 171; Tindr Hallkelsson’s drápa on Earl Hákon
1/1–2, Hkr I 281 and his lausavísa 1/1, ÍF III 308; Guthormr sindri,
Hákonardrápa 6/5, 7–8, Hkr I 174; Haraldr har›rá›i’s lausavísa 19/3–4,
Hkr III 188; his lausavísa 10 together with ﬁjó›ólfr Arnórsson’s lausavísa
12/5–6, Skj A I 358, 379; ﬁjó›ólfr Arnórsson, Magnúsflokkr 17/5, Hkr III

Appendix

81

53; Gunnlaugs saga, stt. 23–5, ÍF III 104–7; Einarr Skúlason, Skj A I
480–81, stt. 6 and 8, Skáldskaparmál 91/10–13, 92/3–6; Skj A II 209–10,
B II 225, st. 7/5–8; Skj A II 213, B II 230, st. 2/3, 7; FoGT 134, stt. 1–3.
Note also Snorri’s own lausavísa 7, SnE (1924), 112. In some early skaldic
verse such devices between lines seem sometimes to replace regularhendings within lines (e.g. Egill’s Skjaldardrápa, ÍF II 272–3; Bragi,
Ragnarsdrápa 4/7–8, 5/5–6, 9/7–8, 11/5–6, 13/3–4, 16/3–4, Skj A I 2–4;
cf. Kuhn (1981); (1983), 87–8, 292; see also Háttatal, st. 58, Braga háttr,below). There are also many similar devices used in medieval Latin verse,
see JH–AH 127–9, though it is clear that for Snorri himself there wereplenty of precedents in skaldic verse (particularly that by early poets
whom he seems to have particularly liked, such as Bragi, Egill and Einarr
skálaglamm), whatever their ultimate origins. These figures regained
popularity in the later Middle Ages, perhaps under the influence of Snorri’s
treatise: there is a late example of dunhenda from a ‘tjald í Hólakirkju’printed in SnE (1848), 248, and dunhenda is combined with runhenda ina verse in Har›ar saga, ch. 38, Skj A II 449; the resulting pattern is similar
to that of the couplet of Glúmr Geirason, TGT 94, and Hjalti Skeggjason’s
kvi›lingr, Skj A I 139. Cf. Meissner (1921), 83 n.
The particular way of positioning the alliterating staves in tvískelft (st.
28) and in forna skjálfhenda (st. 35, cf. st. 39/10–11) with skjálfhendur isquite common in skaldic verse in individual lines, but it is used withregularity only in Hallvar›r háreksblesi, Knútsdrápa, Skj B I 293–4, which
to judge from Snorri’s account of the form (see 35/13 n.) is predominantly
in in n‡ja skjálfhenda (see Fidjestøl 1982, 125), and Hallar-Steinn’s
Rekstefja, Skj B I 525–34, which is the only consistent example of tvískelft(the name of the form and the rarity of it are both mentioned in st. 35 of
the poem); cf. Kuhn (1983), 74, 104–6, 268, 289 (examples in odd linesof Kormakr’s verse, cf. ÍF VIII 269–70, verse 56; see Turville-Petre, 1976,48), 333–4. Cf. Háttalykill, st. 41 (to judge from Snorri’s commentary
this also is in n‡ja skjálfhenda, cf. notes to 28/14 and 35/13). There do
not seem to be examples of poems consistently using in forna skjálfhenda.
The rhythmical pattern of detthendr (st. 29) is also found in Háttalykill,st. 18 (but with a different placing of rhymes); but in skaldic verse
generally, while it is not uncommon for a b-line to begin with a trisyllabic
word, it is not very usual for another trisyllable to follow—in the vast
majority of dróttkvætt verses all lines end with a disyllable (cf. st. 16/3
and NN 1884A). A few examples are given in Kuhn (1983), 177–8 (among
which are ﬁjó›ólfr of Hvinir, Haustlƒng 1/3, 13/8, 20/8, Skj B I 14, 17–18,
Skáldskaparmál, chs. 17 and 22; and Hallfre›r, Óláfsdrápa (erfidrápa)

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29/2, Skj B I 156). The pattern seems to occur particularly frequently in
Sighvatr’s verse: Víkingarvísur 8/8, 9/8, Hkr II 20–21; Nesjarvísur 5/4,
Hkr II 61; flokkr on Erlingr Skjálgsson 9/8, Hkr II 28; poem on QueenÁstrí›r 3/4, Hkr III 6; Bersƒglisvísur 8/4, Hkr III 28. See Sievers (1893),
99–100: most of these examples are to accommodate trisyllabic names
into the verse. Draugsháttr (st. 30, Háttalykill, st. 36) simply regularises
one of the commonest patterns of even lines in skaldic verse (type A,
leading to a regular trochaic rhythm; Kuhn 1983, 162), though it is noteasy to find examples of verses which have this pattern in all four evenlines. Bragarbót (st. 31) appears rarely in skaldic verse (e.g. Kormakr,
Sigur›ardrápa 7/3, Skáldskaparmál, ch. 2; see Kuhn 1983, 147; 1969a,
228–30) and certainly never consistently throughout a stanza. Ri›hendur(st. 32, cf. also stt. 55–6) also regularises a rare type of even line whichaccording to Kuhn is not used by the strict court poets, though there areexamples in Bragi, Egill and Kormakr (Kuhn, 1983, 165; 1969a, 228–9;
another example in TGT 98). Stamhendr háttr (st. 45) seems to have its
closest parallel in Kormakr’s lausavísur 5/7, 30/7, 38/1, 39/1 and 49/7,
ÍF VIII 211, 245, 270–71, 285 (Kuhn 1969a, 226–7; 1983, 157, 289); cf.
also Hallfre›r, Óláfsdrápa (erfidrápa) 8/1, Skj B I 152; Haraldr har›rá›i,
lausavísa 13/3, Hkr III 134 (it is rare to find examples with a›alhending).
Of the other variations to the internal rhyme-scheme, ﬂríhent (st. 36) isalso exemplified in Háttalykill, st. 6, hinn d‡ri háttr (st. 37) and theunnamed verse-form of st. 38 in Háttalykill, st. 9 (called hinn d‡ri háttr
but actually more similar to Háttatal, st. 38), but these forms do not seemto have been used by skaldic poets. A single possible example of a linewith three a›alhendingar is found in Bragi’s Ragnarsdrápa 13/2, Skj A I 3,
depending on the reading adopted; cf. 4/1 and 5/3, which each have threeskothendingar; note also Kormakr’s lausavísur 39/5 and 60/3 (ÍF VIII
271, 298) and Hallar-Steinn’s Rekstefja 18/2, Skj A I 547. There are similar
things in Latin verse (JH–AH 129–30). Examples of a›alhending in oddlines as well as even lines of verses as in rétthent (st. 42) are found inskaldic verse, but not often maintained throughout a stanza: Bragi,
Ragnarsdrápa 4/3, 11/7, Skj B I 1, 3; Egill’s lausavísa 10/1–4, ÍF II 142;
Kormakr, lausavísur 15/3–4, 33/5–6, 37/3–4, 7–8, 50/5–6, 54/5–6,
55/7–8, 59/7–8, 60/1–2, 63/7–8, ÍF VIII 219, 265, 270, 286, 290–91,
297–8, 301; Einarr skálaglamm’s Vellekla has many examples (see Kuhn
1981, 304); Bjƒrn krepphendi, Magnúsdrápa 2, Hkr III 217; Magnúsberfœttr, lausavísa 3/1–4, Skj B I 402; Hallfre›r, Óláfsdrápa (erfidrápa)
2/5–3/4, Hkr I 356–8; Hallbjƒrn Oddsson, lausavísa, lines 1–4, ÍF I 193;
ﬁorbjƒrn Brúnason, lausavísa 1/1–4, ÍF III 289; TGT 99, st. 3/1–4; seeAppendix

83

Kuhn (1983), 87. There are a few examples of skaldic poets using two
pairs of rhymes in a single line (alhent, in minni alhenda, stt. 43–4),
besides the verse of Klœingr quoted by Snorri: Bragi, Ragnarsdrápa 8/4,
17/4, Skj B I 2, 4; Hofgar›a-Refr in his poem on Gizurr Gullbrárskáld,
st. 3, Skáldskaparmál, ch. 2, st. 17 (see Kuhn 1983, 305–6); Hallar-Steinn,
Rekstefja 18/1, Skj B I 529; cf. also Sturl. I 278 (the stef, but probably not
the whole poem, of one of Snorri’s otherwise lost eulogies of Earl Skúli,
was alhent); FoGT 124. Skothendr háttr (st. 52), where skothendingar
are used in even as well as odd lines, is found frequently in odd coupletsof dróttkvætt, particularly in earlier poets, but rarely consistently
throughout a stanza, e.g. Bragi’s Ragnarsdrápa 5/1–2, 7–8, 6/7–8, 9/1–2(see Kuhn 1983, 87; Kormakr’s lausavísur contain several examples).
Ragnars háttr (st. 54), Torf-Einars háttr (st. 55), Egils háttr (st. 56) andmunnvƒrp (st. 66, Háttalykill, st. 8) have no rhymes in odd lines (and in
stt. 55 and 66 the even lines have only skothending); such lines arecommon in earlier skaldic verse and in verse in fornaldar sögur, though
not generally used consistently throughout a stanza, see notes to stt. 53/14,
54/10–11, 55, 56 and Kuhn (1981), 303–4; there are many cases in Einarr
skálaglamm’s Vellekla; Kuhn (1983), 87–9, 292, 326; there is also a
number of examples in Kormakr’s lausavísur. None of the extant versesof Ragnarr, Torf-Einarr or Egill corresponds exactly to the metres Snorri
names after them, though of course Snorri may have known other poetryby them that has not survived; Kuhn (1983), 326 points out that Snorri
gives stt. 55–8 two characteristics each, but that these are not often infact found together in extant verse. Cf. Finnur Jónsson (1920–24), II 84–5;
Njála 1875–89, II 17–22. On ri›hendur in stt. 55–6 see above; unstressedsyllables at the beginning of even lines as in Ragnars háttr occur fourtimes in Bragi’s Ragnarsdrápa, see Kuhn (1983), 168–9. Munnvƒrp is,
however, used fairly consistently in Bjarni Kolbeinsson’s Jómsvíkingadrápa, Skj B II 1–10, the text of which is included at the end of Háttatal
in R (Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, II 41); also in Kormakr, lausavísur 9/7–8,
13/1–4, ÍF VIII 214, 217; Bár›r á Upplƒndum, lausavísa, Skj B I 145.
Fleins háttr (st. 57) has the second hendings on the second lift insteadof the last in each line; so has st. 58. Occasional lines of this type occur inthe very earliest skaldic verse: Bragi, Ragnarsdrápa 5/7, 8/6–7, 10/7,
16/1, 20/2, Skj B I 2–4; two lines in the verse in Egils saga, ch. 71, ÍF II
224–5 (see Kuhn 1981, 306–7). But in general the rule that the second
hending must fall on the penultimate syllable of the line is strictly observed(cf. 1/38–9; Kuhn 1983, 89–90, 135, 162). The essential feature of Bragaháttr (st. 58) is that the odd lines lack internal rhyme, but one syllable in

84

Háttatalthem rhymes with one or more syllables in the even lines. This feature isquite common in early skaldic verse (though never used consistently
throughout a stanza), including Bragi’s (see note to st. 58), Egill’s andEinarr skálaglamm’s, e.g. Egill’s Skjaldardrápa and lausavísur 27/1–4,
30/1–2, 42/1–4, 43/7–8, ÍF II 200, 204, 272–4, 293; Einarr skálaglamm’s
Vellekla 5/3–4, 10/3–4, 12/3–4, 28/1–2, Skj A I 123–5, 129; also ﬁjó›ólfrof Hvinir’s Haustlƒng 7/5–6, 14/1–2, Skj A I 17, 19; Kormakr’s lausavísur
6/3–4, 13/5–6, 21/7–8, ÍF VIII 211, 217, 229; see Kuhn (1981); (1983),
87–8, 292. There are, however, few if any cases where there are skothendingar in the even line, one of which forms a›alhending with the rhyming
syllable in the odd line (the closest are perhaps ﬁjó›ólfr of Hvinir’s
Haustlƒng 13/7–8, 20/7–8, Skj A I 19–20, though these two couplets eachcontain four rhymes; and Egill’s lausavísa 30/1–2, depending on thereadings adopted), and none where the hendings in the even line are on
the first two lifts; but in the sole surviving verse of Egill’s Skjaldardrápa(ÍF II 272–3) there are hendings between odd and even lines in three outof the four couplets, and other varieties of the pattern may have occurredin other verses of the poem. In another verse in Egils saga (ÍF II 224–5),
which although not attributed to Egill may in fact be by him, there are
rhymes between odd and even lines and also lines with the two hendingson the first two lifts, but not in the same couplet (unless this occurs inlines 3–4); cf. Bragi’s Ragnarsdrápa, stt. 5 and 16 (Skj A I 2, 4). These
kinds of rhymes are rare after the end of the tenth century (Kuhn 1981, 306).
Háttlausa (st. 67; Háttalykill st. 26, with more regular placing ofhƒfu›stafr), where hendings are entirely lacking, is found occasionallyin early verse too (there is a number of examples in Egill’s lausavísur,e.g. most of numbers 1, 3, 7, 38, 40, ÍF II 100–01, 109, 121, 230, 268;
also Kormakr, lausavísa 13/7–8, ÍF VIII 217; Hallfre›ar saga ÍF VIII
142, Skj B I 168–9; many of the verses in Ragnars saga and other fornaldar sögur). Krákumál, which only has sporadic hendings, uses a tenline stanza that Snorri does not include in Háttatal (cf. Finnur Jónsson
1920–24, II 152–3). Egill’s lausavísur contain a large number of variations
from the standard hending pattern of dróttkvætt, though he rarely uses
them consistently throughout a verse, and many of these, together withthose of Bragi’s Ragnarsdrápa, the metre of which also varies considerably from the later norm, may have been the source of Snorri’s variant
forms that regularise the use of such variations; the work of both poets
was clearly well known to Snorri. Kormakr’s lausavísur also show a great
deal of freedom in the arrangement of hendings, and another poet thatuses many such variations is Einarr skálaglamm (Kuhn 1981; 1983,

Appendix

85

291–3). It is from the regularisation and systematisation of such sporadic
variations in earlier poets, in whose practice the strict rules that becamecharacteristic of later dróttkvætt did not yet apply, that many of Snorri’s
forms are created.
There are actually comparatively few of Snorri’s variants of dróttkvætt
that involve lines with more or fewer than six syllables where these are
not accounted for by leyfi (stt. 7–8, 33–4). His three stúfar (stt. 49–51; cf.
Háttalykill, stt. 5, which seems to have ten lines in the stanza, cf. JH–AH
44, and 31) have no real precedents in Norse verse, though the pattern of
inn mesti stúfr is actually almost identical to that of hálfhnept (st. 77, see
below) and many of the poems taken here to be examples of the latter
could equally well be considered to be st‡ft; cf. 77/12 and see Kock (1933).
To judge from Snorri’s descriptions, the only real difference is that theline-length in the stúfar was fixed, while it was variable in hálfhnept, andthe rhythms in Snorri’s stúfar are more like dróttkvætt with the final
syllable omitted (mostly types D and E), while in st. 77 the rhythms of
the lines as wholes are more like Sievers types A2 and A*2. There does
however seem to be an isolated example of inn meiri stúfr (st. 50) inﬁórir snepill’s lausavísa, ÍF I 270. It has been suggested that st‡ft
developed under the influence of Latin verse (see JH–AH 120). There isalso a possibility that the idea of catalectic lines originated in corrupt
readings, e.g. ﬁorleifr jarlsskáld, lausavísa 2/8, ÍF IX 174, and the verseof Brynjólfr úlfaldi, Hkr II 82. Kimblabƒnd (stt. 59–61) are in Norse
verse before Snorri apparently only found in Háttalykill, st. 14, but
examples are found in medieval Latin and French verse (JH–AH 129),
and the influence of Irish verse has also been proposed (Heusler 1925, 313).
Rhythmically, of course, in mestu kimblabƒnd (st. 61) is like hrynhenda(stt. 62–4), dróttkvætt with a trochee added at the end of each line.
Hrynjandi or hrynhenda (stt. 62–4) became one of the most fruitful ofthe developments of dróttkvætt that almost certainly had its origin inmedieval Latin verse; on this metre see Kuhn (1983), 312, 337–41.
Snorri’s three variants are not used consistently in earlier examples, but
the eight-syllable line appears, seemingly for the first time, in Hafger›ingadrápa (Skj B I 167, ÍF I 132–4, 395), c. 986, apparently from the Hebrides,
and Christian in content (though the traditional early dating has beenquestioned, see Jakob Benediktsson 1981); its best-known early exponent
is Arnórr jarlaskáld in his Hrynhenda, Skj A I 332–8 (composed in 1046).
It was also used by Markús Skeggjason in Eiríksdrápa, Skj A I 444–52,
Gamli kanóki in Jóansdrápa, Skj A I 561, in two anonymous verses in
Sverris saga (Skj B I 596–7), in a verse in one version of Fóstbrœ›ra86

Háttatalsaga (ÍF VI 233–4 note 5), by Óláfr hvítaskáld, Sturla ﬁór›arson andmany later poets (see Skj B II 610). In the fourteenth century it became afavourite medium for religious poems; the best-known is EysteinnÁsgrímsson’s Lilja (Skj B II 390–416). It is represented in Háttalykill by
st. 16 (cf. JH–AH 120–21), while the variant in st. 63 (trollsháttr) has anear equivalent in Háttalykill, st. 37 (konungslag). Háttatal, st. 90 is an
end-rhyming version of the form (though with a short final lift) whichshows even closer affinity to the Latin hymnic trochaic tetrameter and isalso found in Háttalykill, st. 17, where it is called rekit; this is also in partthe metre of Málsháttakvæ›i, Skj A II 130–36, included at the end of
Háttatal in R (see JH–AH 131; Murphy 1961, 21–5.). It is noticeable
how all versions of hrynhenda tend to end-stopping and a trochaic rhythm
based solely on stress, with lifts falling more and more on short syllables(see 93/9 note). The seven-syllable line of draughent (st. 65) correspondsto Háttalykill, st. 4, but does not seem to be found elsewhere.
Fornyr›islag, with its variants Starka›ar lag (or stikkalag; this metre
does not correspond closely to that of verses attributed to Starka›r, see
97/11 n.) and Bálkarlag (stt. 96–9, Háttalykill, st. 19) is in fact thecommonest metre used in the poems in Skj I–II (see Skj B II 609) after
dróttkvætt, though actually not many of the poems in such metres arecourt poems in praise of kings and earls, the main ones that are being thepoem attributed to ﬁjó›ólfr in Flateyjarbók on Haraldr hárfagri, Skj B I
18–19; the fragment of a poem probably about Haraldr har›rá›i by SnegluHalli, Skj B I 358; Haraldsstikki, Skj B I 394; Gísl Illugason’s poem on
Magnús berfœttr, Skj B I 409–13; Ívarr Ingimundarson’s Sigur›arbálkr,Skj B I 467–75; cf. Fidjestøl (1982), 177; Kuhn (1983), 312, 337. Besides
its use in eddic and eddic-type verse (e.g. Darra›arljó› and Gunnlaugr
Leifsson’s Merlínússpá, Skj B I 389–91, II 10–45) and riddles, it is foundfrequently in fornaldar sögur, where it is often attributed to legendaryand supernatural characters, though it can be used by skaldic poets (e.g.
Egill’s lausavísa 46, ÍF II 296) in lausavísur, particularly those of a lessformal kind, as well as in kvi›lingar and ní›; and a number of fornyr›islagverses are attributed to kings, such as Haraldr har›rá›i and Óláfr helgi.
(The verse in TGT 68 is there said to be in Bálkarlag, but does not follow
the pattern of Háttatal, st. 97 exactly.) The other so-called eddic metres,
málaháttr (st. 95; used sporadically in eddic verse alongside fornyr›islag,
but consistently in PE Atlamál) and ljó›aháttr (st. 100, Háttalykill, st. 1)
are less common, but are used in some important poems, often alternatingwith each other or with fornyr›islag within the same poem: ﬁorbjƒrn
hornklofi’s Haraldskvæ›i or Hrafnsmál, Skj B I 22–5; Eyvindr skálda-Appendix

87

spillir’s Hákonarmál, Skj B I 57–60; Eiríksmál, Skj B I 164–6; Bjarkamál,
Skj B I 170–71, as well as Hugsvinnsmál, Skj B II 185–210 and someverses in fornaldar sögur. Cf. Fidjestøl (1982), 176; Heusler (1925), 230–32;
Kuhn (1983), 336; on the names see Wessén (1915), 129–34. Galdralag(st. 101), however, seems only to be found in eddic poems predominantly
in ljó›aháttr, such as Hávamál and Sigrdrífumál (Skírnismál, Grímnismál),as an occasional variation (see Heusler 1925, 247–9), though an extra
line similar to the seventh line of a galdralag stanza is often found in
dróttkvætt dream-verses, see 8/31–2 n.
Of the other forms with short lines that may be regarded as variationsof fornyr›islag, one of the best-known is the rhymeless kvi›uháttr (st.
102, Háttalykill, st. 2, where the name, lacking in Háttatal, is given; seealso TGT 63), distinguished by its three-syllable odd lines (cf. Kuhn 1983,
336). It is used in ﬁjó›ólfr of Hvinir’s Ynglingatal, Hkr I 26–83; Egill’sSonatorrek, Arinbjarnarkvi›a and lausavísa 25, ÍF II 246–56, 258–67,
193–4; Eyvindr skáldaspillir’s Háleygjatal, Skj B I 60–62; Grettir’sÆvikvi›a, Hallmundarkvi›a and other verses in Grettis saga, ÍF VII 86–7,
170–72, 176–7, 203–4; ﬁórarinn loftunga’s Glælognskvi›a, Skj B I 300–01,
Hkr II 399, 406–8; Nóregskonungatal, Skj B I 575–90; Sturla’s Hákonarkvi›a, Skj B II 118–26; verses in Stjƒrnu-Odda draumr, Skj B II 222–3;
and elsewhere; cf. also Fidjestøl (1982), 175–7. The element -kvi›a (whenit refers to skaldic rather than eddic poems) is usually reserved for titlesof poems in this metre, though Halldórr skvaldri’s Útfararkvi›a (Hkr III245) is in fact another fornyr›islag poem (the name seems to be a modern
one in any case). In view of the content of the poems in this metre, there
seems little reason to connect either the name kvi›uháttr or the element-kvi›a with the word kví›a ‘(express) anxiety (about something), lament’;cf. Hallvard Lie in KLNM IX 559 (‘Kvi›uháttr’) and Wessén (1915).
The other short-line forms all involve either internal or end-rhymes.
Tøglag or tøgdrápulag (stt. 68–70, Háttalykill, st. 13) may be named
after ﬁórarinn loftunga’s Tøgdrápa, Skj A I 322–4, Hkr II 308–10, whichuses this form, as do Sighvatr’s Knútsdrápa, Skj A I 248–51—both these
poems had a klofastef like Snorri’s example, and both are concerned withjourneys—, Einarr Skúlason’s Haraldsdrápa II, Skj A I 457–8 andﬁórarinn stuttfeldr’s Stuttfeldardrápa, Skj A I 489–91; it is also used in
two fragments in TGT 83 and 95 (cf. Háttatal, st. 71), see Fidjestøl (1982),
176–7; cf. also Kuhn (1983), 300, 304, 312. Outside these poems theform is used rarely (Ámundi Árnason’s lausavísa 5, Sturl. I 314; ananonymous half-stanza in Sturl. I 217), though there is an irregularexample also in the pair of stanzas, one of them attributed to Bragi, in88

Háttatal

Skáldskaparmál, ch. 54. Háttalykill, st. 13, like Tøgdrápa, Knutsdrápa
and Stuttfeldardrápa, sometimes has hendings in odd lines (Háttatal, stt.
68 and 70) and sometimes has two stu›lar (Háttatal, stt. 69 and 70), but
Einarr Skúlason follows the pattern of Háttatal, st. 70 consistently.
Hinn grœnlenzki háttr, hinn skammi háttr, n‡i háttr, stúfhent (stt. 71–4)
all have four-syllable lines with various arrangements of hendings, but
do not seem to be used by skaldic poets (cf. Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, II
85; JH–AH 129: they may be based on foreign metres), though all four
could in fact be taken as variants of tøglag; for instance the pattern ofstúfhent is found in 69/6 and 70/2, 4 and hinn grœnlenzki háttr is very
like tøglag, but has two-syllable rhymes in the even lines, cf. TGT 83 and96. Háttalykill, st. 10 is also similar to Háttatal, st. 71 (though in it not all
the odd lines have skothending as Snorri’s have), and two verses in FoGT
(137–9) use hinn n‡i háttr (this form may have been invented by Snorri;
his example only is quoted in TGT 98). Náhent, hnugghent, hálfhnept,
alhnept (stt. 75–8) also involve short lines, mostly with rather different
rhythms from tøglag, but apart from Háttalykill (of which st. 15 is similar
to Háttatal, st. 75, though less regular, and stt. 25, 35, 39 to Háttatal, stt.
77 and 78; cf. JH–AH 119, 125, 130), the only real precedents seem to be
for hálfhnept (Háttalykill, st. 25, though here the even lines are actuallymore like Háttatal, st. 78). The most notable is Óttarr svarti’s Óláfsdrápasœnska, Skj A I 289–90 (all the fragments of which are found in Snorri’s
Edda only; see Fidjestøl 1982, 171, 177), but the form also seems to be
used in Haraldr hárfagri’s Snæfrí›ardrápa, Skj B I 5 (according to Ólafur
Halldórsson 1969 this fragment in fact belongs with Ormr Steinﬂórsson’s
poem below, and was probably composed in the twelfth century); Bjƒrn
Brei›víkingakappi’s lausavísa 5, ÍF IV 110–11; Brynjólfr úlfaldi’s lausavísa,
Hkr II 82, cf. note 1; Haraldr har›rá›i’s lausavísa 8 and Magnús gó›i’s
lausavísa 1, Skj A I 330, 358; Ormr Steinﬂórsson’s poem apparently about
a woman (Snæfrí›r?), Skj A I 415–16, Skáldskaparmál, chs. 3, 47 and 61
and Faulkes (1977–9), I 397 (see Poole 1982); the two couplets in
Kormaks saga, ÍF VIII 216; the verse attributed to Magnús gó›i in ÍF XI
331; Eilífr Snorrason, lausavísa 1, Skj A II 42–3; Gunnarr, lausavísa, Sturl.
II 109; Skj A I 600, st. 34, Faulkes (1977–9), I 377; and is occasionallyused in later poems too, e.g. Árni Jónsson, lausavísa 2, Skj B II 461; note
particularly Máríuvísur II–III, Skj B II 532–45; see Kock (1933). Snorri’s
st. 77 is, however, very similar to st. 51, as noted above (both have linesof 5–6 syllables, though Háttalykill, st. 25 mixes four-, five- and sixsyllable lines), and it is difficult to tell which type some of the above
poems are closest to; many of them have very irregular rhythms, andAppendix

89

occasionally have the four-syllable lines of Háttatal, st. 78 (e.g. Óttarr’sÓláfsdrápa 2/2, 3/2, 4/1, 3, 6/1); some have occasional lines perhaps
more similar to Háttatal, st. 75. Most of them are listed in Skj B II 610 asst‡ft, and the editor’s note in ÍF XI 331 identifies the form of Magnús
gó›i’s supposed verse as inn mesti stúfr. Snorri himself remarks on thesimilarity (77/12) and on the variability in length of lines in hálfhnept(77/9–10). It is possible that in stt. 75–8 Snorri has systematised variations
found sporadically in such poems as those listed above, making several
subtypes out of the one traditional verse-form, as he has done for instancewith tøglag and hrynhenda. The four verses are all characterised by the
inclusion of lines ending with two heavy syllables (of which the first issometimes resolved, as in st. 76; alternating with lines ending in a trochee
in stt. 75–6). Ha›arlag (st. 79; Háttalykill, st. 27 is similar but with lessregular hendings) is easier to identify, and is found in a number of poems:
ﬁormó›r Trefilsson’s Hrafnsmál, ÍF IV 67, 102, 124, 156, 168 (whichlike the verse in Háttalykill is not as regular as Snorri’s example) andSturla’s Hrafnsmál, Skj B II 126–31, are the chief, but cf. also Sigur›rslembidjákn, Hkr III 312, the two quatrains in Sturl. II 211, Faulkes(1977–9), I 388/37–40 and Sƒrlastikki, Skj A II 242.
Háttatal, stt. 80–94 are all examples of forms with end-rhyme (runhent).
These are classified both according to the number of distinct rhymes inthe stanza and according to the length of the lines (and their rhythm; cf.
Kuhn 1983, 335). These vary from three to nine syllables and many ofthe patterns are similar to forms elsewhere in Háttatal apart from thepresence of end-rhyme; presumably in principle Snorri believed that endrhyme might replace internal rhyme in any metre (though the metre israrely quite identical with the corresponding non-end-rhyming form; inparticular runhent tends much more to end-stopping of lines). There arequite a lot of examples of runhent poems both before and after Snorri,
but few of them correspond exactly to any one of his examples. Stanzas
82, 87, 88 and 90 have fairly near equivalents in Háttalykill, stt. 7 (there
called belgdrƒgur), 24, 11, 17 (rekit; the stanzas in Háttalykill are similar
in metre to those in Háttatal, though they do not always have the same
rhyme-pattern). The best-known early example of runhent is Egill’sHƒfu›lausn (ÍF II 185–92), though if it is genuine the lausavísa 1 of
Egill’s father Skalla-Grímr (ÍF II 70) is the earliest extant runhent stanza.
Both these examples use the short line (4–5 syllables, metrically equivalent
to fornyr›islag) of Háttatal, stt. 80–81, 85–7; Egill sometimes uses
masculine rhymes (like Háttatal, st. 87), sometimes feminine ones (like
Háttatal, stt. 80–81, 85–6) and the rhymes are sometimes in pairs (in90

Háttatal

minzta runhenda), sometimes continue over four lines ((h)in minni runhenda;
he also sometimes has skothending between pairs of lines, a device notmentioned by Snorri; cf. Háttalykill, st. 17). The rhythms of Háttatal, stt.
80 and 86 appear in Hƒfu›lausn, stt. 5, 8, 10, 13, 14 and elsewhere. SkallaGrímr’s stanza is in minzta runhenda with masculine rhymes (Háttatal,
st. 87; but rhyme is lacking in the final couplet). Modelled on Hƒfu›lausn
seem to be Gunnlaugr’s Sigtryggs drápa (ÍF III 75) and Einarr Skúlason’s
Runhenda (Skj A I 473–5; the latter uses only masculine rhymes, Háttatal,
st. 87). Fornyr›islag with end-rhyme is also used by Bjƒrn Hítdœlakappi
in Grámagaflím, ÍF III 168–9; by ﬁór›r Særeksson in his lausavísa 3,
Skáldskaparmál, ch. 6; and in a stanza in Fri›ﬂjófs saga, Skj B II 293–4;
but in most cases only masculine rhymes are used (Háttatal, st. 87), see
Sighvatr 14 (Skj A I 275, st. 2); Gunnlaugr ormstunga, lausavísa 2, ÍF III
69; ﬁjó›ólfr Arnórsson’s poem on Haraldr har›rá›i (Skj A I 368); SnegluHalli, lausavísa 11, Skj A I 390; Hólmgƒngu-Bersi, ÍF V 76 and VIII
261; Magnus ﬁór›arson, lausavísa 1, Skj A I 542; the anonymous verses
in Sturl. I 26, 519–20; Kolbeinn Tumason’s religious poem, Skj A II 39–40,
stt. 8–10; Snjólfs vísur, Skj A II 396–7. It is notable that this form is usedboth for kvi›lingar and flim as well as for formal eulogy (and in religious
verse). There are also examples, all with masculine rhymes only (Háttatal,
st. 87), in TGT 125, 138, 147. The six-syllable dróttkvætt-type line of
Háttatal, st. 88 is used by Gísli Súrsson, lausavísa 18, ÍF VI 76; Óláfr
Hávar›sson, ÍF VI 297; ﬁorgils Hƒlluson, ÍF V 194; ﬁór›r Rúfeyjaskáld,
Sturl. I 30 and in the anonymous st. 3 in Sturl. I 21–2; Rƒgnvaldr jarl,lausavísa 31, ÍF XXXIV 235; Hallr ﬁórarinsson and Ármó›r, lausavísa
3, ÍF XXXIV 183, 212; Bjarni Kálfsson, Skj A I 536; in the couplet in
Skáldskaparmál, ch. 60, Skáldskaparmál, 92/18–19; in the couplet in Hkr
III 310; by Sturla Bár›arson, lausavísa 2, Gu›mundr Ásbjarnarson, ﬁórirjƒkull, Sturl. I 297–8, 398, 438 and in the anonymous stanza in Sturl.
I 391; by Gu›mundr Galtason, lausavísa 2, Skj A II 44; in the anonymous
quatrain in ÍF I 110 note 9; and in the Runic poem (Skj B II 248–9). The
first two lines of Hjalti Skeggjason’s kvi›lingr (Skj A I 139) are also like
Háttatal, st. 88, though in some versions they are more like Háttatal, stt.
80–81 and 85 or 83, and the even line also has internal rhyme (cf.
dunhenda, Háttatal, st. 24; the pattern is also found in Glúmr Geirason,
TGT 94). It could be argued that this pattern of runhenda developed outof dunhenda. In Har›ar saga, st. 18, in ch. 38 (ÍF XIII 90), there is astanza with irregular six-syllable runhent combined with dunhenda(Háttatal, st. 24). ﬁorkell Gíslason’s Búadrápa, Skj A I 553–5, Gnó›arÁsmundardrápa, Skj A I 591, a stanza in Sturl. I 591 and Bár›ar saga,

Appendix

91

st. 3 (Skj B II 482, ÍF XIII 124–5) seem to be the only examples of thepattern of Háttatal, st. 83 (málaháttr with end-rhyme). Málsháttakvæ›i(Skj A II 130–36; included at the end of Háttatal in R) seems to be thefirst poem apart from Háttalykill to use the seven- to eight-syllable runhentof Háttatal, stt. 90–91 and 94. Unlike Háttatal, stt. 91 and 94 it often has
eight syllables (sometimes including resolution) in odd lines and sevenin even lines when the rhymes are masculine. There are further examples
in Sturl. I 257, Skj A II 463, st. 3 (like Háttatal, st. 91) and Oddverja
Annáll, Storm (1888), 455, 457 (cf. JH–AH 130–31 and see hrynhenda
above). Háttatal, st. 82 does not seem to be paralleled except in Háttalykill;
there seem to be no parallels to stt. 84, 89, 92 (though st. 92 is not muchdifferent from st. 83; the rhythmical pattern occurs in málaháttr, st. 95)
and 93 (unless perhaps in the hálfhnept stanza in ÍF XI 331, which has
end-rhyme in the last couplet).
Most of the above examples use in minzta runhenda (lines rhyming inpairs); occasionally minni runhenda (rhyme continued over four lines) isfound, but there seem to be no examples before Snorri’s time of fullrunhenda (the same rhyme throughout the stanza). Snorri does not mention
the possibility of the rhyme in one pair of lines (or half-stanza) forming
skothending with that in another, though this feature is found in a numberof stanzas in Egill’s Hƒfu›lausn and occasionally elsewhere.

