Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Anonymous Poems, Óláfs drápa Tryggvasonar 13’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1045.
Vítt stóð ógn af ýti
(íslenzkum her vísi)
orms vallar (bauð allan
aldr goðs lǫgum halda).
Svá lét rœtr, hinns rítar
rjóðendr of vann, góðar,
reyrs, und ráði vôru
réttdœmr konungr settar.
Ógn stóð vítt af {ýti {vallar orms}}; vísi bauð íslenzkum her halda lǫgum goðs allan aldr. Svá lét réttdœmr konungr, hinns of vann {rjóðendr {reyrs rítar}}, góðar rœtr settar und ráði vôru.
‘Dread emanated far and wide from the impeller of the plain of the serpent [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]; the leader ordered the Icelandic people to keep the laws of God for all time. Thus the righteous king, the one who conquered reddeners of the reed of the shield [SWORD > WARRIORS], let good roots be set under our condition.’
[5-8]: The f. pl. nom./acc. adjectives góðar ‘good’ and settar ‘set’ (p. p. of setja) lack a corresponding noun. (a) The text above follows Kock’s suggestion (NN §1938C) of lét rœtr settar und ‘let roots be set under’, which has a good skaldic parallel (góð es rót und rôðum slíkum ‘the root under such actions is good’, RKet Lv 1/3, 4IV); the verb rótsetja is also common in prose, especially in Christian contexts (Fritzner: rótsetja). This solution assumes a slightly inexact aðalhending of rétt: settar in l. 8. (b) Skj B emends to konungr lét reist góðar stéttar við ráði óru ‘the king let good foundations be built for our condition’, which is less attractive, though it does provide a correct aðalhending of rétt: stéttar. (c) NN §1220 emends more lightly to réttr konungr lét settan góðan vǫrð ráði óru ‘the just king let a good watch be set over our condition’.
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.
Vítt stóð ógn af ýti
(íslenzkum her vísi)
orms vallar (bauð allan
aldr goðs lǫgum halda).
Svá lét †rettr†, hinns rítar
rjóðendr of vann, góðar,
reyrs, †vard† ráði vôru
réttdómr konungr settar.
Vítt stoð ogn af yti isle | nskvm her visi orms vallar bꜹd allan. alldr gvds lo | gvm hallda. sva lét rettr hínn er rítar riodendr vm | vann godar. reyrs vard radi voro rett domr konungr settar |
(DW)
Skj: [Anonyme digte og vers XII], [1]. Óláfs drápa Tryggvasonar 13: AI, 576, BI, 570, Skald I, 276, NN §§1219, 1220, 1938C; Munch and Unger 1847, 122, 141, Gullberg 1875, 15, 31.
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