Cite as: Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 20’ 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. 920.
Myrkt hregg mækis eggja
meinilla gekk Sveini;
drótt hné dreyra þrútin;
Danir skunduðu undan. |
Tandr beit — tiggi renndi
tveim dǫglingum — Skǫglar;
hans vǫrn hœfðisk firnum.
Hollr ok fremstr at ǫllu. |
{Myrkt hregg eggja mækis} gekk meinilla Sveini; drótt hné þrútin dreyra; Danir skunduðu undan. {Tandr Skǫglar} beit; tiggi renndi tveim dǫglingum; vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum. Hollr ok fremstr at ǫllu …
{The dark storm of blades of swords} [BATTLE] went very badly for Sveinn; the troop fell, swollen with blood; the Danes hurried away. {The flame of Skǫgul <valkyrie>} [SWORD] bit; the ruler [Óláfr] made two princes flee; his defence was exceptionally fitting. Faithful and foremost in all things …
Mss: Bb(112ra); 53(64rb) (ll. 1-4), 53(64va) (ll. 5-8), 54(64rb) (ll. 1-4), 54(64va) (ll. 5-8), Bb(99vb) (ll. 1-4), Bb(100ra) (ll. 5-8), Flat(64va) (ll. 1-4) (ÓT)
Readings: [1] eggja: eggjar 53, Flat [3] drótt hné dreyra þrútin: sôr frá ek drengjum dreyra all others [5] Tandr: so 53, 54, Flat, ‘tavdr’ Bb(112ra), gandr Bb(100ra); beit: flaug all others [6] tveim: ‘teim’ Bb(100ra); dǫglingum: so all others, dǫgling Bb(112ra); Skǫglar: Skǫgla 54, Bb(100ra) [7] vǫrn: vegr all others; hœfðisk: hefðisk Bb(112ra), hófsk 53, 54, Bb(100ra); firnum: með sigri all others [8] Hollr: hǫll all; ǫllu: hollu 53
Editions: Skj: Hallar-Steinn, 1. Rekstefja 20: AI, 548, BI, 530, Skald I, 258, NN §1181; ÓT 1958-2000, II, 268, 271 (ch. 250), Flat 1860-8, I, 483, 485; SHI 3, 256-9, CPB II, 298, Wisén 1886-9, I, 48, Finnur Jónsson 1893b, 164, Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, I, 253-6.
Context: As the Norwegians clear Danish ships, Sveinn
and the surviving Danes retreat onto other vessels, proving a previous claim by
King Óláfr that the Danes could never defeat the Norwegians. The first helmingr is then quoted. The second
follows a summary statement that Óláfr made the Danes and Swedes flee.
Notes: [1] myrkt ‘dark’: The adj.
reinforces the metaphorical sense of the battle as a storm. — [3] drótt hné þrútin dreya ‘the troop fell, swollen with blood’: The alternative line in ÓT, sôr frák drengjum dreyra ‘I have heard [there were] wounds with blood on the men’ is somewhat strained, and diverges from the normal metrical pattern in Rst as the first alliteration does not fall in position 1 or 2. — [5] beit ‘bit’: The alternative is flaug ‘flew’ in ÓT, but this is less convincing since the subject is a sword-kenning. — [6] tveim dǫglingum ‘two princes’: Presumably
this summarises the successful actions against the Swedes under Óláfr Eiríksson
and the Danes under Sveinn tjúguskegg; cf. þriðja sinni ‘for the third time’ when Eiríkr jarl enters
the battle in st. 21/3. — [7] vǫrn hans hœfðisk firnum ‘his defence was exceptionally fitting’: This entails the minimal emendation of hefðisk to hœfðisk, cf. hœfði ‘could match, was suitable’ in st. 12/7. The alternative line in ÓT, vegr hans hófsk með sigri ‘his honour was raised up with victory’, is also feasible. — [7] firnum ‘exceptionally’: The dat. pl.
here functions as an intensifying adv., like the more usual firna (see st. 9/2 and Note). — [8]: For this line of the refrain, see Note to st.
9/8. Hollr
‘faithful’ is an emendation here, but it is the reading of Bb(111vb) in st.
11/8.