92

Háttatal

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Háttatal

Glossary
The glossary is full but not complete: some ordinary words are omitted, and references are selective for words of frequent occurrence, but all technical words andall kennings in the verses are included with virtually complete references. ‘n.’after a reference indicates that there is comment on the word in the explanatory
notes. The following abbreviations are used:a.
adjectiveneg.
negativeabs.
absolute(ly)nom.
nominative
acc.
accusative
num.
numeraladv.
adverb(ial)
obj.
objectart.
articleord.
ordinalaux.
auxiliaryo–selfoneself
comp.
comparative
p.
past
conj.
conjunction
part.
partitive
dat.
dativepass.
passivedef.
definite
pers.
persone–meinhverjum
pl.
plurale–neinnhvernposs.
possessivee–seinhvers
pp.
past participle
e–teitthvert
prep.
preposition(al)e–ueinhverju
pres. (p.) present (participle)f.
femininepret.-pres. preterite-present
gen.
genitive
pron.
pronounimp.
imperativerel.
relative
impers.
impersonalsg.
singularindecl.
indeclinables–one
someoneinf.
infinitives–thingsomething
instr.
instrumental
subj.
subject
interrog. interrogative
subjunc. subjunctive
intrans.
intransitive
subst.
substantive
irreg.
irregular
sup.
superlativem.
masculine
sv.
strong verb
md.
middle voice
trans.
transitiven.
neutervb.
verb
wv.
weak verba›alhenda error for alhenda 42/11 textual note.
a›alhending f. chief rhyme, full rhyme 1/37, 8/18, 23/13, 35/9, 36/9,
37/9, 42/9, 44/9, 48/9–10, 54/10, 56/10, 58/12, 59/10, 63/11, 68/9–10,
71/10, 73/9–10, 75/11, 77/11, 78/9, 79/12.
a›alhendr a. having full rhyme 71/10.

Glossary99á›r adv. previously; in the past 67/15.
afar adv. very 11/6, 46/4.
afhending f. use of the same rhyme-syllable in even lines as at the endof the preceding odd lines 47/10.
afkleyfisor› n. enclitic or proclitic (i.e. an unstressed grammatical wordsuch as a pronoun, preposition or conjunction) 73/10.
afkleyfissamstafa f. enclitic syllable, = afkleyfisor› 68/11–12.
aflei›ing f. antecedent (‘deducing’) 15/10; dat. pl. 15/1 textual note.
ala (ól) sv. nourish (e–u with s–thing) 56/1.
álag n. extension, supplement 8/16.
álagsháttr m. ‘extension-form’ 27/1 textual note, 27/9. Cf. TGT 113.
ald- see ƒld.
alda f. wave; i.e. the sea 27/1; in kenning for gold, logi ƒldu 17/4; inkenning for mead, hunangs ƒldur 24/8 (obj. of gefr).
aldinn a. ancient 67/7.
aldr (rs) m. life 102/1; in kenning for head 50/8; = time? 94/4.
aldrlauss a. lifeless; sup., completely dead 51/4.
alframastr a. sup. quite the most outstanding; n. as adv. (predicative,
see vita) 67/2.
alhenda f. ‘complete rhyme’ 43/10; minni a. 42/11, 43/9.
alhending f. ‘complete rhyme’ 44/11.
alhendr a. ‘completely rhymed’ 43/12 (n. as name of a verse-form).
alhneptr a. completely curtailed 77/13.
alinveldi n. ‘ell-realm’, forearm 43/8 (obj. of hylr).
allr a. all; n. as adv. all the way 1/5; pl. as subst., allra every one’s 90/2.
allvaldr m. very mighty one; king 3/6; ruler, = Skúli 36/6 (subj. of reyndisk), 77/4 (subj. of sér, parallel to ungr jarl), 78/2 (subj. of ferr).
álmdrós f. ‘bow-woman’, valkyrie; in kenning for sword 60/1.
álmr m. (elm-)bow 31/3.
almætr a. entirely worthy 78/7.
alrau›r a. entirely red (of gold) 42/1.
alst‡f›r a. (pp.) completely docked, i.e. having every line catalectic 51/11.
alvitr a. entirely wise, wise about everything; sup. most wise in every
way 99/2.
ár (1) f. oar 22/6 (or ár (2) n.?); in kenning for sword, ár sára 61/2.
ár (2) n. year 94/6; acc. of time 60/2.
árla adv. early (in the morning) 77/3.
armr m. arm 42/8 (collective sg).
árr m. messenger; in kenning for warrior, ógnar árr 62/1 (acc. pl.).
ásamt adv. together (e–m with s–one) 29/3.

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Háttatalaskr m. ash (wood); spear 9/6, 57/3; in kenning for warrior (the poet),askr ﬂilju Hrungnis ilja 30/3.
at (1) prep. (1) with dat. at, in, to etc. (2) with acc., after 23/4, 38/4. (3)elliptically with gen., at the dwelling of, in the presence of 41/7, 91/3.
at (2) adv. with comp., the 1/7, 40/3, 7.
atri›sklauf f. 8/40: since the author gives neither definition nor example,
it is difficult to know what he means by the term. The etymology (cf.
rí›a, kljúfa; in modern Icelandic atri›i means ‘item, event’) suggests
as possible meanings ‘asyndeton’ (dissolutio, dialyton), ‘anacoluthon’,or ‘tmesis’. Cf. TGT 100.
átt f. family, clan 37/5 (gen. dependent on ﬂjó›); fram í átt from generation
to generation 89/4. Cf. ætt.
áttmæltr a. (pp.) containing eight separate utterances or sentences; n. as
subst. as name of a verse-form 9/12, 10/1 textual note. Cf. mál (2).
au›gjafi m. wealth-giver (i.e. the king) 13/3 (dat. with l‡tr).
au›it pp. used impersonally with gen. and dat., granted; e–s er a. e–ms–thing is granted (by fate) to s–one 48/3.
au›kendr a. (pp.) easily recognised, easily picked out (of men’s arms,
because they have so much gold on them) 48/1.
au›mildr a. generous with wealth 11/2.
au›r m. wealth 27/7 (gen. dependent on brjótr), 37/6 (dat. withhrau›), 40/4, 42/1, 46/6 (gen. dependent on ‡tandi), 48/1 (instr.), 48/4
(gen. with au›it), 89/3; in kenning for men 80/8.
au›salr m. wealth-hall 102/2 (pl.).
au›spƒru›r m. one who is sparing of wealth, niggardly person 98/8
(contrasted with ﬂá er vell gefa 98/2).
au›-T‡r m. wealth-T‡r, generous prince, = Skúli 48/2.
au›vi›r m. ‘wealth-tree’, man 48/3.
auka (eykr, jók) sv. increase, enlarge 6/19, extend 62/9 (e–u by s–thing);
fá e–t aukit e–m cause s–thing to be increased for s–one 5/6; impers.
eykr e–u, e–u [er] aukit s–thing is increased 7/12, 33/10, s–thing is
added 34/9, 59/9; activate, bring into being: a. Yggs feng, a. mær›make poetry 31/3, 85/1. Cf. stœra.
austan adv., prep. (1) with acc. austan ver east of the sea, i.e. in
Scandinavia 82/6. (2) with gen. austan fjar›ar east of the fjord or on
the eastern side of the fjord (i.e. presumably the Vík (Oslofjord), cf.
Hákonar saga, ch. 74) 63/4 (with kendi or st‡r›u?).
axl- see ƒxl.
bági m. enemy; in kenning for Ó›inn, ulfs b. 3/1.
bál n. pyre; in kennings for gold, ægis b. 3/2 (cf. ítr), Rínar b. 91/6.
bálkr m. dividing wall; section (of a list), group 88/11, 91/10. In the

Glossary101

name of the metre Bálkar lag 96/9, 97/12 it may have been a personalname. Cf. TGT 68.
bani m. death 64/6, 65/4 (gen. with ver›an).
banna (a›) wv. forbid (e–t e–m s–thing to s–one), prevent (s–one fromusing s–thing) 1/2, 37/1.
bar› n. prow; pl. sides of prow (?) 74/7 (instr.); in kenning for ships
79/4; by synecdoche for ship (?) 3/3, 63/4 (obj. of st‡r›u).
barr a. rough, violent 40/1.
bauggrimmr a. arm-ring-hating, i.e. generous 47/6 (with baugstøkkvir).
baugr m. (gold) arm-ring, bracelet 47/5 (instr.), 90/5.
baugstøkkvir m. arm-ring flinger, i.e. generous ruler, = Skúli 47/5.
baugvƒllr m. plain of the (shield’s) circle (i.e. of the disk round the shieldboss) = shield; in kenning for ruler 83/2.
beimar m. pl. men 47/2.
beita (tt) wv. with dat., use, brandish 98/3 (parallel to gefa).
bekkr (bekkjar, bekks) (1) m. stream 6/12; sveita b. i. e. bleeding wound
6/6; in kenning for ale, blí›skálar b. 87/3.
bekkr (bekkjar, bekks) (2) m. bench; plank 76/1 (or by synecdoche = ship).
ben f. wound 11/7; in kennings for blood 56/2, 60/6 (with legi, see lƒgr).
benda (d) wv. bend (trans.) 20/5, 74/3; md. for pass. 9/5.
bera (bar) sv. carry 35/5; wear 44/5, 45/8; impers. e–t berr s–thing iscarried, stretches 35/2; deliver, perform 68/8, pp. borinn upp lifted up,
performed 97/4
bergja (g›) wv. taste 11/7.
bí›a (bei›) sv. experience, gain 30/3.
bi›ja (ba›) sv. bid, pray; with gen. demand, obtain 38/4 (inf. with takaor pres. pl.); with acc. and inf., pray that s–one may 30/1, with inf.
understood, order s–one (to go) 44/15.
bifsœkir m. with gen., one who seeks to make s–thing quiver; álms b.
warrior 31/3 (dat., i.e. for the warrior = Skúli).
bil n. hesitation 37/4.
bila (a›) wv. fail, give way 8/5; perish, end 96/8.
bíta (beit) sv. bite, cut 10/7; abs., pierce 33/7.
bjartr a. bright, radiant 4/8 (glossed gla›r 4/17).
bjartveggja›r a. (pp.) brightly sailed or bright-sided; sup. 34/4.
bjó›a (bau›) sv. offer, command; teach, show (inf. after gat) 37/8.
bjoggju see búa.
bjórr m. beer 25/4.
bláferill m. dark path; in kenning for shield (part of kenning for warrior),
odds b. 31/5.
blakkr m. (dark-coloured or pale? dun?) horse (used as a proper name in

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Háttatal

Skáldskaparmál, ch. 58); in kennings for ship, b. brims 35/5 (gen. pl.
with herfjƒl›), Haka b. 38/7 (dat. of respect).
blár a. dark (in colour); of a sail 78/6; of spears 33/7; with byrskí› 74/5.
bláskí› n. dark ski; bar›a b. = ship 79/3 (instr., parallel to randgar›i).
bleikr a. pale 27/2.
blí›r a. gentle, gracious 22/6, 79/3.
blí›skál f. pleasant bowl, cup that cheers; in kenning for ale, blí›skálar
bekkr 87/4.
blik n. gleam; in kennings for gold, b. spannar 40/8, b. brimlands 45/5.
blikna (a›) wv. gleam 45/5.
blikurma›r m. miser 40/6.
bló› n. blood 6/12, 18/1, 14, 51/8, 56/1 (dat. with byrsta, or parallel tobens rau›sylgjum; cf. byrstr).
bló›drykkr m. blood-drink 11/8.
bló›svƒrr m. blood-bird (svƒrr: a species of bird), i.e. eagle or raven, in
kenning for warrior 92/8.
bogi m. bow; in kenning for arms, boga nau›ir 48/2; in kenning for hailof arrows 62/6.
bolr m. trunk, body 10/4.
bor›grund f. ‘board-ground’, i.e. sea 74/3.
borg f. fortification, castle; vilja b. = breast 51/5.
bót f. improvement 16/17.
brá›r a. quick; n. as adv. swiftly, hard 78/5.
bragarbót f. ‘poem’s (poetry’s) improvement’, name of a verse-form
31/9.
bragarháttr m. ‘poetic metre’, name of a verse-form 31/1 textual note.
bragarmál n. ‘speech of poetry, poetic speech’, i.e. elision (of the vowelof an enclitic) 8/20. Cf. TGT 87.
bragnar m. pl. men; gen. with bƒl 24/3, ﬂƒgn 25/3, sagna 59/8, ótali
88/4, vinr 90/6; dat. with ﬂekkr 87/3.
bragningr m. prince; = Hákon 24/4 (subj. of gle›r); = Ingi Bár›arson
34/3; = Earl Skúli 36/8 (acc. with inf. after frá), 45/2; pl. = Skúli and
Hákon 96/7.
bragr m. poetry, poem; poetic form 100/2; bragar lag verse-form 70/2.
braka (a›) wv. crack, make a cracking sound 9/8.
brandr (1) m. firebrand 18/12–13; in kenning for gold (arm-rings),
vallands branda 44/8 (with svala [refhvarf ], obj. of bera).
brandr (2) m. sword 8/8, 9/7, 14/3 (instr.), 18/8, 19, 98/3; in kenning forshield 59/4.
brattr a. steep 3/3.

Glossary103

breg›a (brá) sv. move; b. á e–t act in accordance with s–thing 26/2; md.
be altered, be affected, cease to be 28/13.
brei›feldr a. extensive 14/4 (with lƒnd).
brei›r a. broad 36/7 (with fylking).
breki m. wave, breaker 77/4; pl., obj. of lemr 38/2.
bresta (brast) sv. break (intrans.); be broken off (to be given as a gift)
49/2, 90/5. Cf. brjóta, brjótr.
breyta (tt) wv. with dat., vary, change (cf. skipta; usually impers. pass.)
1/44, 52, 6/16, 8/45, 9/11, 27/12, 14; breytt til changed to? in accordancewith? modelled on? 40/9; pp. as a. 0/11, 11/10.
brim n. surf; b. horna = beer 25/3; blakkr brims = ship 35/6.
brimd‡r n. ‘surf-animal’, i.e. ship 74/4.
brimland n. ‘surf-land’, i.e. sea; in kenning for gold, brimlands blik 45/6.
brjóst n. breast 6/13 (pl.).
brjóta (braut) sv. break (trans.) 22/4, 59/3, 61/5, 74/5, 78/3, 93/5; i.e.
distribute (cf. bresta) 26/1, 89/7.
brjótr m. breaker, distributor; b. au›s i.e. generous man (Snorri) 27/5.
bró›ir m. brother 22/10 (metaphorical); hilmis b., bragnings b., konungsb. = Skúli, (half-)brother of King Ingi Bár›arson 33/5, 34/3, 69/2 (dat.
of advantage).
brot n. fragment 45/1 (pl.).
brotna (a›) wv. break in pieces, fragment (intrans.) 45/1 (to make rings
fragment means to distribute gold).
brott adv. away 47/4.
brún f. brow; edge (i.e. shore) 3/4.
bruna (a›) wv. advance with speed 72/6.
brúnn a. brown, burnished (of a sword) 50/4 (with gló›).
brynja f. mail-coat 9/7, 57/4; brynju él storm of missiles 62/4.
búa (bjó) sv. prepare (e–m for s–one) 11/2, 49/5; fit out 98/4; b. e–t e–u
provide s–thing with s–thing (man a ship with a crew) 34/1; b. e–t e–m(e–u) cover, adorn s–thing (with s–thing) for s–one 32/5, 48/5; p. inf.
bjoggju made ready 36/7 (acc. (bragning) and inf. after frá); compose
69/1; búa of be endowed with 15/6; pp. búinn til ready for 88/5.
búandma›r m. peasant 33/8; gen. with støkr 35/8.
bu›lungr m. prince 15/8; = Hákon 14/3, = Skúli 74/8 (subj. of veit).
byrja (ja›) wv. begin, undertake 38/1.
byrr m. (following) wind 38/6, 78/5; = storm, in kenning for battle, brands
stranda b. 59/3.
byrskí› n. wind-spar or -ski, i.e. ship 74/6 (pl., acc. with veit).
byrstr a. (pp.) bristled (e–u with s–thing) 56/1 (‘bloody-bristled’, i.e.

104

Háttatalwith blood on its bristles or having gouts of blood looking like bristles(see Fidjestøl 1982, 73; NN 3261); with ylgi).
byskup m. bishop 44/14.
bœr m. dwelling; heila b. = skull 2/6.
bƒ›har›r a. battle-hard 74/7 (with bu›lungr).
bƒl n. evil, trouble, misery (malice?) 24/3.
bƒrr m. a species of tree (spruce?); in kenning for man, au›s b. 80/8.
dá› f. deed, ability to achieve great deeds, valour 93/2.
dá›rakkr a. mighty in deeds, valiant 5/3 (with dreng).
dagr m. day; acc. of time 56/4.
darra›r m. spear; (collective) gen. with skúrum or skƒpt 52/2.
dau›i m. death 5/3.
deila f. dispute, strife 19/8 (obj. of skapar), 19/12.
deilir m. distributor; in kennings for ruler (Hákon), d. gulls 216, d. styrjar
21/7, 28/7.
detthendr a. ‘falling rhymed’ 8/16, 28/14; n. as subst. 29/1 textual note(the name presumably refers to the ‘falling’ rhythm in even lines [–´ –` ×],
cf. JH–AH 131).
djúpr a. deep 19/11; with skip, high? low in water?—or with fƒll? (seegrunn) 19/4.
dólgr m. enemy 66/4 (with of ); in kenning for ruler (i.e. Hákon) 30/8, forﬁórr 3/8.
drag n. an extra line at the end of a stanza (?) 8/31 n.
draga (dró) sv. drag 44/17; draw, pull 8/7; (metaphorically) 16/10; stretch(in meaning)? use (til for)? 16/14; dregr ﬂat til at this results in this,that 8/13 n.; md. for pass. 16/3; dragask fram e›a aptr be drawn forward
or back, be increased or diminished 6/23; dragask eptir be similar to, be
reminiscent of 39/10. In SGT 66 dreginn is used to mean long (of a vowel).
dragreip n. halyard 77/8 (subj. of mœta).
drápa f. a formally constructed poem (usually distinguished from a flokkr
by having stef or refrains) 35/13.
draughendr a. ‘ghost-rhymed’ or ‘trunk-rhymed’? 64/9.
draugr m. trunk (of tree); in kenning for men, hjarar d. 47/6.
draugsháttr m. ‘ghost-form’ or ‘trunk-form’? 29/10, 30/1 textual note
dreifa (›) wv. scatter 17/19.
drekka (drakk) sv. drink 87/2, 91/3; d. (menn) gla›a ‘drink men glad’,give men drink so that they become happy 86/5 (obj. is vandbaugska›a).
drengr m. man, warrior 4/6, 14/2; collective sg. 5/4.
dreyrfár a. blood-coloured, blood-stained 7/6.
drífa (dreif) sv. drive; intrans. of ships 19/2, of rings (i.e. they moveGlossary105

quickly, are freely given) 87/1; with dat. cause (missiles) to be driven
62/3 (obj. is brynju éli); impers. with dat. s–thing is driven, scattered(‘it snows with’) 42/1.
dript f. snow-fall; boga d. = hail of arrows 62/6 (obj. of heldr).
drós f. lady; Yggs d., i.e. a valkyrie; perhaps = Hildr, i.e. battle, in kenningfor sword 50/1.
drótt f. court, following of a king or earl 15/3, 85/6, 93/7.
dróttkve›inn a. (pp.) composed in dróttkvætt 6/17 n.
dróttkvæ›r a. pertaining to court poetry; in accordance with dróttkvætt
62/12, 65/14; dróttkvæ›r háttr the verse-form known as dróttkvætt 1/26,
37, 41–2, 7/10, 8/11, 15, 25, 9/11 etc.; pl. 23/11, 53/13; dróttkvæ›hrynjandi: hrynjandi based on dróttkvætt 62/15; n. as subst. dróttkvætt
9/10, 34/11, 35/10, 54/12, 59/10, 62/10, 68/10, 69/11, 75/12, 77/12,
82/10, 88/10, 97/12.
drƒgur f. pl. ‘drawings’ (cf. draga, drag) 16/1 textual note, 16/10.
duga (›) wv. (1) help 18/13. (2) abs., be capable, act well, be valiant 8/2,
18/8, 20; impers. with (at and) inf. it is a good thing, it is worth (doings–thing) 27/6, 81/7.
dul f. secrecy, concealment 18/2, 9, 10, 15.
duna f. noise, din; in kenning for battle, d. geira 53/2.
dunhenda f. ‘echoing rhyme’ 24/1 textual note.
dunhendr a. ‘echoing rhymed’ 8/16 n., 47/10–11; n. as subst. 23/14
textual note, 24/1 textual note. Cf. FoGT 147.
dvala (›) wv. delay, hold back (trans.) 68/2.
dvƒl f. stay, rest 20/3; staying (in a place) 90/2 (pl.).
dynblakkr m. noisy horse; in kenning for ship, stáls d. 31/1. Blakkr is
the name of a mythical horse in Skáldskaparmál, ch. 58.
dynbrími m. clashing flame; in kenning for sword, hræs d. (or hræs glæsd.) 50/6.
dynbrunnr m. rushing (resounding) stream; in kenning for blood, hræsd. 32/4.
dynr m. noise; in kenning for battle, málmskurar d. 39/4.
d‡r n. animal; in kenning for ship, unna d. 28/6 (pl.).
d‡r› f. glory 85/5 (obj. of segja).
d‡rr a. dear, valued, precious 82/8 (sup. with jarla, = Skúli, and predicative); sup. with myklu 94/8; of a verse-form, elaborate, ornate,
splendid 36/10.
døkkr a. dark (in colour); of ships 73/2 n. (with hreina).
e›a conj. or 55/3, 96/8 (links farisk and bili).
efla (d) wv. make strong, increase, enact; wage (war) 94/3. Cf. stœra.

106

Háttatalefni n. material, speech-content 4/9.
efri a. comp. latter 19/11.
egg f. edge (usually by synecdoche = sword) 4/2, 12 (subj.), 5/2, 9, 10,
8/2, 10/7, 32/3, 33/6 (subj. of hrau›); instr. 56/6 (with n‡bitnar; perhaps
to be taken as forming a compound word with it, see NN 1318); instr.
(with bjoggju), or possibly as first part of compound by tmesis with-ﬂing 36/7.
egna (d) wv. use s–thing (e–u) as bait; entice, provoke (with s–thing);
e. til ógnar tognu sver›i aim to bring about battle with drawn sword
58/4.
ei›a f. mother (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 68); orms vá›a e. = Jƒr›, i.e. theland (of Norway) 3/5.
eiga (á, átta) pret.-pres. vb. have 7/5, 26/7; átti rá›a had to rule (over:with ﬂeim er) 15/3 (subj. is hans fa›ir); get 40/7.
eiginn a. own; his own 14/7 (with ríki).
eignask (a›) wv. md. abs., gain possessions 9/3.
eik f. oak; by synecdoche = ship 27/2 (instr.), 72/5.
einn pron. a. same 1/30, 31, 35, 8/26, 16/12, 80/9; only 8/45, 9/11.
einnig adv. = einn veg, in the same way 36/10.
einstaka a. indecl. single, not forming part of a series; e. vísa = lausvisa, staka 8/27.
eisa f. ember, fire; in kennings for gold, e. l‡sheims (of gold as ornament
on a successful king’s person, or on his followers) 22/8 (subj. of náir),e. fens 26/1; in kenning for sword, Yggs drósar e. (i.e. fire of valkyrie
or of battle) 50/1.
él n. storm, in kennings for battle (hail of missiles): lindar snarvindask‡s él 32/1, brynju él 62/4 (obj. of drífr).
eldr m. fire 17/10; in kenning for sword, Hlakkar e. 57/5, for gold (inkenning for ruler), e. lagar 69/7.
eljunstrƒnd f. ‘energy-shore’, home of determination, i.e. breast 63/5
(obj. of rendi).
elli f. old age 61/7 (acc. with ﬂrotna, or with spyr); til e. until (your) old
age 3/8, 30/8.
elligar adv. otherwise 15/11.
élsnœr›r a. (pp.) storm-bound 79/7.
en conj. but, and, and moreover 15/7, 16/2 etc.; with comp., than 91/8
(with œ›ra), 98/6, 8 (with ver›ari hæra hró›rar; en heimdrega contrasts
with 98/3–4, en au›spƒru› with 98/2); with fyrr 102/8.
endask (nd, a›) wv. md. come to an end, conclude 71/11. Cf. lúka(sk).
endi m. end (of the line) 32/10, 37/10.

Glossary107

eptir prep. with acc., at (after) the end of 59/10; as adv., behind; er e. sem
what remains is as 62/10.
ern a. keen, energetic, able (with gen. = with s–thing) 79/5 (with jarl).
ey›a (dd) wv. with dat., destroy 5/1, 65/7, 66/1.
ey›ir m. destroyer; in kenning for battle-leader, ruler, e. baugvalla, =Skúli 83/2 (vocative, but see note).
eyrindi n. stanza, strophe (= vísa; cf. ørindi) 0/20, 1/10.
fá (fekk, pp. fengit) sv. get, receive, obtain 14/2, 39/7, 84/1; fá e–m e–t,
fá e–m e–s provide s–one with s–thing 11/5, 13/1; with pp., be able to
21/5, 51/7, 100/6, cause (s–thing to be s–thing) 5/5; md. be gained 9/3.
fagna (a›) wv. with dat., welcome, rejoice in 14/7; f. vi› rejoice at, receive
joyfully 88/3.
fagr (rt) a. fair, fine 91/4.
fagrdrasill m. fair steed; in kenning for ship, f. lƒgstíga 22/4.
fagrregn n. fair rain (i.e. tears), in kenning for gold: f. Mardallar hvarma
42/6.
fagrskjalda›astr a. (pp.) sup. provided with (having) the most beautiful
shields 34/2.
falbroddr m. (spear-)socket-point; gen. pl. with ern, eager to use spears,
skilful with spears (or perhaps with oddum, parallel with hræna›ra)
79/6 textual note.
falda (felt, pp. faldinn) sv. dress the head; faldinn grímu crowned with ahelmet 15/2; f. rau›u dress one’s head in red (a red cap), i.e. get abloody head, be wounded 63/2 (with kendi).
fall n. fall (of water), breaking water, breakers 19/3 (cf. grunn), 77/4
(obj. of sér); metaphorically, case? í eitt fall at the same time or withthe same phrase 17/13 n.; as a metrical term, tí›ar fall cadence? 16/13 n.
Cf. GT Prologue 154, 155: fall ∂›r tima, einnar ti›ar fall, where themeaning seems to be ‘quantity’. In TGT and FoGT, fall means ‘grammatical case’.
falla (fell) sv. fall 2/1, 20/2, 42/5, 61/1: in battle 10/5, 53/7; subjunc. (optative) let it fall 102/5, cease 104/8 (understood; cf. lof); be fitting 75/3
(subj. mál); pp. vel fallinn very fitting 67/13 (cf. FoGT 136); occur 65/12.
falr (1) m. socket of spear; by synecdoche = spear 9/4, 18/5, 18.
falr (2) a. (freely) available 28/6, 43/8 (with meldr).
fang n. tunic (of a woman); Ham›is fang coat of mail 2/3 (subj. of fellr;
cf. textual note).
far n. vessel 22/8.
fara (fór) sv. go 6/3, 90/1; travel 17/13, 78/1; be arranged 2/10, 62/14,
63/10, 69/9; impers. pass. with dat., s–thing is arranged 57/9; with inf.,

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Háttatal

go and, go to 6/12, 55/8; f. eptir follow 1/36, 13/11, imitate 4/20; f.
saman be consistent 1/27; md. perish 96/6.
fegra (r›) wv. make (more) elegant, adorn 4/19 (abs.), 6/20.
fegri a. comp. (of fagr) more elegant 1/21; sup. 44/10. Cf. FoGT 137.
feigr a. doomed, about to die 65/2.
fela (fal) sv. cover 2/5 (subj. is skƒrungr, unless it is understood from theprevious clause).
fella (d) wv. cause to fall, put an end to, dispel 25/3.
fellir m. feller; in kenning for war-leader, ruler (= Hákon), dólga f. 30/8
(vocative, parallel to vígfoldar valdi unless it belongs with n‡tr vartuoss); = sword in kenning for blood, hræs f. 60/4 n.
fémildr a. generous with money 29/4.
fen n. fen, lying water; in kenning for gold 26/2.
fengr m. booty; in kenning for poetry, Yggs f. 31/4 (cf. Skáldskaparmál, 5/7–8).
fenna (nt) wv. impers. cover (as with snow); pp. with dat., covered withs–thing (as with snow) 65/8 (with fjƒrnis hlí›, i.e. head).
fer› (1) f. movement, travel, journey 13/7, 20/3 (word-play with fer› (2))
fer› (2) f. troop, crew, usually = men 8/4 (gen. with sver›), 20/3, 37/3
(subj. of vann), 54/6; gotna f. 91/2, ‡ta f. (gen. with eljunstrandir) 63/6;
in pl. = men, soldiers 33/2.
ferri (= fjarri) adv. far (with dat., from being like s–thing) 40/2.
festa (st) wv. fasten; ensure, guarantee (e–m to s–one) 37/4 (pp. withvann); betroth o–self to ( f. Hildi: metaphor for engage in battle) 49/2.
festr f. cable, hawser; in kenning for ship, hestr festa 71/6.
féstrí›ir m. money-tormentor, enemy of money, i.e. generous ruler (Skúli)
43/5.
fet n. tread, step 32/7 (variants fit TW, fót U).
fetilhams m. baldric-slough, kenning for sword-fittings or scabbard 6/4.
fetill m. baldric, strap for hanging the sword from the shoulder 6/10 (pl.
of the fittings collectively).
finna (fann) sv. find 16/14, 28/5; invent 35/10 ( fann fyrst was the first to
invent); with suffixed neg. finnrat cannot find, will not find 92/5; md.
be found, appear, occur 0/19, 1/14 (with inf.), 6/23, 8/30, 16/15, 44/11(í in it), 53/13; be considered 82/10.
firar m. pl. men 13/2; dat. of respect (advantage) 42/2 (with á vals reitu,
i.e. onto men’s arms), 50/4 (with í hof hugtúns).
firrask (›) wv. md. be separated from (be put aside by) 23/1; be deprivedof (or shun?) 20/3 (‘get no rest’).
first adv. sup. (of fjarri, ferri) farthest off, farthest apart 28/12, 31/10;
with dat. furthest from (being) 40/6.

