Emily Lethbridge (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni byskup Kolbeinsson, Jómsvíkingadrápa 30’ 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. 985.
Hvervetna frák hǫlða
— herr œxti gný darra —
fyr hreggviðum hjǫrva
hrøkkva gunnar rǫkkum,
áðr í ǫrva drífu
ýtum grimmr at blóta
— framm kom heipt in harða —
Hákun þegar tœki.
Frák hǫlða hrøkkva hvervetna fyr {{hjǫrva hregg}viðum} rǫkkum gunnar — herr œxti {gný darra} —, áðr Hákun, grimmr ýtum í {drífu ǫrva}, tœki þegar at blóta; in harða heipt kom framm.
‘I have heard that everywhere men recoiled before trees of the storm of swords [(lit. ‘storm-trees of swords’) BATTLE > WARRIORS] bold in battle — the army caused the din of spears [BATTLE] to increase —, before Hákon, cruel to men in the snow-storm of arrows [BATTLE], proceeded at once to make a sacrifice; the harsh violence proceeded. ’
Hákon jarl sees that the battle is not going his way; he goes ashore and sacrifices his seven-year-old son Erlingr in order to attain victory.
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.
Hver-vitna frák hǫlða
— herr œxti gný darra —
fyr hreggviðum hjǫrva
hrøkkva gunnar rǫkkum,
áðr í ǫrva drífu
ýtum grimmr at blóta
— framm kom heipt in harða —
Hákun þegar tœki.
Hvervitna fra ec havlþa herr æxti gny daʀa firir hreɢviþvm hiorva hravkva gvɴar ravckvm | aðr i ꜹrva drifv ytvm grimmr at blota fram kom heipt hin harþa hakon þegar tæki. |
(DW)
huar--vitna frák hǫlða
— herr †ægsti† gný darra —
fyr hreggviðum hjǫrva
hrøkkva gunnar rekkum,
áðr í ǫrva drífu
ýtum grimmr at blóta
— framm kom heipt in harða —
Hákun þegar tœki.
Hvervetna frák haulda
— herr æsti gný darra —
fyr hreggviðum hjǫrva
hrøkkva †guínari† rokkum,
áðr í ǫrva drífu
ýtum grimmr at blóta
— framm kom heipt in harða —
†hallkæm† þegar tœki.
†Hvo᷎r-†vetna frák †huo᷎lda†
— herr æsti gný darra —
fyr hreggviðum hjǫrva
hrøkkva gunnar rekkum,
áðr í ǫrva drífu
ýtum grimmr at blóta
— framm kom heipt in harða —
†halkæm† þegar tœki.
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