Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld (Þorm)
11th century; volume 5; ed. R. D. Fulk;
Þorgeirsdrápa (Þorgdr) - 15
I. Lausavísur (Lv) - 33
This edition is currently in preparation.
The biography below may represent a superseded edition, notes and/or
an interim or draft version. Do not cite this material without
consulting the volume and skald editors. Þormóðr Bersason’s (Þorm) story is told in Fóstbrœðra saga ‘Saga of the Sworn Brothers’ (Fbr), and on its witness he may be supposed to have been born c. 998 and to have died of a wound received in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. The saga, however, is untrustworthy as to particulars, as the author seems to have derived most of his information about the poet from the poetry available to him. According to the saga, in childhood he and his friend Þorgeirr Hávarsson each swore that he would avenge the killing of the other if he lived. The latter, at the age of fifteen, avenged the killing of his father, initiating a string of thirteen killings commemorated in Þormóðr’s poem celebrating his sworn brother, Þorgeirsdrápa ‘Drápa about Þorgeirr’ (Þorgdr). Even though their friendship ended when Þormóðr was about fifteen, Þormóðr travelled to Greenland after Þorgeirr was killed (c. 1024), to take vengeance on the perpetrator Þorgrímr trolli (‘Troll’? see Note to Fbr 29/1) and three of his sons. The poet earned his nickname kolbrúnarskáld ‘Coal-brow’s Poet’ for having composed poetry in praise of Þórbjǫrg kolbrún Glúmsdóttir, though none of these survive (probably for reasons of a moral nature; see Boyer 1990, 80). According to Þormóðar þáttr (Þorm; see Þorm Lv 10-11I) he served King Knútr inn ríki Sveinsson (Cnut the Great) in Denmark before returning to Norway, where he spent the last part of his short life in the service of the king, Óláfr Haraldsson (S. Óláfr). According to a memorable passage in Hkr, on the morning of the battle of Stiklestad he recited Bjarkamál in fornu (Anon Bjark 1-2III) to rouse the king’s troops. For further biographical information, see Finnur Jónsson (1932-3, 31-3), ÍF 6, lii-lxx and Schach (1993).
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Lausavísur —
Þorm LvV (Fbr)
R. D. Fulk 2012, ‘(Introduction to) Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld, Lausavísur’ 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. 820.
stanzas: 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
cross-references: 17 = Anon (Vǫlsa) 11I
for reference only: 18x
19x
20x
21x
22x
23x
24x
25x
Skj: Þórmóðr Bersason Kolbrúnarskáld: 2. Lausavísur (AI, 281-8, BI, 260-6)
SkP info: I, 837 |
old edition
introduction
edition
manuscripts
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| 22 — Þorm Lv 22I
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Cite as: R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld, Lausavísur 22’ 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. 837. Haraldr vas bitr at berjask
bǫðreifr með Ôleifi;
þar gekk harðra hjǫrva
Hringr ok Dagr at þingi.
Réðu þeir und rauðar
randir prútt at standa
— fekk benþiðurr blakkan
bjór — dǫglingar fjórir. | Bǫðreifr Haraldr vas bitr at berjask með Ôleifi; þar gekk Hringr ok Dagr at {þingi harðra hjǫrva}. Þeir fjórir dǫglingar réðu at standa prútt und rauðar randir; {benþiðurr} fekk blakkan bjór. Battle-happy Haraldr was sharp at fighting beside Óláfr; there Hringr and Dagr went to {the assembly of hard swords} [BATTLE]. Those four princes stood magnificently under red shields; {the wound-grouse} [RAVEN/EAGLE] got dark beer [blood].
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texts: ‹Fbr 37› (ch. 26),
‹ÓHLeg 59›,
‹TGT 2 [4-4]› editions: Skj Þórmóðr Bersason Kolbrúnarskáld: 2. Lausavísur 22 (AI, 287; BI, 265); Skald I, 136, NN §1853C; Hb 1892-6, 414-15, Fbr 1852, 110, Flat 1860-8, II, 365, Fbr 1925-7, 212, ÍF 6, 271 (ch. 24), Loth 1960a, 156 (ch. 17), ÍS II, 842, 849 (ch. 24); ÓHLeg 1849, 72, 120, ÓHLeg 1922, 87, ÓHLeg 1982, 200-1; SnE 1848-87, II, 92-3, TGT 1884, 58, TGT 1927, 38, TGT 1998, 92-3; Gaertner 1907, 312, 346, Finnur Jónsson 1932-3, 75-6.
sources
AM 544 4° (Hb) |
89v, 3 - 89v, 6 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 142 folx (142x) |
105, 12 - 105, 19 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 566 a 4°x (566ax) |
29v, 10 - 29v, 17 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 761 a 4°x (761ax) |
96r, 12 - 96r, 12 [4-4] |
(Skáldatal) |
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GKS 1005 fol (Flat) |
125vb, 58 - 126ra, 1 |
(Fbr) |
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DG 8 (DG8) |
101v, 34 - 101v, 37 |
(ÓHLeg) |
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AM 748 I b 4° (A) |
3r, 8 - 3r, 8 [4-4] |
(TGT) |
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AM 242 fol (W) |
99, 30 - 99, 31 [4-4] |
(TGT) |
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Thott 1768 4°x (1768x) |
231r - 231r |
(Fbr) |
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AM 141 folx (141x) |
56v, 22 - 56v, 29 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 744 4°x (744x) |
7v, 2 - 7v, 2 |
(TGT) |
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AM 757 a 4° (B) |
2r, 36 - 2r, 37 [4-4] |
(TGT) |
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AM 761 b 4°x (761bx) |
489v, 19 - 489v, 26 |
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