ÞSjár Þórdr 4^I

Afreks veit, þars jǫfri
allríkr í styr slíkum
gǫndlar Njǫrðr, sás gerði,
gekk næst, Hugins drekku.

Veit afreks, þars {allríkr Njǫrðr gǫndlar}, sás gerði {drekku Hugins}, gekk næst jǫfri í slíkum styr.

It signals an exceptional deed when {the all-powerful Njǫrðr <god> of battle} [WARRIOR = Þórálfr], who prepared {Huginn’s <raven’s> banquet} [CORPSES], advanced next to the prince in such a battle.

Mss: Kˣ(104v), F(18rb), J1ˣ(63r), J2ˣ(59v) (Hkr); 61(6rb), 325IX 1 a(2vb), Bb(8rb) (ÓT); FskBˣ(12r), FskAˣ(55) (Fsk)

Readings: [1] Afreks: afrek FskAˣ;    þars (‘þar er’): þat er F, 61, 325IX 1 a, Bb, FskAˣ, þá J1ˣ, þá er J2ˣ    [3] gǫndlar: gumnar FskBˣ, gunnar FskAˣ;    Njǫrðr: morðr FskBˣ, móðr FskAˣ;    sás (‘sa er’): þeim er FskBˣ, FskAˣ    [4] Hugins: hugar 325IX 1 a, Bb;    drekku: drekkju 325IX 1 a, Bb

Editions: Skj AI, 328, Skj BI, 302, Skald I, 154; Hkr 1893-1901, I, 217, ÍF 26, 192 (HákGóð ch. 31), F 1871, 83; ÓT 1958-2000, I, 45 (ch. 28); Fsk 1902-3, 46 (ch. 12), ÍF 29, 93 (ch. 13).

Context: As sts 2-3 above.

Notes: [All]: In Hkr and ÓT, sts 3/1-4 and 4 form a single stanza. — [1] afreks (n. gen. sg.) ‘an exceptional deed’: The verb vita (veit 3rd pers. sg. pres. indic.) in the meaning ‘signal, point to, forebode’ can take either gen. or acc. The clause is impersonal. — [1] þars ‘when’: More usually ‘where’, but the reference is to the whole situation. Other eds prefer the variant þats ‘that’, which is equally possible. — [3] Njǫrðr gǫndlar ‘Njǫrðr <god> of battle [WARRIOR = Þórálfr]’: For a similar kenning, see Arn Rǫgndr 1/3^II and Note. Gǫndul is the name of a valkyrie but could also be used as a common noun gǫndul ‘battle’ (see LP: Gǫndul). — [3] sás ‘who’: The m. nom. sg. demonstrative sá refers back to Njǫrðr gǫndlar ‘the Njǫrðr of battle’ i.e. Þórálfr Skólmsson. The Fsk variant þeims (m. dat. sg.) agrees with jǫfri ‘prince’ (l. 1), i.e. Hákon, who would then be the subject of the rel. clause. — [4] drekku Hugins ‘Huginn’s <raven’s> banquet [CORPSES]’: The word drekka can mean both ‘banquet, drinking feast’ and ‘drink’. If taken in the latter meaning, the kenning would denote ‘blood’. Huginn, like Muninn (st. 3/6), was Óðinn’s raven, and the occurrence of the two names in kennings in two consecutive stanzas may have been deliberate.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
4. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
5. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
6. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
7. Fsk 1902-3 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1902-3. Fagrskinna: Nóregs kononga tal. SUGNL 30. Copenhagen: Møller.
8. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
9. ÓT 1958-2000 = Ólafur Halldórsson, ed. 1958-2000. Saga Óláfs Tryggvasonar en mesta. 3 vols. EA A 1-3. Copenhagen: Munksgaard (Reitzel).
10. Internal references
11. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ 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, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=4> (accessed 17 May 2024)
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=56> (accessed 17 May 2024)
13. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=60> (accessed 17 May 2024)
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Hákonar saga góða’ 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, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=130> (accessed 17 May 2024)
15. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Rǫgnvaldsdrápa 1’ 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. 178-80.