Lauren Goetting (ed.) 2009, ‘Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 12’ 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. 669-70.
Aldri bǫrðusk afli stœrðir
(ógnsveipanda) blóðgum greipum
(hirð sótti þar hvǫss at garði)
harrar tveir af drengskap meira.
Undan reið, sás fremstr vas fundinn,
fyrða gramr, at jǫfnum byrðum;
Sverris ætt fekk sigr at réttu;
svá vildi guð framiðr mildi.
Aldri bǫrðusk tveir harrar, blóðgum greipum, stœrðir afli, af meira drengskap; hvǫss hirð {ógnsveipanda} sótti þar at garði. {Gramr fyrða}, sás vas fundinn fremstr at jǫfnum byrðum, reið undan; {ætt Sverris} fekk sigr at réttu; guð, framiðr mildi, vildi svá.
Never have two lords, with bloody hands, empowered with strength, fought with more bravery; the fierce retinue of the {terror-spreader} [WARRIOR = Hákon] attacked there at the churchyard. {The leader of the people} [RULER = Skúli], who was found to be foremost among those of equal birth, rode away; {Sverrir’s descendant} [= Hákon] rightly won victory; God, excellent in mercy, willed it so.
Mss: E(177v), 55 A(1vb), F(111rb), 42ˣ(164v), 81a(109va), 8(57r), Flat(178vb) (Hák)
Readings: [1, 2] stœrðir ógnsveipanda: ‘stǽr[...]’ 55 A [1] stœrðir: stœrðar F [2] ‑sveipanda: so 8, ‑sveipinna E, F, 81a, 8, Flat, ‑svipanna 42ˣ; greipum: sverðum 55 A [3] hvǫss: horsk 55 A, hraust F, ‘huerss’ 81a, ‘huo᷎rs’ 8, hress Flat [3, 4] garði harrar tveir: ‘ga[...]’ 55 A [4] harrar: herrar E, F, 42ˣ, 81a, 8, Flat [5] sás (‘sá er’): sá 81a; fremstr vas fundinn: ‘f[...]’ 55 A [6] byrðum: burðum all [7] Sverris: ‘sueriss’ 81a; ætt fekk sigr at: ‘[...]’ 55 A [8] framiðr: framdr 42ˣ
Editions: Skj AII, 96-7, Skj BII, 108, Skald II, 57; E 1916, 605, F 1871, 517, Hák 1910-86, 564, Hák 1977-82, 129, Flat 1860-8, III, 154.
Context: Skúli spurred his horse on toward Hákon’s standard, but one of his men caught the reins and held the horse back. The Birkibeinar threw spears at Skúli and nearly hit him.
Notes: [All]: For these events, see also Sturl Hákkv 18. — [2] blóðgum greipum ‘with bloody hands’: It is preferable with regard to syntax to construe this with the first cl., though it could also be construed with the the second cl. (so Skj B) (see Kuhn 1983, 202-4). — [4] drengskap ‘bravery’: It is difficult to capture the full sense of drengskapr in translation. The word connotes uprightness, nobility, and bravery, and was central to the expression of courtly behaviour in the C13-14th. Its use in poetry, however, is restricted to the present st. and Anon Heil 20/2VII. Here and throughout the poem, Óláfr is careful not to impugn the actions of either of the rivals for the throne. Rather, he praises both contenders and emphasises the courage and uprightness of both with the word drengskapr. — [6] byrðum (f. dat. pl.) ‘birth’: The f. i-stem byrð ‘birth’ is much rarer in ON than its m. counterpart burðr ‘birth’ (all other cognates in Gmc are f.). However, in keeping with previous eds, burðum (so all mss) has been emended to byrðum in order to supply the full internal rhyme in l. 6 (fyrða : byrðum). — [7] ætt Sverris ‘Sverrir’s descendant [= Hákon]’: The word ætt in skaldic poetry may signify ‘family member’ or more specifically ‘descendant’ (see LP: ætt), whereas in prose it generally denotes ‘family’. The Sverrir mentioned in the circumlocution ætt Sverris ‘Sverrir’s descendant [= Hákon]’ is Hákon’s paternal grandfather, King Sverrir Sigurðarson (d. 1202).
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