Óttarr svarti (Ótt)
11th century; volume 1; ed. Matthew Townend;
1. Hǫfuðlausn (Hfl) - 20
2. Knútsdrápa (Knútdr) - 11
3. Lausavísur (Lv) - 3
III. Óláfsdrápa sœnska (Óldr) - 6
The Icelandic poet Óttarr svarti ‘the Black’ (Ótt) was remembered in the twelfth century (ESk Geisl 12) as one of the hǫfuðskǫld ‘chief skalds’ of the late Viking Age. His nickname would seem to locate him within the tradition of poets being ‘dark’ in either appearance or temperament (see Clunies Ross 1978b; Finlay 2000). According to Styrmir Kárason (ÓH 1941, II, 688), the poet Sigvatr Þórðarson (Sigv) was a mikill vinr ‘great friend’ of Óttarr, and indeed Óttarr’s Hǫfuðlausn (Ótt Hfl) is greatly indebted to Sigvatr’s Víkingarvísur (Sigv Víkv, see Introduction to Hfl). Snorri Sturluson (ÍF 27, 144; ÓH 1941, I, 203) further describes Óttarr as Sigvatr’s maternal nephew, and if this is correct he would have been the grandson of Þórðr Sigvaldaskáld ‘Poet of Sigvaldi’ (see Biography of Sigvatr Þórðarson). Óttarr features in the various sagas of Óláfr Haraldsson, but the only major anecdote about him is the story surrounding his Hfl (see Introduction).
Skáldatal, in one or both of its recensions (SnE 1848-87, III, 252, 253, 258, 260, 261, 267, 269), lists Óttarr as having composed for six patrons: the Danes Sveinn tjúguskegg ‘Fork-beard’ Haraldsson and his son Knútr inn ríki Sveinsson (Cnut the Great); Óláfr sœnski ‘the Swede’ Eiríksson and his son Ǫnundr Óláfsson; and the Norwegian King Óláfr inn helgi Haraldsson (S. Óláfr), and the Norwegian magnate Dala-Guðbrandr (‘Guðbrandr of the Dales’, on whom, see ÍF 27, 183-90; ÓH 1941, I, 271-82). For Sveinn and Dala-Guðbrandr, Óttarr is the only poet listed in Skáldatal. Panegyric poetry by Óttarr is certainly extant for three of these patrons: Óláfsdrápa (ÓldrIII) for Óláfr Eiríksson (preserved only in SnE and therefore edited in SkP III), Hfl for Óláfr Haraldsson, and Knútsdrápa (Knútdr) and Lv 2 for Knútr. It has, moreover, been suggested that one stanza in Knútdr may have been misplaced from an earlier poem for Sveinn (see Note to st. 9 [All]). No poetry survives for Ǫnundr or Dala-Guðbrandr. From all the evidence, it is likely that Óttarr visited, and composed, for, his patrons in this order: Sveinn until his death in 1014; Óláfr Eiríksson until his death c. 1021 (though ÓHLeg 1982, 130-1, has Óttarr, a young man fresh from Iceland, approaching him as his first patron), then his son Ǫnundr; Óláfr Haraldsson in the early 1020s, and Dala-Guðbrandr in the same period; Knútr by c. 1027 for an unknown period (Knútr died in 1035). For previous discussions of Óttarr’s career, see SnE 1848-87, III, 326-33, LH I, 574-7 and Poole (1993b).
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Hǫfuðlausn (‘Head-ransom’)
—
Ótt HflI
Matthew Townend 2012, ‘(Introduction to) Óttarr svarti, Hǫfuðlausn’ 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. 739.
stanzas: 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Skj: Óttarr svarti: 2. Hǫfuðlausn, o. 1023 (AI, 290-6, BI, 268-72); stanzas (if different): 5 |
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13 |
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SkP info: I, 750 |
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| 8 — Ótt Hfl 8I
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Cite as: Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Óttarr svarti, Hǫfuðlausn 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. 750. Enn brauzt, éla kennir
Yggs gunnþorinn, bryggjur
(linns hefr lǫnd at vinna)
Lundúna (þér snúnat).
Hǫfðu hart of krafðir
— hildr óx við þat — skildir
gang, en gamlir sprungu
gunnþinga járnhringar. | {Gunnþorinn kennir {éla Yggs}}, brauzt enn bryggjur Lundúna; hefr snúnat þér at vinna {lǫnd linns}. Skildir, hart of krafðir, hǫfðu gang, en {gamlir járnhringar gunnþinga} sprungu; hildr óx við þat. {Battle-daring master {of the storms of Yggr <= Óðinn>}} [BATTLES > WARRIOR], you further broke the wharves of London; it has turned out for you to win {the lands of the serpent} [GOLD]. Shields, hard pressed, had movement, and {old iron-rings of battle-meetings} [MAIL-SHIRTS] sprang apart; battle increased at that.
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texts: FGT 1 [5-8]›,
‹Flat 427›,
‹ÓH 14 (12) [1-4]›,
‹ÓHHkr 10 (II 10)›,
Gramm 1›,
‹Hkr 211 (II 10)› editions: Skj Óttarr svarti: 2. Hǫfuðlausn 7 (AI, 291-2; BI, 269); Skald I, 138, NN §§727, 728; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 18, IV, 108-9, ÍF 27, 16-17 (ÓHHkr ch. 13); ÓH 1941, I, 45 (ch. 23), Flat 1860-8, II, 19; FGT 1972a, 226-7, FGT 1972b, 20-1.
sources
AM 36 folx (Kx) |
226r, 6 - 226r, 13 |
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Holm perg 2 4° (Holm2) |
7r, 5 - 7r, 7 |
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AM 37 folx (J1x) |
129v, 3 - 129v, 5 |
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AM 38 folx (J2x) |
121v, 33 - 122r, 2 |
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AM 325 VI 4° (325VI) |
6rb, 32 - 6rb, 34 |
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AM 73 a folx (73ax) |
20r, 2 - 20r, 2 |
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AM 78 a folx (78ax) |
19r, 3 - 19r, 6 |
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AM 68 fol (68) |
6r, 14 - 6r, 14 |
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AM 61 fol (61) |
80ra, 10 - 80ra, 12 |
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AM 75 c fol (75c) |
3r, 4 - 3r, 4 |
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AM 325 V 4° (325V) |
8va, 15 - 8va, 18 |
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AM 325 VII 4° (325VII) |
2r, 9 - 2r, 9 |
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Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) |
126vb, 6 - 126vb, 6 |
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GKS 1005 fol (Flat) |
80rb, 33 - 80rb, 34 |
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GKS 1008 fol (Tóm) |
96v, 2 - 96v, 2 [1-4] |
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AM 242 fol (W) |
87, 6 - 87, 7 [5-8] |
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AM 761 a 4°x (761ax) |
96r, 7 - 96r, 10 [5-8] |
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AM 761 b 4°x (761bx) |
270v, 8 - 270v, 11 [1-4] |
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Thott 972 folx (972x) |
44va, 24 - 44va, 27 |
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UppsUB R 686x (R686x) |
12r, 27 - 12r, 30 |
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