Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 13’ 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. 679.
Geir- hykk grimmligt vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
loghreytǫndum líta
lóns í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir fyrðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
ógurligr — í augu
ormfrôn séa hônum.
Hykk {{lóns log}hreytǫndum} vôru grimmligt líta í geirhvassar sjónir gunnreifum Ôleifi. Þrœnzkir fyrðar þorðut séa í ormfrôn augu hônum; {dróttinn hersa} þótti ógurligr.
‘I think it was fearful for the distributors of the flame of the lagoon [(lit. ‘flame-distributors of the lagoon’) GOLD > GENEROUS MEN] to look into the spear-sharp eyes of battle-glad Óláfr. The men from Trøndelag did not dare to look into his snake-bright eyes; the lord of hersar [KING = Óláfr] seemed terrifying. ’
Óláfr breaks forward from his own shield-wall and the farmers are frightened at the sight of his face.
On the literary topos of the terrifying glance of the ruler, see Marold (1998a). As noted by Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV), Snorri Sturluson may well have used this stanza when describing Óláfr as having exceptional eyes: beautiful and so piercing as to be terrifying to look at when he was angry (ÍF 27, 4).
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.
Geirs hyɢ ec grimlict varo | guɴreifom Oleifi | loghreytꜹndom lita | lóns i hvassar sionir | þorðut þrǫnscir fyrðar | þótti hersa drottiɴ | ógorligr i ꜹgo | ormfrán sia hánom
(KS)
Geir- hykk grimmligt vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
lof-†-røtondum† líta
lóns í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
œgi-ligr — í augu
ormfrôn séa hônum.
Geir- hykk grimm-lig vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
log-hreytendum líta
lóns í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
œgi-ligr — í augu
ormfrôn séa hônum.
Geir- †hugg† grimmligt vôru
gunn-reipum Ôleifi
lof-hreytǫndum líta
léons í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
ógurligr — í augum
orm†prans† séa hônum.
Geir- hykk grimmligt vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
log†-reitundum† líta
lóns í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
œgi-ligr — í augu
ormfrôn séa hônum.
Geir- hykk grimmligt ríki
gunnreifum Ôleifi
lof-†-rækindvm† líta
léons í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
ógurligr — í augu
ormsfrôns séa hônum.
Geir- grimmligt vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
lof--rennundum líta
léons í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut Þrœndr virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
œgi-ligr — í augu
ormfrôns séa hônum.
Geir- hykk grimmligt vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
lof-†-hrækundum† líta
léons með -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
ógurligr — í augu
ormfrôn séa hônum.
Geir- hykk grimmligt væri
gunnreifum Ôleifi
lof-†-rækendum† líta
léons í -hvassar sjónir.
þorðu ei þrœnzkir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
ógurligr — í augu
ormfrôn séa hônum.
Geir- hykk grimmligt vôru
gunnreifum Ôleifi
lof-†-rækendum† líta
léons í -hvassar sjónir.
Þorðut Þrœndir virðar
— þótti hersa dróttinn
ógurligr — í augu
ormfrôn hônum séa .
Skj: Sigvatr Þórðarson, 12. Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 13: AI, 260, BI, 242, Skald I, 125; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 489, IV, 168, ÍF 27, 380, Hkr 1991, II, 530 (ÓHHkr ch. 226); ÓH 1941, I, 571 (ch. 224), Flat 1860-8, II, 355; Jón Skaptason 1983, 168, 304.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.