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Runic Dictionary
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Steigar-Þórir Þórðarson (SteigÞ)

12th century; volume 2; ed. Kari Ellen Gade;

Kviðlingr (Kv) - 1

Steigar-Þórir Þórðarson (Þórir of Steig; SteigÞ) was a powerful Norw. district chieftain who had been a retainer of Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson. He was the foster-father of King Hákon Magnússon, the cousin of King Magnús berfœttr Óláfsson. Upon Hákon’s death in 1094, Þórir joined an uprising against Magnús and tried to install a Dan. pretender, Sveinn Haraldsson, on the Norw. throne. He was captured by Magnús in 1094 and subsequently hanged. See Genealogy IV in ÍF 28.

Kviðlingr (‘Little verse’) — SteigÞ KvII

Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Introduction to) Steigar-Þórir Þórðarson, Kviðlingr’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 391-2.

stanzas:  1 

Skj: Steigar-Þórir: En kvædling (AI, 434, BI, 403); stanzas (if different): [v]

SkP info: II, 391-2

old edition introduction edition manuscripts transcriptions concordance search files

1 — SteigÞ Kv 1II

edition interactive full text transcriptions old edition references concordance

 

Cite as: Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Steigar-Þórir Þórðarson, Kviðlingr 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 391-2.

Vǫrum félagar fjórir
forðum, einn við stýri.

Forðum vǫrum fjórir félagar, einn við stýri.

Formerly we were four companions, one at the helm.

Mss: Kˣ(595v), 39(34ra), F(57rb), E(32r), J2ˣ(307r), 42ˣ(8r) (Hkr); Ágr(20rb) (Ágr); FskBˣ(84r), FskAˣ(332) (Fsk); Mork(21v) (Mork); H(82v), Hr(58ra) (H-Hr)

Readings: [1] Vǫrum: ‘Reyrom’ F    [2] forðum: fœrðum F, E, Ágr, FskBˣ, Mork, H, Hr;    við: viðr FskAˣ

Editions: Skj: Steigar-Þórir, En kvædling: AI, 434, BI, 403, Skald I, 198; ÍF 28, 216 (Mberf ch. 6), F 1871, 264, E 1916, 112; ÍF 29, 44 (ch. 47), Ágr 1995, 66-7 (ch. 48); ÍF 29, 305 (ch. 80); Mork 1867, 135, Mork 1928-32, 304, Andersson and Gade 2000, 290, 484 (Mberf); Fms 7, 12 (Mberf ch. 7).

Context: This ditty is spoken by Steigar-Þórir right before he is hanged by Magnús for treason.

Notes: [All]: For the event described in this couplet, see also Bkrepp Magndr 2-3, Þham Magndr 1 and Lv 1, Gísl Magnkv 1-8 and Anon (Mberf) 2-3. — [1] vǫrum ‘we were’: Previous eds render this verbal form as vrum ‘we were’ with a long stem vowel. However, the metre requires a short vowel (neutralisation in anacrusis). For the shortened form vǫrum, see Sievers 1879, 312-13 and Kuhn 1936, 439 n. 16. — [1] fjórir félagar ‘four companions’: This refers to Steigar-Þórir and the three men who joined him in the uprising: the royal pretender Sveinn Haraldsson, Skjálgr (af Jaðri ‘from Jæren’; so Fsk, Mork) and Egill Ásláksson (so Hkr, H-Hr) or Áskelsson (so Ágr, Fsk, Mork) af Forlandi ‘from Forland’ (af Aurlandi ‘from Aurland’; H-Hr). See MberfHkr (ÍF 28, 213-14), Ágr (ÍF 29, 43-4); Fsk (ÍF 29, 303-4), Mork 1928-32, 298-9 and Fms 7, 4-5.

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