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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Magnússdrápa — Bkrepp MagndrII

Bjǫrn krepphendi

Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Bjǫrn krepphendi, Magnússdrápa’ 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. 395-405. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1125> (accessed 4 May 2024)

 

Magnússdrápa ‘Drápa about Magnús’ (Bkrepp Magndr) commemorates Magnús berfœttr Óláfsson’s early military exploits in Halland and in Norway (sts 1-3; see also SteigÞ Kv, Þham Magndr 1 and Lv 1, Gísl Magnkv 1-8 and Anon (Mberf) 2-3) as well as his first expedition to the west (Orkney, Hebrides, Scotland, Man, Anglesey; sts 5-11) in 1098-9 (see also Mberf Lv 1, Kali Lv 1, Þham Magn 2-3 and Gísl Magnkv 9-16). The poem does not mention his later campaigns in Sweden and Ireland; hence it was most likely composed c. 1099-1100.

Magndr is preserved in mss Kˣ, 39, E, J2ˣ and 42ˣ of MberfHkr, as well as in H, Hr (H-Hr), Mork (Mork) and F, which is not a Hkr ms. here. In Hkr and H-Hr the sts are all attributed to Bjǫrn, whereas in Mork sts 1, 2, 4, 10-11 are attributed to Bjǫrn and the rest is anonymous. F assigns sts 1-9 to Þorkell hamarskáld (Þham) and follows Mork in attributing sts 10-11 to Bjǫrn. The name of the poem is transmitted in Hkr (ÍF 28, 212) and H-Hr (Fms 7, 4). The order of sts is problematic. H-Hr basically reproduces the Hkr prose with some independent insertions and certain sections from Mork, and the sequence of sts and half-sts corresponds to that of Hkr (except for st. 11, where H-Hr, with Mork, records the entire st.). F follows the Mork text almost verbatim (both prose and poetry). To complicate matters further, the sts in H-Hr at times share variant readings with Mork, even though the surrounding prose corresponds to that of the Hkr version (see the discussions in the Notes to the relevant sts below). The differences between the two main redactions (Hkr and Mork) are significant with regard to the order of sts, helmingar and couplets within the helmingar (see the discussion by Fidjestøl 1982, 150-2). Snorri clearly reworked both the prose and the poetry of Mork (ÍF 28, xlvi-xlvii; Fidjestøl 1982, 150-1), and he appears to have known sts and helmingar not contained in the Mork redaction. The order of sts can best be reconstructed from the chronology of the events they describe, and, more importantly, from the place names contained in the most problematic sts (sts 5-9). Mork (and Fsk, which has no poetry at this point) appears to relate the chronology of events most accurately. The route travelled by Magnús included the following locations (in sequence): The Hebrides (Lewis, st. 5; Skye and Tiree, st. 6; North Uist, st. 7), Sanda, Islay and Mull (st. 8), Kintyre and the Isle of Man (st. 9). Skj and Skald adopt the sequence of sts given in Hkr. The present edn reproduces them in the order suggested by Fidjestøl (1982, 173; i.e., Skj sts 1, 2, 4, 3, 5/1-4, 6/1-4, 5/5-8, 7/1-4+6/5-8, 7/5-8, 8, 9; see also Jesch 1996, 120). For a detailed description of this expedition, see Anderson 1922, II, 101-118 and Power 1986, 107-122.

References

  1. Bibliography
  2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
  3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  4. Fidjestøl, Bjarne. 1982. Det norrøne fyrstediktet. Universitet i Bergen Nordisk institutts skriftserie 11. Øvre Ervik: Alvheim & Eide.
  5. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
  6. Anderson, Alan Orr. 1922. Early Sources of Scottish History A.D. 500 to 1286. 2 vols. Edinburgh and London: Oliver and Boyd.
  7. Jesch, Judith. 1996. ‘Norse Historical Traditions and the Historia Gruffud vab Kenan: Magnús berfœttr and Haraldr hárfagri’. In Maund 1996, 117-47.
  8. Power, Rosemary. 1986. ‘Magnus Bareleg’s Expeditions to the West’. Scottish Historical Review 65, 107-32.
  9. Internal references
  10. (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 4 May 2024)
  11. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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=56> (accessed 4 May 2024)
  12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna’ 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=84> (accessed 4 May 2024)
  13. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Morkinskinna’ 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=87> (accessed 4 May 2024)
  14. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Biography of) Magnús berfœttr Óláfsson’ 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. 385-90.
  15. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Þorkell hamarskáld’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 482.
  16. Kari Ellen Gade and Diana Whaley (eds) 2009, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from Magnúss saga berfœtts 2’ 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. 829-30.
  17. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Steigar-Þórir Þórðarson, Kviðlingr’ 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. 391-2. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1386> (accessed 4 May 2024)
  18. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Gísl Illugason, Erfikvæði about Magnús berfœttr 1’ 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. 417.
  19. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Gísl Illugason, Erfikvæði about Magnús berfœttr 9’ 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. 422-3.
  20. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Kali Sæbjarnarson, Lausavísa 1’ 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.
  21. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Magnús berfœttr Óláfsson, Lausavísur 1’ 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. 385-6.
  22. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorkell hamarskáld, Magnússdrápa 1’ 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. 410-11.
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