Sturl Hákkv 38^II

Var geðsteinn
gauzkum manni
styrjar stund
í stall drepinn,
áðr ógnstórr
játat hafði
Svía gramr
siklings boði.

{Geðsteinn} gauzkum manni var drepinn í stall stund styrjar, áðr {ógnstórr gramr Svía} hafði játat boði siklings.

{The mind-stone} [HEART] of the Gautish men was struck by fear in that moment of unrest before {the awe-inspiring lord of the Swedes} [SWEDISH RULER = Birgir] had agreed to the ruler’s offer.

Mss: E(185v), F(115vb), 42ˣ(176v), 81a(115va), 8(64v), Flat(181rb) (Hák)

Readings: [1] Var: om. Flat    [2] gauzkum manni: gauzkra manna Flat    [3] styrjar: var styrjar Flat;    stund: so 42ˣ, 81a, 8, Flat, stundi E, lundi F    [4] stall: ‘stalld’ Flat;    drepinn: so all others, drepit E

Editions: Skj AII, 119, Skj BII, 126, Skald II, 68; E 1916, 632, F 1871, 539, Hák 1910-86, 620, Hák 1977-82, 151, Flat 1860-8, III, 180.

Context: When the Gautar saw Hákon’s splendid fleet, they were afraid (see st. 37 above).

Notes: [2] gauzkum manni ‘of the Gautish men’: Lit. ‘of the Gautish man’ (sg.). — [3] ógnstórr gramr Svía ‘the awe-inspiring lord of the Swedes [SWEDISH RULER = Birgir]’: Taken here to refer to Jarl Birgir Magnússon. Skj B gives the translation den kampmæktige Svea-konge ‘the pugnacious king of the Swedes’ (i.e. Eiríkr Eiríksson). However, Eiríkr was not present at this meeting, and Birgir was leading the negotiations on his behalf. Eiríkr Eiríksson ruled Sweden 1222-9 and 1234-50. Birgir Magnússon (d. 1266) was married to Ingibjǫrg, Eiríkr’s sister, and he was the father of Valdimarr who succeeded Eiríkr to the Swed. throne. — [4] drepinn í stall ‘struck by fear’: For this expression, see Note to Arn Þorfdr 7/5, 8. According to the saga, the Gautar were afraid that the peace agreement would fail and that Hákon would harry in their country (E 1916, 632): ok miok voro þeir hræddir ef haufðingiarnir sættiz æigi at Noʀegs konungr mundi gera stor heruirki i landi þeiʀa ‘and they were very much afraid that if the chieftains did not come to an agreement, the king of Norway would harry extensively in their country’. — [8] boði siklings ‘the ruler’s offer’: Hákon offered to marry his son, Hákon ungi ‘the Young’, to Birgir’s young daughter Ríkiza, and they agreed that there should be peace between Norway and Sweden and that the Swedes should no longer harbour any enemies of the Norw. king.

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. 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.
5. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
6. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Internal references
10. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 7’ 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. 237-8.