Anon (ÓTHkr) 1I
Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísa from Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar in Heimskringla 1’ 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. 1073.
text and translation
Þás sparn á mó Maurnis
morðkunnr Haraldr sunnan,
vas þá Vinða myrðir
vax eitt, í ham faxa;
en bergsalar Birgir
bǫndum rækr í landi
— þat sá ǫld — í jǫldu
óríkr fyrir líki.
Þás morðkunnr Haraldr sparn á {mó Maurnis} sunnan í ham faxa, vas {myrðir Vinða} þá vax eitt, en óríkr Birgir, rækr {bǫndum bergsalar} í landi, fyrir í líki jǫldu; ǫld sá þat.
‘When the battle-famed Haraldr kicked against the heath of Maurnir [?] from the south in the form of a stallion, the killer of the Wends [DANISH KING = Haraldr] was then nothing but wax; and the powerless Birgir, deserving to be driven out by the deities of the rock-hall [GIANTS] in the land, [was] in front in the shape of a mare; people saw that.’
notes and context
In Hkr, the Icelanders have passed a law that each person should compose a níðvísa against the Danish king Haraldr Gormsson after an Icelandic vessel shipwrecked in Denmark has been seized under supervision of the king’s steward Birgir. Haraldr, having ravaged parts of Norway, plans to turn his fleet against Iceland to avenge the níð composed against him and his steward. Following the quotation comes the famous episode of the landvættir/landvéttir ‘guardian spirits of the land’, in which a sorcerer sent by Haraldr to reconnoitre Iceland in the shape of a whale is repelled from the shores by fabulous beings. The Danish invasion is called off as a consequence. Jvs refers more briefly to the níð and lacks the landvættir episode.
readings
- [1] sparn á mó Maurnis: ‘mórn ámo mꜹ́rnis’ F, ‘sparn amo mꜹrnir’ J1ˣ, ‘sparnama mꜹrnar’ 291
- [2] morðkunnr: ‘marghunnr’ J1ˣ, morðkunn 291
- [3] vas þá (‘var þa’): so J1ˣ, 291, varð þá Kˣ, varðat F
- [3] Vinða: ‘vanþa’ J1ˣ
- [3] myrðir: myrði 291
- [4] faxa: faxi F
- [5] berg‑: ber‑ 291
- [5] ‑salar: salr J1ˣ, ‑stofu 291
- [6] rækr: rekr 291
- [7] þat: so F, J1ˣ, 291, ‘þa⸜t⸝’ Kˣ
- [7] ǫld í jǫldu: ǫld í ǫldu F, ǫldu J1ˣ, ǫld jǫldu 291
- [8] óríkr: ‘vrik[...]’ 291
- [8] líki: so F, J1ˣ, 291, ríki Kˣ
sources
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.
-
AM 35 folx (Kx) — 153v/26 - 154r/5
imagesÞás sparn á mó Maurnis
morðkunnr Haraldr sunnan,
varð þá Vinða myrðir
vax eitt, í ham faxa;
en bergsalar Birgir
bǫndum rækr í landi
— †þa⸜t⸝† sá ǫld — í jǫldu
óríkr fyrir ríki.Þa er sparn a mó mꜹrnis | morðkuɴr haraldr suɴan | varð þa vinda myrðir | vax eitt i ham faxa | en bergsalar birger | bꜹndom rækr i landi | þat corrected from þa sa ꜹlld i jǫldo | uríkr fyrir ríki.
(DW)
-
AM 45 fol (F) — 25vb/16 - 25vb/18
imagesÞás †mórn ámo mꜹ́rnis†
morðkunnr Haraldr sunnan,
varðat Vinða myrðir
vax eitt, í ham faxi;
en bergsalar Birgir
bǫndum rækr í landi
— þat sá ǫld í ǫldu —
óríkr fyrir líki.Þa er mórn ámo mꜹ́rnís morð kvɴr haraldr | svɴan · varþat vinða myrðir vax eítt i hám faxi · eɴ | bergsalar bírgir bondom rø̨kr i landi þat sa ꜹlld i olldo vrikr ⸝fyrir liki·⸜ |
(VEÞ)
-
AM 37 folx (J1x) — 91v/22 - 92r/3
Þás †sparn amo mꜹrnir†
images
†marghunnr† Haraldr sunnan,
vas þá †vanþa† myrðir
vax eitt, í ham faxa;
en bergsalr Birgir
bǫndum rækr í landi
— þat sá ǫldu —
óríkr fyrir líki. -
AM 291 4° (291) — 12v/11 - 12v/13
imagesÞás †sparnama mꜹrnar†
morðkunn Haraldr sunnan,
vas þá Vinða myrði
vax eitt, í ham faxa;
en ber--stofu Birgir
bǫndum rekr í landi
— þat sá ǫld jǫldu —
†vrik[...]† fyrir líki.þa er sparnama mꜹ́rnar morþkvɴn haʀalldr svɴnan | var þá vinþa myrþe vax eitt ham faxa · en berstofv byrgir bꜹɴndvm · | rekr landi þat sa ꜹlld jꜹlldv vrik[...] fyrir like·
(VEÞ)
-
AM 761 b 4°x (761bx) — 517r/3 - 517r/10
images
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