Bjarni gullbrárskáld Hallbjarnarson (BjHall)
11th century; volume 1; ed. Alison Finlay;
Kálfsflokkr (Kálffl) - 8
Bjarni gullbrárskáld Hallbjarnarson (BjHall) is mentioned only in the passages in the kings’ sagas in which stanzas from Kálfsflokkr, his sole surviving poem, are cited. He is generally identified, however, with the Icelander Bjarni Hallbjarnarson named in Þorgríms þáttr Hallasonar, which is preserved in Hulda-Hrokkinskinna (H-Hr; Fms 6, 32; ÍF 9, 298-303). He is there said to be the son of Hallbjǫrn skefill ‘Scraper’ of Laxárdalur in Skagafjörður, northern Iceland, and to have a brother called Þórðr, neither of whom is known elsewhere. The þáttr represents Bjarni, early in the reign of King Magnús Óláfsson (1035-47), presenting a poem to Kálfr Árnason, which includes praise of his deeds at the battle of Stiklastaðir (Stiklestad, 1030), and being killed immediately by Þorgrímr Hallason, a follower of King Óláfr; see further Biography of Kolgrímr litli ‘the Small’ (KolgrII), and Kolg ÓlII. This cannot be true according to the evidence of the stanzas printed below, however, since those representing Kálfr’s loss of the friendship of King Magnús and his campaigning in Orkney must have been composed as late as the mid 1040s. It seems most likely that the author of the þáttr knew of a poem by Bjarni in honour of Kálfr, but was not familiar with its content.
In the U redaction of Skáldatal ‘biarni gvllbraskalld’ is listed as a poet of Kálfr Árnason, and also included among the poets of Óláfr Tryggvason (r. c. 995-c. 1000), which must be a mistake: in the 761aˣ redaction this poet is simply named Bjarni skáld (SnE 1848-87, III, 253, 261, 269).
Bjarni’s nickname (recorded both with and without inflectional ‑(a)r-; see Lind 1920-1, 123) suggests that Bjarni was identified as the poet of someone, presumably a woman, nicknamed gullbrá ‘Gold-eyelash’. The same nickname gullbrá or gullbráskáld is also associated with the elusive Gizurr svarti (Gizsv; see his Biography in this volume).
notes my abbr.
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Kálfsflokkr (‘Flokkr about Kálfr’)
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BjHall KálfflI
Alison Finlay 2012, ‘ Bjarni gullbrárskáld Hallbjarnarson, Kálfsflokkr’ 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. 877. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1119> (accessed 16 May 2022)
stanzas: 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Skj: Bjarni Hallbjarnarson gullbrárskáld: Kalfsflokkr, o. 1050 (AI, 393-6, BI, 363-5)
SkP info: I, 883 |
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| 4 — BjHall Kálffl 4I
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Cite as: Alison Finlay (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni gullbrárskáld Hallbjarnarson, Kálfsflokkr 4’ 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. 883. Áttu Engla dróttni,
ógnrakkr, gjafar þakka,
jarls niðr; komtu yðru
ótála vel máli.
Þér lét fold, áðr fœrir
— frest urðu þess — vestan,
— líf þitt esa lítit —
Lundúna gramr fundna. | Áttu þakka {dróttni Engla} gjafar, {ógnrakkr niðr jarls}; komtu ótála máli yðru vel. {Gramr Lundúna} lét fold fundna þér, áðr fœrir vestan; frest urðu þess; líf þitt esa lítit. You have {the lord of the English} [= Knútr] to thank for gifts, {battle-bold descendant of a jarl} [= Kálfr]; you undoubtedly advanced your case well. {The lord of London} [= Knútr] said that land was found for you before you travelled from the west; there was delay in this; your life is not insignificant.
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texts: ‹Flat 580›,
‹Fsk 161 [5-8]›,
‹ÓH 143 (139)›,
‹ÓHHkr 136 (II 136)›,
‹Hkr 337 (II 136)› editions: Skj Bjarni Hallbjarnarson gullbrárskáld: Kalfsflokkr 4 (AI, 394-5; BI, 364); Skald I, 182; Fms 5, 32, Fms 12, 97, ÓH 1941, I, 508 (ch. 179), Flat 1860-8, II, 318-19; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 427, IV, 161-2, ÍF 27, 334-5, Hkr 1991, II, 497 (ÓHHkr ch. 183); Fsk 1902-3, 180 (ch. 28), ÍF 29, 199 (ch. 34).
sources
Holm perg 2 4° (Holm2) |
60v, 7 - 60v, 8 |
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Thott 972 folx (972x) |
451va, 21 - 451va, 28 |
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AM 321 4°x (321x) |
228, 22 - 228, 25 |
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AM 73 b fol (Bæb) |
3ra, 6 - 3ra, 10 |
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AM 73 a folx (73ax) |
185r, 14 - 185r, 21 |
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AM 68 fol (68) |
59v, 36 - 59v, 38 |
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AM 61 fol (61) |
118vb, 15 - 118vb, 18 |
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AM 325 V 4° (325V) |
72rb, 33 - 72va, 5 |
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AM 325 VII 4° (325VII) |
34r, 5 - 34r, 7 |
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Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) |
191vb, 35 - 192ra, 4 |
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GKS 1005 fol (Flat) |
120rb, 5 - 120rb, 8 |
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GKS 1008 fol (Tóm) |
148v, 33 - 148v, 35 |
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AM 36 folx (Kx) |
441v, 22 - 441v, 29 |
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AM 303 4°x (FskAx) |
188, 12 - 188, 15 |
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AM 301 4°x (301x) |
69r, 22 - 69r, 3 |
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