Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Bersǫglisvísur 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, pp. 17-18.
Rétt hykk kjósa knôttu
karlfolk ok svá jarla,
af þvít eignum lofða
Ôláfar frið gôfu.
Haralds arfi lét haldask
hvardyggr ok sonr Tryggva
lǫg, þaus lýðar þôgu,
laukjǫfn, af þeim nǫfnum.
Hykk karlfolk ok svá jarla knôttu kjósa rétt, af þvít Ôláfar gôfu eignum lofða frið. {Hvardyggr arfi Haralds} ok {sonr Tryggva} lét haldask laukjǫfn lǫg, þaus lýðar þôgu af þeim nǫfnum.
I think that both farmers and jarls knew how to choose rightly, because [the two] Óláfrs brought protection to people’s properties. {The very reliable heir of Haraldr} [= Óláfr Haraldsson] and {the son of Tryggvi} [= Óláfr Tryggvason] let the just laws be upheld, which men received from those namesakes.
Mss: Kˣ(504v), 39(14va), E(5v), J2ˣ(245v) (Hkr); Holm2(74r), 972ˣ(584va), 972ˣ(584vb-585vb), 325VI(42rb), 321ˣ(282), 73aˣ(216r), 325VII(41v), 325V(89va), 61(130rb), Tóm(161r) (ÓH); H(4r), Hr(6ra) (H-Hr); Flat(190ra) (Flat)
Readings: [2] karl‑: karls E, Tóm, ‘kalls‑’ 325VII, 61; ‑folk: ‑flokk Holm2, 972ˣ(584vb), 325VII; jarla: jarlar E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(584va), 972ˣ(584vb), 325VII, 325V, 61, Tóm [3] þvít (‘þvi at’): því er Holm2, 972ˣ(584va), 972ˣ(584vb), 321ˣ; lofða: lofðar E, 972ˣ(584va), hǫfðu 61, Tóm [4] Ôláfar: Óláfr J2ˣ, ‘Alafe’ 972ˣ(584va), ‘Olafer’ 972ˣ(584vb), ‘olafr’ 325V, Tóm, ‘olafe’ Flat; frið: grið Tóm; gôfu: ‘gafe’ 325VII, gfut 325V [5] arfi: om. 325VI, arfa 61; haldask: halda Holm2, 972ˣ(584vb), 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325VII, 325V, 61, Tóm, H, Hr, Flat [6] hvar‑: hǫgg‑ 61, ‘hugg‑’ Tóm, hvarf‑ Flat; sonr: son 39, E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(584va), 972ˣ(584vb), 73aˣ, Hr, Flat, ‘[...]’ 325VII, svá 325V, 61, Tóm [7] þaus (‘þau er’): þau 39, Flat; lýðar: lýðir 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, 61, Tóm, Hr, Flat; þôgu: hǫfðu 39, om. Holm2, 972ˣ(584vb) [8] lauk‑: ‘laug‑’ 321ˣ, ‘log’ Flat; af: om. 972ˣ(584vb), at H, Hr, ok af Flat
Editions: Skj AI, 252, Skj BI, 235-6, Skald I, 122, NN §1864; ÍF 28, 27-8 (Mgóð ch. 16), E 1916, 17; ÓH 1941, I, 625 (ch. 621); Fms 6, 40 (Mgóð ch. 22); Flat 1860-8, III, 268, Mork 1928-32, 27, Andersson and Gade 2000, 105, 467 (MH); Jón Skaptason 1983, 142, 289.
Notes: [1-4]: The implied sense of this helmingr is that the people who elected the two Óláfrs king knew what they were doing, whereas it could now appear doubtful whether it had been a wise move to bring Magnús back from Russia. — [4] Ôláfar ‘[the two] Óláfrs’: Óláfr Tryggvason (d. 1000) and Óláfr Haraldsson (d. 1030), the first two Norw. missionary kings. — [5] lét (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘let’: The verb is in the sg. but has a pl. subject. See NS §70. — [5] haldask ‘be upheld’: The m. v. of the verb is preferable, although the variant halda ‘endure’ is also possible. — [7] lýðar ‘men’: Lýðr is a m. i-stem, but could take an -ar ending in the nom. pl. (see ANG §387.1). — [7, 8] laukjǫfn lǫg ‘the just laws’: Laukjǫfn lit. ‘straight as a leek’, i.e. ‘fair, just’ (hap. leg.). Skj B takes this adj. with the last cl. The legislation of Óláfr Tryggvason is mentioned by Oddr Snorrason, on the authority of Sæmundr inn fróði (see ÓTOdd 1932, 114, ch. 36). Óláfr Haraldsson, Magnús’s father, is said to have revised the laws of Hákon inn góði (see st. 5 above) and to have promulgated a Christian law code on the advice of Bishop Grímkell and other clerics (ÍF 27, 73).
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.