Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bjǫrn krepphendi, Magnússdrápa 3’ 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. 398-9.
Hrafngreddir vann hrædda
hlífar styggr í byggðum
þrœnzka drótt, es þótti
þeim markar bǫl sveima.
Hygg, at hersa tveggja
her-Baldr lyki aldri
sinn; jór vasa svôru
svangr; fló ǫrn til hanga.
{Hrafngreddir}, styggr hlífar, vann hrædda þrœnzka drótt í byggðum, es þeim þótti {bǫl markar} sveima. Hygg, at {her-Baldr} lyki sinn aldri tveggja hersa; {jór svôru} vasa svangr; ǫrn fló til hanga.
{The raven-feeder} [WARRIOR], shy of protection, frightened the host from Trøndelag in the settlements, when it seemed to them that {the harm of the forest} [FIRE] was raging. I believe that {the army-Baldr <god>} [WARRIOR] ended simultaneously the lives of two hersar; {the horse of the troll-woman} [WOLF] was not hungry; the eagle flew to the hanged ones.
Mss: Kˣ(596v), 39(34rb), E(32r), J2ˣ(307r-v), 42ˣ(8v) (Hkr); H(83r), Hr(58rb) (H-Hr)
Readings: [1] Hrafn‑: Hraun‑ Hr; ‑greddir: ‘græþir’ 39, ‘giæðir’ H, Hr; vann: nam H, Hr; hrædda: hræða 39, H, Hr [2] hlífar: hlífðar J2ˣ, 42ˣ; styggr: stygðr E [5] hersa: hann sá J2ˣ, 42ˣ [6] lyki: so 39, E, H, Hr, lýkz Kˣ, luki J2ˣ, 42ˣ [7] sinn jór vasa (‘sinn iór vara’): sinn jór E, jór vara underlined and ‘jorsnara’ given in the margin in the same hand J2ˣ, ‘sinn iorsnara’ 42ˣ, ‘synðr or varara’ H, ‘syndur or vara’ Hr [8] fló: so H, flaug Kˣ, 39, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, sló Hr
Editions: Skj AI, 435, Skj BI, 405, Skald I, 200, NN §806; ÍF 28, 218 (Mberf ch. 7), E 1916, 113; Fms 7, 14-15 (Mberf ch. 8).
Context: Magnús punished people in Trøndelag who had been part of the conspiracy against him (in 1094; see st. 2 and Notes).
Notes: [All]: In J2ˣ and 42ˣ this st. precedes st. 2 above. — [2] í byggðum ‘in the settlements’: Skj B takes this prepositional phrase with the second, subordinate cl., but the present cl. arrangement is preferable from the point of view of w. o. (see also NN §806). — [5, 6] aldri tveggja hersa ‘the lives of two hersar’: These two chieftains were Steigar-Þórir and Egill, who were hanged by Magnús (see Note to st. 2 [All]). — [8] fló ‘flew’: So H. Flaug ‘flew’ (so Kˣ, 39, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ) is a later form (see ANG §§98.2, 486 Anm.).
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