Glossary109

fit f. limb 42/5 (ﬂegnum is dat. of respect or advantage); of an animal:paw 56/7. Cf. fet.
fjall n. mountain 13/4; in kenning for waves, svana fjƒll 76/5 (acc. withhleypir).
fjallvargr m. mountain-wolf 53/8.
fjarri (= ferri) adv. far, a long way 35/2.
fjór›i ord. num. fourth 69/5 (with lofun).
fjór›ungalok n. (pl.?) ‘quarter-ends’, name of a verse-form 11/1
textual note.
fjór›ungr m. quarter (stanza), i.e. a couplet 1/10, 10–11, 22, 18/16, 17,19; f. vísu 1/20, 26.
fjƒlmennr a. having a great company or following 29/8 (with stilli);predicative (vb. to be understood) 69/4.
fjƒlsnœr›r a. many-stranded, complicated 68/4.
fjƒlvinja›r a. having many meadows, i.e. resting-places, places on which
ornaments may be put (as corn is sowed in a field) 43/7 (with alinveldi;
if one adopts the reading of R*, -vinja›r, the word belongs with meldr,
and must mean ‘which finds many resting-places, i.e. recipients’).
fjƒlvitr a. wise about many things, in many ways, most wise 55/2 (withœgi).
fjƒr n. life 62/4.
fjƒr›r m. fjord 63/4 (i.e. the Vík? see austan).
fjƒrnir m. ‘life-protector’, helmet; in kennings for head 62/5, 65/6.
fjƒrvar m. pl. men 80/1 (with fyrir).
flag›aháttr m. ‘ogre-form’ 33/10.
flag›alag n. = flag›aháttr 34/1 textual note.
flatr a. flat (of rings!) 90/5.
flaust n. a kind of ship (etymologically related to fljóta sv.) 19/6 (indirect
obj. of skapar), 23/3 (pl.), 34/1.
fleinbrak n. ‘spear-noise’, (turmoil of) battle 2/2, 2/12 (‘to call battle
fleinbrak’).
fleinn m. shaft, spear; in kenning for shield 65/5.
fleinst‡rir m. spear-guider, warrior, = Snorri 29/6 (dat.).
fleinﬂollr m. spear-fir, warrior, = Skúli 75/3 (subj. of lætr).
flestr a. sup. most, nearly every 16/16, 49/6 (dat. sg.), 60/2 (with ár); i.e.
more than anyone else 93/3.
fljóta (flaut) sv. float 44/18.
fljótr a. quick 17/18; n. as adv. hastily 17/5 (with válkat), 17/17, 17/30.
flytja (flutta) wv. cause to move (braut away) 17/15, 23; bring forward,
present, deliver, perform 80/1 (pp.); with suffixed pron. -k 81/1, 95/3

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Háttatal(e–m to, for s–one). (Since Snorri probably did not actually performthe poem to its recipients, having composed it in Iceland after his returnfrom Norway, the word can perhaps be taken to mean simply ‘compose’
here; cf. Möbius 1897–81, I 34.)
fold f. land; pl., obj. of var›a 18/3, 55/7; = Norway 39/5, 53/4 (obj. of
halda); = the earth 102/6 (subj. of falli); in kenning for head, fjƒrnis f.
62/5.
fólk n. (1) people, army, host 10/5, 34/1 (perhaps fólk (3)?), 36/3, 55/7,
62/6 n. (2) = battle 37/3 (with her›i). (3) ? sword 60/8 (pl., obj. offylla); as first element of compound separated by tmesis, fólkskúrum‘sword-showers’ (or ‘battle-showers’, ‘army-showers’), i.e. rain of
weapons, warfare? 62/6–7 n. See 60/8 n.
fólkgla›r a. battle-glad (people-glad?) 69/6 (with fri›rofa).
fólkhamla f. host-rod, kenning for sword 24/5 (gen. with vi›um).
forn a. old (of beer) 25/4; ancient, from old times 13/12, 34/12, 53/13.
fornafn n. pronoun 1/23. In Skáldskaparmál, chs. 1 and 67 the word isused of a kind of kenning or heiti that replaces a proper name.
fornkvæ›i n. pl. ancient (‘classical’) poems 58/16 (cf. 53/13).
fornskáld n. ancient poet, classical (Norse) poet 8/30, 53/11 and textual
note, 58/14 (cf. FoGT 136, 147, GT Prologue 152–3).
fornyr›islag n. ‘old-story metre’ (or ‘old-talk metre’?) 95/9, 97/9.
fram adv. forward 20/4, 33/4, 64/2, 69/5; in front 56/8 n.; on one’s face
32/8; on (in time) 89/4; um fram in addition 67/11.
framan adv. in front, at the beginning 62/9.
framar adv. comp. further forward 18/19.
framast adv. sup. to the highest degree (i.e. the superlative) 34/10.
frami m. advancement, benefit 17/25 (cf. framr and fremja); honour,
glory 44/1 (obj. of skotnar), 67/8 (e–m for s–one), 81/2 (gen. withgrœ›i), 88/8, 93/8 (gen. with gnótt).
framla adv. excellently, honourably, gloriously 4/4: in great measure,generously 24/5.
framligr a. excellent, outstanding 4/14.
framlyndr a. bold in nature, bold-hearted 24/6 (with skjƒldungr).
framr a. forward(-thrusting), outstanding, bold 4/2, 12, 17/8, 24 (cf.
fremja), 32, 72/4 (with seggir), 94/2 (with Kraki).
frár a. swift, keen 60/7, 75/4 (with fleinﬂollr).
fregna (frá) sv. hear, learn, with acc. and inf.; frá ek lung geisa en her›asvƒr› 21/1, frá ek bragning bjoggju 36/7, frágum Haka efla we haveheard that H. waged 94/3; with acc. fregnum styr hans 62/8.
frekr a. bold, strong, violent 38/2.

Glossary111

frelsa (t) wv. free 1/3.
frem› f. honour, advancement 101/1.
fremja (fram›a) wv. move forward (trans.), advance, promote; literally
18/6 (pp.), 12, 18, 19; metaphorically, benefit 18/1 (i.e. battle takes
place, providing drink for the wolf), 18/14; f. e–n e–u benefit or
honour s–one with s–thing 43/1, 46/5, 47/5, 83/7; at 17/24 frƒmum istaken as 1st pers. pl. of fremja (in the verse as dat. pl. of framr); perform,
wage 10/6, 40/1, 58/8; md. (for pass.), be performed 36/3.
fremri a. comp. (of framr) more outstanding, superior; at fremri (somuch) the greater 1/7; sup. fremstr most outstanding 68/1 (with part.
gen.: sense continued at 70/8).
fri›ask (a›) wv. md. be (left) in peace, be undisturbed 44/7 (subj. herfjƒl›;or taking the subj. as valdi, fri›ask vi› ‘make peace with’; in eithercase the phrase means that the gold is always being given away by
Skúli. See NN 3146).
fri›bygg n. ‘peace-barley’, in kenning for gold (the peace-giving grainof Fró›i’s mill), Fró›a f. 43/6.
fri›læ n. peace-destruction, i.e. warfare 17/6, 20.
fri›r m. peace 17/20, 19/8 (obj. of vi›r), 19/12, 33/6.
fri›rof n. breaking of peace, hostility 1/4 (gen. with ofsa).
fri›rofi m. breaker of peace, in kenning for ruler: f. elds lagar he whodoes not leave gold in peace, generous giver (Skúli) 69/8 (gen. with lofun).
frost n. frost; in kenning for sword (or battle?—cf. hrími), Mistar f. 61/3.
frumhending f. (= fyrri hending) anterior rhyme, the first of the tworhyme-syllables in a line of dróttkvætt verse 1/39, 8/13, 28/12.
frumsmí› f. first attempt (at making s–thing) 16/16.
frœ›i n. pl. information, knowledge, accounts of deeds 81/1.
frœkn a. bold, courageous 4/17, 52/4; comp. (i.e. more courageous thanSkúli) 92/5.
fullframr a. very bold 84/3 (with fylkir).
fullhvatr a. very bold, vigorous 5/2, 10.
fullkominn a. (pp.) complete 9/9 (cf. fylla).
fullna (a›) wv. extend, amplify 34/10.
fullr a. full 23/8 (with skál), 43/10, 44/11 (i.e. proper), 83/9, 92/9; complete
13/10, 27/10, 13, 47/8.
fullse›jask (-sadda-) wv. md. with gen., f. hungrs fully sate one’s hunger
51/2.
fullsterkr a. most mighty 36/4 (with verk).
fundr m. meeting (e–s with s–one) 101/2; til e–s fundar to meet withs–one 27/3.

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Háttatalfurask (a›) wv. md. (vowel length uncertain) be furrowed, damaged
4/7, 17.
fúrr m. fire; in kenning for sword, fleinbraks f. 2/1 (pl.), 13.
fúss a. eager (used as equivalent of adv.) 26/1, 29/5.
fylgja (lg›) wv. with dat. accompany, go with 5/9, 11, 8/31, 38/10, 61/9,
85/10; follow 63/10; f. fyrir precede 36/10 n.; belong to 15/10,
characterise, be characteristic of 67/12, 93/2 (‘he possesses’); er ﬂeim
fylgja of that kind (class) 44/12; be contained in 1/11 (‘each line consistsof six syllables’), 1/31; comprise, make up 62/12; be involved in 1/25.
fylki n. district, county 17/29.
fylking f. battle-line 36/8 (obj. of bjoggju).
fylkir m. war-leader, ruler; = Hákon 9/3, 17/5, 32, 26/1, 28/5, 29/5; =Skúli 38/1, 65/5, 84/4. Cf. fólk.
fylkja (lkt) wv. draw up, muster (an army) 17/19.
fylla (d) wv. fill 60/7 (‘lets blood fill swords’?—see 60/8 n.); complete
10/9 (cf. fullkominn); expand, fill out, amplify 6/20.
fyllr f. that which fills, filling; hjálms f. = head, in kenning for sword:
Vindhlés hjálms f. 7/1 (instr.) (cf. Gylfaginning, ch. 27, Skáldskaparmál,
ch. 8); food 53/7.
fyr prep. with acc. (or dat.) before 52/5; of time, fyr li›it ár in the far past
94/6.
fyr›ar m. pl. men 1/3 (dat. pl. with bannat), 25/2 (with gefr), 65/7 (witheyddi).
fyrir prep. (1) with dat. in front of 19/7, 64/4; fyrir grundu on the landscape
58/5; before, in s–one’s presence 45/2, 68/6 (with hers gnótt), 80/2
(with fjƒrum), 80/8; because of, by the agency of (or in the presence of,with?) 41/3, 90/8; vera fyrir e–u have precedence over, be the principal
kind of s–thing 1/43. (2) with acc., before, in front of, in the presenceof 3/3, 36/10, 97/3; in the face of 24/7; past 35/6; because of, as aconsequence of (in exchange for?) 45/3. (3) as adv., in front 54/11.
fyrirbo›ning f. prohibition 0/7.
fyrr adv. comp. before, earlier; in the past 51/10; above 2/10, 8/48, 17/21;
fyrr . . . en sooner than 102/5.
fyrri a. earlier, first (of two) 7/9, 8/39, 15/9, 28/11, 39/9, 58/10; preceding
15/10, 16/9, 10, 27/10, 69/9, 93/9 n.
fyrst adv. first 35/10 (i.e. he was the first to invent), 67/11 (in the
beginning, i.e. of Háttatal).
fyrstr a. sup. first 24/9, 10, 27/12, 28/9, 13.
f‡sa (t) wv. urge; impers. skip f‡sir e–s the ship(s) is (are) eager for,hasten(s) towards s–thing 20/8.

Glossary113fættir m. diminisher, one who reduces the number of certain things (bygiving them away); in kenning for generous ruler (Skúli), sá menja f.
45/4.
fœ›ir m. feeder, in kenning for war-leader: f. gunnstara 92/6 (obj. offinnrat).
fœra (›) wv. bring, transfer 17/27; inf. (parallel to stœra) with skal
(impers.), present (with stef as obj.) 81/8.
fƒr f. travelling, journey, expedition 38/1, 80/5 (dat. obj. of ypt), 92/1
(obj. of geta); at fƒr on the journey, in the travelling 44/16.
fƒt n. pl. clothing; in kenning for mail-coat(s) 53/6 (obj. of slítr).
gagn n. win(ning), victory 9/3, 59/8.
gagnsta›ligr a. antithetical, of contrary or opposed meaning 16/14, 23/9
(cf. TGT 113, 114).
galdr (drs) m. chant; in kenning for battle, skjaldar g. 58/8.
galdralag n. incantation metre 100/7.
galli m. flaw, cause of damage, destruction; in kenning for wine, strúgsg., that which robs a man of dignity (or anger?) 25/8 (subj. of kemr);
for winter (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 29), orms g. 83/5 (acc. of time).
gamall a. old; of mead 24/6 (with ƒldur).
ganga (1) f. travelling, movement (vi›: over) 23/4.
ganga (2) (gekk) sv. go, walk 64/3, 71/8; run, continue 81/9; g. fyrir
stand for, be equivalent of 17/21.
gar›r m. enclosure, fence; in kenning for shield-wall: ﬁundar grindarja›ra g. ﬁundr’s gate’s edges’ fence 58/5.
gát n. food, prey 11/3.
gata (1) f. path 6/10.
gata (2) = gat + neg. suffix 90/7, see geta.
gátt f. door-opening 89/2.
ge›veggr m. mind-wall, i.e. breast; in kenning for wound, gluggi ge›veggjar 50/5.
geimi m. ocean 13/8; geima sló› 71/2.
geirr m. spear; in kenning for battle, duna geira 53/2.
geisa (a›) wv. rush 21/2 (with frá), 22/8, 52/5.
gella, gjalla (gall) sv. resound, ring 9/7, 60/4.
gelmir m. (= gemlir) hawk 2/7.
gengi n. accompaniment, company 26/8.
gera (›) wv. make, cause to be, create 1/9, 8/19; form 28/11, 58/10;
compose 92/2; achieve 40/3; constitute 1/25; do 8/46; give (details)
100/2; impers. with dat. e–m gerir kátt s–one becomes cheerful 89/1;
pp. gƒrr performed 44/16.

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Háttatalgeta (gat) sv. get, be gifted with 90/7 (with suffixed neg.); can find 84/6
(subj. hinn er mál metr; if this clause is taken with milding, getr must
be impers., there can be found) 84/6; with gen. mention, speak of 70/5;
impers. getit var e–s mention was made of s–thing 92/1; with inf. beable 37/7 (with bjó›a), 101/5, with at and inf. 13/5 (1st pers. sg.), with
pp. 51/3.
gilda (ld) wv. make strong, increase, encourage; satisfy, do justice to?
(cf. NN 1317); g. grá› vargi, i.e. by feeding it every day, by fighting
battles 56/3. Cf. auka, her›a, hressa, remma, stœra.
gildi n. feast 11/2 (to prepare a feast for wolves is to wage war).
gipt f. good luck, fortune (what is given by fate) 1/7.
gjald n. payment 37/2 (obj. of fest; according to NN 1311, parallel tovald and object of banna, with the meaning ‘repayment, vengeance’).
gjaldsei›r m. ‘payment-coalfish’, in kenning for œgishjálmr; grundar
gjaldsei›r = serpent (fish of money of ground or fish of the groundwhere money is buried; fish whose ground is gold?) 15/2 n.
gjarn a. eager; comp. 55/3 (with at, to do s–thing).
gjƒf f. gift 26/6, 44/2 (collective); at g. as (for) a gift 23/7, 49/2, forgiving, to be given 28/6 (with dat., to s–one), 86/6.
gjƒflati m. one who is slow to give (e–s s–thing), a miserly person (e–swith s–thing) 97/6 (gen. with hró›r).
gjƒflund f. disposition to give, generous nature 90/7 (obj. of gata).
gjƒrla adv. completely 12/8.
gla›dript f. joyful snow, in kenning for gold 43/4.
gla›r a. happy 4/17, 17/8 (with fylkir or ræsir), 24, 86/5 (predicative, see
drekka), 91/1 (with fer›); n. as adv. er glatt it is a joy, there is gladness
83/5; as subst. m. steed (from the name of a mythical horse (Gylfaginning,ch. 15, Skáldskaparmál, ch. 58), in kenning for ship: g. Geitis 44/15.
glamm n. noise, uproar 20/4.
gle›ja (gladda) wv. gladden; g. e–n e–u i.e. make presents of s–thing tos–one 24/1, 46/3.
glóa (a›) wv. shine, glow 72/2.
gló› f. red-hot embers; in kennings for gold (rings), síks g. 17/1, 9, 10,27, l‡sló›ar g. 45/8; in kennings for sword, Hlakkar g. 50/3, rimmu g.
57/7, styrjar g. 85/7.
gluggi m. window; in kenning for wound, ge›veggjar g. 50/5 (obj. ofsvífr).
glygg n. storm, strong wind 52/4 (subj. of hrindr), 77/7 (subj. of náir); in
kenning for battle, Gƒndlar g. 59/7.
glymr m. noise, clash, in kenning for battle: g. skjalda 55/4.

Glossary115glær (1) a. transparent, that can be seen through ? 50/6 (with ge›veggjar;
see next).
glær (2) m. sea; in kenning for blood, g. hræs ? 50/6 (part of kenning forsword; cf. glær (1)).
glæsa (t) wv. adorn 73/1.
gløggr a. precise, close 100/1.
gnapa (›) wv. tower 83/1.
gnapturn m. towering (jutting) tower; in kenning for head, g. aldrs 50/8.
gnótt f. sufficiency, abundance, multitude 68/8 (with fyrir); great extent
93/8.
gó›r a. (n. gott) good 51/8, 84/1 (with or›), 86/3.
góla adv. readily 23/7.
gómr m. gum (of mouth), in kenning for tongue 85/3.
gotnar m. pl. men 11/5, 91/2; dat. with vensk 44/1, acc. with ﬂrotna or
gen. with elli 61/8.
grá›r m. greed, hunger 56/4.
gramr (1) a. angry 18/12.
gramr (2) m. king, ruler (‘hostile one’) 1/7, 4/4, 18/6, 18 etc.; of gram
19/3, 22/6, 61/2; often refers to Skúli, 36/4, 37/8, 68/3 (dat. of advantage)etc.; dat. with skotnar 44/1, with ﬂakka 46/7, gen. with skrautfara 70/5,
with spjƒll 80/4; context illegible at 94/1.
grand n. injury, damage 57/8 (obj. of remma).
granda (a›) wv. with dat., harm 18/8, 13, 20 (subj. is brandr, obj. seggjum).
grár a. grey (of wolf) 51/6.
grei›a (dd) wv. smooth out, unfold, straighten 77/7.
grein f. distinction (‘contrasting feature’) 0/15 (variant málsgrein), 0/23,
1/26, 6/17, 18, 97/9; division, variant, type, category 4/21, 8/24 (i.e.
leyfi), 27/14, 67/11; detail, account, particular 100/1. Cf. TGT 49, 101.
The contrast in tala ok grein at 0/15 may be equivalent to ‘quantitativeand qualitative’.
greina (d) wv. distinguish 0/28, 1/36, 2/11; make a distinction in (between)
8/46, 31/11; analyse 1/28; divide 51/9, 58/17; diverge? signify? 16/12(at greina: in their distinction?) Cf. TGT 49–50, 101.
greip f. grip, grasp of the hand 77/8, 91/5.
greizla f. payment, handing over; er búinn til greizlu i.e. is offered readily
88/5.
greppaminni n. ‘poets’ reminder’ 39/12. Cf. FoGT 147.
greppr m. man 72/1 (subj. of róa); poet, = Snorri 70/6.
greypr a. rough, dangerous, cruel 71/4 (with sló›).
gri› n. pl. peace, truce 9/6.

116

Háttatalgríma f. helmet; g. grundar gjaldsei›s = œgishjálmr, (metaphorical)
helmet of terror (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 40) 15/1 (see LP s.v. œgishjalmr).
grimmr a. grim 35/6 (with hrannlá›).
grimmsettr a. (pp.) grimly equipped (with il; referring to the claws on awolf’s paw) 64/8.
grind f. gate, in kenning for shield, ﬁundar g. 58/6.
grund f. ground; fyrir grundu on the landscape 58/5; in kennings forruler = Norway 52/3 (gen. with tiggja), 90/8; for shield (in kenning forbattle), Hrundar g. 61/5, (in kenning for warrior) Mistar lauka g. 85/4;
for head, heila g. 63/8 (gen. with meginundir or gen. of respect); forserpent, grundar gjaldsei›r 15/1.
grunn n. shallow; as first half of compound separated by tmesis grunnfall
shallow breaking water, shallows 19/4 (though grunn could be taken
as a. n. pl. either with fƒll or with skip (if djúp is taken with fƒll); see
NN 1303).
grunnr a. shallow 19/4 (?—see grunn), 19/11.
gr‡ttr a. (pp.) covered with (surrounded by) boulders 15/5 (with setri).
grœ›ir m. gainer, increaser, gatherer (one who makes s–thing grow),with gen. in kenning for Skúli 81/2. Cf. stœrir.
grœnlenzkr a. of Greenland 70/17, 72/10.
grœnn a. green 30/2 (with skjalda).
grƒn f. lips, chops 11/8, 96/2.
gu› m. God 12/2.
gull n. gold 2/7, 17/27, 23/8 (descriptive gen. with skál), 47/7 (dat. ofrespect with vi›r), 89/8 (obj. of br‡tr).
gullbroti m. gold-breaker, distributor of gold, generous ruler = Skúli
47/7, 88/6.
gullhættr a. dangerous to gold (by breaking it up and giving it away,
being no lover of it), liberal with gold 47/8 (with gullbroti).
gullinn a. golden 91/5.
gullsendir m. gold-distributor, = Skúli 61/5.
gulr a. yellow (of shields) 8/6.
gumi m. man; gen. pl. 8/5, 83/6; dat. pl. gumnum 91/6 (with sendir).
gunnfani m. battle-flag 52/3 (obj. of hrindr).
gunnhættir m. battle-darer, warrior; = Hákon 15/5, = Skúli 43/3.
gunnsei›r m. ‘battle-(coal)fish’, kenning for sword 2/8.
gunnsnarr a. battle-keen 11/4.
gunnstari m. battle-starling, kenning for raven or eagle; in kenning for
warrior, fœ›ir gunnstara 92/6.

Glossary117

gunntamr a. accustomed to battle, good at fighting 84/2.
gunnveggr m. battle-wall, kenning for shield; in kenning for warriors
61/6.
gunnƒrr a. battle-keen, -quick or -generous 80/2 (with fjƒrum).
gyl›ir m. ‘howler’, wolf 11/3.
gæta (tt) wv. take care; pp. (sc. hefir verit?—or perhaps read gæt andtake it as imp.) 42/9.
gætir m. guardian, protector 13/2 (dat. with fá).
gæ›a (dd) wv. enrich, add strength to, increase 55/3.
gƒfugr a. noble 3/6, 4/6, 16, 39/8 (with ógnsvellir).
gƒrr pp. of gera.
gørr a. (= gƒrr) with gen. ready for, full of 80/6 textual note (with fƒrum).
hád‡r n. high animal or thole-animal, in kenning for ship, hranna hád‡r
8/35 (hár m. oar-thole, rowlock; hád‡r would be a complete kenningfor ship in itself).
haf n. sea 17/13 (subj. of er), 20/6, 93/5; instr. with slétt 17/2; with def.
art. hafit 20/2, by word-play also pp. of hefja.
hafa (›) wv. have 70/15; use 47/9; h. til use as, make serve as 45/10,
58/9; with pp. 14/2 (hefir), 41/3 (hefr), 67/5 (subj. is jƒfrar), 1st pers.
sg. hefi ek 92/2, 100/2.
hafbekkr m. ocean-bench, kenning for ship, in kenning for sea 75/2.
hafhreinn m. sea-reindeer, kenning for ship 19/5 (indirect obj. of vi›r).
haflau›r n. sea-foam 76/2 (acc.).
hafrƒst f. sea-current 74/1.
hagbál n. skilfully-made pyre, in kenning for (objects made of) gold:
lagar h. 44/6 (gen. with herfjƒl›).
hagl n. hail, in kenning for (hail of) battle, missiles: sóknar h. 62/2 (obj.
of sn‡r)hagmæltr a. ‘skilfully spoken’; n. as subst. as name of a verse-form
69/12, 71/9.
halda (helt) sv. with dat., hold, keep, defend 1/51 (inf. after skal 1/48),
3/6, 8/47, 53/3; inf. with bi› 30/2; maintain 80/9 (pp.); be maintained
6/14, 48/9; hold, i.e. direct (subj. vísi, obj. boga driptum; alternatively
it may be taken as impers. with dat., e–u heldr s–thing comes, drifts,
with regni) 62/5 n.; word-play with heldr (adv.) 18/9; impers. pass. e–u
er haldit s–thing is maintained 43/9 (sc. minni alhendu), 47/10; h. aptr
hold (s–thing) back 17/23; h. til be in accordance with 6/10; md. forpass. 54/2 (‘cannot be held’; or it may be reflexive, ‘they cannot defend
themselves’).
hálfhneptr a. ‘half-curtailed’ 92/10; n. as name of a verse-form 76/12.

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Háttatalhalr m. man 66/5.
hamdøkkr a. dark-coated (of raven) 5/5.
hams m. slough of snake 6/11.
happ n. good fortune, success 40/3, 7, 93/1; dat. with næstir 99/8.
hár a. high 22/1; deep (or with high waves?) 35/3; noble, great 4/4 (paraphrased mikill 4/14), 27/6, 61/2 (with tími); comp. hæra 98/5 (withhró›rar). Cf. 37/5–8 n.
háraustr a. high-voiced, noisy 19/6 (with Rán).
har›a adv. mightily 4/5, 20/3 (with svífr); very 13/7 (with hæf: unless it
is the a. with fer›); violently 57/6.
har›liga adv. mightily 4/15.
har›r a. hard 5/10, (?)13/7 (cf. har›a), 18/4 (with skjƒldr), 18/16; firm
18/11; of syllables, strong? accented? 0/29 n. (cf. linr).
har›rá›r a. firm-ruling 12/2.
har›sveipa›r a. (pp.) tightly twisted or drawn, firmly rigged 34/6 (sup.).
harri m. lord; = Hákon 11/4, 23/1; = Skúli 53/5, 68/7 (dat. with kærr).
hástallr m. high stand; hlunns h. high slipway-stand or high supporting
structure (for a beached ship) 83/3.
hata (a›) wv. with dat., hate, be opposed to 17/10, 19/11; be dangerous
to, strive with 19/4; be hostile to, i.e. give away, be generous with (orreferring to ruler breaking gold?) 90/6.
hati m. hater, enemy, in kenning for generous man who does not lovegold but breaks it and gives it away: ægis báls h. 3/2.
háttafƒll n. pl. metrical fault or inconsistency (= Latin lapsus metri?)
51/11, 53/12, 58/15 (used of variation of metre within a stanza; cf.
FoGT 147).
háttaskipti n. change of verse-form 27/13, 33/9.
háttatal n. number or list of verse-forms or stanza-types 11/10.
háttlausa f. lack of form (i.e. there are no hendings, the verse is hendingalauss) 54/9, 55/9, 56/9, 66/9, 10.
háttr m. (dat. hætti, pl. hættir, acc. pl. háttu) manner, mode; manner ofbehaviour, how to behave 37/5 (obj. of bjó›a; cf. 37/5–8 n.); characteristic behaviour 89/5; fashion, manner (or metre?) 95/6 (sg.); at hætti
as usual (or ‘in accordance with the metre’?) 37/10; category, type ofusage 2/11; verse-form 1/9, 25, 6/18 etc.; pl. 0/4, 29/9, 10, 30/9; gen.
pl. after num. 67/4, acc. pl. 31/11, 100/6; variation of form 8/15; í (af)fyrra hætti in (from) the (or a) preceding verse-form 69/9, 93/9 n. Seenote to 0/1 and cf. FoGT 136, 137, 138, 147, 150.
haukr m. hawk; in kenning for raven, Hlakkar h. 5/6 (dat. of respect).
hauss m. skull 10/4, 51/4, 65/2.

Glossary119

he›an frá adv. from now on 27/13.
hefja (hóf) sv. lift; enhance, raise to glory? 39/1; impers. e–t hefr upp
s–thing begins 14/9, 27/9, 30/11; md. begin 19/14; pp. hafit (wordplay with haf n.) 20/2.
hegna (gnd) wv. punish 17/30; keep back, hold in check 24/3.
hei›frƒmu›r m. payment-performer, one who honours (s–one) withpayment of salary, generous lord, = Skúli 48/7.
hei›gjƒf f. gift of payment, salary 48/8 (dat. with venr).
hei›ir m. hawk; in kenning for arms, hei›is rei›ir 48/5.
hei›ma›r m. a man in the pay of a king or earl, retainer, soldier 48/5
(dat. of respect or advantage with b‡r rei›ir hei›is).
hei›mildr a. generous with payment (of salary) 48/6.
hei›r a. bright, splendid 14/1 (with or›róm, line 8), 28/4 (with gjƒf ),48/7 (with lei›ar: they are bright because of their gold ornaments).
heili m. brain, in kennings for head: heila bœr 2/6, heila grund 63/8.
heill a. whole, complete 13/12 (cf. fullkominn and FoGT 137); entire,
unbroken 19/8 (with hrƒnn), 19/11.
heilsa f. salvation, in a kenning for mead (which aids loquacity): h. máls
25/5
heim adv. (at) home; with sœkja 13/8, 93/6.
heimdregi m. stay-at-home 98/6 (contrasted with 98/3–4).
heimr m. world; pl. 96/8.
heimsvist f. staying at s–one’s home, visit (with dat. of person visited)
29/2.
heit n. promise or threat 17/4, 30 (see 17/3 n.).
heitfastr a. true to one’s word 35/3 (with hjálm-T‡r).
heiti n. (descriptive) name, name which is not the normal one by which
an object or person is called 2/9; with gen. 12/4, 11, 18/13, 27/5.
heitr a. hot 17/16.
héla (d) wv. freeze 20/1.
heldr adv. rather 18/2, 9 (word-play with pres. of halda); quite, i.e.
extensively 8/3 (with litu›).
helmingr m. half-stanza (four lines) = vísuhelmingr 8/38, 19/10, 22/9
etc. (cf. FoGT 136–7)
henda (nd) wv. catch 17/16 (word-play with hendir ‘thrower’).
hending f. rhyme, assonance (both internal rhyme and end-rhyme) 0/30,
1/37, 2/9 etc.; rhyme-syllable 38/10, 49/10, rhyme-word 76/11, 77/12,
79/13; at hendingum as regards internal rhyme 23/12; standa í
hendingum form part of the rhyme-scheme 44/12; me› einni h. withthe same rhyme 80/9; sér um h. with a separate rhyme 82/10. In SGT

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Háttatal

the word refers to the combination or conjunction of particular vowels
and consonants.
hendingalauss a. without hendings, rhymeless 69/10, 72/9; n. as adv. 76/9.
hendingaror› n. rhyme-word 58/11.
hendingaskipti n. change or distribution of rhymes 27/15 (cf. stafaskipti).
hendir m. thrower, in kenning for generous ruler, h. loga ƒldu distributorof gold 17/3, 15 (word-play with pres. of henda), 17/29.
heppinn a. fortunate 38/5.
hér adv. here; i.e. in this verse 8/20.
her›a (›) wv. make hard, give strength to, increase 57/2; impers. e–t
her›ir s–thing hardens, becomes taut 21/3 (inf. with frá).
her›ar f. pl. shoulders; in kenning for head 65/4.
her›ir m. hardener, increaser, promoter; in kenning for ruler (Skúli), fólka
h. 37/3 (dat. with fest).
herfang n. war-gear; pl., obj. of hristi 36/2.
herfjƒl› f. great number, quantity (with gen.); obj. of bar 35/7 (withbrims blakka); great heap, subj. of fri›ask (or acc. with vi› if valdi istaken as subj.) 44/5 (with hagbáls).
herframr a. war-bold 75/5 textual note.
hergramr a. war-fierce 75/5 (with rógálfr).
herkaldr a. extremely cold 61/4.
herr m. army 18/5, 18, 21/3, 49/4, 56/7, 68/8 (gen. with gnótt), 88/2; dat.
with reyndisk 36/5; dat. of respect with er væni 58/2 (‘the armies can
expect’); men 87/5 (dat. of respect with sker).
hersir m. lord (i.e. of a hera› ‘district’, or of a herr?), a high rank in
Norway 7/7 (dat. of respect), 29/7 (gen. with stillir); as a title, = lord
27/5.
herstefnir m. war-leader, = Skúli 51/1.
hertogi m. war-leader, = Skúli 40/5, 66/2; as title, duke 0/3. (Probably
not used as a title in the verses. Skúli only acquired that title in 1237,
long after Háttatal was composed. But the heading to Háttatal in U
was probably added by a scribe after that date.)
hestr m. horse; in kennings for ship, h. rasta 34/5, h. lesta 44/17, h. festa
71/6, h. svanfjalla 83/4 (subj. of gnapa).
heyjask (há›isk) wv. md. be held, be waged 18/1, 16.
heyra (›) wv. hear 97/5 (with acc. and pp.).
hildigƒltr m. helmet (‘battle-boar’; cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 44); dat. sg.
(instr.) -gelti 2/5. The word may relate to the ‘boar-images’ used onearly medieval helmets and referred to in Old English poetry, andpresumably means ‘helmet’ by synecdoche; unless the reference isGlossary

121

literally to protecting the head with a boar-shaped piece on the helmet.
See NN 1295.
hildr f. battle 10/6, 40/1, 53/3.
hilmir m. ruler (‘helmet-provider’ or ‘leader of helmeted men’?); = Hákon
7/1, 5, 8/1, 29/1 (dat. with heimsvistir), 30/1; = Ingi Bár›arson 33/5
(hilmis bró›ir = Skúli), 39/5 (with foldar); = Skúli 34/5, 52/8, 62/7,
95/2 (with Mœra; dat. with fluttak).
himinn m. heaven, sky 95/8.
hinn er pron. (he) who 8/34 (with st‡rir), 24/7 (with skjƒldungr), 71/5
(with leyf›r skati), 84/5 (with milding; or ‘he who’ as subj. of getr).
hir› f. court, ruler’s following; obj. of la›a 86/4, of kallar 88/1, dat. obj.
of gerir 89/1; dat. with hollastir 99/7.
hir›ma›r m. member of the hir› 75/6 (obj. of lítr).
hitna (a›) wv. become hot 9/4.
hitta (tt) wv. meet, come across; impers. eigi hittir there cannot be found91/7.
hjaldr (ldrs) m. noise; battle 39/5 (gen. with st‡ri), 40/5, 94/3 (obj. ofefla); in kenning for sword, hjaldrs hyrr 50/8.
hjaldreifr a. battle-happy 39/1.
hjaldrremmir m. battle-strengthener, = Skúli 49/1.
hjaldr-T‡r m. battle-T‡r, kenning for war-leader (Skúli) 53/4.
hjálmlestandi, hjálmlestir m. helmet-damager, warrior 49/6 (dat. withb‡r), 59/1 (= Skúli).
hjálmr m. helmet 8/1, 39/4 (pl., subj. of hófu); in kenning for head 7/1,
for battle 57/1, for sword, hjálma hyrr 58/1.
hjálmsvell n. helmet-floe (-ice). kenning for sword 60/4 (obj. of lætr).
hjálm-T‡r m. helmet-T‡r, kenning for warrior (Skúli) 35/4.
hjarni m. brain; in kenning for head 64/8.
hjarta n. heart 4/8 (dat. with una), 4/18; i.e. valour 15/7.
hjástæltr a. (pp.) ‘abutted’; n. as subst. as name of a verse-form 13/1
textual note, 13/9.
hjƒrr m. sword 7/3 (instr.), 8/2, 10/8 (instr.), 36/6 (subj. of lék), 62/4; inkennings for warrior(s), hjƒrs rjó›r 41/5, hjarar Baldr 43/2, hjarar
draugar 47/6, hjarar lundar 60/8.
hjƒrtr m. hart, stag; in kenning for ships, stinga h. 73/8 (dat. of respect).
hla›a (hló›) sv. load 76/1 (pp.).
hlaupa (hljóp) sv. run, gallop; of a ship (or ships) described as Ró›i’s
horse (stud) 21/4.
hlekkr m. link in a chain; fetter; handa h. = arm-ring 87/1 (collective);
Manar h. (that which surrounds M.) = sea 77/2.

