Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 18’ 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. 686.
Bjǫrn frák auk af œrnum
endr stǫllurum kenndu
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar mǫnnum;
leyfðrs at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Frák auk Bjǫrn endr kenndu stǫllurum af œrnum hug, hvé dugði halda dróttin; hann sótti framm. Hann fell í her með hollum mǫnnum verðungar; sá dauði at hǫfði hróðrauðigs hilmis [e]s leyfðr.
‘I have heard also how Bjǫrn at that time taught the marshals, with abundant courage, how it was fitting to protect their lord; he pressed forward. He fell in the army with the loyal men of the retinue; that death at the head of the fame-rich leader is praised. ’
The close fighting continues at Stiklastaðir (Stiklestad) between the king with his defenders (including Bjǫrn stallari ‘the Marshal’) and a small group of opponents. Bjǫrn attacks, but is killed by, Þórir hundr. Óláfr is then felled by three different blows and most of his troop also die. BjHall Kálffl 5 is cited as a witness to Kálfr Árnason’s role, then this stanza concerning Bjǫrn.
[5-8]: This helmingr is taken as two independent clauses with relatively natural word order, following Kock (NN §§620, 665). At hǫfði hróðrauðigs hilmis ‘at the head of the fame-rich leader’ is taken here with sá dauði ‘that death’. It could alternatively be taken with hann fell ‘he fell’ in ll. 5-6 (so Skj B; ÍF 27).
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.
Bjǫrn frák auk af œrnum
endr stǫllurum kenndu
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar mǫnnum;
†leyfðr er† at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Biorn fra ec ꜹt af ornum | endr stallǫrum kendo | hug hve halda dugði | hann sótti fram drottin | fell i her með hollum | hann verþungar mönnum | leyfðr er at hilmis hǫfþi | hróðr ꜹðigs sa dꜹðe
(KS)
Bjǫrn frák auk af œrnu
endr stǫllurum kenndu
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar mǫnnum;
†leyfr er† at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák at af œrnu
endr †stallerum† kenndi
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar manni;
leyfðrs at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák at af †ornum†
endr †stallaurum† kenndi
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar manni;
leyfðrs at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigr sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák ok œrnum
endr stǫllurum kenndi
hug, hvé halda skyldi
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar manni;
leyfði er at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sjá dauða.
Bjǫrn frák †okr† af œrnum
endr stǫllurum kenndi
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar manna;
leyfðr at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák auð at ernum
endr †stallar[…]vm† kenndi
hug, halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hylli
hann virðinga manna;
frægr,leyfðr, at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák ok œrnum
endr stǫllurum kenndi
hug, hvé halda skyldi
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
hann verðungar mǫnnum;
leyfðrs at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sjá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák auð af ǫrnum
endr stǫllurum kenndan
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hollum
her verðungar sverða;
leyfðr at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauða.
Bjǫrn frák auð af œrnum
endr stǫllurum kennda
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hylli
her †verdungra† manna;
frægr at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák auð af œrnu
endr stallara kenndi
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hylli
hann †verdugra† manna;
frægr at hilmis hǫfði
hróð-auðigs sá dauði.
Bjǫrn frák auð af ernum
endr stallara kenndum
hug, hvé halda dugði
— hann sótti framm — dróttin.
Fell í her með hylli
hann verðungar manna;
frægr at hilmis hǫfði
hróðrauðigs sá dauði.
Skj: Sigvatr Þórðarson, 12. Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 18: AI, 261-2, BI, 243, Skald I, 126, NN §§620, 665, 1116, 1121, 1825, 1879, 2478, 2480D; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 494-5, IV, 171, ÍF 27, 386, Hkr 1991, II, 534 (ÓHHkr ch. 228); ÓH 1941, I, 575 (ch. 226), Flat 1860-8, II, 357; Jón Skaptason 1983, 173, 307.
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