Cite as: Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyjólfr dáðaskáld, Bandadrápa 8’ 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. 467.

Ôttuð hjaldr, þars hauldar, hlunnviggs, í bý runnu, gæti-Njǫrðr, við Gauta. Gunnblíðr ok ræðr síðan.

Herskildi fór hildar — hann þverrði frið mǫnnum — ôss of allar sýslur. Jarl goðvǫrðu hjarli

Ôttuð hjaldr við Gauta, {gæti-Njǫrðr {hlunnviggs}}, þars hauldar runnu í bý. Gunnblíðr ok ræðr síðan … {Ôss hildar} fór herskildi of allar sýslur; hann þverrði frið mǫnnum. Jarl goðvǫrðu hjarli …

You had a battle against the Gautar, {protecting-Njǫrðr <god> {of the roller-horse}} [SHIP > SEAFARER], where freeholders ran into the town. Rejoicing in battle and rules since then … {The god of battle} [WARRIOR = Eiríkr] went with the war-shield across all districts; he diminished the peace for men. Jarl god-defended land …

Mss: Kˣ(200v), F(34ra), J1ˣ(123r), J2ˣ(109r-v) (Hkr)

Readings: [1] þars (‘þar er’): þat er J1ˣ    [2] bý: bœ F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ    [3] gæti‑: geiti J1ˣ    [4] Gunnblíðr ok ræðr síðan: abbrev. as ‘gunnbl. og r. s.’ Kˣ, abbrev. as ‘.g. b. ok r. s.’ J1ˣ, J2ˣ;    ræðr: réð F    [6] þverrði: ‘(þ)erþi’(?) J1ˣ, skerði J2ˣ    [7] allar: aldar J1ˣ, J2ˣ;    sýslur: om. F    [8] Jarl goðvǫrðu hjarli: so F, abbrev. as ‘jarl gu⸜o⸝ð v. h.’ Kˣ, abbrev. as ‘.j. g. h.’ J1ˣ, J2ˣ

Editions: Skj: Eyjólfr dáðaskáld, Bandadrápa 8: AI, 202, BI, 192, Skald I, 101; Hkr 1893-1901, I, 418, IV, 95, ÍF 26, 340, Hkr 1991, I, 231 (ÓTHkr ch. 90), F 1871, 154.

Context: As for st. 7.

Notes: [All]: Lines 4 and 8 belong to the klofastef ‘split refrain’ and stand outside the syntax of the stanza; see st. 9 and Notes. — [5, 7] ôss hildar ‘the god of battle [WARRIOR = Eiríkr]’: This unusual kenning, with a generic name for ‘deity’ rather than the name of a specific god, may be in emulation of Eskál Vell 31/3 (de Vries 1964-7, I, 183). — [7] allar sýslur ‘all districts’: Finnur Jónsson (in Hkr 1893-1901, IV and Skj B), takes this as a specific reference to Aðalsýsla and Eysýsla, following Hkr (see Context to st. 7), and hence understands allr as ‘the whole of’, comparing Lat. totus. But it is possible that the identification of two specific sýslur represents a later rationalisation in Hkr (ÍF 26; cf. Fidjestøl 1982, 113) and that Eiríkr should be envisaged as raiding the districts of Estonia on a more extensive basis. Aðalsýsla is understood as Co(u)rland (Latvian Kurzeme), the peninsula to the west of the Gulf of Riga, by CPB (II, 52).