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hlemmidrífa f. noisy snowstorm; h. Hildar = rain of weapons 54/3 (dat.
obj. of sk‡tr).
hleypa (t) wv. cause to gallop (with dat. of the animal, acc. of the groundgalloped over) 71/4, 76/5 (obj. is skí›um, i.e. ships). For the construction
cf. renna (2).
hli› f. side 38/8.
hlí› f. slope, hill(side); fjƒrnis h. = head 65/6 (acc. with rendi, over;collective).
hlíf f. shield 4/3, 13; hregg hlífa = battle 62/3.
hlífgrandi m. shield- or defence-damager, i.e. sword 17/3 (instr. withrekr), 17/14, 29.
hljó› n. sound 0/28 (obj. of greinir), 1/25, 47; gen. pl. (with -setning,parallel to stafa-, referring to hendings) 1/27; 27/14 (referring toalliteration?); hljó›in ƒll (referring to alliteration and hendings) 65/12.
hljó›fall n. consonancy, assonance 1/32.
hljó›fyllandi m. alliterating syllable (in odd lines) 28/10, 69/10, 85/10.
hljó›fylling f. = hljó›fyllandi (cf. stu›ill) 39/10, 68/13.
hljó›sgrein f. distinction of sound 0/26, 29. Cf. SGT 50, 52; TGT 33, 49,
50, 54–5, 63, 66–7 (= accentus, tenor, tonus).
hljó›stafr m. vowel 1/20 (complement), 21, 22, 31, 32, 35, 8/20; themeaning is uncertain at 32/10, see n.; in h. sá er kve›andi ræ›r (82/11,
see note) it seems to refer to the alliteration, though neither hljó›stafr
nor ljó›stafr seems to be used elsewhere in medieval texts for‘alliterating stave’ (in the text of TGT 54 in W the word is probably a
scribal error); cf. Konrá› Gislason (1875). In FGT, SGT, TGT, hljó›stafr
means ‘vowel’.
hljóta (hlaut) sv. get (as one’s lot), be fortunate enough to (or ‘haveto’?), with inf. 70/5, with at and inf. 29/3; be forced to (with inf.) 33/8,
34/7.
hlumr (or hlummr) m. oar-handle 23/2; pl., obj. of spenna 75/5 (normalising to hlummi would make the metre of this line conform to that of75/1).
hlunnr m. roller(s) (part of slipway for ships), planks forming slipway
71/5; perhaps the props for beached ships, stocks 83/3; in kenning forships, hlunna skí› 76/7.
hlunnvigg n. slipway-steed, i.e. ship 74/2.
hluthenda, hluthending f. mid-rhyme, a rhyme not at the beginning of aline 1/41, 8/13, 63/9.
hl‡›a (dd) wv. be permitted, acceptable 1/22, 8/12.
hlymr m. din; in kenning for battle, h. Gungnis 52/6.

Glossary123

hlynr m. maple (tree); (Huglar) rasta h. = ship 19/1, Hristar h. = warrior(Skúli; phrase belongs with fellr) 61/3.
hl‡r n. bow (of ship) 20/1 (by word-play also 3rd pers. sg. of hl‡ja wv. tomake warm); subj. of náir 76/4.
hlƒkk f. battle (also the name of a valkyrie) 18/1, 15; in kenning for
warrior, war-leader, hlakkar snerpir 42/2, = Skúli. Cf. Hlƒkk in Index.
hneptr a. (pp. of hneppa wv.) ‘squeezed’, reduced, i.e. shortened by one
syllable, monosyllabic 77/12, 78/10, 81/10, 84/9, 87/9, 89/9, 91/9, 93/9.
Cf. st‡fa.
hníga (hneig) sv. sink down; aldir h. í gras 16/2; h. und e–t bend down
(under s–thing), move (underneath s–thing) 49/3.
hnigfákr m. bending, bucking horse; Haka h. = ship 71/3 (dat. obj. ofhleypa). (Fákr is the name of a mythical horse in Skáldskaparmál, ch.
58; its rider happens to be Haki!)hniggrund f. dipping, tipping ground; hafbekks h. = sea 75/1 (obj. of hrinda).
hnigﬂili n. bending board, pliable plank; h. randa = shield(s) (acc. with
brjóta) 59/4 (‘rim-boards’ could be a kenning for shields, or could mean
the actual boards of which the shields are made).
hnoss f. jewel, treasure 29/5; gen. with gjƒflata 97/8.
hnugghendr a. ‘deprived-rhymed’; n. as subst. 75/13.
hnykkja (kt) wv. with dat., wrench (off) 57/5.
hoddgrimmr a. hateful or cruel to hoards, i.e. generous with gifts 66/6.
hoddspennir m. hoard-spender, i.e. generous man (or ‘hoard-acquirer,-grasper’?), = Snorri 29/8.
hoddstiklandi m. hoard-flinger, i.e. generous ruler (= Skúli) 39/2. Cf.
stiklir.
hof n. temple; in kenning for breast, hugtúns h. 50/3.
hold n. flesh 65/8 (dat. with fenta).
hollr a. gracious 18/6, 11, 18, with dat., loyal, devoted (to s–one) 29/7;
sup. with dat. 99/7.
holt n. bare hill (or wood); in kenning for (top of) head (or for the hair?
Cf. NN 1295), h. heila bœs 2/5.
horn n. (drinking) horn 24/2; in kennings for beer or mead 24/1, 25/4.
hra›a adv. quickly 43/4.
hra›i m. speeder, flinger; hrings h. = generous prince (Skúli) 86/1 (acc.
with veit).
hra›sveldr a. (pp.) quickly-swollen, swift-growing 55/4.
hrafn m. raven 51/1; dat. of respect (advantage) 32/6.
hrannlá› n. wave-land, i.e. sea 35/8 (subj. of bar).
hraustr a. valiant, vigorous 62/7.

124

Háttatal

hregg n. storm; in kennings for battle, Hrundar grundar h. 61/6 (dat. forlocative), h. hlífa 62/3.
hreggƒld f. storm-time; Hristar h. i.e. time of battle 59/2 (dat. of time,i.e. in battle).
hreingullinn a. pure gold 87/6.
hreinn (1) a. clean, polished, shining 4/5, 14 (complement), 8/7 (withﬂrƒmu; cf. 8/8 n.).
hreinn (2) m. reindeer; in kenning for ship, Røkkra reina h. 73/4 (obj. ofglæsir).
hreintjƒrn f. pure lake or pool; in kenning for drinks of ale or mead, h. horna
24/1 (instr.).
hressa (st) wv. make flourish, strengthen; lætr hƒpp hrest causes successes
to be increased, i.e. to take place 93/1. Cf. gilda.
hreyta (tt) wv. fling, scatter; impers. pass. with dat., e–u er hreytt s–thingis scattered, flung (of generous giving) 41/7.
hreytir m. scatterer; hringa h. = generous prince (Skúli) 73/5.
hrí› f. storm; in kenning for battle, vápna h. 65/1 (subj. of ná›i).
hrí›feldr a. stormy 76/8 (with fjƒll, i.e. waves).
hrími m. rime, frost, dew; in kenning for battle (referring to missiles falling
like dew?—cf. frost and see Meissner 1921, 182), hræljóma h. 61/1.
hrinda (hratt) sv. push 52/3, 75/1.
hringdropi m. ring-droplet = gold (ring) 42/4 (cf. Gylfaginning, ch. 49,
Skáldskaparmál, chs. 32, 35).
hringmildr a. liberal with rings (gold), i.e. generous 47/3 (with hringskemmi).
hringr m. ring (of coat of mail) 2/3 (instr.); arm-ring, gold ring 45/2
(gen. pl. with brot), 47/3 (dat. obj. of ﬂinga), 49/2, 99/3 (dat. withhæztir); in kennings for (generous) prince 63/6, 73/7, 86/1, 90/8.
hringserkr m. mail-shirt 36/4 (obj. of sam›i)hringskemmir m. ring-damager (-shortener?), i.e. generous giver, prince,
Skúli 47/4 (acc. with spyr).
hrista (st) wv. shake 74/1; impers. (herfƒng is the obj.), i.e. armour was
shaken 36/1.
hrjó›a (hrau›) sv. with dat. clear away, get rid of; h. au› i.e. give
generously 37/6; strip (e–m e–u s–one of s–thing), take away (s–thingfrom s–one) 33/5.
hrjóta (hraut) sv. fly, be flung 57/3.
hró›r (rs or rar) m. praise, fame, glory 68/6 (obj. of bera), 80/6 (gen.
with ƒrum), 98/5 (gen. with ver›ari), 100/4 (gen. with ørver›r); (poemof) praise 81/7 (obj. of hrœra), 97/6 (obj. of heyra).

Glossary125

hrunhenda = runhenda 86/11 textual note, 88/9 textual note.
hrynhenda f. falling-, flowing- or clanging-rhyme form 62/16, 63/11, 64/9.
hrynhendr a. falling-, flowing- or clanging-rhymed 62/13, 63/12, 90/9.
hrynja (hrun›a) wv. fall; ring, clang 57/4.
hrynjandi (1) pres. p. (a.) (= hrynhendr) falling, flowing or clanging
61/10. The metaphor may imply a comparison with the sound of waves
breaking on the shore (cf. Hallvard Lie in KLNM VII 28, ‘Hrynhent’).
hrynjandi (2) f. (= hrynhenda) falling, flowing or clanging verse-form
62/15.
hræ n. corpse; in kennings for blood 7/4, 32/4, 50/6 (or for sword, seeglær), 60/3 n.
hræljómi m. corpse-light, i.e. sword; in kenning for battle 61/1.
hræna›r m. corpse-adder, i.e. spear 79/8 (gen. pl. with oddum).
hrœra (›) wv. stir, move, set in motion, i.e. perform, create (poetry) 31/8,
81/7.
hrƒnn f. wave 19/7, 22/2 (obj. of skilja), 38/7, 76/1, 78/1 (obj. of skerr);
in kenning for ships 8/34; in kenning for blood, hræs fella hrannir
60/3 n.; in kenning for (the mead of) poetry, Hárs saltunnu hrannir 31/7.
húfr m. the side of a ship, the planks (collective) 19/7, 35/7, 78/2 (subj.
of skerr), 93/5
hugd‡rr a. noble-minded 39/6 (with st‡ri).
hugr m. thought; in kenning for breast 6/13 (= sefi 6/8).
hugrakkr a. bold in heart; sup. 99/4.
hugtún n. thought-enclosure, thought-field; hugtúns hof = breast 50/4.
hunang n. honey 24/8.
hungr (rs) m. hunger; gen. of respect 51/2.
húnskript f. mast-head tapestry, i.e. sail 78/8 (dat. with ósvipt).
hvar adv. where 42/3 (as conj., = ﬂar er? or with veit).
hvarmr m. eyelid; in kenning for tears, fagrregn hvarma 42/8.
hvass a. sharp 32/3, 33/6, 63/7; n. as adv. 4/3, 13, (i.e. fast) 19/2.
hvatr a. sharp, keen 8/8; bold 5/11, 7/2; n. as adv., violently 36/1, energetically, vigorously, without holding back 41/8; hard 60/3 textual note,
fast 78/1.
hverr a. pron. each, every 53/5 (with snerru), 84/8; each person 26/8;
í ƒ›ru hverju in every other (alternate) 18/9; interrog., who 40/1–4,
55/1, 56/1; which, what 97/5 (with seggr).
hvetja (hvatta) wv. urge 15/8 (abs.); make keen, sharpen 50/7 (pp. withat and inf.: in order to, so as to).
hvíla f. bed; metaphorical for death on the battlefield, the bed preparedby Hildr 49/5.

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Háttatalhvíld f. rest (at: after) 23/4.
hvítr a. white; of weapons, shining 18/5 (with fal), 18/18, 54/4 (withﬂrƒm), 57/3, 73/3 (with rítum).
hylja (hul›a) wv. cover 2/4, 43/7.
hylli f. favour, grace 30/1 (obj. of halda).
hyrr m. fire; in kennings for sword, hjaldrs h. 50/7, hjálma h. 58/1 (gen.
with styrjar).
h‡rr a. cheerful, friendly 29/1.
hæfr a. fitting, suitable 13/7 (complement).
hættir m. darer, in kenning for warrior: vígs h., = Skúli 41/7 (see at (1)).
hættr a. dangerous (e–u to s–thing); sup. hæztir hringum, i.e. mostgenerous 99/3.
hœgindi n. comfort, convenience, expediency 16/15.
hƒfu› n. head; dat. hƒf›i skemra shorter by a head, i.e. (to be) decapitated66/5.
hƒfu›skáld n. chief poet, major poet, ‘classical poet’ 0/19–20.
hƒfu›stafr m. chief letter, chief alliterating stave 1/12–13, 15, 20, 54/10,
68/10, 13, 69/10–11, 85/9, 97/10, 11, 12.
hƒfugr a. heavy 4/10.
hƒfundr m. judge 37/2 (subj. of kann).
hƒgg n. blow 65/3; í hƒggum amid the blows 32/3.
hƒl›r m. yeoman, free farmer, man, subject 12/1 (obj. of veldr, parallel
to heiti), 10, 37/5 (gen. with áttar), 44/5 (subj. of bera).
hƒll f. hall 23/6 (also by word-play f. of hallr a., ‘askew, crooked, aslant’),
86/2, 88/1, 89/2.
hƒnd f. hand, arm (usually sg. collective) 23/1 (obj. of firrask), 26/2,
36/5 (obj. of lék), 45/7, 87/1.
í› f. labour, task; gƒr er í› at they work hard at 44/16 (‘their journey ispursued hard’).
i›ja f. activity, work 20/7 (subj. of l‡sa).
i›n f. labour, activity 9/1.
i›urmæltr a. (pp.) repeatedly said; n. as subst. 46/12 (cf. FoGT 147).
il f. sole (of the foot) 64/8 (of a wolf; to put heads under the sole of thewolf’s foot = kill so that wolves can eat); in kenning for shield 30/4.
illr a. bad; hafa illt til be badly off for 35/12.
ilsporna (a›) wv. tread underfoot 51/3.
ilstafn m. sole-stem (of a bird), i.e. claw 32/6.
ískaldr a. ice-cold 27/1 (with ƒldu).
íss m. ice; in kenning for swords, álmdrósar ísar 60/1 (obj. of skylr).
ítr (rs) a. noble, splendid 3/2 (with hati; or as first part of a compoundGlossary127ítrbáls, cf. hagbál), 4/7 (paraphrased kostigr 4/17), 13/3, 27/8 (withau›s), 30/7 (with elli), 52/8, 66/2, 101/3.
ítrhuga›r a. splendid-thoughted, noble-minded 41/1.
ja›arr m. edge, rim (of shield) 58/6; coast 79/8 (me›: along); protection:
folks j. = Skúli 55/7.
jafn a. even 17/12.
jafnlangr a. the same length, of equal length 70/15.
jafnmargr a. the same number (of), as many (sem: as) 88/9.
jara f. fray, battle; in kenning for warriors 53/8.
jarl m. earl, ruler next in rank to a king (generally refers to Skúli) 27/7
(gen. pl. with pr‡›i), 31/5 (dat. with ó›: for), 55/2 (obj. of séi), 77/3
(subj. of lætr, or of sér if the subj. of lætr is understood from thepreceding stanza), 82/5 (part. gen. with d‡rstr; perhaps parallel withskatna and to be taken with with both superlatives), 91/8 (part. gen.
with beztr), 93/8 (gen. with frama); as title 94/8.
jarldómr m. earldom 39/8 (obj. of gaf ).
jarlmegin n. power of the (an) earl (sc. Skúli) 54/8.
járngrár a. iron-grey 7/8.
jƒfurr m. prince 26/4, 55/1; = Hákon 1/8 (in apposition with stillir), 6/2,
10/6; = Skúli 37/6, 41/2, 42/6, 48/6, 51/8, 60/4, 65/8 (dat. with kent),
66/6, 72/5, 93/6; pl. = Hákon and Skúli 67/8 (subj. of hafa), 98/7 (obj.
of veit), 99/1 (subj. of ró).
jƒr› f. earth, land 12/2 (obj. of lér), 13/8, 17/2 (gen. with skar›), 12,
13 (at the second occurrence is subj.), 14, 28; coast, shore 35/6, 63/3;= Norway 1/3, 10/1, 16/8, 79/7 (obj. of ﬂyrna).
jƒstr m. yeast (in kenning for ale) 25/1.
kaldr a. cold 17/4 (with heit), 22/8 (with u›r) etc.
kall n. call, naming; at kalli by name, said to be (i.e. they count as) 19/9, 12.
kalla (a›) wv. call 0/30, 1/12, with suffixed pron. 25/8 (‘this is the name
I give to wine’); summon (til to) 88/2; with predicative a., describe as
4/12 (subj. is egg), 4/14, 5/9; k. menn is known as 9/12, 31/12; svá at k.
thus, to say that 18/14; má kalla can be called 83/8.
kasta (a›) wv. with dat., throw (aside) 76/3.
kátr a. cheerful; n. kátt 89/1.
kenna (nd) wv. teach; k. e–m with inf. force s–one to do s–thing 63/1; touse kennings 1/53; k. rétt use an appropriate modification (determinant)6/9); pp. kent e–m attributed to, belonging to s–one (with sver›) 65/8;
which use kennings 1/55, provided with determinants 2/9 (cf. vkenndir,
TGT 103; Skáldskaparmál, ch. 54); indicated, denoted, expressed by akenning 8/38.

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Háttatalkenning f. modification, determinant 8/29; periphrastic description 2/10,
11, 12, 6/19, 17/21.
ker n. goblet 87/6 (subj. of leikr).
kimblaband n. ‘bundle-bond’ 58/17, 59/11, 60/9, 10, 61/9.
kjƒlr m. keel 22/7, 38/8; dat. sg. kili 101/6 (instr.), 101/7 (obj. of renna);
in kenning for sea 76/3, for ship 77/6.
klettr m. cliff, crag; in kennings for head, hjarna k. 64/8 (dat. obj. ofskaut), her›a k. 65/4.
klífa (kleif) sv. climb (upon) 51/6.
klifat pp. repeated; n. as subst. 47/12.
kljúfa (klauf) sv. cleave 8/1 (pp.).
klofna (a›) wv. intrans., break, be cloven 19/8 (subj. is hrƒnn), 19/12.
klólo›inn pp. (a.) shaggy (prickly) with claws 56/8 (cf. Fidjestøl 1982,72–3).
klæ›i n. pl. clothes, clothing 35/12.
kløkkr a. flexible, pliant, yielding 21/8 (apparently with stál, but
equivalent to adv., softly), 22/7.
kná pret.-pres. vb. aux. with inf., can, does 7/3, 15/5 (with st‡ra), 39/3,
60/5 (with venja), 72/1 (with glóa); impers. sjá kná one can see, there
can be seen 58/5; with at and inf. 6/5.
koma (kom) sv. come 25/7; pp. having escaped 35/11.
konungdómr m. kingdom 14/8 (obj. of ræ›r 14/1).
konungr m. king; = Hákon 1/4 (subj. of kann, or of lætr if the subj. ofkann is understood), 101/2, 102/3; = Ingi Bár›arson 69/2; as title,= Ragnarr lo›brók 53/14.
kostigr a. splendid 4/17 (cf. ítr).
ku›r (kunnr) a. known (e–m to s–one) 69/1 (with kvæ›i); k. at e–u known
for s–thing 27/4.
kunnusta f. ability, art, artistry 6/20.
kve›a (kva›) sv. say (in verse), recite, compose (poetry) 0/30 (pp.),6/14 (pp.), 8/20, 15/9 (pp.), 16/17 (pp.), 17/9 (pp.), 44/13, 97/7 (pp.);compose in (a metre) 53/11 (pp.); impers. er svá kve›r at which sounds
thus (or when it is composed thus?) 1/23 (kve›a at = ‘pronounce’ in
FGT 228, 230; cf. atkvæ›i ‘pronunciation’ in SGT 52, 66); k. eptir
compose a poem using the story of 35/13 (pp.).
kve›andi f. poetical effect, sound of poetry; referring to alliteration (cf.
TGT 68, 69, 96, 97) 1/9, 13, 54/10; referring to hendings (cf. TGT 64,91) 1/26; it is uncertain precisely what is referred to at 82/11 (see82/10–12 n.); referring more generally to recitation, poetical effect 4/19,
poetical form? 8/17. Cf. Laxdœla saga, ch. 37, ÍF V 106, Skáldskapar-

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mál, ch. 72. The word appears to mean ‘metre’ in FGT 226, TGT 65,
88, 89 and FoGT 136.
kve›skapr m. composition (of poetry) 0/19.
kvi›a f. poem 35/12 (see 35/11 n.).
kvæ›i n. poem, series of stanzas 30/11, 35/12, 44/10, 53/13, 67/10, 13,
14, 69/1 (pl.), 70/13, 14, 95/3, 102/4.
kyn n. kin, kind, race 11/3 (acc. with lætr).
kærr a. dear 68/7.
kœnn a. clever 60/3 (with jƒfurr).
lá f. sea (surf) 21/2 (also by word-play p. of liggja ‘lie’); 78/3 (obj. ofbr‡tr).
la›a (a›) wv. invite 86/2 (inf. with veit).
lag n. tune; stroke (in rowing); manner, arrangement, measure, metre,verse-form 70/2, 78/11, 96/9, 97/12, 13.
land n. land 1/8 (obj. of ræ›r), 17/13 (complement); = Norway 64/5; pl.
14/3, 30/6 (gen. pl. with njót), 79/2 (gen. pl. with útstrandir); in kenningfor head (collective): svar›ar l. 57/6 (obj. of hnykkja), for shield (inkenning for spear or sword): fleina l. 65/5 (with meginskí›i).
langlokum f. pl. (dat.) ‘with late conclusions’ or ‘with long enclosings’?
14/1 textual note (cf. FoGT 136; see 14/1 n.).
langr a. long 0/29, 23/4 (of ships), 36/2, 71/8 (with hesta, i.e. ships);comp. 2/13; n. as adv. further 8/24, 30.
láta (lét) sv. with acc. and inf., cause s–thing to do s–thing, let (make)s–thing (s–one) do s–thing 6/1, 7/5, 11/3, 21/7, 42/5, 75/1, 77/1; with
inf. make [people] do s–thing 59/3 (‘lets shields be broken’); with acc.
and pp. cause s–thing to be s–thing: lætr ofsa bannat 1/1, lætr fal
fram›an 18/5, 18, létu mik vir›an 67/6 (the subj. is jƒfrar), lætr hƒpphrest 93/1, lét ek jƒfur sótt 93/6; with pp. of impers. vb. lætr ósvipt húnskript 78/7; with acc. and a. 66/5; declare, consider, judge s–thing [tobe] s–thing 8/31.
laukr m. leek; in kenning for sword (part of kenning for shield): Mistar
l. 85/2; = mast 77/6 (instr.).
laun (1) f . concealment 18/10, 15.
laun (2) n. pl. reward, repayment 26/6.
lauss a. free, unattached 10/4; laus vísa separate verse not part of asequence or long poem 53/13.
léa, ljá (›) wv. grant (e–m e–s); l. tiggja jar›ar 12/3.
legi see lƒgr.
leggja (lag›a) wv. lay; l. vi› add to, increase 27/15.
leggr m. leg, arm, limb; acc. pl. (obj. of br‡tr) 61/6.

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Háttatallei› f. way; sea 34/3; in kenning for arms, vala l. 48/8 (obj. of venr).
lei›a (dd) wv. lead; vera leiddr af be dependent on 15/9; impers. (?)
lei›ir e–t af s–thing belongs in sense with 27/10, 39/9. (The word isused to mean ‘pronounce’ in SGT 66.)
leika (lék) sv. play; with acc., play with or in (move to and fro in) 36/5; l.
vi› move to and fro against 87/5.
leita (a›) wv. with gen. seek 6/6, 16/16 (impers. pass., sc. or›anna); l.
e–s at ﬂar er seek something (there) where 6/12.
lemja (lam›a) wv. strike, beat; impers. lemr e–t (á e–u) 38/2 (‘waves are
struck’).
leng› f. length 7/12, 33/10 (cf. or›aleng›).
lengja (ng›) wv. lengthen 8/13.
lengr adv. comp. for longer, i.e. for the (foreseeable) future 26/8.
lengri a. comp. see langr.
lest f. cargo; lesta hestr = ship 44/17.
lesta (st) wv. damage, destroy; l. bil, i.e. be decisive, act quickly 37/4.
léttr a. light; n. as adv., easily 23/6.
leyfa (f›) wv. praise; pp. honoured 71/7, 79/1.
leyfi n. permission, licence 0/7, 1/24, 6/22, 8/15, 17, 18, 24, 25 (cf. TGT91, 107; leyfiligr, FoGT 130).
li› (1) n. following, troops 1/2; with gen., troop, company 23/5, 47/2;
men 43/6.
li› (2) n. vessel 44/18.
lí›a (lei›) sv. move 22/6, 33/4; pass (of time) 23/2; pp. having slid, having
been placed (at e–u onto s–thing) 45/7 (with gló›ir = rings), past 94/6.
li›hending f. ‘helping rhyme’ (rhyme and alliteration combined in thesame syllable) 8/26, 58/12.
li›hendr a. ‘help-rhymed’, when rhyme and alliteration fall on the same
syllable 41/10.
li›hendur f. pl. ‘helping rhymes’ 40/10, 41/9, 52/10, 53/9; dat. pl. 32/1
textual note (error for ri›hendum). This name is given to the verseforms exemplified in both stt. 41 and 53.
li›r m. limb; at li› onto limb (collective) 45/7; in kenning for gold, li›arsker 46/2.
li›sma›r m. member of a troop 4/15.
líf n. life 4/14, 33/1 (gen. with rán).
lifa (›) wv. live 4/4, 96/5.
liggja (lá) sv. lie 10/8, 35/11; cf. lá.
limgarmr m. branch-hound, i.e. enemy of branches or trees, kenning forwind or storm 78/4 (subj. of br‡tr).

Glossary131

limr m. limb 10/7 (collective); l. axla = arm 2/2 (obj. of hylr).
lind f. (lime-wood) shield or spear 9/2 (dat.), 10/3 (acc.); in kenning forbattle 32/2.
linnr m. snake; in kenning for sword, l. senna sver›a ‘snake of quarrel ofswords’ 6/5.
linr a. soft; i.e. weak, unaccented? 0/29 n. In TGT 39, 54 the word refers
to lack of aspiration. Cf. GT Prologue 154.
lita (a›) wv. colour, redden (with blood, by fighting battles) 4/5, 8/4,
96/4; md. for passive 9/8.
líta (leit) sv. see, look at 8/6; with acc. and inf. 75/5.
lítill a. small; n. as subst. s–thing small 27/8 (litotes: ‘for nothing’ or ‘forsmall reward’).
lítt adv. little, not much, i.e. not at all 24/2, 64/1, 92/4.
ljó›aháttr m. ‘song-form’ 99/9. (See Wessén 1915, 129–34.)
ljóma (a›) wv. shine 22/5.
ljóss a. bright 69/7 (with elds), 97/1 (with lofi); clear, obvious (‘of obvious
meaning’?) 17/16; n. as adv. 17/14, 24. Cf. ofljóss.
ljósta (laust) sv. strike; impers. with dat. (Mistar regni) there strikes down
62/7 n.
ljótr a. ugly 22/4 (with lœgir), 93/5 (with haf ).
lo›brók f. ‘shaggy-breeches’, nickname of the viking Ragnarr (seeRagnars saga lo›brókar, ch. 3; 1906–8, 118) 53/14.
lof n. praise, eulogy 31/4, 68/2, 97/2, 102/8 (parallel to fold: ‘before theruler’s praise (cease, be forgotten)’); poem of praise 80/1, 96/7 (subj.
of mun lifa, = ﬂat 96/5, and of ort er 96/1?). See Fidjestøl (1982), 253–4.
lofa (a›) wv. praise 93/7.
lof›ungr m. king 26/7 (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64).
lofkvæ›i n. poem of praise, encomium 67/15.
lofun f. praise, eulogy, poem of praise 69/8 (subj. of skal va›a).
logi m. flame 17/17; in kenning for gold, l. ƒldu 17/4, 17, 29.
lok n. end 102/4.
lúka (lauk) sv. with dat. end, complete 13/11 (cf. fylla); impers. withdat. 11/9, 14/9, 70/13 (inf. with skal); md. (= endask 71/11?) 23/10 n.,
36/10, 78/10; lúkask á, í be followed by? contain? 32/10, 73/10 (inthese two phrases the reference seems to be to the endings (or secondsyllables) of words containing the same sounds; see 16/12–13 n.). Cf.
FoGT 137–8.
lund f. manner; á ﬂá l. at in such a way that 53/9.
lundr m. grove; tree; in kenning for warrior: hjarar l. 60/8 (gen. pl. withsund or unda or fólk). Cf. steykkvilundr.

