Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson — RvII
skaldsVol. 3, 342 — — ed. Judith Jesch
Poetry
Lausavísur32
- Introduction and information about text
- 1. ‘Tafl emk ǫrr at efla, ...’
- 2. ‘Vér hǫfum vaðnar leirur ...’
- 3. ‘Hér hefk hávan reistan ...’
- 4. ‘Sextán hefik sénar ...’
- 5. ‘Liggja sék á leggjum ...’
- 6. ‘Aldr hefk frétt þats feldu ...’
- 7. ‘Hengik hamri kringðan ...’
- 8. ‘Brast, þás bæði lesti ...’
- 9. ‘Skikkik skinnfeld hrokkinn ...’
- 10. ‘Dúsið ér, en Ása ...’
- 11. ‘Ala kvezk Einarr vilja ...’
- 12. ‘Skelk aflar Sif silkis ...’
- 13. ‘Lætr of ǫxl, sás útar, ...’
- 14. ‘Fekk í fylkis skikkju ...’
- 15. ‘Víst'r at frá berr flestum, ...’
- 16. ‘Orða skal Ermengerðar ...’
- 17. ‘Vín bar hvít en hreina ...’
- 18. ‘Muna munk jól, þaus ólum ...’
- 19. ‘Unðak vel, þás vanðisk ...’
- 20. ‘Vôn ák út á Spáni, ...’
- 21. ‘Skalkak hryggr í hreggi, ...’
- 22. ‘Vindr hefr vǫlsku sprundi ...’
- 23. ‘Landi víkr, en leika ...’
- 24. ‘Erlingr gekk, þars okkur, ...’
- 25. ‘Nennum vér at vinna ...’
- 26. ‘Gekk á drómund døkkvan ...’
- 27. ‘Ek hef lagða lykkju ...’
- 28. ‘Knút ríðum vér kauða ...’
- 29. ‘Kross hangir þul þessum ...’
- 30. ‘Villat vinr minn kalla, ...’
- 31. ‘Ríðum Ræfils Vakri, ...’
- 32. ‘Nú hafa gœðingar gengit ...’
Biography
Judith Jesch 2017, ‘(Biography of) Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 342.
Rǫgnvaldr Kali Kolsson, jarl of Orkney, is known primarily from
Orkn, in which he is one of the main characters, but he is also mentioned in other texts, including
Hkr (
ÍF 28, 324-5) and Icel. annals (
Storm 1888, 20-1, 60, 113-14, 116, 120, 321-2, 324)
. He was born Kali Kolsson, the son of a Norw. nobleman from Agder, Kolr Kalason, and Gunnhildr, the sister of the martyred S. Magnús of Orkney (
ÍF 34, 101-2).
Orkn recounts various episodes from Rǫgnvaldr’s youth, in Norway and elsewhere, several of them associated with
lvv. (see below). Though we are not told how and when he learned the skaldic art, his grandfather
Kali Sæbjarnarson is said to have been good at poetical composition (
ÍF 34, 95) and indeed
Orkn preserves one st. by him (
Kali Lv). Kali Kolsson was given the name Rǫgnvaldr by King
Sigurðr jórsalafari Magnússon when he also made him joint jarl of Orkney with Páll Hákonarson. There are relatively few
lvv. associated with Rǫgnvaldr’s assumption of power in Orkney and subsequent political affairs, though both are recounted at length in the saga. Rǫgnvaldr is remembered for his poetry, especially that composed during his crusade to the Holy Land in 1151-3, and for instigating the building of the cathedral in Kirkwall, dedicated to his uncle S. Magnús. Rǫgnvaldr was killed in Caithness in an ambush by political opponents in 1158 (according to the Icel. annals, but 1159 according to the internal chronology of
Orkn, cf.
ÍF 34, xc) and is remembered as a saint. His relics were translated in 1192 (according to the Icel. annals) and a skull and some bones found in St Magnus Cathedral may have been his (Jesch and Molleson, 2005). There are thirty-five
lvv. attributed to Rǫgnvaldr, of which thirty-two are preserved in mss of
Orkn and edited here. Three further
lvv. (
Rv Lv 33-5
III) are edited in
SkP III, along with
Háttalykill (
RvHbreiðm HlIII), a poetical guide to metres composed by Rǫgnvaldr jointly with
Hallr Þórarinsson breiðmaga.
References
- Bibliography
- Storm, Gustav, ed. 1888. Islandske annaler indtil 1578. Christiania (Oslo): Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond. Rpt. 1977. Oslo: Norsk-historisk kjeldeskrift-institutt.
- ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
- ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
- SkP III = Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade in collaboration with Edith Marold. 2017.
- Internal references
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=4> (accessed 21 May 2024)
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Orkneyinga saga’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=47> (accessed 21 May 2024)
- Judith Jesch 2009, ‘(Biography of) Hallr Þórarinsson breiðmaga’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 610-11.
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Biography of) Kali Sæbjarnarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 393-4.
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Biography of) Sigurðr jórsalafari Magnússon’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 467-9.
- Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Kali Sæbjarnarson, Lausavísa’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 393-4. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1287> (accessed 21 May 2024)
- Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘ Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1001. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1347> (accessed 21 May 2024)
- Judith Jesch (ed.) 2017, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson, Lausavísur 33’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 342.
Jarl Rǫgnvaldr Kali Kolsson of Orkney is not commemorated in praise poetry, and his biography is therefore not included here. For his life and poetic works, see his skald Biography.
other information
Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson (Rv)
12th century
Skj AI, 505-28; BI, 478-87
volume 2
main editor: Judith Jesch