Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Krákumál 9’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 734.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi.
Háðum rendr í dreyra,
þá er benstara bræddum
fyr Borgundarhólmi.
Hreggský slituz hringa;
hratt álmr af sér málmi;
Völnir fell at vígi;
varat einn konungr meiri.
Val rak vítt of strandir;
vargr fagnaði tafni.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Háðum rendr í dreyra, þá er bræddum {benstara} fyr Borgundarhólmi. {Hreggský hringa} slituz; álmr hratt af sér málmi; Völnir fell at vígi; varat einn konungr meiri. Val rak vítt of strandir; vargr fagnaði tafni.
‘We hewed with the sword. We steeped shields in blood when we fed the wound-starling [RAVEN/EAGLE] off Bornholm. Storm-clouds of swords [SHIELDS] were destroyed; the bow thrust forth metal; Vǫlnir fell in the battle; not a single king was greater. The slain were scattered far and wide over the beaches; the wolf rejoiced in its prey. ’
[6]: This line, an example (rare in Krm) of aðalhending occurring in an even-numbered line, is comparable both in this respect and in wording with RvHbreiðm Hl 28/6III almr sparn … malma hjalma ‘the elm-bow kicked … arrows of helmets’. Málmr ‘metal’ in the specific meaning of ‘arrow(s)’, which it seems to have here, is relatively rare in skaldic poetry, occurring elsewhere in RvHbreiðm Hl 77/8III and in Þorm Lv 25/5I.
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
.
Háðum rendr í dreyra,
þá er †bein starra† brendum
fyr Borgundarhólmi.
Hreggský slituz hringa;
hratt álmr af sér málmi;
†vvlnír† fell at vígi;
varat einn konungr meiri.
Val rak vítt of strandir;
vargr fagnaði tafni.
†[…]† .
†[…]dum […]nd(ur) i dre(yra)† ,
†(þá er)† †[…]††[…]†
†f(yrir) […]† .
†[…]g sky slitu† ;
†[…]† ;
†[…]† ;
†[…]† †[…]†.
†[…]† †[…]†;
†[…]† .
Hjuggum vér með hjörvi .
†ha̋dum† rendr í dreyra ,
þá er †bein stara† bendum
fyr Borgundarhólmi.
†hregg sky slitu hringa† ;
hratt álmr af sér málmi;
†vulner† fell at vígi;
†varat eirn kongur† meiri.
Val rak †vt of† strandir;
vargr fagnaði tafni.
.
†hófdum† rendr í blóði ,
þá er benstara bræddum
fyr Borgundarhólmi.
†Regnský slitu Rander† ;
†ratt† álmr af sér málmi;
Völnir fell at vígi;
varat einn konungr meiri.
Val rak vítt um strandir;
vargr fagnaði tafni.
Hjuggum vér með hjörvi .
†hofdum† rendr í blóði ,
þá er †ben thver a† bræddum
fyr Borgundarhólmi.
†reggsky slitu rander† ;
†ratt† álmr af sér málmi;
†folnir† fell at vígi;
†var at aei kongur† meiri.
Val rak vítt um strandir;
vargr fagnaði tafni.
Hjuggum vér með hjörvi .
†hafdum† rendr í blóði ,
þá er †benþuera† bræddum
fyr Borgundarhólmi.
†reggsky slitu rander† ;
†ratt† álmr af sér málmi;
†Wolnir† fell at vígi;
†var at aei kongur† meiri.
Val rak vítt um strandir;
vargr fagnaði tafni.
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XII], H. Krákumál 9: AI, 643-4, BI, 651, Skald I, 317; Rafn 1826, 8-9, 112-14, Pfeiffer 1860, 125, CPB II, 342, Wisén 1886-9, I, 63, Krm 1891, 226, Finnur Jónsson 1893b, 87, Finnur Jónsson 1905, 154, Ragn 1906-8, 187.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.