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Háttatallung n. ship (‘longship’) 21/1, 34/8 (dat. of respect).
lúta (laut) sv. with dat. bow to 13/3.
l‡›r m. people, troop 21/1, 23/5 (gen. pl. ‘of men’), 26/7 (with rá›, ‘overmen’), 77/5.
lypta (pt) wv. with dat. lift, raise 97/1; md. (for passive) 52/2 (subj. isskƒpt), 77/5.
l‡sa (t) wv. illumine; make famous, shed glory on 20/8 (obj. is vísa; ‘showwhat sort of person he is’?—or the verb may be intrans., ‘shine’, andvísa gen. with i›jur).
l‡sheimr m. pollack-home, i.e. sea, in kenning for gold 22/5.
l‡sló› f. pollack-track, i.e. sea, in kenning for gold (rings) 45/8.
l‡ti n. blemish, deformity 10/7.
læ n. destruction; fraud 17/20.
læsa (st) wv. lock, secure (e–t e–u s–thing with s–thing) 79/1.
lœgir m. ocean (‘lier, calm one’) 22/3.
lƒgr m. sea 16/6 (the phrase belongs with ﬂryngr), 20/4, 23/3, 44/17,
78/3 (dat., obj. of sk‡tr); in kennings for gold, hagbál lagar 44/6, eldr
lagar 69/7; for blood, benja legi (dat. sg. with venja) 60/6.
lƒgstígr m. sea-path (in kenning for ship) 22/3.
lƒngum adv. (dat. pl. of langr) for a long time 21/6.
ma›r m. man 91/7 (obj. of hittir), 92/7 (with mildara, after né); indefinite
subj. of viti 95/8, of skala 100/5.
máhlí›ingr a. of Mávahlí› on Snæfellsnes in western Iceland 8/21.
mál (1) n. (suitable) time, opportunity 75/4 (subj. of falla).
mál (2) n. speech; in kenning for mead, máls heilsa 25/5; discourse,
language 4/15; rétt at máli correct in usage 15/12; meaning, content
0/28 (as opposed to sound; see Konrá› Gíslason 1875, 98), 1/47, 48,
6/20, 8/45, 9/11, 17/26, 18/14 (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 1; SGT 52);
subject, way of talking, reference 6/14; statement, utterance, sentence
9/9, 10/9, 11/9, 13/10, 12, 14/9, 70/13 (cf. TGT 99, FoGT 136–7); vera
sér um mál comprise, make up a separate statement 12/12, 13/10, 14/10,
27/11 (cf. FoGT 137); affairs, lawsuits 84/5 (if hinn er mál metr is a
description of milding; if it is the subj. of getr it means ‘one who is a
judge of matters, i.e. a discerning man’).
mála f. woman-friend; He›ins m. = Hildr as personification of battle
49/5; in kenning for land (of Norway): mála úlfs bága, i.e. Ó›inn’s
wife Jƒr› 3/2 (obj. of verr).
málaháttr m. ‘speeches-form’ 94/9. (See Wessén 1915, 129–34.)
málfylling f. particle (unstressed grammatical word) 1/23.
málmr m. metal; in kenning for battle 52/8.

Glossary133

málmskúr f. metal-shower; málmskúrar dynr = battle 39/4.
málrúnar f. pl. speech-runes (runes as alphabet, phonetic runes) 1/43.
Cf. málstafr in FGT 222, when it means (runic) letter; in SGT it means
consonant.
málsgrein f. distinction of meaning (content; as opposed to sound) 0/15
textual note, 0/26, 27; distinction of language 67/12. Cf. FGT 224–6;
Skáldskaparmál, ch. 1; in TGT 37, 56–8, 60, 94, 98, 111, 112, FoGT
144 the word appears to mean sentence, in TGT 72, 79 = syntax, in
TGT 61–2 = (use of) language.
málsor› n. word 8/27, 15/10, 16/9, 24/9 (here the reference is to the rootsyllables of words only), 58/9, 62/11; fyrir m. at the beginning of aword 82/11 n. (cf. fyrir samstƒfun 1/14).
máltak n. (selection of) meaning, significance 39/9 (= or›tak?); ƒnnur
máltƒk different ordering of phrase, expression or signification 18/14.
Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 1: ‘choice of language’.
mannbaldr m. outstanding person 36/6 (complement of reyndisk). Cf.
Baldr in Index.
mannd‡r›ir f. pl. virtues, glorious achievements 13/1, 44/4.
marblakkr m. sea-steed, i.e. ship 46/8 (see blakkr).
margd‡rr a. most valuable 29/6.
margr a. many 30/6, 70/14, 90/1; i.e. frequent 67/15; many a 56/4, 66/5;
n. mart 70/2 (with lag).
marr m. sea 21/8; verpa á aldinn mar, i.e. waste, throw away 67/7.
máttr m. might; of mátt with might, of mighty proportions 89/6.
meginbára f. mighty wave; in kenning for blood, m. sára 60/2 (subj. ofskylr).
meginskí› n. mighty rod or plank, in kenning for spear or sword: m.
fleina lands 65/6 (dat. with rendi).
meginund f. mighty wound 63/8 (obj. of stœr›i).
mei›r m. tree, in kenning for men or warriors: mei›um sævar rƒ›uls
trees of the sun of the sea, i.e. of gold 17/8 (dat. of respect), 24 (also 1st
pers. pl. of mei›a wv. ‘injure’), 32.
meir adv. further 68/5 (‘I shall continue to . . .’).
meizla f. (= mei›sla) injury, mutilation 17/25.
meldr m. meal, the produce of a mill; in kenning for gold, Fenju m. 43/8
(cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 43).
mella f. trollwife; in kenning for ﬁórr, mellu dólgr 3/8.
men n. neck-ring, gold collar 45/3 (acc. with fyrir); in kennings for ruler,menja fættir 45/3, mens stiklir 60/6.
menglƒtu›r m. neck-ring destroyer, generous prince (indefinite) 95/7.

134

Háttatalmenstiklir m. neck-ring thrower, generous prince, = Skúli 44/3 (subj. ofvann; cf. stiklir).
menstrí›ir m. neck-ring afflicter, enemy, i.e. generous man 3/7 (vocative;= Hákon).
merki n. banner, standard 33/4, 52/7, 64/4.
merkir m. marker; in kenning for warrior: m. bló›svara he who marks
birds of prey (with blood, by providing dead bodies for them in battle)
92/8 (generic sg., ‘no warrior will find’).
meta (mat) sv. measure, judge, adjudge 84/5 (see mál (2)).
mi›a (a›) wv. impers. there is movement (i.e. the water moves) 38/8.
mi›r a. middle of 1/41, 97/11.
mikill a. great 4/14, 14/4, 39/2 (with hjálmar); dat. sg. n. myklu as adv.
with comp. much 8/24, with sup. by far 94/8; comp. meiri greater 49/10,
59/11; sup. mestr (the) greatest, very great, maximum 17/33, 36, 19/9,
12, 37/4 (with gjald; or with ver›, see under gjald and ver›r), 50/9,
60/9, 88/8, 93/2.
mikla adv. greatly, very 44/3 (with vensk; or a., acc. m. pl. with frama?
or emend to miklar acc. f. pl. with mannd‡r›ir).
mildingr m. kind, generous ruler; = Hákon 25/5, = Skúli 84/6 (obj. ofgetr), 95/1 (dat. of respect?—see muna).
mildr a. generous, kind (always of rulers) 10/6, 68/3; m. e–s generous
with, unsparing of s–thing, in description of ruler, skjáldbraks m. 28/3;
comp. with mann 92/7 (obj. of finnrat).
milli prep. with gen., between; m. Gandvíkr ok Elfar 1/6.
minn poss. a. my; n. mitt 70/1 (with lag; ‘many a verse-form of mine’).
minnask (t) wv. md. remember; m. á e–t call s–thing to mind, recall,mention s–thing 31/2.
minni (1) n. pl. memorial, what is remembered or serves to remind; atminnum e–m as a memorial for s–one(’s benefit) 67/1; tradition,
inherited statement, proverb 13/12.
minni (2) a. comp. 1esser 19/14, 20/10, 42/11, 43/9; sup. minztr least
19/12, 22/9, 81/10, 87/9.
missa (t) wv. impers. with gen., there is lack of, s–thing is lacking 58/10.
mjúkr a. smooth 65/14.
mjƒ›r m. mead 24/3, 25/6, 91/2 (obj. of ﬂiggja).
mjƒk adv. very 36/2, 84/3 (with rausnsamr); to a great extent 39/10;
greatly, very much 26/5, 33/2, 87/3 (with ﬂekkr); often, a great deal 6/11.
mó›ir f. mother; in kenning for land (Norway): mellu dólgs m. i.e. ﬁórr’s
mother Jƒr› 3/7.
mó›sefi m. mood-thought; in kenning for breast 50/2.

Glossary135

mor›aukinn a. (pp.) made great, famous by killing 49/7 (with mæki).
mor›fár n. ‘killing-danger’, i.e. sword; in kenning for warrior (ﬁórarinn
máhlí›ingr): mor›fárs myr›ir sword-destroyer 8/23.
mor›fl‡tir m. one who urges, hastens or promotes killing, war-leader(Skúli) 39/3.
mót (1) n. manner, kind 53/9 (‘in two-fold fashion’), 79/12 (‘all have thesame characteristic’).
mót (2) n. meeting; pl. in kenning for battles, m. málms 52/7.
mót (3) prep. with dat., towards, against 20/4 (and by word-play adv.,‘back (towards)’); í móti contrary to, the opposite of 17/22.
muna (man, mun›a) pret.-pres. vb. remember, keep in mind 15/3; m.
e–m (dat. of respect?) e–t remember s–one for s–thing, remember s–thingas due to s–one 29/1 (here the dat. may go with heimsvistir), 95/1.
mundr m. bridal, wedding-gift, gift from husband at betrothal 49/8 (inapposition to mæki, ‘as a wedding-gift’, i.e. Skúli wages war—being
betrothed to Hildr, i.e. battle).
munnro›i m. mouth-reddening; auka munnro›a add redness to the(raven’s) mouth (with blood, by offering carrion as a result of fighting
battles) 5/6.
munnvƒrp n. pl. ‘mouth-throwings’, improvisation 65/15.
myklu see mikill.
myr›ir m. destroyer, enemy; in kenning for warrior (ﬁórarinn máhlí›ingr),mor›fárs m. 8/22.
mækir m. sword 49/7.
mæla (t) wv. say, express 4/10, 17/13, 24.
mælingr m. niggardly person 40/2 (dat. with ferri).
mær f. (gen. meyjar) daughter; Hƒgna m. = Hildr, personification of
battle (in kenning for shield) 49/3.
mær› f. glory 13/1 (gen. obj. of fá); poem of praise, encomium, eulogy
68/4, 85/1, 92/2, 95/7 (obj. of viti), 97/4.
mæti n. pl. objects of value 46/7 (obj. of ﬂakka, ‘for objects . . .’).
mætr a. noble 13/2, 46/7; splendid 28/8 (with stórlæti); fitting, worthy,
honourable 45/4.
mœ›a (dd) wv. make tired 23/5.
mœta (tt) wv. with dat. meet, face 39/3, 64/1, 65/3, 77/8, 91/5.
mœtir m. meeter, one who faces; in kenning for warrior, oddbraks m.
70/1 (indefinite).
ná (›) wv. aux. with inf., get to, manage, be able to do s–thing 8/6, 22/5
etc.; with at and inf. 14/5, 24/2.
na›r m. snake; in kenning for sword, n. sóknar 6/1; for winter 83/1.

136

Háttatalnafn n. name 8/39, 46.
náhendr a. ‘close-rhymed’, with rhyme in adjacent syllables (cf. ri›hendr)
74/11, 92/10; n. as subst. 74/11.
náttúra f. nature 6/11.
nau›r f. necessity; in kenning for arm, compeller, forcer: boga n. 48/2.
ne neg. adv. not 19/5, 31/6.
né conj. nor 67/5, 92/7; and not 80/3.
nefna (fnd) wv. name 4/16, 8/38.
nema (1) conj. unless, except; n. svá at if it were not that 56/3; i.e. until 96/6.
nema (2) (nam) sv. touch, strike 61/3; with inf. begin to (as verse-filler:‘did’) 92/4.
ni›r m. descendant; relative; skjƒldungs n. = Skúli 52/1 (half-brother ofKing Ingi, see 33/5 n.). Skúli was not of royal blood (unless very
distantly on the female side, cf. Bƒglunga sƒgur (1988), II 26–7;
Hákonar saga, ch. 199, and ch. 242, ‘ﬂeirra sem eigi váru af sjálfri
langfe›gatƒlu konunganna’), so ni›r cannot mean ‘descendant’ here,
unless Snorri is grossly flattering him; but it does occasionally mean
‘brother’ (see LP, ni›r 1). The alternative is to take ni›r as adv. ‘down’,skjƒldungs with skúrum and sær as impers. for pass.
ni›ri adv. below, underneath 38/8.
ni›rlag n. end, conclusion 70/16.
njóta (naut) sv. with gen., enjoy, be possessor of, derive benefit from
72/7; imp. (optative) 3/7, 30/5; subjunc. (‘let them enjoy’) 102/1.
n‡bitinn a. (pp.) newly bitten, just pierced 56/6.
n‡gjƒrving f. extension of meaning, i.e. metaphor; in pl. extended
metaphor, allegory 1/54, 5/12, 6/9, 12, 13, 20. The word refers to giving
new meanings to words, not to original phrasing or neologisms. Cf.
Skáldskaparmál, chs 33, 50, 69; TGT 80.
nykrat a. (pp.) n. as subst., (made) monstrous, monstrosity 6/16. Cf.
TGT 80, FoGT 131.
n‡r a. new 39/11, 72/10.
n‡ta (tt) wv. make use of, get benefit from 44/18 (i.e. ‘we travel fast’, cf.
njóta); gain an effect, use effectively 8/28 (or ‘be acceptable, allow[it]’?). Cf. ón‡tr and FoGT 147.
n‡tr a. beneficial (e–m to s–one) 30/7.
næst adv. next 28/5; with dat., next after 65/11; ﬂar næst and then 4/14.
næstr a. sup. closest (e–u to s–thing) 99/8 (i.e. experiencing the greatesthapp); next, adjacent to 28/13.
óbreyttr a. (pp.) unchanged; ordinary, without variation 64/9.
óbrug›inn a. (pp.) unchanged, without deviation, without being departed
from 6/18.

Glossary137ó› see va›a.
oddbrak n. point-clash, -crack, i.e. battle; oddbraks mœtir = warrior 70/4.
oddhending f. front-rhyme, rhyme which comes at the beginning of aline 1/40, 7/9, 8/1 textual note, 41/10–11. Cf. st. 53 n.
oddhendr a. having a rhyme-syllable at the beginning of the line 76/11;
n. as subst. 7/1 textual note.
oddr m. point (of weapon) 79/6 (instr.); pl. by synecdoche = weapons 54/7
(obj. of r‡›r), 63/5 (dat. obj. of rendi); = arrow in kenning for shield 31/5.
oddviti m. leader (= Skúli) 56/5, 59/8 (with gen. pl.), 66/8, 88/2 (withgen. sg.).
ó›har›r a. mighty hard 5/1, 10 (complement).
ó›r m. poetry 31/8.
of (1) prep. with acc. and dat., over, around; with acc. concerning 45/4,
67/3.
of (2) pleonastic particle with verbs 56/3.
ofjóss a. containing ofljóst (lit. ‘excessively clear’), punning, using wordplay 17/26, 20/9; n. as adv. 18/13. Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 74; TGT 66,
89, 172.
ofrhuga›r a. most bold 5/4.
ófri›r m. lack of peace, hostility (-ies), warfare 17/31.
ofsi m. arrogance, violence 1/4 (obj. of bannat).
ógn f. threat, attack, battle 58/3; in kenning for warriors 62/1; in kenningfor winter, alla na›rs ógn throughout the adder’s terror (acc. of time)
83/1 (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 29).
ógnfl‡tir m. attack-, battle-hastener or -promoter (i.e. Skúli) 42/7.
ógnrakkr a. attack-, battle-bold 42/2 (with snerpir).
ógnsvellir m. battle-increaser, ‘war-sweller’ (i.e. Skúli) 39/7.
ógnﬂorinn a. (pp.) battle-daring 5/8.
óhneppr a. not obscure, not shabby, not unremarkable (hneppr: barely
sufficient), i.e. successful (litotes) 70/6 (with skrautfara).
ójafn a. not equal, not equivalent, not the same (thing) 17/25.
ok conj. and; links randgar›i and bláskí›um 79/3, links átti rá›a and var
faldinn 15/2; as well as 12/1, 10.
ókve›inn a. (pp.) unrecited, not composed (in), not used in poetry 70/3(‘many of my verse-forms have never been used before’).
ólestr a. (pp.) unblemished, complete, pure 93/4.
ólíkastr a. sup. most dissimilar, most contrary 16/12.
ólíkr a. dissimilar, different, opposite 17/11.
ólítill a. no small (litotes) 55/6.
ón‡tr a. unacceptable or not allowed? ineffective? worthless? 8/31 (cf.
n‡ta; FoGT 147).

138

Háttatalor› n. (1) word (= málsor›) 1/32, 36, 4/9, 16/13; me› fullu or›i comprising a complete word 13/10, with a complete word 27/10; in kenningfor teeth 87/8; pl. statement or phrase? 17/16. (2) line (= vísuor›) 1/40,
41, 4/13, 7/12, 8/13; = word or line 80/10; me› or›um = either ‘inwords’ (i.e. it is not a metrical variant) or ‘in lines’ (i.e. it is similar in
structure, varied in mál) 40/9 n. (3) reputation, renown, fame 45/4, 84/1.
or›aleng› f. length of line 2/9, 9/9, 23/12, 15, 27/15.
or›fimi f. verbal skill or dexterity, agility 6/21.
or›fjƒl›i m. store of words, vocabulary 6/19.
or›rómr m. renown 14/8, 82/4 (obj. of á).
or›skvi›uháttr m. proverb-form 25/9, 26/1 textual note (contains
proverbs or gnomic statements in syllables 2–6 of the even lines).
or›tak n. turn of phrase, arrangement of words (cf. máltak) 8/50, 17/26;
expression 13/12, 34/10; language, choice of words 16/12, word
(chosen) 72/10. Cf. TGT 45, 101, 109, 115. In Gylfaginning the wordmeans ‘saying’.
ormr m. snake 6/9, 10, 15, 94/5 (= Fáfnir, dat. with veitti); in kenning forﬁórr 3/5 (= mi›gar›sormr, cf. Gylfaginning, ch. 51); in kenning forsword, o. vals 6/7, for winter, orms galli 83/5.
orpit see verpa.
ort(-) see yrkja.
orrosta f. battle 2/12, 18/16.
ósi›r m. bad custom, immoral practice 17/22 (contrasted with si›r m.
‘custom’), 30.
ósléttr a. uneven, not level 17/12.
ósviptr a. (pp.) unreefed (svipta wv. with dat., to reef); lætr e–u ósvipt
cause s–thing to be unreefed, i.e. he does not have (the sail) reefed,
sails without fear of the high wind (cf. Hálfs saga 1981, 178/35 [readhálsa], ÓH 666) 78/8.
ótal n. a countless number (of) 88/4.
otrgjƒld n. pl. otter-payment, compensation for death of otter, i.e. gold(cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 39) 41/2.
ótt adv. (n. of ó›r a.) fast 6/3.
ótvistr a. not unhappy, (very) enjoyable 29/2.
óvarr a. unwary, unhesitant, brave 80/7 (with bƒrum).
óx see vaxa.
pr‡›ir m. adorner, one who dispenses honour to (with gen.); jarla p. =King Hákon 27/7 n.
rá› n. (power to) rule (with gen., over) 26/7.
rá›a (ré›) sv. with dat. rule 1/5, 14/1 (the obj. is konungdómi 14/8), 15/4

Glossary139(with ﬂeim er); abs. 15/7 (or ‘undertake, perform’, with stórt as obj.);determine, govern 1/9, 13, 29/9, 30/9 (abs., ‘be the determining factor’),54/10, 82/11; plan, decide 17/31; abs. be the cause 33/2.
ramr a. strong, powerful 38/6.
ramsnákr m. strong snake; in kenning for sword, rógs r. 6/4.
rán f. plunder, robbing 33/1; robbery 17/22, 66/7.
randgar›r m. shield-enclosure, shield-wall 79/4 (instr.).
rangbarmr m. curved side or rib-edge (i.e. side of ship; rƒng f. ‘rib’)
78/4 (subj. of sk‡tr).
rangr a. wrong, incorrect, contrary to the rule 1/19, 44/13, 70/11, 75/9,
77/9, 82/11.
ránhegnir m. punisher (or preventer, checker) of plundering 26/3.
ránsi›r m. practice of plundering, plundering behaviour 17/7, 22, 32.
raska (a›) wv. disturb; impers. with dat. (= pass.) 9/6.
ráskegg n. yard-beard, beard of ship’s yard-arms, i.e. sail 78/6 (obj. of rekr).
rau›r a. red; of gold 37/6 (with au›), 46/6 (with sæfuna), 48/4; n. as
subst. falda rau›u put on red (caps) 63/2 (see falda).
rau›sylgr m. red drink; in kenning for blood, bens r. 56/2 (dat. [instr.]with ali).
raukn n. draught animal (ox or horse); in kenning for ship, kjalar r. 77/6.
raun f. tried qualities, experience 26/6 (dat.); pl., reality 33/1 (skapat at
raunum ‘made into a reality’; or at raunum ‘in truth, in accordancewith experience, as they truly discovered’?).
raungó›r a. proved good, of tried goodness 75/7.
rausn f. magnificence (of behaviour, i.e. hospitality) 89/6.
rausnsamr a. splendid in one’s way of life, living in great style (referring
to hospitality) 84/4 (complement).
refhvarf n. ‘fox-turn’, ‘fox-trick’ (or ‘fox-lair’?), antithesis (the namepresumably relates to the word-play, and refers to the cunning or
deceptive meanings or to the sudden shifts of sense in the antitheses)
20/9; usually pl. 17/34–5, 18/9, 19/10, 14 (ein: one pair of), 21/9, 22/9,
23/9; as the name of a verse-form 16/11, 17/1 textual note, 17/34 (sg.
17/34 textual note), 18/1 textual note, 19/1 textual note; in mestu refhvƒrf
17/33, 36, 19/9, 12; in minni refhvƒrf 19/14, (20/10); in minztu refhvƒrf
22/9; refhvarfa bró›ir 22/10.
refhvarfaháttr m. refhvƒrf-form 18/21.
refhvƒrfmæltr a. (pp.) expressed in refhvƒrf 17/15.
refsa (a›) wv. punish (e–m e–t s–one for s–thing) 66/7.
regg n. a kind of ship 34/4 (instr.).
regn n. rain; in kenning for battle (rain of weapons), Mistar r. 62/8 (obj. of l‡str).

140

Háttatalrei› f. chariot, carriage, where s–thing is carried, resting place; in kenning
for arms: hei›is rei›ir 48/6 (obj. of b‡r).
rei›a (dd) wv. brandish 2/8.
rei›málmr m. ‘riding-metal’, metal carried on horseback; in kenning forgold, r. Gnitahei›ar 41/6 (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 40).
rei›r a. angry 17/8 (with ræsir or fylkir), 17/24, 66/8.
rein f. ridge or strip of land; Røkkva reinar = sea in kenning for ships 73/4.
reip n. rope 34/6 (instr. with har›sveipa›astan).
reisa (t) wv. raise; md. for pass. 36/1.
reitr m. (acc. pl. reitu) a strip of land; in kenning for arm (where thehawk sits), vals r. 42/3 (firum is dat. of advantage).
reka (rak) sv. drive; of a horse or ship 20/6 (also by word-play 3rd pers.
sg. of rekja wv., ‘spread out, unfold’), 34/5, 78/5 (of the sail); driveaway (or fulfil? avenge?—but then the obj. should be gen.) 17/3 n., 15,30; drive back 18/12 (pp.); of metal-working, hammer: pp., inlaid (withfal) 18/6, 18; extend (a metaphor), use extended kennings (i.e. withmore than two determinants) 1/53, 8/29; pp. 2/11, 13, 8/30. Cf.
Skáldskaparmál, ch. 50. In Háttalykill, rekit is the name of the verseform corresponding to Háttatal, st. 90 (8-syllable runhenda).
rekkja (kt) wv. embolden, encourage, strengthen, urge on 1/2; try thestrength of? enliven, make dance? (cf. NN 2176) 22/7.
rekkr m. man, warrior 26/5, 38/3, 63/3.
remma (›) wv. cause to be strong, increase (s–thing) in strength orintensity 57/7. Cf. gilda, stœra.
remmi-T‡r m. god who encourages, increases the intensity of s–thing;in kenning for ruler (Hákon): rógleiks r. encourager of war 14/6.
renna (1) (rann) sv. run, flee 33/8; pp. flooded, soaked (e–u) 32/4.
renna (2) (nd) wv. cause (e–u s–thing) to run over or through (e–ts–thing) 63/5, 65/5, 101/5. Cf. hleypa.
rétthendr a. consistently rhymed; n. as subst. as name of a verse-form 41/13.
réttr a. straight 6/3; direct 20/5; correct, normal 0/11, 12, 1/24, 4/15,
6/18, 19, 23, 34/11, 43/11, 68/11, 70/13, 76/10, 77/12; r. at máli correctly
constructed 15/11; proper 17/26, i.e. good 23/6 (of ƒl; with the readingin it would refer to hƒll); of runhenda, having the same rhyme
throughout the stanza (= full runhending 83/9) 79/13, 86/9; n. as adv.
straight 63/3, correctly 41/10, 43/9, i.e. literally 4/10, appropriately
6/9, with the same rhyme thoughout the stanza 89/9; rétt at stƒfum
with normal alliteration 76/10.
reyna (d) wv. try, put to the test 27/3; md. turn out to be, prove (e–m tos–one) 36/5.

Glossary141

rí›a (rei›) sv. ride; of gold, fly, be scattered, be distributed 41/5.
ri›hendr a. ‘rocking-rhymed’, with rhyme-syllables close together atthe end of the line; n. as subst. 55/10, 56/10. Cf. TGT 98.
ri›hendur f. pl. ‘rocking rhymes’, rhymes close together at the ends oflines 31/12, 45/12.
ríki n. kingdom, realm 14/5 (obj. of st‡ra), 18/17.
ríkr a. powerful 27/4 (with ræsis).
rimma f. tumult, battle; in kenning for swords 57/7.
rísa (reis) sv. rise 21/2.
rísta (reist) sv. cut, incise, carve 35/1, 101/4 (obj. is straum).
rít f. (engraved) shield 8/6 (pl., obj. of líta), 54/4, 73/3 (instr.).
rita (a›) wv. write 2/10, 8/48; write in, exemplify 11/9, 23/11, 27/12, 13,
51/9, 13, 53/11, 54/13, 61/10.
rjó›a (rau›) sv. redden (with blood, in battle) 7/7, r. í e–u 54/7; pp.
ro›inn 4/15, 57/2, 63/4 (painted red?), 64/4 (perhaps here = golden?
cf. rau›r); of reddening of the lips of wolves by the dead bodies
provided for them in battle 11/8, 96/2.
rjó›r m. reddener (with blood); in kenning for warrior (= Skúli): hjƒrs r.
41/5.
rjó›vendill m. red(dening) rod, in kenning for sword: r. randa 13/5.
rjúfa (rauf) sv. rip, tear 10/2, 50/1.
ró = eru 99/1.
róa (røra) sv. row 72/2.
ro›inn a. (pp.) see rjó›a.
ro›na (a›) wv. become red (with blood) 9/1, 56/8 (i.e. they cause men tofall in battle and become prey to wolves).
rofna (a›) wv. be broken 18/15.
róg n. slander, strife, battle, in kenning for sword 6/3.
rógálfr m. ‘hostility-elf’, i.e. war-leader, ruler (Skúli) 75/8 (subj. of lítr).
rógleikr m. strife-game, i.e. war, in kenning for ruler 14/5.
rúm n. place; position, bench in a ship 21/6 (also by word-play n. pl. of
rúmr a., ‘spacious’).
rúna f. confidante, wife; in kenning for land (Norway): Míms vinar r. =Ó›inn’s wife Jƒr› 3/4.
rúnar f. pl. runes, runic alphabet 1/43.
runhenda f. end-rhyme (to runi m. ‘running, flowing’ or runa f. ‘string,row, list’) 79/11, 13 (rétt r. a stanza with the same rhyme in each line,= full r. ), 88/9, 90/9, 91/9, 92/9 ( full r.); minni r. (with four lines
rhyming together) 80/12, 86/11, 89/10, 92/9; minzta r. (with lines
rhyming in pairs) 81/11, (87/9).

142

Háttatalrunhending f. end-rhyme (end-rhyming form) 80/10, 83/9 ( full r., = réttr.), 84/9, 86/9 (rétt r. an end-rhyming form with the same rhyme
throughout the stanza), 88/11.
runhendr a. having end-rhyme 79/12, 82/12 (m. pl. with hættir understood), 85/11, 89/9 (rétt r.‘having the same rhyme throughout thestanza’), 91/10; n. as subst. as name of a form 80/11.
ry›ja (rudda) wv. clear; md. for pass., be cleansed (of rebels) 64/5.
ræsa (t) wv. (cause to) move (quickly) 17/23; make flow (blood) 7/4.
ræsir m. mover, leader (of battle or of men in battle), ruler; = Hákon 17/7
(cf. ræsa), 32, 26/5, 27/3; = Skúli 73/1, 91/2, 96/1; r. ﬁrœnda, i.e.
Skúli 64/5.
rœ›i n. oar 75/7 (pl., subj. of skjálfa); in kenning for tongue, tƒlu r. 81/4.
rœki-Njƒr›r m. Njƒr›r (a god) who uses or cultivates the use of; inkenning for warrior (i.e. Hákon), r. rjó›vendils randa sword-user 13/6.
rƒ›ull m. sun; in kenning for gold (part of kenning for warriors): rƒ›ulssævar mei›ar ‘trees of sun of sea’ 17/6 (the emendation from rƒ›ulseems established by 17/32, though it would be possible to take rƒ›ulsævar mei›ar = rƒ›ul-mei›ar sævar with the same meaning, cf.
vandbaugr and vandbaugska›i and note to 15/1–2), 17/20. Cf.
djúprƒ›ull in Bragi’s verse quoted in Gylfaginning, ch. 1.
rƒf f. amber, in kennings for gold: Rínar r. 26/4, spannar r. 44/2 (subj. ofvensk).
rƒnd f. shield-rim (or border of the shield-boss; by synecdoche = shield)
4/7, 16, 8/8, 9/5, 57/8; in kenning for sword, rjó›vendill randa 13/5,
for shield (or the phrase could be a description of the boards of, i.e.
comprising, the shields) 59/4, for men 45/6, for battle 8/8 textual note(see also explanatory note). Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 49.
rƒst f. (1) a distance of travel on land. (2) whirlpool; current 35/3 (obj. ofreist); in kennings for ship, rasta hlynr (or Huglar rasta hlynr: Huglarrƒst (1) = Hugl’s [island’s] way, i.e. sea) 19/2, rasta hestr 34/5, for ale,r. jastar 25/1.
sá (1) (søra) sv. with dat., strew 52/1 (see ni›r); sow as corn 94/2.
sá (2) pron. demonstrative and anaphoric 1/6 (with stillir), 45/3 (withfættir, = Skúli); f. sú 13/7 (with har›a fer›; if har›a is not adv.); dat.
ﬂví 14/7 (obj. of fagna); acc. ﬂann that person 15/3.
saga f. story 35/13.
salr m. hall 90/1.
saltr a. salty 76/4 (with stíg = sea).
saltunna f. hall-vat, -barrel; in kenning for poetry 31/7 (Hárs salr =Valhƒll, Hárs saltunna = one of the containers of the mead of poetry[cf. Skáldskaparmál, 3–5]; its hrannir are the mead).

