R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Óttarr svarti, Lausavísur 3’ 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. 788.
Ótt Lv 3 is preserved in ÓHLeg (DG8, used as main ms. here), where it is attributed to Óttarr, and in the excerpts (articuli) from Styrmir Kárason’s Lífssaga of S. Óláfr appended to ÓH (Flat, with parallel texts in Tóm, 73aˣ, 71ˣ and 76aˣ, the last three representing a lost part of Bæb, Bæjarbók á Rauðasandi), where it is attributed to Sigvatr Þórðarson and follows his Lv 19. The stanza is somewhat likelier to be the work of Óttarr than of Sigvatr: ÓHLeg is older than Styrmir’s work, and in it the stanza is found in a rambling chapter with poetry by various skalds, where it follows Ólhelg Lv 3. Styrmir might have altered the ascription in order to lend more narrative unity to his saga, while there is no obvious reason why the author of ÓHLeg would have altered it. Similarities in the preceding prose show that the different ascriptions in ÓHLeg and ÓH are not just oral variants.
Heðan sék reyk, þanns rjúka
rǫnn of fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru skalds of skærur
skellibrǫgð — ór helli.
Nú frýrat mér nýrar
nenningar dag þenna;
hlíti ek fyr hvítan
hornstraums dǫgurð Naumu.
Heðan ór helli sék reyk, þanns rǫnn rjúka of fiskimǫnnum; stór eru skellibrǫgð skalds of skærur. Nú frýrat mér nýrar nenningar þenna dag; ek hlíti {Naumu {hornstraums}} fyr hvítan dǫgurð.
‘From here out of the cave I see smoke, which mansions waft over fishermen; great are the roaring tricks of the poet in the dawn light. Now no-one will be jibing me into a new achievement today; I am content with a Nauma <giantess> of the horn-stream [ALE > WOMAN] instead of a white breakfast. ’
According to ÓHLeg, one day Óttarr told King Óláfr helgi Haraldsson about a small farmer named Karli whom he had stayed with in Iceland. Óttarr said that he took Karli’s wife and went into a cave and sat there and delivered this vísa as he looked over the farm. The same story is told of Sigvatr Þórðarson in the extracts from Styrmir in the ÓH mss. There the prose adds that Karli thought Sigvatr lazy, and Bæjarbók (73aˣ, 71ˣ, 76ˣ) adds further that the wife was young and attractive, and that they ‘played’ (liekum ockr) in the cave. In all texts, the king smiles and responds with Ólhelg Lv 3.
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.
Heðan sék reyk, þanns rjúka
†rannum† fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru skalds of skærur
skellibrǫgð — ór helli.
Nú frýrat mér nýjar
menningar dag þenna;
hlíti ek þér fyr hvítan
hornstraums dǫgurð Nauma.
Heðan se ec ræyk þann ær riu | ka , rannum fiski mannum , stor ero skallz um skæror , skælli brogð or hælli , | nu fryr armir nyiar , menningar dag þenna , liti ec þer fyr huitan , horn | straums , dagurð nauma .
(RDF)
Heðan sék reyk, þann rjúka
rǫnn af fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru skalds of skærur
skellibrǫgð — ór helli.
Nú frýrat mér †nyrrar†
nenningar dag þenna;
hlíti ek fyr hvítan
hornstraums dǫgurð Naumu.
Hedan se ek | reyk þann ríuka raunn af fiski monnum stor eru skꜳllds vm skærvr skelli brogd | or helli nu fryrat mer nyʀrar nenningar dag þenna hlítí ek fyrir huítann horn | straums daugurd naumu .
(RDF)
Heðan sék reyk, er rjúka
hrǫnn yfir fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru †skíalldr† of skorar
skellibrǫgð — í helli.
Nú frýrat mér †(ti)yrar†
nýjungar dag þenna;
hlíti ek fyr hvítan
harm-straums dǫgurð nômu.
(Tóm) Híeðan se ec ʀeyk er ʀívka . hravnn yfir físki maunnum : Stor ero skíalldr vm skorar . skelle braugð j helle . nu fryr ath mier nyrar [but it looks more like tiyrar] nyiungar dag þenna | hlite ec fyr huitan harmstraums . daugurd namv .
(RDF)
Heðan sék reyk, þanns rjúka
rǫnn af fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru skalds skærur
skellibrǫgð — ór helli.
Nú †fryrrar mer† nýrar
nenningar dag þenna;
hlíti ek fyr hvítan
horn-straum dǫgurð Naumu.
heðan séé ek ʀæyk þann er ʀíuka | ʀo᷎nn af fiskí mo᷎nnum . | stor ero skalldz skíęrur . | skiellí bro᷎gð or hellí : | nu fryʀar mer nyraʀ . | nenníngar ðag þenna . | hlití ek fyr huitan . | horn straum dø᷎gurð naumu . |
(RDF)
Heðan sék reyk, þanns rjúka
rǫnn af fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru skalds of skærur
skellibrǫgð — ór helli.
Nú †fryrrar mer† nýrar
nenningar dag þenna;
hlíti ek fyr hvítan
horn-straum dǫgurð Naumu.
hedann see ek ʀeyk þann riuka , ʀo᷎nn af | fiske mo᷎nnumm , stör eru skallds of skięrur , skelli bro᷎gd or helli , nu | frýʀar mer nýrar , nenningar dag þenna , hliti ek fyrir huitann , hornstraum do᷎gurd naumu .
(RDF)
Heðan sék reyk, þanns rjúka
rǫnn af fiskimǫnnum
— stór eru skalds of skærur
skellibrǫgð — ór helli.
Nú frýrat mér †nyrrar†
nenningar dag þenna;
hlíti ek fyr hvítan
horn-straum dǫgurð Nauma.
Hedann se ek reyk þann er riuka | ro᷎nn af fiski mo᷎nnum | stor eru skꜳllds ofskiærur | skelli bro᷎gd or helli | nu fryr at mer nyʀar | nenningar dag þenna | hliti ek fyrir hvitann | horn strꜹm do᷎gurd nꜹma |
(VEÞ)
Heþan se ek reyk er riuka | raunn yfir fiski monnum | stor eru skialldr um skorar | skellibraugþ i helli | nu fryr at mer nyrar | nynningar dag þenna | hliti ek fyrir hvitan | harmstraums da⸌u⸍gurþ namu . ||
(RDF)
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