Jayne Carroll (ed.) 2009, ‘Markús Skeggjason, Eiríksdrápa 6’ 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. 438-9.
Vǫrgum eyddi Vinða fergir;
víking hepti konungr fíkjum;
þjófa hendr lét þengill stýfa;
þegnum kunni ósið hegna.
Aldri frásk, at Eirekr vildi
allréttligum dómi halla;
hôla kunni sér til sælu
sigrs valdari guðs lǫg halda.
{Fergir Vinða} eyddi vǫrgum; konungr hepti víking fíkjum; þengill lét stýfa hendr þjófa; kunni hegna þegnum ósið. Aldri frásk, at Eirekr vildi halla allréttligum dómi; {valdari sigrs} kunni hôla halda lǫg guðs til sælu sér.
{The vanquisher of the Wends} [= Eiríkr] destroyed outlaws; the king put an end to piracy fiercely; the prince caused thieves’ hands to be struck off; he knew how to punish men for wrong behaviour. Never was it heard said, that Eiríkr wished to sway the right judgement; {the wielder of victory} [WARRIOR] knew well to observe the laws of God for his well-being.
Mss: JÓ(146), 873ˣ(49r), 20b I(7r), 180b(29v) (Knýtl)
Readings: [2] víking: so 873ˣ, 20b I, ‘virking’ JÓ, víkingum 180b [3] lét: leit 180b [4] þegnum: ‘þeknum’ 180b; kunni: kunni hann all [5] Aldri: so 20b I, 180b, aldregi JÓ, 873ˣ; frásk: fréttu 20b I, fráttu 180b [6] halla: at halla 180b [7] hôla: haga 180b
Editions: Skj AI, 446, Skj BI, 415, Skald I, 205; JÓ 1741, 146-7, ÍF 35, 216 (ch. 73).
Context: The strict but just nature of Eiríkr’s reign.
Notes: [All]: Saxo (2005, II, 12, 3, 4, pp. 68-9) also comments on Eiríkr’s fairness and his harsh punishment of transgressions. — [2] víking ‘piracy’: The first recorded instance of the abstract f. noun víking in skaldic verse (Jesch 2003, 268). — [4] kunni ‘he knew’: ÍF 35 retains the pron. hann ‘he’ (so all mss), which makes the l. hypermetrical. — [5] frásk ‘was it heard said’: Fráttu ‘you heard’ (so 180b) is also possible (and preferred by ÍF 35), but requires elision across a syntactic boundary.
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