Glossary143

sama (›) wv. impers., it befits 31/2 (with dat. of the person and inf.).
samhenda f. ‘coincidental rhyme’, rhyme falling on the same syllable
as the alliteration (and producing identical syllables; cf. li›hending)
46/9.
samhending f. = samhenda 8/26, 47/9, 48/9.
samhendr a. having coincidental rhyme; n. as subst. as name of a verseform 45/13.
samhljó›andi m. consonant 1/15, 32/11 (this is also the word used in
FGT and TGT; = málstafr in SGT).
samkvæ›r a. identically expressed, repeated, consonant 8/28.
samna (a›) wv. gather together 17/19.
samr a. seemly, suitable, fine 38/6; with gen., suited to s–thing, subject,exposed to s–thing 72/4.
samstafa f. syllable 0/21, 28, 1/11, 30, 39 etc.; pl., (number of) syllables
9/9–10. This is the usual term in FGT, SGT, TGT.
samstƒfun f. syllable (= samstafa) 1/14, 19, 13/10, 29/9, 33/9, 34/10,
36/10, 65/11, 13 (FGT 224, 230, 240, SGT 63, note to line 42).
samﬂykki f. agreement, unity, peace (in kenning for gold, i.e. rings) 43/1
(cf. søkk).
sannan f. confirmation, proof, demonstration 18/10.
sannask (a›) wv. md. prove true, become a reality 44/2.
sannkenna (nd) wv. use affirmatory or intensive attributives or adverbs
1/53; pp. n., as name of a verse-form 4/1 textual note.
sannkenning f. ‘true description’ 3/9, 4/9, 11, 12, 18, 21, 5/9, 10, 11,
6/20. (As here defined sannkenning refers to use of affirmatory, intensiveor evaluative epithets or adverbs, not to limiting or distinguishingepithets. The element kenning is used in the formal sense of the use of
a description or compound containing two elements, whether metaphorical or not. Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 67 (where the word refers toepithets describing innate or ‘essential’ qualities); TGT 100, 103(probably an error for mannkenning), 108, and cf. pp. 320–21).
sannr a. true (literal, accurate) 4/9; n. as subst., truth, what is true 90/4.
sár (1) = sá er (rel.) 1/1 (either ‘he who’ as subj. of lætr or ‘who’ with
antecedent konungr).
sár (2) n. wound 4/1, 10, 11, 94/5; in kenning for blood 60/2, for sword
61/2.
se›jask (saddask) wv. md. be sated, eat one’s fill 9/4.
sefi m. thought, mind; in kenning for breast 6/8.
seggr m. man 4/2 (dat. of respect), 4/12, 5/2, 8/2, 18/7 (obj. of grandar),
8/20, 33/6 (dat. of respect), 72/3, 84/8 (acc. pl.), 97/7 (with hverr, subj.
of muni).

144

Háttatalsegja (sag›a) wv. say, tell 42/12 (be exemplified), 85/5, 87/7.
segl n. sail 19/1.
seimgildir m. gold-payer (-giver or perhaps -increaser; cf. gilda), = Hákon
29/4.
seimr m. gold (thread) 47/1, 90/3, 97/8 (gen. with gjƒflata); in kenningfor generous ruler (Skúli), seima snei›ir 71/2.
seimﬂverrir m. gold-diminisher, i.e. generous ruler, = Skúli 47/1.
seimƒrr a. gold-liberal 47/2.
seinn a. slow 6/22, 24, 17/18. Used of long vowels in SGT 66.
semja (sam›a) wv. put together, compose 68/3; arrange, don 36/3.
senda (nd) wv. send; i.e. give 91/6 (subj. is jarla beztr = Skúli).
sendir m. sender, provider (impeller, user, wielder?); in kenning for warleader (Hákon) 28/1.
senna f. quarrel; in kenning for battle, sver›a s. 6/5.
serkr m. shirt; in kennings for coat of mail: st‡rs s. 7/8 (obj. of r‡›r),Skƒglar s. 64/4 (in kenning for warrior).
setja (tt) wv. put 0/22, 1/10, 12, 18/19; set, place, position 1/37, 3/3, 7/11,
16/1, 46/10, 68/10; construct 6/12, 70/4; treat 84/7; ﬂar er fyrir sett thereis placed before it 54/11; s. í insert 33/10; s. me› place with, next to,after, include with 49/10; s. saman make consistent 53/11, place together
57/10, compose 67/10; s. út extend 8/24 (cf. Skáldskaparmál 41/13, 16).
setning f. arrangement, ordering, positioning 0/29, 1/25, 32 (?), 8/49 (?);
prescription, rule 0/7, 8, 12, 16, 23, 1/24, 28, 44, 6/23, 8/45, 47; til
háttar setningar which characterise the form, as the rule of the metre
62/10. Cf. TGT 36. In modern Icelandic the word means ‘sentence’.
setr (rs) n. seat, abode; bu›lunga s. = kingdom 15/8 (obj. of st‡ra).
sextánmæltr a. (pp.) containing sixteen utterances or sentences (cf. mál (2))
8/51; n. as subst. 8/41 textual note (apparently pl.), 9/1 textual note.
sí›ar adv. comp. later; er ein er s. last but one 1/39; svá at tvær eru s.
before the last two 33/10.
sí›ari a. comp. second (of two) 1/38, 8/38, 48/10, 77/12, 81/9; succeeding,latter (sc. vísa) 16/10.
sí›arstr a. sup. last 14/9, 15/10, 16/9, 24/9, 58/9, 70/13.
sigla (d) wv. sail; vara siglt it was not sailed, the sailing was not 27/8.
sig-Njƒr›r m. battle-Njƒr›r (or victory-Njƒr›r), kenning for warrior 55/8
(dat. with var›a).
sík n. ditch, channel (= sea in kennings for gold) 17/1, 9, 27.
siklingr m. ruler; = Hákon 10/1, = Hákon and Skúli 67/3 (with ﬂá-clausedependent on it), = Skúli 82/2, 90/1. Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64.
silfr n. silver; dat. in silver (utensils) 91/4.
sín pron. reflexive gen.; at sín at his house 91/3.

Glossary145

sinn poss. a. his, its (own); s. hljó›stafr [there is] a separate (different)vowel [in each] 1/30, í sínu vísuor›i in a different line 79/13.
sinni n. company 88/7.
sitja (sat) sv. sit 29/3, 88/7.
sízt adv. least of all, in no way 67/5; scarcely, not at all 84/6.
sjá (sá, pres. sér) sv. see 28/8, 58/5, 77/3, 93/8; subjunc. could see, could
indicate 55/1; with acc. and inf. 56/7; sjá til e–s look for s–thing, expects–thing 26/6.
sjaldan adv. seldom, not often 44/7.
sjaldnar adv. comp. more seldom, less often, fewer times 1/19.
sjár m. sea 17/17, 34/7; acc. over the sea (with renna) 101/7. Cf. sær.
ska›i m. damage, destruction; vinna gulli ska›a = distribute gold 47/8.
skafa (skóf) sv. scrape, smooth; pp. polished, burnished 8/4, planed 73/6.
skaka (skók) sv. shake 38/7; impers. with acc. (for pass.) 8/3, 9/5, 10/3
textual note, 19/1, 78/5.
skál f. bowl (as receptacle for ale or wine) 23/7, 91/5 (subj. of mœtir, i.e.
it is held by).
skala = skal with neg. suffix, shall not, must not 68/2, 100/5.
skáldskapr m. poetry, the making of poetry; prosody 0/4.
skammr a. short 0/29, 70/11, 71/12; comp. skemri shorter 66/6 (predicative with hal), 72/10; less (than a full line) 8/29 (i.e. whether therepetition be of a full line or of something less).
skapa, skepja (skóp, pp. skapat) sv. and wv. create, cause (e–t e–m something for s–one) 19/6 (subj. is Rán, obj. deilu, indirect obj. flaustum),64/6; s. e–t at e–u e–m make s–thing into s–thing for s–one 33/2 (butpossibly at raunum is an independent phrase (‘in truth’) and skapat
has the sense ‘caused, decided, fated’).
skapt n. shaft (of spear) 52/2.
skar› n. cleft, gap 17/2 (s. jar›ar = fjord(s) (collective), Fir›ir in Norway),
17/11, 12, 28.
skarpr a. sharp 32/1 (with él, or n. as adv.?).
skati (pl. skatnar) m. man 7/2 (obj. of spekr), 18/3, 17, 37/7 (gen. pl.
with ﬂengill), 58/7 (with vinr); generous man, lord 71/7 (= Skúli); part.
gen. with sk‡rstr (perhaps parallel with jarla and to be taken with bothsk‡rstr and d‡rstr) 82/7, 94/7; hringa s. (i.e. the one generous withrings, = Skúli) 90/8.
skattr m. treasure; Niflunga s. = gold (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 42) 41/8
(dat. with hreytt).
skaut n. sheet, skirt; expanse 95/8.
skefla (›) wv. impers. with acc. s–thing is heaped up, made into heaps or
drifts 76/2.

146

Háttatalskei› f. warship, a large longship 21/5.
skelfr a. trembling 18/11 (cf. skjálfa).
skemma (›) wv. shorten 8/19.
skenkja (nkt) wv. serve; pp. 91/4.
sker n. skerry, half-submerged rock in the sea; in kenning for gold, li›ars. (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 32), part of kenning for ruler, vir›andi li›arskerja = Skúli 46/2; in kenning for teeth, or›a s. 87/8.
skera (skar) sv. cut 4/3, 13, 27/1, 34/3, 59/1, 78/1; impers. (= pass.) 10/3.
sker›ir m. diminisher, damager (he who makes a skar› in s–thing); in
kennings for ruler (= Skúli): hringa s. i.e. generous prince 63/6 (subj.
of rendi), Skƒglar serks s. i.e. warrior 64/3, Mistar lauka grundar s. i.e.
warrior 85/4 (dat. of advantage).
skí› n. long flat piece of wood; ski; in kenning for ships: hlunna s. 76/8
(dat. obj. of hleypir). Cf. byrskí›.
skilja (l›) wv. divide, part 17/18–19, 22/2; separate, differentiate 80/10;
distinguish, understand, perceive 17/5, 31.
skip n. ship 19/2, 20/8 (acc. pl. [?]), 24/4, 38/5 (gen. pl. with s‡jur or ﬂrƒmum).
skipa (a›) wv. with dat. arrange; er e–u er skipat í into which s–thing has
been arranged or ordered 67/11; with acc., man, occupy 21/6; pres. p.
skipendr those who man, crew (with gen.) 46/8; md. be occupied, getfilled 23/6, 89/2.
skiprei›a f. ship-levy estate, an estate providing the levy for equipping aship 28/4 n. (obj. of veitti).
skipsbrot n. shipwreck 35/11.
skipta (pt) wv. with dat. (1) change, vary 1/48, 8/24, 23/14, 28/9, 30/9,
39/9, 80/10; impers. (= pass.) 31/9, 32/9, 34/9; e–u er skipt 8/50, 27/14(‘by which d. is varied’); md. be changed, varied 29/9 (cf. breyta; in
TGT 111 skipta means exchange or transfer; cf. FoGT 120). (2) divide,
share out 43/4 (cf. TGT 112); abs., deal, organise, arrange (obj.
understood) 62/6 (see 62/5–8 n.).
skipun f. arrangement, ordering, classification; rule? (= setning?) or variation? 62/16. Cf. TGT 45, 76, 111, 112 (= ordo). See skipa.
skjaldborg f. shield-wall 16/4 (obj. of setr).
skjaldbrak n. shield-crash, i.e. battle; in description of ruler: skjaldbraks
mildr battle-prodigal 28/3.
skjálfa (skalf) sv. tremble, shake 9/6, 18/4 (subj. is skjƒldr; cf. skelfr),
18/17, 75/8 (subj. is rœ›i).
skjálfhenda f. ‘shivering’, when the alliterating syllables in the odd lines
are separated by only one other syllable 28/11 (obj. of gera), 14; inforna s. 34/12, in n‡ja s. 39/11.

Glossary147

skjálfhendr a. ‘shivering’, having alliterating syllables in the odd lines
separated by only one other syllable 8/16, 35/13; n. as subst. 35/9.
skjóta (skaut) sv. with dat. shoot; put, cause to go 64/7; push (aside)
78/3; impers. (= pass.) spring, shoot, be shot up 13/8, there is shot
54/1; ef henni er skotit í if it (i.e. an occasional minni alhenda) is slipped
into, if it is allowed to slip into 43/10.
skjótr a. fast 17/17–18; quick, i.e. unstressed or short (usually referring
to resolution of stresses into two short syllables, or to enclitics andproclitics) 6/22, 7/11, 70/12 n., 83/10, 86/10 (cf. SGT 66); n. as adv.
quickly 4/17, 17/31.
skjƒldr m. shield 7/6, 8/3, 9/5, 18/3, 17, 24/7, 61/4; skjaldagi = skildir
eigi 54/2 (see Noreen 1923, § 396, Anm. 1; perhaps better to readskjƒldungi, as U, = skjƒldum eigi, instr.; see halda); in kennings forwarrior 5/8, 30/2, for battle 55/4, 58/7.
skjƒldungr m. ruler; = Hákon 24/8 (subj. of gefr); = Skúli 70/8 (gen. pl.
with fremstr 68/1), 91/8; skjƒldungs ni›r = Skúli 52/1 (see ni›r). (Theword probably originally meant ‘shield-warrior’, but cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64.)
skot n. shot, shooting 24/7.
skothenda f. half-rhyme, assonance 23/13, 42/10, 11–12, 43/10, 46/11,
52/9, 58/12, 63/11, 66/10, 75/10, 77/10.
skothending f. = skothenda 1/32–3, 41/11, 58/10, 68/13, 70/9, 76/11.
skothendr a. having half-rhyme 38/9, 51/13; n. as subst. 55/10.
skotna (a›) wv. impers. e–m skotnar e–t s–thing falls to one’s lot 44/1,
one succeeds in s–thing, is fortunate in s–thing 61/8 (or svá skotnar ﬂat
as a separate clause, ‘thus it turns out’, see svellir).
skotskúr f. shower of missiles 16/3 (prepositional phrase with setr).
skrautfƒr f. splendid, glorious expedition 70/7 (obj. of geta).
skreyta (tt) wv. decorate 73/5.
skrí›a (skrei›) sv. glide along (with acc. of the path) 6/2, 11, 13.
skri›r m. gliding movement 38/4 (gen. obj. of bi›ja), 44/18, 72/8 (obj.
of n‡tr).
skúr f. shower; dat. pl. (adv.) 62/7 (‘in showers’; see note); in kennings
for battle: darra›ar s. 52/1 (obj. of sær; if darra›ar is taken with skƒpt,skúr here means ‘shower of blows’), stála s. 55/5 (gen. with Gauti),
hjálma s. 57/1, Hlakkar s. 64/3.
skutr m. stern 21/2.
sk‡ n. cloud; in kenning for shield (part of kenning for battle): lindar
snarvinda s. 32/2.
skyldask (ld) wv. md. pledge o–self, undertake (with at and inf.) 58/8.

148

Háttatal

skyli m. ‘protector’, king 2/4 (gen. sg. or pl.(?) with ætt(stu›ill); taken as
proper name in Skj B II 61, cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64), 28/3 (dat. withﬂakkak).
skylja (skul›a) wv. wash (over) 60/1.
sk‡ra (›) wv. make clear; pp. vann mannd‡r›ir sk‡r›ar caused (his)virtues to be evident 44/4.
sk‡rr a. clear(-minded?), intelligent 70/7 (with greppr; indefinite); sup.
82/7 (either attributive with Skúli or predicative, parallel to d‡rstr), 94/7.
skƒr f. hair, head 10/8.
skƒrungr m. outstanding one; = Hákon 2/8 (subj. of felr 2/5; or of rei›ir,
parallel to deilir gulls, if the subj. of felr is understood from the firsthalf-verse), = Skúli 83/8 (obj. of kalla).
slétta (tt) wv. make level, make smooth or flat; pp. 17/2 (with skar›; hafi
is instr.), 17/11, 28; slice off (the—metaphorical—obj. is buildings,
which will be razed) 50/7.
sléttr a. flat, smooth 17/12.
slí›rbraut f. scabbard-path 6/2.
slí›rir f. pl. scabbard 6/9.
slíkr a. such; n. as subst., such an activity 27/4, 89/5, such activities
94/6, such a one (Skúli) 83/8; slíkt er svá so it is 82/1.
slíta (sleit) sv. tear apart 53/5.
slitna (a›) wv. break, come apart 18/9; be broken 18/2, 15 (dul slitnar ati.e. it is revealed that, there is no disputing that, there are clear reportsthat).
sló› f. track, path; s. geima, i.e. the sea 71/1 (with hleypa: over the sea).
slyngva (slƒng) sv. throw; pp. slunginn vi› fastened, twisted together
with or in 89/8.
smáor› n. (grammatical) particle 44/12.
smár a. small; n. as subst. í smátt into small pieces 89/7; comp. smæri
lesser, less important or elaborate? or with shorter lines? 67/14.
snarla adv. swiftly, energetically 54/8.
snarr a. swift, keen, bold 4/8 (paraphrased frœkn 4/17), 38/1, 43/2, 80/4
(with fjƒrum); of a poem, fine 92/2.
snarvindr m. keen wind; in kenning for battle, lindar s. (part of kenningfor shield) 32/2.
snei›ir m. cutter; in kenning for ruler: seima s. i.e. distributor of gold,
generous prince, = Skúli 71/1.
snekkja f. warship, ‘snack’ 20/6 (obj. of rekr), 38/2, 75/2 (obj. of lætr),77/2, 98/4.
snerpa (t) wv. make sharp or harsh (snarpr); impers. (= pass.) becomeharsh 9/2.

Glossary149

snerpir m. sharpener; in kenning for war-leader (Skúli): hlakkar s. 42/4.
snerra f. onslaught, battle 53/6.
sní›a (snei›) sv. cut (in two) 10/8.
snjallmæltr a. (pp.) clever in speech, eloquent 76/6.
snjallr a. brave or wise, clever 32/6, 42/5 (with jƒfurr), 67/3, 83/7.
snotr (trs) a. wise 41/2 (with ‡tum).
sny›ja (snudda) wv. hasten, go fast 77/1.
sn‡ja wv. cause s–thing (e–u) to snow 62/1.
sog n. keel 22/2 (pl.: the keel parts of a ship?).
sókn f. advance, attack; battle; in kenning for swords 6/1, for missiles 62/2.
sóknhar›r a. attack-, battle-hard 16/8 (with vápnrjó›r).
sóknvƒllr m. battle-field; in kenning for warrior (Skúli) or sword 61/7.
sól f. sun 17/21.
sólgit see svelga.
sólro› n. ‘sun-reddening’, dawn 77/1.
sómi m. honour 39/8 (with allan, obj. of fær).
sótt pp. of sœkja.
spakr a. wise 70/4 (with mœti).
spara (›) wv. spare, hold back 80/3 (1st pers. pl., sc. Snorri), 92/4 (obj.
ﬂat, i.e. the praising; but see ﬂat).
spekja (spak›a) wv. make quiet 7/1.
spenna (t) wv. grasp, clasp 75/6.
spilla (t) wv. spoil 8/17; abs. be a blemish, be bad style 6/16 (opposed tovel kve›nar; equivalent of nykrat), 8/27, 58/16.
spjalli m. friend (one who converses with one [e–s]); gumna s. = Skúli 83/6.
spjót n. spear 16/6 (instr. with stikar), 33/7, 66/2 (instr. with eyddi).
spjƒll n. pl. tidings, news; i.e. accounts of Skúli’s achievements 80/4
(obj. of spƒrum).
spjƒr n. spear 9/8, 10/2.
springa (sprakk) sv. burst, break; pp. sprungit broken, i.e. been distributed(by Skúli) 41/4.
sprund n. lady; Hja›ninga s. = Hildr, personification of battle 49/8 (subj.
of ﬂiggr).
spyrja (spur›a) wv. hear, learn; with acc. and inf. (equivalent of ‘that’clause) 5/1, 4713, 90/5; with acc. and a. or pp. (hear that s–one is s–thing)
5/7, 8/1, 61/7 (cf. ﬂrotna); impers. (= pass.) ﬂat spyrr this will be heard(reported) 89/4; pp. with spjƒll tidings (we have) heard 80/3; s. at e–mlearn, hear about s–one 26/4 (i.e. they become famous).
spƒng f. metal plate or disc (part of mail-coat) 57/4.
spƒnn f. span; hand; in kennings for gold: blik spannar 40/8, rƒf spannar
44/2.

150

Háttatalsta›r m. place, position 1/30, 77/11 (‘in each case’, i.e. both in the odd
and the even lines, with both kinds of rhyme); class, group, type,
category 51/9, 58/17.
stafasetning f. spelling 0/28; arrangement of letters (i.e. alliteration) 1/9;
(i.e. internal rhyme) 1/25, 27.
stafaskipti n. distribution, arrangement of staves (alliteration) 2/10, 9/10,
62/14, 63/11, 65/10, 67/9, 70/10, 74/9–10, 75/11–12, 79/9–10, 82/10,
88/10. Cf. hendingaskipti. (In TGT 65 the word means ‘change of letters’.)
stafn m. stem (of ship) 73/6.
stafr m. (1) stave, staff; in kenning for warriors: gunnveggs s. 61/6 (dat.
of respect with leggi). (2) letter, sound (at the end of a syllable or word)
1/31, 71/11, 73/10, 78/10; (at the beginning of a syllable) 41/9; pl.
initial letters (or spelling overall?) 46/10; alliterating sound (stave) 1/10,
12, 13, 14, 15, 19; at stƒfum in alliteration 76/10, 11.
stál n. (1) steel; weapon 66/3; in kennings for warrior(s): stála valdr
weapon-wielder (Skúli) 44/6 n., stála steykkvilundar 63/1; for battle:
stála skúr 55/5. (2) inlay, inlaid (parenthetical) statement (cf. stæltr)12/12 (cf. TGT 70). (3) stem, prow 20/1, 21/7, 75/4 (instr. with hrinda);
in kenning for ship 31/1.
stálhrafn m. stem-, (prow-)raven (or -horse: Hrafn is the name of alegendary horse, see Skáldskaparmál, chs. 44 and 58), i.e. ship, inkenning for seafarer 59/5.
stálhreinn m. stem-, (prow-)reindeer, i.e. ship, in kenning for seafarer 28/7.
stallr m. perch; in kenning for hand: gelmis s. 2/7.
stamhendr a. stammering-rhymed 44/19, 45/10.
standa (stó›) sv. stand 13/4, 66/4; be placed 1/39, 45/11, 54/10, 58/14,
97/10; come 1/40, 32/9, 58/13, 65/11; appear, be 0/20; take place,continue 36/8; s. af arise from 37/8 (subj. is ﬂat 37/7), 55/5; s. fyrircome at the beginning (of) 1/14, 19, 22, 41/9 (come in front of), 82/1 n.
(come in place of, as?), come before 8/14; s. í be in the position of
44/12; s. saman be adjacent 23/10; s. til be capable of, stand in need of
16/16; md. come, be positioned 97/12; standask nær come, be positioned
close to each other 28/10; s. sem first (má) come as far apart from eachother as possible 28/12, 31/10.
stef n. refrain 70/12, 15, 81/5 (obj. of stœra; referring to verse in general?—but cf. Fidjestøl 1982, 248, where it is suggested that the reference is tothe stef-like repetition in 82/7–8 and 94/7–8).
stefjamél n. refrain passage, passage enclosed by a refrain 70/14, 15(gen. of respect).
steflauss a. lacking a stef or refrain 35/13.

Glossary151

stefnir m. director, steerer; in kenning for ruler (Skúli): stálhrafna s., i.e.
seafarer 59/5.
steindr a. (pp.) coloured 10/3.
steinn m. stone; instr., by stone 102/7.
sterkr a. strong 4/2, 12 (complement), 7/8.
steykkvilundr m. in kenning for warriors, stála s. steel-impelling (throwing)trees 63/1 (dat. with kendi). Cf. støkkvir.
stígr m. path; pl. in kennings for breast: sefa s. 6/8, hugar s. 6/13; inkenning for sea: kjalar s. (dat. obj. of kasta) 76/3.
stika (a›) wv. fence (make a fence round with palings), enclose in a fence
16/5.
stikkalag n. ‘needle-metre’?—probably an error for Starka›ar lag 97/11,
but see note and cf. LP s.v. stikki; NN 2095; also the poem-namesSƒrlastikki, Haraldsstikki (Flb I 307, Hkr III 181).
stiklir m. thrower (stikla: cause to jump or fly); in kenning for (generous)
ruler (Skúli): mens s. 60/5. Cf. menstiklir, hoddstiklandi.
stillir m. ruler; = Hákon 1/6, 7/7, hersa s. 29/7 (dat. with hollr); = Skúli
60/7, 66/3 (gen. with dólgum), 76/6, s. Mœra 81/6 (dat. of advantage,for); collective, = Hákon and Skúli 102/8; in kenning for warrior,
controller, operator (of swords, = Hákon) 2/1.
stinga (stakk) sv. with dat. thrust; s. brott dispose of, give away 47/4
textual note. See ﬂinga.
stingr m. prow, in kenning for ship: stinga hjƒrtr 73/7 (the pl. may referto spikes fitted on the prows of ships).
stinnge›r a. firm-minded 31/2 (with ﬂengils).
stinnr a. stiff, unbending 21/8, 60/6 (n. pl. with fólk; or emend to stinnr,
with stiklir, ‘unyielding’; see 60/8 n.); severe, sharp, painful 4/1, 9(complement).
stjóri m. controller; in kenning for ruler (Skúli): s. dunu geira 53/1.
stó› n. stallion (accompanied by mares); in kenning for ships: s. Ró›a
21/4 (also by word-play p. of standa sv. ‘stand still’, in contrast to hljóp).
stórgjƒf f. great gift 95/4 (obj. of mun›a).
stórlæti f. munificence 28/8.
stórr a. great 4/10, 53/2; a great deal of 11/6; n. as adv. stórt mightily
15/7 (or n. as subst., ‘he undertakes great things’?); stórum greatly 4/1,
11; comp. stœrri greater 40/3.
straumr m. current (of sea) 101/6 (obj. of reist).
strjúka (strauk) sv. stroke 22/1.
strúgr m. dignity, pride; or indignation, anger?—in kenning for wine,
strúgs galli 25/7.

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Háttatal

str‡kva sv. stroke 76/1.
strƒnd f. shore; in kenning for shield: brands s. 59/4.
stu›ill m. (1) prop, support (i.e. the alliterating staves in the odd lines ofverses) 1/14, 15, 21, 28/11 (nom. pl. with ﬂeir), 31/10, 97/10, 11, 12.
Cf. hljó›fyllandi, hljó›fylling. (2) ‘buttress’, an additional line at theend of a stanza (?) 8/32 n.
stu›ning f. support (i.e. intensive prefix) 4/22, 5/9, 11.
stúfhendr a. ‘stump-rhymed’, having the (first) rhyme-word docked(shortened by a syllable, i.e. monosyllabic); n. as subst. 73/10.
stúfr m. stump, something docked; catalectic (verse) 48/11; meiri s. 49/10,
hinn mesti s. 50/9. Cf. st‡fa.
stundum adv. sometimes 1/40, 41, 27/15.
sty›ja (studda) wv. support; pp. ‘supported as it is’ 102/7 (with fold;steini is instr.); use a support (stu›ning), i.e. an intensive prefix with anadjective or adverb 1/53 (abs.), strengthen (with an a. or adv.) 4/9.
st‡fa (›) wv. ‘make into a stump’, dock, apocopate; pp. st‡f›r catalectic
49/9, 50/9, 10, 51/10, 12; of a word rather than a line, shortened by one
syllable, monosyllabic 75/11, 76/11, 77/12; shortened, abbreviated81/10, 93/9.
st‡ra (›) wv. with dat. govern, rule over 14/6, 15/6 (obj. is gr‡ttu setri);steer 63/3.
st‡ri n. steering-oar, rudder 35/4 (instr.), 74/4.
st‡rir m. steerer, controller, user; in kennings for seafarer: hranna hádyra
s., i.e. viking warrior, man 8/37, stálhreins s., i.e. Snorri 28/6 (dat. withgjƒf ); for war-leader (Skúli), hjaldrs s. 39/6 (dat. with gaf ).
styrjƒkull m. battle-glacier, -icicle, i.e. sword 60/5 (obj. of venja).
styrkr a. strong, powerful 52/7 (with mót, probably attributive not predicative: ‘powerful meetings of metal take place under the standards’).
styrr m. tumult, battle 10/3, 55/6; warfare 62/8; in kennings for ruler:
styrjar deilir, = Hákon 21/7, 28/7, styrjar valdi, = Skúli 63/2, styrsstœrir, = Skúli 68/6; in kenning for battle, hjálma hyrjar s. 58/2 (gen.
with til), for swords 85/7, for coats of mail, styrs serkir 7/7.
styrvindr m. battle-wind, i.e. warfare 59/6.
stæltr a. (pp.) inlaid, intercalated 11/10; n. as subst. 12/1 textual note.
Cf. stál; stæla means ‘to hammer steel into’. Cf. TGT 70, 113, FoGT
136–7.
stœra (›) wv. make great, increase; carry out (deeds) 53/1; cause 63/7;
create, perform (poetry) 31/8, 81/5. Cf. auka, efla, gilda, her›a, remma.
stœrir m. increaser, creator, performer; in kenning for war-leader (Skúli),styrs s. 68/5 (dat. of advantage). Cf. Latin auctor (from augeo).

Glossary153

stƒ›va (a›) wv. cause to stop, put a stop to 17/7 (with person being
restrained in dat.), 17/16, 23, 32.
stƒng f. pole (for standard or banner) 33/3, 52/6 (collective).
støkkva (stƒkk) sv. fly, spring 10/4; of a sword causing a wound 50/3.
støkkvi-Mó›i m. in kenning for ruler (Skúli): styrjar gló›a s. the Mó›i
who makes fly or impels (i.e. wields) or scatters (i.e. gives) swords
85/8 (gen. with d‡r›). Cf. steykkvilundr.
støkkvir m. impeller; in kenning for seafarer (Snorri): stáls dynblakka s.
31/1 (dat. with samir).
støkr m. flight 35/5 (subj. of óx).
sú› f. planking (on a ship’s side) 27/2.
sumar n. summer 23/2.
sumr a. pron. some; n. as subst. some of this, ‘this is in some ways’ 65/14.
sund n. sound, sea; in kenning for blood, s. unda 60/8 (obj. of lætr or
fylla, see note).
sundr adv. apart 10/2, 89/7.
sundra (a›) wv. separate, tear apart; md. for pass. 9/7.
sundrgreiniligr a. containing diversity of meaning, antithetical 17/26.
svá adv. thus; nema s. at if it were not that (or unless in this way that)56/3; ﬂar svá at = svá at ﬂar, or as rel. = where 58/3.
svalr a. cool 18/8, 12, 19, 35/4, 44/8 (with branda, a metaphor for gold
(ornaments); an example of refhvarf, cf. 18/8), 90/3 (again referring togold).
svanfjall n. swan’s mountain, i.e. wave; in kenning for ships 83/4.
svanr m. swan; in kenning for waves 76/5.
svartr a. black, of ships 73/8, 76/5 (with skí›um).
sveimﬂreytir m. turmoil-labourer, -performer, i.e. warrior (= Skúli) 32/5
(reading seim-, as TWU, the term would mean ‘gold-spender’, i.e.
generous ruler).
sveit f. troop, company (of men) 44/15, 83/7, 91/3.
sveiti m. sweat; in kenning for blood: sœfis s. 54/5; = blood 6/6, 32/5
(dat. with bjó).
svelga (svalg, pp. sólgit) sv. swallow 51/7.
svelja (sval›a) wv. be(come) cold 35/7.
svell n. (lump of) ice; in kenning for sword, sóknvallar s. ?61/7 (instr.
with ﬂrotna). See next.
svellir m. heaper up, causer of swelling, in kenning for warrior: sóknvallars., i.e. he who heaps up corpses on the battlefield, or he who increases
battle (cf. ógnsvellir); = Skúli 61/7 (dat. with skotnar, or dat. of agent(‘at the hands of, before’) with ﬂrotna). Cf. NN 175, 1319 and see svell.

