Cite as: Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Krákumál 16’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 749.

Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Hverr lá þverr um annan; glaðr varð geira hríðar gaukr at sverða leiki. Lét ei örn né ylgi, sá er Írlandi stýrði, — mót varð málms ok rítar — Marstan konungr fasta. Varð í Veðrarfirði valtafn gefit hrafni. Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Hverr lá þverr um annan; glaðr varð geira hríðar gaukr at sverða leiki. Lét ei örn né ylgi, sá er Írlandi stýrði, — mót varð málms ok rítar — Marstan konungr fasta. Varð í Veðrarfirði valtafn gefit hrafni. Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Hverr lá þverr um annan; gaukr hríðar geira varð glaðr at leiki sverða. Marstan konungr, sá er stýrði Írlandi, lét ei ǫrn né ylgi fasta; varð mót málms ok rítar. Valtafn varð gefit hrafni í Veðrarfirði.

text prose order   We hewed with the sword. Each man lay athwart another; {the cuckoo {of the storm of spears}} [BATTLE > RAVEN/EAGLE] became happy in {the game of swords}. [BATTLE] King Marstan, who ruled over Ireland, did not allow eagle or she-wolf to fast; a meeting of metal and shield came about. Corpse-prey was given to the raven in Waterford.

notes: This stanza is not found in 1824b and apparently not in 147 either: in both these mss, 1824b (80r-v) and 147 (108v), the text runs straight on to st. 17. It may however be noted that between sts 23 and 24 as preserved on fol. 103r of 147 there is space sufficient to accommodate one stanza and apparently containing text, which, however, Olsen (Ragn 1906-8, 188) could not read and which is still illegible.  — [3-4]: The present ed. follows the reading of the lines adopted by Finnur Jónsson (1905; Skj B) and by Kock (Skald). Previous eds from Rafn (1826) to Finnur Jónsson (1893b) inclusive follow 6ˣ here, reading: glaðr varð gera bróðir | getu við sóknar læti, i.e. bróðir gera varð glaðr getu við læti sóknar ‘the brother of the greedy one <wolf> became happy at [the prospect of nutritional] gain in the tumult of the onslaught’. — [7]: This line shows some verbal similarities to RvHbreiðm Hl 76/3^III rít hykk malma meittu (variant reading: mættu) ‘I believe swords sliced (or met) the shield’.

editions: Skj Anonyme digte og vers [XII]: H. Krákumál 16 (AI, 645; BI, 652-3); Skald I, 319; Rafn 1826, 14-15, 127-30, Pfeiffer 1860, 125-6, CPB II, 343, Wisén 1886-9, I, 64, Krm 1891, 227, Finnur Jónsson 1893b, 88, Finnur Jónsson 1905, 155.

sources

UppsUB R 702x (R702x)	30v - 30v
Worm 1636 (LR)	213 - 214	(Krm)
UppsUB R 693x (R693x)	12r - 12r
AM 6 folx (6x)	89r, 11 - 89r, 10	(Ragn)