Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Knútsdrápa 9’ 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. 660.
Létat af jǫfurr
(ætt manna fannsk)
Jótlands etask
ílendr (at því).
Vildi foldar
fæst rôn Dana
hlífskjǫldr hafa.
Hǫfuðfremstr jǫfurr.
Ílendr létat {jǫfurr Jótlands} etask af; ætt manna fannsk at því. {Hlífskjǫldr Dana} vildi hafa fæst rôn foldar. … Hǫfuðfremstr jǫfurr.
Arrived in his land, {the lord of Jutland} [DANISH KING = Knútr] did not let himself be deprived; the race of men were pleased at that. {The protecting shield of the Danes} [DANISH KING = Knútr] would allow minimal plundering of the land. … The most eminent prince.
Mss: Kˣ(410r), 325XI 1(3rb) (Hkr); Holm2(52r), J2ˣ(196v-197r), 321ˣ(184), 73aˣ(160r), 68(49v), Holm4(46rb), 61(112ra), 75c(31r), 325V(58va), Bb(181va), Flat(115rb), Tóm(138r) (ÓH); FskBˣ(47r) (Fsk); DG8(92v) (ÓHLeg)
Readings: [1] Létat: ‘let[…]’ 325XI 1, ‘Lezat’ 61, leit Flat, leitat Tóm, lét at FskBˣ, DG8; af: om. J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ; jǫfurr: jǫfrar J2ˣ [2] ætt: átt Tóm; fannsk: fann J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ [3] Jótlands: Jótland J2ˣ, DG8, í Jótlands Bb; etask: ættask J2ˣ, eta 321ˣ, 73aˣ, í etask Bb, er lauk DG8 [4] ílendr: ílendi J2ˣ; at: af 61, 75c, 325V, Bb, Flat, DG8 [5] Vildi: ‘[…]di’ 325XI 1, valdi 75c, Bb, Flat; foldar: ‘fulldar’ 321ˣ [6] fæst rôn: frán 321ˣ, fráneygr 73aˣ; fæst: flest 75c, Flat, fest 325V, Bb, FskBˣ, ‘faust’ Tóm, fast DG8; rôn: rann 61, 75c, 325V, Bb, Tóm; Dana: ‘da’ 325V [7] ‑skjǫldr: skjǫld 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 75c, Bb, Flat [8] Hǫfuðfremstr: ‘[…]fremstr’ 325XI 1; jǫfurr: ‘jo[...]’ 325XI 1
Editions: Skj AI, 250-1, Skj BI, 234, Skald I, 121; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 361, IV, 145, ÍF 27, 278 (ÓHHkr ch. 149); ÓH 1941, I, 434 (ch. 139), Flat 1860-8, II, 280; Fsk 1902-3, 164 (ch. 27), ÍF 29, 186 (ch. 32); ÓHLeg 1922, 61, ÓHLeg 1982, 146-7.
Context: In ÓH-Hkr, Snorri quotes this stanza in illustration of Knútr’s pursuit of Óláfr and Ǫnundr, prior to their encounter at Á in helga (Helgeå). In Fsk and ÓHLeg, the stanza is quoted after a brief account of the battle.
Notes: [All]: The stanza may well refer to the sea-battle at Á in helga (Helgeå, c. 1026, on which, see ÞSjár Róðdr, Ótt Knútdr 11 and Note to Ótt Knútdr 11/3), but since the p. n. is not given, this remains less than certain. The prose Contexts (above) cite the stanza in relation either to the battle itself or to the lead-up to it. — [4] ílendr ‘arrrived in his land’: On this rare word, see Note to Arn Þorfdr 22/5II. — [6] fæst ‘minimal’: Superlative of fár ‘few, little’; here presumably a litotes for ‘none at all’. — [8]: The line completes the klofastef ‘split refrain’; see Note to st. 3/1 above.
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