154

Háttatal

sver› n. sword 2/13, 4/5, 15, 6/9, 15 (subj.), 8/4, 10/1 (instr.), 17/30,
33/2, 57/2 (instr.), 58/4, 63/7 (instr.), 65/7; in kennings for battle 6/5,
16/7, for tongue, góma s. 85/3 (instr.).
sver›tog n. sword-drawing, i.e. battle 54/6.
svi›r a. wise 6/1.
svífa (sveif) sv. glide 20/2 (impers. with dat.?); glide round (from hand tohand, at gjƒf as a gift, freely) 23/8; glide through (the path in acc.) 50/5.
svipa (a›) wv. with dat. cause to vibrate or flex, jerk; or intrans., sweep(forward) 38/5.
svƒr›r m. (1) thong, rope made of hide 21/3 (obj. of her›a). (2) scalp; inkenning for head, svar›ar land 57/6 (obj. of hnykkja).
s‡ja f. riveting, clinching, line of nails (of the side of a ship) 38/5.
s‡na (d) wv. show, demonstrate, exemplify 4/18, 7/11, 8/10, 16/15, 62/16;
display 6/20, 17/25; md. be apparent 16/16.
syngva (sƒng, sungu) sv. sing; of noise of weapons 66/3.
s‡nn a. obvious, clear to see, unequivocal; comp. 40/7.
sæfuni m. sea-blaze, i.e. gold 46/6 (instr. with fremr).
sæll a. happy, blessed 8/34.
sær m. sea 13/4, 17/13, 21; in kenning for gold 17/6, 20, 32. Cf. sjár.
sætt f. settlement, agreement 17/20.
sœfir m. queller, killer; = sword in kenning for blood: sœfis sveiti 54/5.
sœkir m. attacker, enemy; in kenning for (generous) ruler (Hákon): s.
síks gló›ar, i.e. enemy of gold, generous giver 17/1, 27; by word-playalso 3rd pers. sg. of sœkja wv., ‘attacks’ 17/10.
sœkja (sótta) wv. seek 101/2, with suffixed pron. -k 101/1, 3; s. heim
visit (s–one in his home) 13/6, láta e–n sótt heim pay s–one a visit
93/6; attack 17/11; s. fram advance, engage 64/2.
sœm› f. honour 27/6, 90/2 (til in).
sƒgn f. crew 24/4 (obj. of gle›r); bragna s. troop of men 59/8 (gen. pl.
with oddviti).
sƒngr m. song; in kenning for battle: at sver›a sƒngvi 16/7.
sƒnnunaror› n. confirmatory or corroboratory word, word of emphasis;
intensive 5/11 (cf. sannan, sannask, sannkenning).
søkk n. gold, treasure ?43/1 (instr.; samﬂykkjar descriptive gen. ‘peacebringing’, cf. fri›bygg; NN 2179). See søkkvir.
søkkva (sƒkk) sv. sink 21/8.
søkkvir m. destroyer, in kenning for gold (objects): samﬂykkjar s. 43/1
(instr.). Cf. søkk.
taka (tók) sv. take 23/4; seize 18/11; receive, get 45/3; with inf. begin to
18/4 (subj. is skatnar), 17, 38/3, go and 49/1; with at and inf. 88/3;

Glossary

155t. af shorten, decrease 27/15, omit 49/9, 62/10, 65/13, base on, derivefrom 86/9, 88/9, 90/9, 92/9; t. me› include, be consonant with, linkwith 48/9; t. til máls use for the sense 18/14; t. ór subtract, leave out
34/11, 42/9, 65/11 (with dat., from s–thing), take away from, subtractfrom 8/19, 62/11; t. upp take up, begin, raise (a topic) 6/14; t. upp(vísu) interpret (a verse), read in (prose) order 17/27.
tala (1) f. number, enumeration 0/15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 6/23, 8/46, 47, 48.
Cf. TGT 50, 74, 76, 77, 85, FoGT 135, 142, where the word refers togrammatical number.
tala (2) f. speech; in kenning for tongue 81/4.
tala (3) (a›) wv. speak 90/4.
téa (›) wv. periphrastic aux. with inf.; tér bergja ok rjó›a does taste andredden 11/7.
teitr a. happy 12/4 (with Hákun), 11.
telja (tal›a) wv. declare; with double acc., declare s–thing to be s–thing
89/5; count, enumerate 100/3.
tí› f. time; tense 8/25 (cf. TGT 76); (metrical) quantity? 16/13 n., 23/11 n.
Cf. TGT 52–3, GT Prologue 154.
tí›askipti n. variation of tense 8/41. Cf. TGT 77.
tí›r a. frequent; tí› erumk (s–thing) is frequent with me, i.e. I often do it,
I am good at it, I like doing it 8/36; dat. pl. as adv., frequently, repeatedly,
constantly 44/16; sup., most common, usual 70/15; sup. n. as adv.
generally 65/9, 83/9.
tiggi m. prince, ruler (= Hákon) 12/3 (dat.); tiggja sonr = Hákon 18/7, 20; =Skúli, t. grundar 52/4 (dat.), 62/1, 74/2 (gen. with hlunnvigg), 90/3.
til prep. with gen., to 27/3, 88/1, 90/1; towards 63/3; for 26/6, (purpose)
27/8, 58/3 (to bring about), 88/5, as 53/7, 70/12, of 58/1 (with væni); in(as a result of) 90/2; about 100/2; (time) until 30/7.
tilsag›r a. (pp.) ‘annotated’; n. as name of a verse-form 24/10, 25/1
textual note (kennings in the verse are explained in the following line).
tiltekinn a. (pp.) ‘linked’; n. as name of verse-form 15/1 textual note, 38/11.
tími m. time; in kenning for battle (time of swords), sára ára t. 61/1.
tírr m. glory 12/3.
tírœ›r a. counted in tens (i.e. a decimal rather than duodecimal hundred)
100/3.
tjald n. tent, awning, curtain; in kenning for shield, Hƒgna meyja (Hildr’s,
battle’s) t. 49/4; for breast, mó›sefa t. 50/2.
toginn a. drawn (of a sword) 58/4.
tómr a. empty 23/8 (with hƒll). NN 1305 takes tóm here as the noun tóm n.
‘leisure’, used adverbially with svífr to mean ‘during the period of leisure’.

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Háttatal

traustr a. reliable 4/3, 13.
treystir m. tester (truster? encourager?), in kenning for ruler (= Skúli):fólka t. 34/1 (cf. reynir, Skáldskaparmál, chs. 31, 47 and LP, s.v.).
trollsháttr m. ‘troll’s verse-form’ 62/17.
trúa (›) wv. with dat., trust 26/5.
tryggva (g›) wv. secure, entrust (e–t e–m s–thing to s–one) 43/6.
tunga f. tongue 81/3.
tvennr a. double, having two divisions 0/9 etc.; twofold 53/9; pl., having
two sets (pairs) 17/35, 19/10, 44/9, 60/9.
tvíkendr a. (pp.) doubly modified, with double (two) determinants 2/11, 12.
tvíklypt pp. (cf. klippa wv. ‘clip’, see Noreen 1923, § 85) repeated 45/11.
U has tvíkylft (written -kylpt), and this word is perhaps related to kylfaf., ‘club’; the original may have had tvíklifat (cf. klifat). Tvíklippa andtvíklifa appear as variants with the meaning ‘repeat’ in Konungsskuggsjá (1920), 121/9.
tvíkve›inn pp. repeated; t. at repeated as to, (there is) repetition of 45/9.
tvíri›inn a. (pp.) ‘double-twisted’, doubly strengthened, having two
qualifiers (adverbs) to the adjective or adverb; n. as subst. 4/22.
tvískelf›r a. (pp.) ‘double-shaken’, having alliterating syllables close
together and a heavy syllable between them twice in the half-stanza;n. as subst. 27/16, 28/1 textual note. The word is used in Hallar-Steinn’s
Rekstefja 35 (Skj A I 552).
tvíst‡f›r a. (pp.) ‘doubly docked’, catalectic in two lines 51/11.
tysvar adv. twice 1/14, 47/9.
tøgdrápuháttr m. ‘journey-poem form’ 70/12. The quality of the firstvowel is uncertain; cf. tog n., rope’, tøgr m., ‘ten’ (of a poem of ten
stanzas?), German Zug, ‘journey’. In ÍF XXVII 308 the poem Tøgdrápa(by ﬁórarinn loftunga; probably the first poem to use this form) isconnected with King Knútr’s journeying in Norway. Sighvatr’s Knútsdrápa, the next poem in the form, is also a journey-poem.
tøgdrápulag n. ‘journey-poem metre’ 67/16 (see tøgdrápuháttr, whichapparently means the form of the poem as a whole, while tøgdrápulag
and tøglag refer to the form of individual verses, see JH–AH 60).
tøglag n. ‘journey-metre’ (evidently = tøgdrápulag) 68/14, 70/11, 86/9.
tøgmæltr a. (pp.) ‘journey-spoken’, in tøglag; n. as subst. 70/10.
tøgr m. ten; sex t. with part. gen. = sixty, 67/4.
tœja (tœ›a) wv. help; abs. 81/3.
u›r f. = unnr wave 22/7.
úlfr m. wolf (i.e. Fenrir, in kenning for Ó›inn) 3/1; dat. pl., for wolves 11/1.
umgjƒr› f. fittings, scabbard 6/10.

Glossary157

una (›) wv. with dat., rejoice in 4/8, 17, 11/4; vel una sínu be content
with one’s lot 8/37; with inf. be happy to do s–thing 72/6.
und (1) f. wound 10/2, 56/5 (pl., obj. of gefr); in kenning for blood: undasund 60/8.
und (2) prep. with acc. and dat., under 21/4, 32/7, 38/8, 49/3 (with tjald),
52/7, 53/4, 64/7 (with il), 72/5, 95/8.
undarliga adv. amazingly 4/17.
undgagl n. wound-gosling, i.e. raven 62/2 (‘the bird of prey is aware ofthis’, i.e. that corpses will be available as a result of the chieftain’s
warfare).
undinn see vinda.
undrum adv. amazingly (= undarliga 4/17) 4/7.
ungr a. young; of Hákon 1/6; with herstefnir (i.e. Skúli) 51/2, with Skúli(68/1) 70/8 (‘when still young’); of Skúli 77/3, of Hákon and Skúli 98/7.
unna (ann, unna) pret.-pres. vb. love 19/11; u. e–s grant s–thing, bepleased for s–thing to be so 82/3.
unnr f. = u›r wave, in kennings for ship unna Gyllir 19/4 (also by wordplay unna ‘love’ 19/11), unna d‡r (pl.) 28/5.
upphaf n. beginning 1/40, 28/11, 37/9; opening 70/15; i.e. foundation (?)
1/43.
upphafsstafr m. initial consonant or sound 1/31, 36, 41/12.
úthlaupsma›r m. highwayman, robber 66/1.
útsker n. outlying skerry, offshore rock 35/11.
útstrƒnd f. outlying coast 79/2.
vá› f. cloth; sail 20/5, 77/7 (obj. of grei›a).
va›a (ó›) sv. advance 33/3, 52/6 (at: to); step, pace (see ve›r); rush
forward 86/6 (at gjƒf: to be given, i.e. are quickly distributed); v. fram,of a poem: be presented 69/6.
vá›i m. causer of danger or harm; enemy; in kenning for ﬁórr: orms v.
3/5, for Ó›inn: vitnis v. 8/36. Cf. Gylfaginning, ch. 51.
vaka (›) wv. be awake 38/3.
val n. choice(st) 25/7 (with gen. pl.).
valbjórr m. slaughter-, carnage-beer, i.e. blood 11/6.
valbroddr m. slaughter-point, spear; gen. pl. with ern, eager to use spears,
skilful with spears; or perhaps parallel to hræna›ra, gen. with oddum
79/6 n.
vald n. power; use of or desire for power, arrogance 37/2 (obj. of banna).
valda (olla) sv. with dat. cause, bring about 40/5; v. e–m e–u cause s–thing
to s–one 5/3; rule over, possess 12/1, 10 (objects are heiti ok hƒl›um);pres. p. valdandi ruler: hers v. = Skúli 49/4.

158

Háttatalvaldi m. ruler, wielder; in kennings for rulers, vígfoldar vandar v. swordwielder, = Hákon 30/5 (vocative); styrjar v. battle-leader, = Skúli 63/2.
valdr m. wielder; in kennings for warrior/ruler: v. skjáldar = Hákon 5/8,
v. stála = Skúli 44/7 (or this could be the nom. valdi here, see note).
válka (a›) wv. handle; roll in the mind, ponder, plan 17/5 (pp. with fri›læ;
fljótt válkat = rash), 17/18 (in the sense ‘ponder, weigh’, or (?) hover’),17/30.
valland n. falcon-land, resting place of falcon, i.e. arm; in kenning forgold, vallands brandr 44/8.
valr (1) m. the slain, the fallen 6/7, 66/4.
valr (2) m. falcon; in kennings for arms: vals reitir 42/3, vala lei›ar 48/8.
valsta›r m. falcon-perch (-stead), arm; in kenning for gold 86/7.
ván f. hope 33/6 (dat. obj . of hrau›).
vanda›r a. (pp.) finely (painstakingly) wrought, elaborate, done withcare 1/42.
vandbaugr m. ‘wand-ring’; vandbaugs sendir = baugs vandsendir, senderor provider or wielder of the wand of the shield (baugr [part of a shield,
the boss or its surround] by synecdoche = shield, its wand is a sword),
i.e. the king 28/1.
vandbaugska›i m. ‘wand-ring damager’ = baugs vandska›i, damager ofthe wand of the shield, sword damager, warrior 86/8 (pl., obj. of drekkr).
vandliga adv. precisely, completely 4/19; carefully 16/16.
vandr a. difficult 16/13; sup. most demanding, choicest 44/10 (cf.
vanda›r).
vápn n. weapon 17/29, 96/4 (pl.); in kenning for battle 65/1.
vápnrjó›r m. weapon-reddener (i.e. with blood), warrior, = Hákon 16/5.
vara (1) (›) wv. impers. e–n varir e–s s–one expects s–thing 92/3.
vara (2) (a›) wv. warn 20/8 (word-play; cf. vƒr); md. be on one’s guard
against, avoid (ﬂat: this practice) 44/13.
vara (3) = var with neg. suffix 27/8.
var›a (a›) wv. defend 18/4 (obj. is foldir), 18/11, 17; v. e–t e–m defends–thing against s–one 55/8.
vargr m. wolf 11/7, 18/15, 51/5, 56/4 (dat. of respect or advantage), 96/3.
varmr a. warm 6/7.
varrsími m. (or -síma n.) thread or line of wake 35/2 (acc.).
vás n. hardship, wet and cold 72/3 (gen. with samir).
vatn n. water 6/11, 17/10.
vátta (a›) wv. with dat., bear witness to, report 27/6.
vaxa (óx) sv. grow, increase 9/1, 35/5, 61/2; grow in power, gain 26/8.
vé n. standard, banner 52/5 (subj. of geisa).

Glossary159

ve›r n. weather, wind 20/7 (also by word-play 3rd pers. sg. of va›a sv.,
‘pace, step deliberately’), 35/12; in kenning for battle: Skƒglar v. 54/1.
vefja (vaf›a) wv. fold, wind; hesitate 64/1 (with at and inf.).
vefr m. cloth; sail 20/6 (also by word-play 3rd pers. sg. of vefja wv.,
‘fold’).
vega (vá) sv. fight 8/23.
veggja›r a. (pp.) ‘wedged’; n. as subst. 32/12, 33/1 textual note.
veggr m. wall; sail 78/6 (obj. of skekr); in kenning for shield: Sigars v.
59/2 (pl. obj. of skerr).
veghrœsinn a. ‘glory-boasting’, proud of one’s glory 5/7.
vegr (1) m. honour 67/5 (dat. obj. of orpit).
vegr (2) m. way 1/45, 49, 6/15, 8/39, 9/11; in kenning for sea: Haka v.
76/7.
veig f. drink, a filled cup 25/7.
veita (tt) wv. give 25/6 (obj. is heilsu), 28/1, 90/3, 94/5.
veizla f. feast 88/6.
vel adv. well; with sup. easily, by far 93/3.
vél f. trick, deceit 17/20.
véla (t) wv. cheat, use deceit on; entrap 62/4; with gold as obj.: cause to
be lost, i.e. give away generously 40/8.
veldi n. power 14/4.
velja (val›a) wv. choose, select, arrange (saman together) 16/12; select(e–t e–m s–thing for someone [as a gift]) 41/1.
vell n. gold: pl., gold ornaments 46/3 (instr. with gle›r), 67/5, 98/2, 99/5.
vellbrjótr m. gold-breaker, i.e. generous lord, = Hákon 16/6 (subj. of
ﬂryngr).
vellbrjóti (-broti (so TWU) would be more normal) m. gold-breaker, i.e.
generous lord, = Skúli 46/3. Cf. gullbroti.
velta (lt) wv. with dat. cause to roll 65/1.
venja (1) f. custom 26/2.
venja (2) (van›a) wv. accustom (e–t e–u s–thing to s–thing) 48/7 (i.e.
gives frequently), 60/6 (‘accustoms swords to blood, fights frequently’);
md. become customary, become normal or common 44/3; with at andinf., accustom o–self to s–thing, do s–thing frequently 53/1.
ver n. sea 82/6.
vera (var) sv. be 13/7; er = there is 58/1, it is 83/5; sem er as it is 87/7;
with pp. 15/2, = has been 80/1, 97/3, 100/3, with neg. suffix vara (impers.)
27/8; of customary action 50/7; impers. referring to customary action
41/7, 48/3; eru = take place 52/7; with suffixed pron. emk 2714, vartu
30/7; ró = eru 99/1.

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Háttatalverbál n. ‘sea-pyre’, i.e. fire of sea, kenning for gold 46/2 (obj. of gefr),
93/4 (obj. of gefr).
ver›a (var›) sv. become 68/1; come to be 41/12, 77/10; turn out to be
65/14; with pp. (forming pass.) 32/3, 33/1; with inf., have to 32/7.
ver›r a. worthy 37/3 (with fer›; but according to NN 1311, this is ver› n.
repayment, reward, obj. of fest); with gen. (bana) deserving of 65/4
(with klett); comp. with gen. (hæra hró›rar) 98/1 (with unga jƒfra).
ver›ung f. court, king’s or earl’s following 46/4.
verja (1) (var›a) wv. defend 3/1, 10/1, 14/3, 17/1, 10, 11, 28; with suffixed
pron. var›ak 8/22 n.
verja (2) (var›a) wv. enclose, clothe, cover; of covering men’s arms withgold rings, v. e–m arm 42/7, v. au›i 48/1.
verk n. deed 36/4 (pl., subj. of frƒm›usk), 53/2.
verki m. (literary) work, composition (i.e. a poem, poetry) 8/31, 58/14.
verpa (varp) sv. with dat. throw 42/4; impers. with dat. for pass. 9/2; pp.
orpit 67/7.
verstr a. sup. worst; vellum v., i.e. most hostile or harsh to gold, mosteager to be generous with it 99/5.
vestan adv. from the west (or in the west?) 35/1.
véstƒng f. banner-pole, standard 36/2 (subj. of reistisk).
vetr m. winter 23/2; acc. of time 84/8.
vi› prep. (1) with dat. against 16/3 (prep. phrase with setr); at, in the faceof 88/4; with, i.e. where he is 44/7 (but according to NN 3146,
postposition with herfjƒl› (acc.); see note). (2) with acc. against 34/7,
87/8; across, over 23/3 (dependent on gƒngu); together with (or bymeans of; with slungit) 89/8; because of 45/5.
ví›a adv. widely, over great distances 16/5; widely found, in many places
58/14.
ví›ir m. ‘expanse’, sea 74/6 (obj. of brjóta).
vi›r (1) = vinnr, see vinna.
vi›r (2) m. tree; by synecdoche = ship (gen. sg. with skri›ar) 38/4, 72/8
(cf. eik); in kennings for warriors, v. fólkhƒmlu 24/6, v. randa 45/6
(dat. of respect with armr, which is collective).
vi›rhending f. accessory rhyme (the second of two internal rhymes in aline) 1/38.
víg n. battle 41/7.
vígdjarfr a. battle-bold, battle-daring; sup. 99/6.
vígdrótt f. war-band 16/2.
vígfold f. battle-land, i.e. shield 30/5.
víggjƒll f. river of battle, i.e. flowing blood 6/8 (Gjƒll is the name of amythical river in Gylfaginning, chs. 4 and 49).

Glossary161

vígrakkr a. battle-bold 28/2.
vígrœkjandi m. cultivator of battle, = Skúli 64/2.
vígsárr a. battle-wounded (of the breast) 51/6.
vili m. will; in kenning for breast 51/5.
vilja (ld) wv. aux. with inf. want to; with suffixed pron. vilk 85/1; 3rd pers.
sg. vill tries to 22/3, vill svá wishes it so 51/8; with at and subjunc. 41/5.
vín n. wine 25/8, 91/4 (obj. of drekka).
vinda (vatt, pp. undinn) sv. wind, twist; pp. twisted 45/1 (with brot).
vindr m. wind 20/5 (also by word-play = 3rd pers. sg. of vinda sv. ‘twist’).
vínger› f. wine-making, wine-product; vitnis vá›a v. = Ó›inn’s winemaking, i.e. the making of (the mead of) poetry 8/37 (see Skáldskaparmál, 4–5).
vinna (vann; 3rd sg. pres. vi›r) sv. do; v. e–m e–t cause s–one s–thing
17/25, 19/5, 47/7; with pp., cause s–thing to be done 37/1 (vann gjald[or ver›, see ver›r] fest), cause s–thing to be made s–thing 44/4 (vannmannd‡r›ir sk‡r›ar).
vinr m. friend; in kenning for Ó›inn: Míms v. 3/4; for King Hákon: gotna v.
11/5, drengja v. 14/2; for Skúli: aldar v. 54/7, skatna v. 58/7, bragna v. 90/6.
vir›a (r›) wv. evaluate, consider (s–thing to be s–thing, svá) 25/2; v. e–ne–s consider s–one worthy of s–thing, honour s–one with s–thing: ervir›an (pp.) mik létu with which they caused me to be honourcd 67/6.
vir›andi m. (pres. p.) valuer, one who sets a (high) price on s–thing,values s–thing, in kenning for ruler (Skúli): v. li›ar skerja 46/1.
vir›ar m. pl. men 37/1 (dat. with banna), 46/1 (dat. with gefr), 64/1 (dat.
with mœtti).
vísa f. strophe, stanza (= eyrindi, ørindi) 1/20, 27, 2/9, 6/19, 7/9, 8/12,
16, 28, 31, 15/9, 11, 16/9, 15, 17/26, 51/10, 53/14, 58/15, 81/9.
vísi m. leader, ruler; = Hákon 5/7, 16/1, 20/7 (obj. of l‡sa or gen. withi›jur); = Skúli 38/3 (gen. sg.), 52/5, 62/5 (subj. of heldr—or *skiptir,
see note), 72/7, 79/1, 93/3.
vísuhelmingr m. half-stanza, quatrain (= helmingr) 8/25, 27, 33, 15/9,
11, 39/10, 48/9. Cf. FoGT 136, 140, 145.
vísuleng› f. length of a verse; of alla v. throughout the verse 6/14, v.
saman throughout the verse 43/9.
vísuor› n. line (of a verse) 0/20, 22, 1/11 etc.; í fyrsta (fyrra) vísuor›i in
the first line of (each) couplet 1/13, 28; í ƒ›ru vísuor›i in alternate lines,
in the second of each pair of lines 1/12, 17/35; í vísuor›i in a line 43/11;
eptir v. at the end of a line 59/10. Cf. TGT 63–5, 83, 92, FoGT 137–8.
vita (veit, vissa) pret.-pres. vb. know 62/2; with at-clause 90/7; veit ek asparenthesis or with hvar-clause 42/3; with acc. and inf. 74/5 (subj. isbu›lungr), 86/1; with acc. and a., know s–one is s–thing 69/3, with

162

Háttatalacc. (unga jƒfra) and comp. a. 98/1; subjunc. with acc. (mær›) and pp.
(orta) 95/5; with suffixed pron. (vissak), acc. and sup. adv. (‘whom I
knew [to be] quite the most outstanding’) 67/2.
viti m. beacon, fire in kenning for gold (as ornament for arms): v. valsta›a
86/7 (subj. of va›a).
vitni n. witness, testimony 18/10. Cf. vitnir.
vitnir m. ‘watcher’, wolf 8/36 (i.e. Fenrir, in kenning for Ó›inn), 9/4,
11/5 (dat.), 18/2 (obj. of fremr), 18/15, 56/6 (dat. with gefr).
vitr a. wise 16/1.
væg›arlauss a. merciless 65/2 (with hrí›).
væni n. expectation; er e–m v. til e–s s–one can expect s–thing 58/2.
vƒllr m. field, battle-field; dat. sg. velli 10/5; pl. vellir 9/1.
vƒndr m. wand in kennings for sword 6/15, vígfoldar v. (in kenning for
warrior) 30/6.
vƒr f. landing-place 20/8 (gen. sg. varar; also by word-play 3rd pers. sg.
of vara (2) ‘warn’).
vƒr›r m. defender, guardian; grundar v. = ruler 90/8 (subj. of gata:‘I know that no ruler has ever been gifted with . . .’).
yggr a. frightening 7/5 textual note (cf. LP).
‡gr a. terrible, fierce 7/5.
ylgr f. she-wolf 51/7, 56/2 (obj. of ali), 66/4, 96/3 (gen. with granar).
‡miss (yms-) a. various 58/15.
yngvi m. ruler, = Skúli 62/3, 93/7. Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64.
yppa (t) wv. with dat. raise; make known 80/7.
‡r m. (yew-)bow 16/3.
yrkja (orta, pp. ortr) wv. compose (poetry) 0/2, 8/28, 18/13, 35/12, 41/10,
43/9, 44/10, 51/10, 53/12; with acc., compose in (verse-forms) 100/6(pp.); with dat., using s–thing 17/35, 19/10; y. at e–u compose with, usings–thing 1/53; y. eptir compose in, in accordance with (a metre or verseform) 44/10, 67/13, 14, compose in imitation of 58/15; y. me› compose
using (verse-forms) 1/42 (pp.), 53/14, 67/1 (p. with suffixed pron.), 83/9,
hvar viti ma›r mær› orta me› where would one know of praise composed in 95/5; ort er it (lof ) has been composed (or abs.? Cf. lof) 96/1.
‡skelfir m. (yew-)bow-shaker, warrior, = Hákon 11/1.
‡ta (tt) wv. push; pres. p. ‡tandi au›s distributor of gold, generous ruler,= Skúli 46/5.
‡tar m. pl. men 41/1 (dat. of advantage with velr), 42/7 (dat. of respectwith arm, which is collective), 46/5 (acc.), 63/6 (gen. with fer›ar), 97/3.
ﬂá (1) adv. then 72/7; ﬂá er conj. when 36/1, 39/5, 55/7, 75/3, 88/1, 95/2,
101/4, 5.

Glossary163ﬂá (2) p. of ﬂiggja 27/5.
ﬂá (3) acc. pl. of sá (2); ﬂá er (rel.) 67/2 (with siklinga), 98/2 (with jƒfra).
ﬂakka (a›) wv. thank (e–m e–t s–one for s–thing) 46/8; with suffixed
pron. -k 28/2.
ﬂar adv. there 16/2; belonging in following at-clause 58/3 (cf. svá); ﬂarer conj., where 45/7, 46/7.
ﬂat conj. = at ?92/4 (with ﬂess), see NN 3263.
ﬂáttr m. strand; vi› ﬂátt in or with strand(s) 89/8 (with slungit).
ﬂegja (ﬂag›a) wv. be silent 85/6.
ﬂegn m. subject 42/6 (dat. of respect or advantage with fit).
ﬂekkr a. pleasing, welcome 87/4 (with bekkr).
ﬂelli n. firs (collective); by synecdoche = ship(s) 20/2.
ﬂengill m. king, ruler; = Hákon 4/6, 5/4, 21/1 (l‡›a ﬂ.); = Skúli 31/4,
37/7 (ﬂ. skatna), 69/3, 89/3, 92/3, 93/1. Cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64.
ﬂiggja (ﬂá) sv. receive 27/5, 49/7; ﬂ. at e–m receive from s–one 91/1;
get, gain 59/7.
ﬂilja f. plank, planking 22/2 (obj. of str‡kr); in kenning for shield: ﬂ.
Hrungnis ilja (part of kenning for man) 30/4.
ﬂing n. assembly = battle 33/3, 36/8 n. (subj. of stó›; cf. egg); in kenningfor war-leader (Skúli): ﬂings ﬂrøngvir 41/3.
ﬂinga (a›) wv. adjudge, settle, determine; ﬂ. brott e–u give s–thing away
47/4.
ﬂjó› f. people 21/5, 66/8 (dat. with refsa), 69/2 (dat. with kunn), 88/7,
90/1; company, group (with hƒl›a áttar) 37/8 (indirect obj. of bjó›a;
cf. note).
ﬂjó›á f. great river; ﬂjó›ár hræs, i.e. rivers of blood 7/4.
ﬂjó›konungr m. king of a nation, great king, = Hákon 12/4, 11, 97/2.
ﬂjó›sterkr a. mighty strong 33/4 (with stƒng).
ﬂjóta (ﬂaut) sv. emit a noise, resound 34/7.
ﬂollr m. fir; in kennings for warrior(s): ﬂ. skjalda 30/1 (= Snorri), ﬂ. jƒru53/8. Cf. fleinﬂollr.
ﬂora (›) wv. aux. with inf. dare 8/7, 23.
ﬂorna (a›) wv. become dry 24/2.
ﬂrábarn n. beloved (longed for) child (offspring); demanding child? 32/8
(dat. of respect with fet).
ﬂrár a. obstinate; n. as adv., irresistibly 33/3, powerfully or repeatedly
37/5, constantly 89/3.
ﬂrekr m. endurance, fortitude 15/6.
ﬂrennr a. triple, having three parts or divisions 0/5 etc.; pl. in sets ofthree 36/9; in pl. can mean simply ‘three’ 69/4 (with kvæ›i: the poem

164

Háttatalis in three parts or there are three poems, i.e. three series of stanzas; thereference seems to be to the second section of Háttatal and two otherpoems, so that the third section will make a fourth poem about Skúli,cf. 69/5 and 95/3, and see Finnur Jónsson 1920–24, II 78; Sturl. I 278).
ﬂrífask (ﬂreifsk) sv. md. thrive, go forward, rage 32/1.
ﬂríhendr a. triple-rhymed; n. as subst. 35/14, 36/1 textual note.
ﬂrima f. noise, uproar, battle 9/2.
ﬂrjóta (ﬂraut) sv. impers. with acc., one stops; with at and inf. 31/6;
e–n ﬂr‡tr e–t one comes to lack s–thing; pp. ﬂrotinn: spyr ek gotna
ﬂrotna elli I hear men [are] deprived of (have lost) old age, i.e. they die
young in battle 61/8 (alternatively ﬂrotna may be inf. here, see ﬂrotna).
ﬂróask (a›) wv. md. grow, thrive, increase 4/1, 10, 11.
ﬂroski m. development, advancement 30/3.
ﬂrotna (a›) wv. come to an end, cease to be; spyr ek gotna elli ﬂrotna I
hear that men’s old age is being prevented ?61/8, cf. ﬂrjóta.
ﬂruma m. noise; in kenning for battle, ﬂ. randa 8/8 textual note.
ﬂryngva (ﬂrƒng) sv. press, proceed energetically (at to) 16/7.
ﬂrƒmr m. edge, side (of shield) 8/8 n., 54/4, 61/4 (obj. of nemr); side ofship, gunwale 34/7, 38/6 (dat. obj. of svipa, or adv., ‘with its fine sides’,if svipa is intrans.); pl., coast 16/8 (obj. of stikar).
ﬂrƒngr a. narrow 21/6; n. as adv., crowded, in large numbers 88/7; (filled)
tight 89/2.
ﬂrøngvir m. presser, compeller; in kenning for war-leader: ﬂings ﬂ. (=Skúli) 41/3.
ﬂungfarmr m. heavy burden; in kenning for gold: ﬂ. Grana 41/4 (seeSkáldskaparmál, ch. 40).
ﬂunghúfa›r a. (pp.) heavily planked; sup. 34/8.
ﬂungr a. heavy 21/5, 46/4 (with vellum), 74/8 (with ví›i); harsh 64/6.
ﬂunnr a. thin, slender 7/3, 19/7.
ﬂverra (›) wv. (cause to) decrease; ﬂ. au› be generous 40/4.
ﬂykkja (ﬂótta) wv. be thought 6/13, 16, 8/27, 44/9, 58/16, 94/7.
ﬂyrja (ﬂur›a) wv. rush along 6/7 (with acc. of route); rage, whistle past
20/7, 59/6.
ﬂyrna (d) wv. spike, hedge, surround or enclose with s–thing sharp (withinstrumental dat.) 79/5.
ﬂƒgn f. silence 25/3 (obj. of fellir; i.e. makes men loquacious).
æ adv. for ever 96/5.
ægir m. sea, ocean 3/1 (in kenning for gold), 102/6.
ætt f. family line; people 26/4; direction, region; ór ættum out of
proportion, beyond bounds, off course, excessive 8/30. Cf. átt.

Glossary165ættstu›ill m. pillar of family, outstanding member of dynasty; æ. skylja
pillar of the line of kings 2/4.
œ›ri a. comp. higher, better, greater, nobler 90/7 (with gjƒflund), 91/7
(with mann), 95/6 (with hætti).
œgir m. terrifier; in kenning for ruler (= Skúli): œ. jƒfra 55/1 (dat. ofcomparison with betra).
ƒ›lingr m. nobleman, prince (= Hákon) 25/1.
ƒflugr a. mighty 65/7.
ƒl n. ale 23/5, 25/2.
ƒld f. mankind, men 7/6 (obj. of lætr), 13/2 (with ƒll, subj. of l‡tr), 14/7,
50/2 (dat. of respect with tjƒld), 61/4 (gen. with skjaldar), 67/1 (dat. ofadvantage with minnum), 82/3, 96/6; pl. aldir 16/4 (subj. of hníga),34/2, 43/2 (obj. of fremr); in kennings for ruler (Skúli): aldar hƒfundr
37/2, aldar vinr 54/7.
ƒlsa›r a. ale-sated 86/4 (‘so as to make them filled with ale’).
ƒndur›r a. beginning of, early part of 57/10.
ƒr (pl. ƒrvar) f. arrow 9/8.
ƒrbrjótr m. eager breaker; in kenning for warrior (Snorri): odds bláferla
ƒ. eager breaker of shields 31/6.
ƒrn m. eagle 32/8, 51/3.
ƒrr a. liberal (e–s with s–thing); giving rise to a great deal of s–thing
80/6 (with fƒrum).
ƒxl f. shoulder 2/2.
ørindi = eyrindi 8/48.
ørver›r a. unworthy (e–s of s–thing) 100/4.

