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The biography below may represent a superseded edition, notes and/or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 Do not cite this material without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, 840 |
old edition
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| 24 — Þorm Lv 24I
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Cite as: R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld, Lausavísur 24’ 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. 840. Emka rjóðr, en rauðum
ræðr grǫnn Skǫgul manni
hauka setrs in hvíta;
hyggr fár of mik sáran.
Hitt veldr mér, at meldrar
morðvenjanda Fenju
djúp ok danskra vápna
Dags hríðar spor svíða. | Emka rjóðr, en {grǫnn Skǫgul in hvíta {setrs hauka}} ræðr rauðum manni; fár hyggr of mik sáran. Hitt veldr mér, at {djúp spor {hríðar Dags ok danskra vápna} svíða {morðvenjanda {meldrar Fenju}}. I am not ruddy, but {the slender, white Skǫgul <valkyrie> {of the seat of hawks}} [ARM > WOMAN] gives orders to a red [blood-stained] man; few think about me, wounded. This is the cause to me [of my pallor], that {the deep tracks {of the blizzard of Dagr <legendary king> and of Danish weapons}} [BATTLE > WOUNDS] cause pain to {the killing-accustomed one {of the flour of Fenja <giantess>}} [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN = Þormóðr].
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texts: ‹Fbr 40 (ch. 27),
‹ÓH 171 (167)›,
‹ÓHHkr 160 (II 160)›,
‹ÓHLeg 62›,
‹Hkr 361 (II 160)› editions: Skj Þórmóðr Bersason Kolbrúnarskáld: 2. Lausavísur 24 (AI, 288; BI, 266); Skald I, 137, NN §§714, 1991 anm. 2; Fms 5, 91-2, Fms 12, 103, ÓH 1941, I, 584 (ch. 234), Flat 1860-8, II, 366; Hkr 1777-1826, II, 376, VI, 115, Hkr 1868, 497-8 (ÓHHkr ch. 247), Hkr 1893-1901, I, 502, IV, 172, ÍF 6, 276, ÍF 27, 391, Hkr 1991, II, 538 (ÓHHkr ch. 234); ÓHLeg 1849, 73, 120, ÓHLeg 1922, 88, ÓHLeg 1982, 202-5; Hb 1892-6, 416, Fbr 1852, 112, Fbr 1925-7, 215-16, ÍF 6, 275 (ch. 24), Loth 1960a, li-lii, 158 (ch. 17), ÍS II, 843, 850-1 (ch. 24); Gaertner 1907, 312, 348-9, Finnur Jónsson 1932-3, 77-8.
sources
Holm perg 2 4° (Holm2) |
69v, 3 - 69v, 5 |
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Thott 972 folx (972x*) |
542vb, 3 - 542vb, 10 |
(ÓH) |
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Thott 972 folx (972x) |
542va, 3 - 542va, 10 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 38 folx (J2x) |
229v, 6 - 229v, 13 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 321 4°x (321x) |
262, 14 - 262, 17 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 73 a folx (73ax) |
204v, 20 - 204v, 27 |
(ÓH) |
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Holm perg 4 4° (Holm4) |
65ra, 28 - 65ra, 32 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 61 fol (61) |
126vb, 15 - 126vb, 19 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 325 V 4° (325V) |
82vb, 21 - 82vb, 26 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 325 VII 4° (325VII) |
39r, 29 - 39r, 30 |
(ÓH) |
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Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) |
200va, 16 - 200va, 20 |
(ÓH) |
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GKS 1005 fol (Flat) |
126ra, 25 - 126ra, 27 |
(ÓH) |
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GKS 1008 fol (Tóm) |
157r, 27 - 157r, 29 |
(ÓH) |
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AM 36 folx (Kx) |
476r, 12 - 476r, 19 |
(Hkr) |
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AM 544 4° (Hb) |
89v, 28 - 89v, 31 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 142 folx (142x) |
107, 17 - 107, 24 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 566 a 4°x (566ax) |
32r, 4 - 32r, 11 |
(Fbr) |
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AM 141 folx (141x) |
57v, 11 - 57v, 18 |
(Fbr) |
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Holm papp 4 4°x (papp4x) |
130r, 34 - 130v, 2 |
(Fbr) |
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DG 8 (DG8) |
102r, 25 - 102r, 27 |
(ÓHLeg) |
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Thott 1768 4°x (1768x) |
232v - 232v |
(Fbr) |
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AM 761 b 4°x (761bx) |
547v, 23 - 548r, 6 |
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