Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Lausavísur 12’ 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. 231.
Snýr á Svǫlnis vôru
— svá hǫfum inn sem Finnar
birkihind of bundit
brums — at miðju sumri.
Snýr á {vôru Svǫlnis} at miðju sumri; hǫfum of bundit {birkihind brums} inn svá sem Finnar.
‘It is snowing on the spouse of Svǫlnir <= Óðinn> [= Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)] in the middle of summer; we have tied up the bark-stripping hind of the bud [GOAT] inside just like the Saami.’
Fsk places Lv 12 next after Lv 10. The sons of Gunnhildr, having accepted Christian baptism in England, destroy the sacrificial places in Norway on their return there. They go on progresses round the districts with a large entourage, thus oppressing the local people. Meanwhile the herring and other catches decline, the crops are ruined, and there is snow at midsummer. The people attribute the great famine that results to the anger of the gods. Hkr places the stanza differently but gives a broadly similar account of the circumstances.
Hkr treats the lausavísa as applying more closely to Eyvindr’s personal situation than does Fsk and links the mention of snowfall specifically to Hálogaland (Poole 1991, 14; cf. Turville-Petre 1976, 44). On the desolation of the land after Hákon’s death, see also Lv 13-14 below and Eyv Hák 21.
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.
Snyr a Svǫlnis varo | sva hǫfom inn sem fiɴar | birki hind um bundit | brums at miðio sumri
(KS)
snýr á á Svǫlnis vôru
— svá hǫfum inn ok Finnar
birkihind of bundit
brums — at miðju sumri.
Snyr a | a svꜹlnis váro sva hofom íɴ ok fíɴar birki híɴd vm bvndit · | brvnis at miðío svmri ·
(VEÞ)
Snýr á Svǫlnis vôru
— svá hǫfum inn sem Finnar
birkihind of bundit
brums — á miðju sumri.
Snýr á Svǫlnis †varðer†
— svá hǫfum inn sem Finnar
birkihind of bundinn
brims — á miðju sumri.
Snyr a svolnes vaðer | sva hofom inn sem fínnar || birki hínd um bundin | bríms a miðiu sumri |
(VEÞ)
Snyr a svolnes va[...]ðer | sva hofom inn sem fínnar | birki hínd um bundin | bríms a miðiu sumri. |
(VEÞ)
Snýr á †Svalnis† vôru
— svá hǫfum inn sem Finnar
birki-hund of bundin
brums — at miðju sumri.
Snyr a svalnis varo | sva hofum inn sem finnar | birki hunnd um bunndin | brums at miðiu sumri |
(VEÞ)
Snyr a Svalnis varo , sva | hofum inn sem finnar , birki hunnd um bundinn , bru | ms at miðiu sumri ,
(VEÞ)
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