166

Háttatal

Index of Names
Baldr m. name of a god, one of the Æsir;in kenning for warrior, hjarar B. (i.e.
Skúli) 43/2 (cf. mannbaldr in Glossary).
Bálkr m. perhaps the name of a poet
after whom the metre Bálkar lag isnamed 96/9, 97/12.
Bragi [gamli Boddason] m. 9th-c. Norwegian poet 57/10.
Egill Skallagrímsson m. 10th-c. Icelandic poet 55/10.
Elfr f. the Göta älv, river in south-west
Sweden to which Hákon’s rule is supposed to extend 1/5 (gen. with milli).
Fákr m. a mythical horse (Skáldskaparmál, ch. 58); as common noun inkenning for ship 71/3.
Fenja f. a giantess, one of the operatorsof Fró›i's mill (cf. Skáldskaparmál,
ch. 43); in kenning for gold, Fenju
meldr 43/7.
Fenrir m. a mythical wolf; as a common
noun (collective) 56/7. Cf. vitnir andúlfr in Glossary; for Ó›inn as Fenrir’s
enemy see Gylfaginning, ch. 51.
Fir›ir m. pl. (‘Fjords’), a district inwestern Norway (Fir›afylki) 17/28.
Fleinn Hjƒrsson, Norwegian poet,c. 800? (mentioned in Landnámabók,
ÍF I 339 and Skáldatal, SnE (1848–87), III 270, but none of his poetry
survives) 56/10, 58/14.
Fró›i [Fri›leifsson] m. legendary king,owner of a magic mill (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 43); in kenning forgold 43/5.
Gandvík f. the White Sea (conceived
as the northern limit of Scandinavia)
1/8 (gen. with milli).
Gautr m. a name of Ó›inn; in kenningfor warrior, G. stála skúrar (i.e. Skúli)
55/6 (dat. with af ).
Geitir m. a sea-king; in kenning for
ship, gla›r Geitis 44/15.
Geri m. one of Ó›inn's two wolves; ascommon noun (collective) 64/7.
Gjƒll f. mythical river, see víggjƒll in
Glossary.
Gla›r m. a mythical horse (Gylfaginning, ch. 15, Skáldskaparmál, ch.
58); as common noun in kenning forship 44/15.
Gnitahei›r f. the heath where Fáfnir
lay on the gold (see Skáldskaparmál,
ch. 40); in kenning for gold, rei›málmr Gnitahei›ar 41/6.
Grani m. Sigur›r’s horse; his burden =gold (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 40) 41/4
Grotti m. a mythical hand-mill (seeSkáldskaparmál, ch. 43); in kenningfor gold, Grotta gla›dript 43/3.
Gungnir m. Ó›inn's spear; in kenningfor battle, hlymr Gungnis 52/6.
Gunnarr Ásuson m. one of the leadersof the Ribbungar, died 1221 (seeHákonar saga Hákonarsonar 1887,
64, ch. 74) 64/7.
Gyllir m. a mythical horse (Gylfaginning, ch. 15, Skáldskaparmál, ch.
58, PE Grímnismál 30); in kenningfor ship, unna G. 19/3.
Gƒndul f. a valkyrie; in kenning forbattle 59/7.
Haki m. a (legendary) sea-king, brotherof Hagbar›r 94/3; in kennings forship, Haka blakkr 38/7, Haka hnigfákr 71/3, for sea 76/7. Cf. Háttalykill, st. 14 (see JH–AH 62), Hkr I
43, Skáldskaparmál, chs. 58, 62, Saxo
Grammaticus, book VII.

Index of Names
Hákun (Hákon Hákonarson, king of
Norway 1217–63, born 1204) m. 0/2,
1/1, 17, 12/1, 10, 14/1. Most references to the king or ruler in stt. 1–30
are to him. His father is referred to at
15/4 and 18/7.
Ham›ir m. legendary hero (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 42, Ham›ismál inPE); in kenning for coat of mail,Ham›is fang 2/3.
Hárr m. a name of Ó›inn (‘hoary one’);in kenning for poetry, Hárs saltunna
hrannir (Hárs salr = Valhƒll, Ó›inn’shall) 31/7.
Háttatal n. ‘enumeration of (verse-)
forms’ (see háttr in Glossary) 0/1; cf.
11/10. The name is also found in TGT
96 and in Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar (1887), 64 (ch. 74).
He›inn [Hjarrandason] m. legendary
king (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 50);
his mála is Hildr, whose name means‘battle', so that she is made a personification of battle 49/5.
Hildr f. daughter of Hƒgni, legendary
king (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 50);also the name of a valkyrie; the namemeans ‘battle’ and is used as a personification of battle (ofljóst: Hildr= hildr) 49/1; in kenning for battle(‘Hildr's noisy snowstorm’, i.e. ‘rainof weapons’) 54/3
Himinglæva f. daughter of Ægir (personification of the ocean), a wave 22/1
Hja›ningar m. pl. followers of He›inn
Hjarrandason; Hja›ninga sprund =Hildr, personification ot battle 49/8.
Hjarrandi m. a name of Ó›inn; in kenning for mail-coats, Hjarranda fƒt
53/6.
Hla›ir f. pl. Lade, seat of the earls of
Hla›ir near Ni›aróss (Trondheim),
northern Norway 86/3.
Hlƒkk f. a valkyrie; in kenning forraven, Hlakkar haukr 5/5, for sword,
Hlakkar gló› 50/3, Hlakkar eldr 57/5,

167

for battle, Hlakkar skúrir 64/3. Cf.
hlƒkk in Glossary.
Hrist f. a valkyrie; in kenning for battle
59/1, for warrior (Skúli) 61/3.
Hrund f. a valkyrie; in kenning forshield 61/5.
Hrungnir m. a giant (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 17); in kenning for shield,
part of kenning for warrior (i.e. Snorri),
ﬂilja Hrungnis ilja (referring to H.
standing on his shield) 30/4.
Hugl f. an island off south Hordaland.
Norway (Huglo) 19/1 (gen. dependent on grunn fƒll, = near Hugl;
according to NN 1303 with rasta,
forming a kenning for sea, see rƒstin Glossary).
Hƒ›r m. an otherwise unknown poet
after whom a metre is named 78/11(see Vésteinn Ólason 1984, 58).
Hƒgni m. a legendary king, father of
Hildr (see Skáldskaparmál, ch. 50);Hƒgna mær = Hildr, personificationof battle; in kenning for shield, Hƒgna
meyjar tjald 49/3.
[Ingi Bár›arson] m. king of Norway
1204–17, (half-)brother of Earl Skúli;referred to 33/5, 34/3, 39/5, 69/2.
[Jƒr›] f. Ó›inn's wife (Úlfs bága mála,Míms vinar rúna) and ﬁórr’s mother(orms vá›a ei›a, mó›ir mellu dólgs)as personification of land (i.e. Norway;
a kind of ofljóst, the name Jƒr› = jƒr›)3/1, 4, 5, 7.
Klœingr ﬁorsteinsson m. bishop of
Skálholt, died 1176 (cf. Hungrvaka);
the verse may have heen composedc. 1152 when he travelled abroad forconsecration; no other poetry by him
is preserved 44/13.
Kraki m. Hrólfr kraki, legendary kingof Demnark (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch.
44 and Hrólfs saga kraka) 94/2.
Listi m. Lister, district in southern
Norway 23/3 (gen. with lƒg. i.e. ‘off
Lister’).

168

HáttatalMardƒll f. a name of Freyja, who weeps
tears of gold (see Gylfaginning, ch.
35, Skáldskaparmál, ch. 37); in kenning for gold 42/8.
Mímr m. (= Mímir; cf. Gylfaginning,ch. 51, PE Vƒluspá), in kenning forÓ›inn, Míms vinr 3/4.
Mist f. a valkyrie; in kennings for sword,
Mistar frost 61/3, Mistar laukr 85/2,
for battle, Mistar regn 62/8.
Mó›i m. son of ﬁórr, in kenning for
warrior or ruler (= Skúli) 85/8, see
støkkvi-Mó›i in Glossary.
Mœrir m. pl. inhabitants of Mœrr
(Møre i.e. Nordmøre and Sunnmøre)
in Norway; in kennings for ruler of
Norway (i.e. Skúli), stillir Mœra 81/6,
hilmir Mœra 95/2.
Mƒn f. an island (either the Isle of Manor the Danish Møn); in kenning forsea, Manar hlekkr 77/2.
Niflungar m. pl. the sons of Gjúki,
Gunnarr and Hƒgni (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 42 and Vƒlsunga saga); in
kenning for gold, Niflunga skattr 41/8.
Njƒr›r m. name of a god, one of the
Vanir; in kenning for warrior (KingHákon), rœki-Njƒr›r rjó›vendils randa
13/6, for warriors, sig-Njƒr›um 55/8
(dat. after var›a).
Nóregr m. Norway 17/29. In the verses
sometimes referred to as wife ofÓ›inn (Jƒr›, ‘land’, q.v.).
[Ó›inn] m. referred to in kennings for
Norway, úlfs bági 3/1, Míms vinr 3/4;
in a kenning for poetry (see Skáldskaparmál, 5/5–8), vitnis vá›i 8/36;
cf. ﬁundr, Yggr, Hárr, Hjarrandi, Gautr.
Páll m. King Ingi's steward (dróttseti;
killed by Skúli in 1213–14, see Storm
1888, 124, 183; Flb IV 311; Bƒglunga sƒgur 1988, II 126) 32/7.
Ragnarr lo›brók m. 9th-c. viking (seeRagnars saga) 53/14, 54/1 textual
note, 94/7.

Rán f. wife of Ægir, personification ofthe (rough) sea (cf. Skáldskaparmál,
ch. 33) 19/5.
Refr m. presumably = Hofgar›a-Refr(Skáld-Refr) Gestsson, 11th-c. Icelandic poet (Skj A I 318–21; mentioned in Njáls saga, Eyrbyggja saga,
Kristni saga, Landnámabók), several
times quoted in Skáldskaparmál andonce in Hkr (II 382; ÓH 572); thefragment quoted in Háttatal is notpreserved elsewhere 8/33.
Ribbungar m. pl. ‘mob, rabble’, a partyof rebels in 13th-c. Norway 64/6 (dat.
of respect).
Rín f. the Rhine; in kennings for gold,
Rínar rƒf 26/3, Rínar bál 91/6.
Ró›i m. a sea-king; in kenning forship(s), Ró›a stó› 21/4.
Røkkvi m. a sea-king; in kenning forsea, Røkkva reinar 73/2 and note.
Sigarr m. legendary king (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 64); in kenning forshield, Sigars veggr 59/2.
Sigur›r [Fáfnisbani] m. (dragon-slayer)
94/5 (cf. Skáldskaparmál, ch. 40);
Sigur›ar saga 35/13 is probably not
the extant Vƒlsunga saga nor any
other written saga, but the story in the
abstract as it appeared in eddic poems
known to Snorri.
Skúli hertogi m. Duke Skúli, father-inlaw of King Hákon (1188/9–1240) 0/3;
in the poem often called jarl 32/1, 68/1,
82/8, 94/8; (half-)brother of King Ingi
Bár›arson 33/5 (see note), 34/3, 52/1
(see ni›r in Glossary), 69/2. Most of
the references to ‘ruler’ in stt. 31–96
are to Skúli.
Skƒgul f. a valkyrie; in kenning forbattle, Skƒglar ve›r 54/1, for coat of
mail (part of kenning for warrior, i.e.
Skúli), Skƒglar serkr 64/4.
Snorri Sturluson m. 0/2; refers to himself in the poem by kennings, e.g.

Index of Names
askr ﬂilju Hrungnis ilja 30/3, odds
bláferla ƒrbrjótr (31/5) as well as by
the first-person pronoun (see, besides
stt. 30–31, stt. 27–9).
Starka›r m. legendary hero and poet(cf. Gautreks saga and Saxo Grammaticus) 97/13.
Torf-Einarr m. earl in Orkney c. 900(cf. Orkneyinga saga, ÍF XXXIV)
54/3. Verses attributed to him are preserved in Hkr I and Fagrskinna (ÍFXXIX) as well as in Orkneyinga saga
(Skj A I 31–2).
T‡r m. a god, one of the Æsir; in kennings for Hákon, rógleiks remmi-T‡r
14/6, and for Skúli, hjálm-T‡r 35/4,
au›-T‡r 48/2, hjaldr-T‡r 53/4. To
judge from Skáldskaparmál, ch. 1
Snorri took such expressions to contain the name of the god T‡r, thoughearlier poets may have intended thecommon noun t‡r m. ‘god’.
Vágsbrú f. a place in ﬁrándheimr (brú= bridge) 35/1.
Veili m. (ﬁorvaldr veili; the name given
thus in U) Icelandic poet, died 999
35/11 (cf. st. 38 textual note). A stanza

169

by him is preserved in several accountsof the conversion of Iceland (Skj A I
134; cf. Njáls saga, ÍF XII, 191,
261–2 n., 264; ÓTM II 157–8; Kristni
saga 2003, 20, 22; Hkr I 320), but
the poem referred to in Háttatal is notpreserved.
Vindhlér m. a name of the god Heimdallr (cf. Gylfaginning, ch 27, Skáldskaparmál, ch. 8); in kenning forsword, Vindhlés hjálms fyllr 7/2.
Yggr m. (‘terrifier’) a name of Ó›inn;
in kenning for poetry, Yggs fengr 31/4
(cf. Skáldskaparmál, 5/7–8), for valkyrie, Yggs drós (Hildr, i.e. battle?),part of kenning for sword 50/1.
ﬁórarinn [svarti ﬁórólfsson] máhlí›ingr
m. 10th-c. Icelander (see Eyrbyggjasaga, ÍF IV) 8/21.
[ﬁórr] m. a god, one of the Æsir; referred to as orms vá›i 3/5, mellu dólgr 3/8.
ﬁrœndir m. pl. the people of ﬁrándheimr (Trøndelag) in northern Norway; in kenning for ruler of Norway(i.e. Skúli), ræsir ﬁrœnda 64/5.
ﬁundr m. a name of Ó›inn; in kenningfor shield, grind ﬁundar 58/6.

170

Háttatal

General Indexa›alhending viii, 54, 59, 61–64, 66–70,
82, 84
aflei›ing viii, 52
álagsháttr 51, 78
Alcuin 47
Aldhelm, De metris (Epistola ad Acircium) xii
Alexander de Villedieu xviii
alhenda, alhent 61, 83
alhnept xv, 88
alliteration xiv, xv, 48, 55–62, 65–69,
71, 73–76, 122, 128, 130, 140, 143,
150
alst‡f›r 62
Alvíssmál xvi
AM 61 fol. 80
AM 242 fol. vii, xviii, xix, xxii–xxiv
AM 748 1 b 4to xxiii
AM 757 a 4to xxiii
Ámundi Árnason 87
anacoluthon 100
anacrusis 50, 69, 71, 74
anadiplosis 53, 79
anaphora 61
Andvaka xix
annals ix
antitheses 48, 54, 55, 79, 139
antitheton 52
Apaldrssetr x
Arinbjarnarkvi›a 76, 87
Ármó›r 90Árni Jónsson 88
Arnórr jarlaskáld 78, 85
Ástrí›r, Queen 82
asyndeton 100
Atlamál 86áttmælt 61, 77, 78
Austrfararvísur 80
Bálkarlag xiii, 75, 86, 101, 166

ballads xvii
Bár›ar saga Snæfellsáss 90
Bár›r á Upplƒndum 83
Bede, De arte metrica xii, 77
belgdrƒgur 89Bersƒglisvísur 82
Bjarkamál 87
Bjarni Kálfsson 78, 90
Bjarni Kolbeinsson xvi, 83Bjƒrn Brei›víkingakappi 88Bjƒrn krepphendi 82Bjƒrn Hítdœlakappi xx, 69, 80, 90
Braga háttr 64, 81, 83
bragarbót 82
bragarmál 50, 62, 72
Bragi 63, 64, 79, 81–84, 87, 142
Brynjólfr úlfaldi 85, 88
Búadrápa 78, 90
Bƒglunga sƒgur ix, x, 58, 136
cacemphaton 56
centimetrum xii, 75
contraction 49, 50, 77
Darra›arljó› 86
detthendr, detthent 51, 57, 81
DG 11 vii, xxii–xxiv
dialyton 100
dissolutio 100
Donatus xviii, 47
drag 51
drápa 59, 80
draughent xv, 86
draugsháttr 82
dróttkvætt (dróttkvæ›r háttr) viii,
xiii–xvi, xx, xxi, 49–51, 53, 60, 61,
65–67, 70, 75, 77, 79–81, 83–87, 90
drƒgur 51, 79
dunhenda, dunhent xiv, xviii, 51, 80,
81, 90d‡ri háttr 60, 82

General Index
Edda, Snorra (prose Edda) vii, ix, xvi,
xxii, 48, 52, 88
Egill Skallagrímsson xvi, 49, 55, 62–64,
68, 72, 76, 78–84, 86, 87, 89, 91
Egils háttr 63, 83
Egils saga xvi, 83, 84
Eilífr Gu›rúnarson 50, 77, 80
Eilífr Snorrason 88
Einarr skálaglamm 79–84
Einarr Skúlason xvi, 67, 78, 79, 81, 87,
88, 90
Eiríkr bló›øx 80
Eiríksdrápa (ﬁór›r Kolbeinsson) 80
Eiríksdrápa (Markús Skeggjason) 85
Eiríksflokkr 80
Eiríksmál 87
Elfarvísur 78
elision 48, 50, 51, 77, 102
enclitic 68, 72, 73, 75, 76, 102, 147
Epilogue ix
epitheton 49
Erlingr Skjálgsson 82
Europe, European xiv, xvi, xxi
Eyrbyggja saga 51
Eysteinn Ásgrimsson 61, 86
Eyvindr skáldaspillir 76, 80, 86, 87
Fáfnir 138
Faidit, Uc xxi
Fákr (mythical horse) 123
fall 53
Fenrir 156, 162
Fir›ir 145
fjór›ungalok 77, 78
flag›aháttr 77
Flateyjarbók 86
Fleins háttr 64, 83
flim 90
flokkr 82, 104
fornafn ix
fornaldar sögur 83, 84, 86, 87
forn minni 52, 78
fornskálda hættir xxi, 44
fornyr›islag xv, xx, 66, 67, 71, 76, 86,
87, 89, 90
Fortunatianus, Ars rhetorica xii, xiii, 47

171

Fóstbrœ›ra saga 85
Fri›ﬂjófs saga 90
Fró›i Fri›leifsson 111
frumhending viii, 48, 67
fyrirbo›ning xiii
galdralag 51, 75, 87
Gamli kanóki 85
Gautreks saga 75
Geisli 78, 79
Gísl Illugason 86
Gísli Súrsson 80, 90
Gizurr Gullbrárskáld 83Gjƒll (river) 160
GkS 2367 4to xxi–xxiv
Glúmr Geirason 80, 81, 90
Glymdrápa 79, 80Glælognskvi›a 87
Gnó›ar-Ásmundardrápa 90
Gráfeldardrápa 80
Grámagaflím 90
Grammatical Treatises xvi, xxii
prologue vii, viii, xviii
first xviii
second xviii, xxii
third vii, viii, xviii, xix, xxiii
fourth xviii, xix, xxiii
greppaminni xiv, 77, 78
Grettir Ásmundarson 87
Grettis saga 61, 87
Grímnismál 87grœnlenzki háttr xv, 88Gu›mundr Arason, Bishop xix
Gu›mundr Ásbjarnarson 90
Gu›mundr Galtason 90
Gu›rúnarkvi›a I 50
Gunnarr (13th-c. Icelandic poet) 88
Gunnarr Ásuson x, 66
Gunnlaugr Leifsson 65, 86
Gunnlaugr ormstunga 90
Gunnlaugs saga xix, 81
Guthormr sindri 80
Gylfaginning vii, ix, xviii, xx, 75
Ha›arlag xv, 66, 89
Hafger›ingadrápa 85
háhent 69

172

Háttatal

Haki 123
Hákon galinn, Earl xix, 58
Hákon Hákonarson, King vii, xi, xii, 47,
56
Hákon Sigur›arson, Earl 80
Hákonardrápa 80
Hákonarkvi›a 87
Hákonarmál 87
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar vii, ix–xi,
xix, xxiii, 58, 66, 100, 136
Háleygjatal xv, 76, 87
hálfhnept viii, xv, 73, 85, 88, 89, 91
Hálfs saga 138
Hallar-Steinn 56, 57, 78, 81–83, 156
Hallbjƒrn Oddson 82
Halldórr ókristni 80
Halldórr skvaldri 87
Hallfre›ar saga 84
Hallfre›r Óttarsson vandræ›askáld 55,
62, 78–82
Hallmundarkvi›a 87
Hallr Snorrason 78
Hallr ﬁórarinsson xii, xvii, 90
Hallur Magnússon xviii
Hallvar›r háreksblesi 56, 81
Haraldr har›rá›i 79, 80, 82, 86, 88, 90
Haraldr hárfagri 86, 88
Haraldsdrápa II 67, 87
Haraldskvæ›i 86
Haraldsstikki 75, 86, 151Har›ar saga 81, 90
Háttalykill (Rƒgnvaldr and Hallr) xii–
xvi, xviii, xix, xxiv, 51, 52, 55, 59,
62, 67, 69, 72–74, 76–91, 140
Háttalyklar (Hallur Magnússon, Loptr
Gutthormsson, ﬁór›ur Magnússon)xvii–xviii
háttlausa xiii, 47, 84
háttr (pl. hættir) 47, 48, 64, 156
Haukr Valdísarson xvi
Haustlƒng 79, 80, 81, 84
Hávamál 75, 87
Hebrides 85
Heimdalargaldr 75
Heimskringla xviii, 52, 76, 78

Helgakvi›a Hundingsbana II 61
hending viii, xiv–xvi, xxi, 50, 54–57,
59, 63, 64, 66, 67, 69–71, 80, 81, 83,
84, 88, 89
Hildr, valkyrie 62, 105, 125, 135
Hildr Hƒgnadóttir 62, 132, 135, 149,
155
Hjalti Skeggjason 81, 90
hjástælt xviii, 78
hljó›stafr viii, xviii, 71
hneptr 72
hnugghent xv, 88
Hofgar›a-Refr see Refr
Hólakirkja 81
Hólar xvi
Hólmgƒngu-Bersi 90
homoeoteleuton 57, 68
Hrafn, horse 150
Hrafnsmál (Sturla) 89
Hrafnsmál (ﬁorbjƒrn hornklofi) 86
Hrafnsmál (ﬁormó›r Trefilsson) 89
Hrynhenda (Arnórr jarlaskáld) 85
hrynhenda, hrynjandi xiii–xv, 65, 66,
69, 74, 85, 86, 89, 91
Hugsvinnsmál 87
Húsdrápa 80
Hƒfu›lausn (Egill) 49, 55, 68, 72, 79,
89–91
Hƒfu›lausn (Óttarr svarti) 80hƒfu›stafr 63, 67, 72, 74, 75, 84
Iceland vii, x–xii, xvi, xvii, xxi, 74, 110
Icelanders xi›urmælt xiv, 62, 80
Ingi Bár›arson, King x, xix, 58, 60, 102,
103, 121, 128, 136
Irish xiv, xviii, xxi, xxiv, 53, 85
Íslendingadrápa xv, xvi, 59
Íslendinga saga 56, 74
Ívarr Ingimundarson 86
Jóansdrápa 85
Jómsvikíngadrápa xvi, 43, 46, 78, 83
Jóns saga helga xvi
kendr háttr 41
kenning ix, xx, 48, 49, 51, 52, 55, 57,
59, 62, 64, 77, 80

General Index
kimblabƒnd xv, 64, 85
klifat xiv, 62, 80
klofastef xx, 68, 78, 79, 87Klœingr 83
Knútr inn ríki, king of Denmark andEngland 67, 156
Knútsdrápa (Hallvar›r) 57, 81
Knútsdrápa (Sighvatr) 67, 87, 88, 156
Kolbeinn Tumason 90
konungslag 86
Konungs skuggsjá 156
Kormakr ¯gmundarson 50, 58, 78,
80–84
Kormaks saga 88
Krákumál 63, 76, 84
kvi›a 59, 87
kvi›lingr 81, 86, 90
kvi›uháttr xiii, xv, 49, 59, 76, 87
kvæ›i 74
langlokum 52, 79
Latin xii–xiv, xvi, xviii, 47, 59, 64, 73,
75, 77–79, 81, 82, 85, 86
lausavísur xix, xx, 49, 50, 55, 58,
62–64, 78–90
lawspeakers, list of xxii
leyfi xiii, 47, 51, 52, 67, 72, 85, 115
licence xx, 58, 66, 67, 73, 77
li›hendur, li›hendingar 62, 80
Lilja 61, 86
ljó›aháttr, ljó›sháttr xiii, 51, 75, 86, 87
ljó›stafr 71
Loptr inn ríki Gutthormsson xvii
Magnús berfœttr 82, 86
Magnúsdrápa 82
Magnúsflokkr 80
Magnús gó›i 88, 89
Magnús ﬁór›arson 90
málaháttr xv, 66, 70, 71, 86, 91
Málsháttakvæ›i xvi, 46, 73, 86, 91
Marbod 77
Máríulykill xviii
Máríuvísur II–III 88
Markús Skeggjason 85
Matthew of Vendôme 77
Merlínússpá 65, 86

173

Middle English 53, 79
Mi›gar›sormr 138
munnvƒrp xiii, 83
náhendr, náhent xv, xviii, 73, 88
Nesjarvísur 82
ní› 86
Nóregskonungatal 87
Norway vii, ix–xi, xvii, 57, 74, 106,
110, 116, 120, 127, 129, 132, 134,
141, 145, 156
Norwegians xxii
núfuháttr xiv, 51
n‡gervingar, n‡gjƒrvingar ix, 49n‡i háttr xv, 88
nykrat 49, 149
oddhending 63, 66
Oddi xvi
Oddverja Annáll 91
ofljóss, ofljóst 53, 54, 62, 80Óláfr Hávar›sson 90Óláfr helgi 86Óláfr hvítaskáld 86Óláfsdrápa (erfidrapa; Hallfre›r) 78,
79, 81, 82
Óláfsdrápa (996; Hallfre›r) 80Óláfsdrápa sœnska (Óttarr) 70, 78, 88, 89Óláfs saga helga 52
Old English poetry 120
Old French 53, 64, 79, 85or›skvi›ir 55
or›skvi›uháttr 78
Orkney xii, xvi, xxi
Ormr Steinﬂórsson 70, 88
Oslofjord 100Óttarr svarti 70, 78, 80, 88, 89
Páll dróttseti ix, x
prelude 50
Priscian xviii
proclitic 99, 147
Provence xxi
Psalms 52
quantity 53, 54, 107, 155
Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 49
Ragnarr lo›brók 63, 83, 128, 131
Ragnarsdrápa 64, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84

174

Háttatal

Ragnars háttr 83
Ragnars saga lo›brókar 63, 84, 131
Raynaud de Lage, G. xix
refhvarf, refhvƒrf viii, xiv, xv, xviii,
53–55, 79, 102, 153
Refr (Hofgar›a-Refr Gestsson, SkáldRefr) 52, 83
refrún xiv, 79
Regius, Codex see GkS 2367 4torekit (a kind of kenning) 48, 140
rekit (a runhent metre, = Háttatal, st.
90) 73, 86, 89, 140
Rekstefja 56, 57, 78, 81–83, 156
resolution viii, xv, xx, 48, 50, 58, 60,
62, 66–77, 91
rétthent 51, 62, 82
Rhetorica ad Herennium 47
rhyme 47, 48, 56–66, 69–73, 75, 78,
80–84, 87–91
Ribbungar x, 66
riddles 86
ri›hendur, ri›hent 57, 63, 82, 83
rímur xvii
romances xvii
Runhenda (Einarr Skúlason) 90
runhenda, runhending, runhent xiii, xiv,
xv, 70–74, 81, 89–91, 140
Runic poem (Norwegian) 78, 90
Rƒgnvaldr Kali, Earl of Orkney xii, xvii,
xxi, 90
Sagas of Icelanders xx
samhent 80
samstafa xviii
sannkenning ix, 48
sannkent 41
Servius, De centum metris xii
setning xiii
sextánmlt(r) xiv, 77
Sighvatr ﬁór›arson xx, 67, 80, 82, 87,
90, 156Sigrdrífumál 75, 87
Sigtryggs drápa 90
Sigur›arbálkr 86
Sigur›ardrápa 78, 82
Sigur›r slembidjákn 89

Skáldatal xix, xxii
Skáld-Refr see Refr
Skáldskaparmál vii, ix, xvii–xx, xxii,
xxiii, 48, 49, 54, 61, 65, 76
Skalla-Grímr 89, 90
skammi háttr 88
Skírnismál 87
Skjaldardrápa xvi, 81, 84
skjálfhenda, skjálfhent vii, 56, 58, 59,
61, 81skothenda, skothending 59, 61–64, 67,
68, 70, 80, 82–84, 88, 90, 91
skothendr háttr 83
Skúli, Earl vii, ix–xii, xix, 47, 56–58,
60, 66, 68, 71, 74, 83
Slittungar xsmæri hættir xxi
Sneglu-Halli xx, 86, 90
Snjólfs vísur 90
Snorri go›i 52Snæfrí›ar drápa 88Snæfrí›r 88
Sonatorrek 76, 79, 87
stamhendr háttr 82
Starka›ar lag 74, 86, 151
Starka›r 74, 75, 86
stef xix, xx, 59, 67, 68, 78, 83, 104
stefjamél 68
stikkalag 74, 75, 86Stjƒrnu-Odda draumr 87
stu›ill, stu›lar 51 (= drag?), 59, 65–68,
70, 72–74, 88
stu›ning(ar) 49
stúfar xiv, xv, 85, 89
stúfhent xv, 88
Sturla Bár›arson 90
Sturla ﬁór›arson vii, xvii, xxiii, 86, 87, 89
Sturlunga saga xvii–xix, 56, 57, 61, 68,
69, 74, 83, 164
Sturlung genealogy xxii
Stuttfeldardrápa 87, 88
st‡f›r, st‡ft xiv, 70, 74, 85, 89
stælt xviii, 78
Sverrir, King xvii, xix
Sverris saga 85

General IndexSƒrlastikki 75, 89, 151
tetrameter xiv, 73, 86
tí›ar fall viii, 107
tilsagt xviii, 79
tilsegjandi 79
tiltekit xviii, 42, 53, 60, 79
Tindr Hallkelsson 80
tmesis 52, 59, 65, 100, 106, 110, 116
Torf-Einarr 63, 83
Torf-Einars háttr 83
Trajectinus, Codex see Utrecht University Library 1374
trochaic tetrameter see tetrametertrollsháttr 86
tvíkent 48
tvíri›it 49
tvískelft 56, 59, 81
tvíst‡f›r 62
Tøgdrápa (ﬁórarinn loftunga) 87, 88, 156
tøgdrápulag, tøglag xiii, xv, xx, 67–69,
72, 87–89
Úlfr Uggason 80
Uppsala MS see DG11Útfararkvi›a 87
Utrecht University Library 1374 vii,
xxii–xxiv
Vágsbrúarsumar ixValhƒll 142
veggjat 77
Veili 58, 59
Vellekla 79, 80, 82–84vers rapporté xix
Vidal de Besalù, Raimon xxi
Víglundar saga 58, 77

175

Vík x, 66, 100, 109
Víkingarvísur 82Vƒluspá 50, 52, 62
Wormianus, Codex see AM 242 fol.
Ynglinga saga 76
Ynglingatal xv, 76, 87
ﬁjó›ólfr Arnórsson 80, 90
ﬁjó›ólfr of Hvinir 76, 79–81, 84, 86, 87
ﬁórarinn loftunga 87, 156ﬁórarinn máhlí›ingr 135
ﬁórarinn stuttfeldr 87
ﬁorbjƒrn Brúnason 82
ﬁorbjƒrn hornklofi 79, 80, 86ﬁór›ar saga hre›u 78
ﬁór›r Kolbeinsson 80
ﬁór›r Rúfeyjaskáld 90
ﬁór›r Særeksson (Sjáreksson) 51, 90
ﬁór›ur Magnússon á Strjúgi xviii
ﬁorfinnsdrápa 78
ﬁorgils Hƒlluson 90
ﬁórir jƒkull 90
ﬁórir snepill 85
ﬁorkell Gíslason 78, 90
ﬁorleifr jarlsskáld 85
ﬁormó›r Trefilsson 89ﬁórr 104, 133, 138, 157ﬁórsdrápa 50, 77, 80
ﬁorsteinn (Snorrason?) 52
ﬁorvaldr veili see Veili
ﬂríhent xviii, 59, 82
ﬂulur xvi, 65Æsir xxiÆvikvi›a (Grettir) 87œgishjálmr 114, 116