Ólhv Lv 2^II

The st. (Ólhv Lv 2) appears in Hák and is transmitted in E, F, 42ˣ, 81a, 8, and Flat. E has been selected as the main ms.

Tjón hǫfum Birkibeina,
bǫðhraustr, fregit austan,
brátt mun bug þann rétta
bragningr, ef vel hagnar.
Virðendr munu verða
vápnglyms funa ymsir
— veitk, at vart hefr Knúti
vegnat — brǫgðum fegnir.

Hǫfum fregit austan tjón Birkibeina; bǫðhraustr bragningr mun brátt rétta þann bug, ef vel hagnar. {Virðendr {funa {vápnglyms}}} munu ymsir verða fegnir brǫgðum; veitk, at hefr vegnat vart Knúti.

We have learned from the east about the destruction of the Birkibeinar; the battle-daring king will soon set that right, if all goes well. {The esteemers {of the flame {of weapon-noise}}} [BATTLE > SWORD > WARRIORS] will in turn be gladdened by the exploits; I know that it has gone badly for Knútr.

Mss: E(173v), F(109rb), 42ˣ(157v), 81a(106ra-b), 8(53r), Flat(177vb) (Hák)

Readings: [1] hǫfum: hafa Flat;    Birkibeina: Birkibeinar Flat    [2] ‑hraustr: hraustir F, ‑hraustir Flat    [3] brátt: so F, 8, Flat, ‘brat’ E, betra 42ˣ, ‘batt’ 81a    [4] vel: ‘ve’ 81a    [5] Virðendr: ‘við þendr’ 42ˣ    [6] ‑glyms: ‑glymir 8;    funa: vina E, ‘fíma’ F, Flat, vini(?) 42ˣ, finna 81a    [7] vart: ‘vort’ 42ˣ    [8] vegnat: verðat 42ˣ, vegnar 81a, ‘negn att’ 8;    brǫgðum: so F, Flat, brǫgnum E, 42ˣ, 8, bragning 81a

Editions: Skj AII, 98, Skj BII, 109, Skald II, 58; E 1916, 594, F 1871, 507, Hák 1910-86, 539, Hák 1977-82, 117, Flat 1860-8, III, 141.

Context: King Hákon was informed that the Birkibeinar, under the leadership of Jarl Knútr Hákonarson, were routed at the battle of Låke (9 March 1240) by the forces of Skúli Bárðarson.

Notes: [1] Birkibeina ‘of the Birkibeinar’: See Note to Nefari Lv 1/1. — [2] bǫðhraustr ‘battle-daring’: Cf. Sturl Hákfl 6/6. — [3] rétta þann bug ‘set that right’: Lit. ‘straighten the bend’. Bǫðhraustr bragningr mun brátt rétta þann bug ‘the battle-daring king will soon set that right’ (ll. 2-4) foreshadows the battle of Oslo (21 April 1240), in which Skúli Bárðarson was defeated by Hákon and his men. — [4] ef vel hagnar ‘if all goes well’: The verb hagna ‘be suitable, advantageous’ is impersonal. — [6] funa ‘of the flame’: None of the mss variants makes sense in the present context. The emendation funa ‘of the flame’ (so Skj B, Skald) has been chosen because it yields good meaning in the warrior-kenning virðendr funa vápnglyms ‘the esteemers of the flame of weapon-noise’ (ll. 5, 6) (see Meissner 343). — [7-8] hefr vegnat vart Knúti ‘it has gone badly for Knútr’: The verb vegna ‘proceed’ is used impersonally with a dat. object (see LP: vegna). — [7] Knúti ‘Knútr’: Jarl Knútr Hákonarson (d. 1261) became the royal pretender of the Ribbungar party in 1226, after the death of the previous leader Sigurðr ribbungr ‘Rabble’ Erlingsson. In 1227 Knútr was routed in battle by the Birkibeinar and subsequently transferred his allegiance to Hákon. See also Sturl Hákfl 6 and Note to 6/5. — [8] brǫgðum (n. dat. pl.) ‘cunning exploits’: So F, Flat. Bragð (n. nom. sg.) can denote either ‘deeds, actions, exploits’ or more specifically ‘(cunning) deeds, tricks, schemes’ (see CVC: bragð III). The variant brǫgnum ‘men’ (so E, 42ˣ, 8) makes little sense in this context and would create a l. with three internal rhymes.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
5. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
6. CVC = Cleasby, Richard, Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and W. A. Craigie. 1957. An Icelandic-English Dictionary. 2nd edn. Oxford: Clarendon.
7. Flat 1860-8 = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and C. R. Unger, eds. 1860-8. Flateyjarbók. En samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. 3 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
8. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
9. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
10. Hák 1977-82 = Mundt, Marina, ed. 1977. Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Oslo: Forlagsentralen. Suppl. by James E. Knirk, Rettelser til Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Norrøne tekster 2. Oslo: Norsk historisk kjeldeskrift-institutt, 1982.
11. Hák 1910-86 = Kjær, Albert and Ludvig Holm-Olsen, eds. 1910-86. Det Arnamagnæanske haandskrift 81a fol. (Skálholtsbók yngsta) indeholdende Sverris saga, Bǫglungasǫgur, Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar. Oslo: Den norske historiske kildeskriftkommission and Kjeldeskriftfondet.
12. Internal references
13. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar’ 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, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=33> (accessed 7 May 2024)
14. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Nefari, Lausavísa 1’ 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. 645-6.
15. Lauren Goetting (ed.) 2009, ‘Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson, Lausavísur 2’ 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. 671-2.
16. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarflokkr 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, p. 751.