Þjóðólfr Arnórsson (ÞjóðA)
11th century; volume 2; ed. Diana Whaley;
1. Magnússflokkr (Magnfl) - 19
2. Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi (Magn) - 14
3. Runhent poem about Haraldr (Run) - 4
4. Sexstefja (Sex) - 32
5. Stanzas about Haraldr Sigurðarson’s leiðangr (Har) - 7
6. Fragments (Frag) - 5
7. Lausavísur (Lv) - 11
Þjóðólfr Arnórsson (ÞjóðA) is listed in Skáldatal (SnE 1848-87, III, 254, 262) among the poets of Magnús inn góði ‘the Good’ Óláfsson and Haraldr harðráði ‘Hard-rule’ Sigurðarson, and virtually all his extant poetry seems to have been composed in honour of them, or in association with them; hence it dates from the period 1035-1066. The text of Skáldatal in AM 761 a 4°ˣ (SnE 1848-87, III, 259) also credits Þjóðólfr with poetry for Haraldr Þorkelsson, son of Þorkell inn hávi ‘the Tall’ and one of the Dan. magnates present in Norway during the reign of Sveinn Álfífuson (1030-35). No identifiable fragments of this remain, but if true the tradition would suggest that Þjóðólfr was born not much later than 1010. Hemings þáttr Áslákssonar (Hem) has him die at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, and there is no record of him after that date, though Lv 11 has the air of being composed after the battle. Þjóðólfr was, according to Skáldatal and Fsk (ÍF 29, 245), the brother of another skald, Bǫlverkr Arnórsson (Bǫlv), and according to Sneglu-Halla þáttr (Snegl) in Flat (1860-8, III, 415), was from an undistinguished family in Svarfaðardalur, northern Iceland. The same þáttr (p. 421) names his father not as Arnórr but as Þorljótr, in the context of a scurrilous anecdote told against Þjóðólfr by Sneglu-Halli (SnH), who also taunts him with having composed the otherwise unknown Sorptrogsvísur ‘Dustbin Vísur’. The þáttr nevertheless describes him as accomplished (menntr vel) and courteous (kurteis maðr), highly favoured by King Haraldr and chief of his poets (haufutskꜳlld sitt, p. 415). Þjóðólfr’s poetry, rich in allusion and imagery, has continued to be widely admired, and it gains colour and vigour from the fact that he participated in many of the campaigns he depicts. It undoubtedly also reflects the fact that he was one of an exceptional circle of poets patronised by Haraldr (see Turville-Petre 1968), and much of his poetry shares topics and imagery with that of his contemporary Arnórr jarlaskáld (Arn), though there is no account of the dealings between these two. Þjóðólfr figures in several anecdotes centring on poetic composition: see Contexts to Lv 2-6, though we have no way of knowing whether he was so touchy about his reputation as the Context to Lv 4, and Snegl, would suggest; he also features as a go-between figure in Brands þáttr ǫrva, which cites no poetry. For brief biographies of Þjóðólfr see, e.g. SnE 1848-87, III, 578-9; LH 1894-1901, I, 627-32; Hollander 1945, 189-96.
In addition to the works edited here as Þjóðólfr’s, there have been further attributions to him. Þfagr Sveinn 7 is attributed to Þjóðólfr in Mork (1928-32, 165-6) and Flat (1860-8, III, 341), but to Þorleikr fagri in other sources; ÞKolb Eirdr 17I is attributed to Þjóðólfr in the U ms. alone, and Þfisk Lv 3 is attributed to him in F. Further, Flat, by citing Okík Magn 1 after ÞjóðA Magnfl 18 without announcing a change of skald implicitly assigns the latter to Þjóðólfr. We might perhaps also imagine Þjóðólfr having a hand in Anon (HSig) 2, the st. collaboratively composed by Haraldr’s men. A further set of six sts presented are anonymous in the medieval sources but are presented in this edn as Halli XI Fl (for reasons explained in Halli Biography below). These are printed among Þjóðólfr’s works in CPB II, 210-11 and listed under his name in SnE 1848-87, III, 583-4; Poole also finds ‘the ascription to Þjóðólfr Arnórsson … tempting, on stylistic grounds’ (1991, 75).
Preserved mainly in the kings’ sagas, above all in Hkr, Þjóðólfr’s oeuvre presents exceptional problems of reconstruction, which are discussed at some length in the Introductions to the individual poems or sets of sts. The chief problem is that Þjóðólfr certainly composed a major dróttkvætt poem for each of his patrons Magnús (Magnússflokkr, Magnfl) and Haraldr (Sexstefja, Sex), but that in each case there is also a set of sts that may or may not belong in the main encomium. The decision has been taken here to print them separately: fourteen sts depicting the aftermaths of Magnús’s major battles at Århus (Áróss) and Helgenæs (Helganes) are presented as ‘Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi’ (Magn), and seven describing the launch of Haraldr’s great levied fleet from Nidelven (the river Nið) as ‘Stanzas about Haraldr Sigurðarson’s leiðangr’ (Har). As a reference aid, the arrangement of Þjóðólfr’s oeuvre in SkP and Skj is shown here.
SkP | Skj | 1-14 | 1-14 | 15 | Náði jarl at eyða | 19 | 16 | Rǫnn lézt, ræsir Þrœnda, | 20 | 17 | Hizig laut, es heitir | 21 | 18 | Flýði jarl af auðu, | 22 | 19 | Háðisk heilli góðu | 25 | Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi (ÞjóðA Magn) SkP | Skj | 1 | Hrauð leifs mǫgr áðan | Magnfl 15 | 2 | Misst hafa Sveins at sýnu, | Magnfl 16 | 3 | Gær sák grjóti stóru | Lv 1 | 4 | Spurði einu orði | Magnfl 17 | 5 | Saurstokkinn bar svíra | Magnfl 18 | 6 | Hrindr af hrókalandi | Lv 2 | 7 | Menn eigu þess minnask, | Lv 3 | 8 | Skjǫld bark heim frá hjaldri | Magnfl 23 | 9 | Bauð leifs sonr áðan | Magnfl 24 | 10 | Nú taka Norðmenn knýja, | Lv 4 | 11 | Brum jǫrn at œrnu | Lv 5 | 12 | Svíðr of seggja búðir | Lv 6 | 13 | Fjǫrð lét fylkir verða | Lv 7 | 14 | Ek hef ekki at drekka | Lv 8 | Runhent poem about Haraldr (ÞjóðA Run) SkP | Skj | 1-5 | 1-5 | 6 | Þjóð veit, at hefr háðar | 7 | 7 | Stólþengils lét stinga | 6 | 8 | Ok hertoga hneykir | 25 | 9 | Reist eikikjǫlr austan | 8 | 10 | Vatn lézt, vísi, slitna, | 9 | 11 | Gegn skyli herr, sem hugnar | 10 | 12 | Frn hefr sveit við Sveini | 11 | 13 | Lét vingjafa veitir | 12 | 14 | Fast bað fylking hrausta | 13 | 15 | Alm dró upplenzkr hilmir | 14 | 16 | Flest vas hirð, sús hraustum | 15 | 17 | Sogns kvðu gram gegnan | 16 | 18 | Sveinn át sigr at launa | 17 | 19 | Nús of verk, þaus vísi, | 18 | 20 | Létu lystir sleitu | 19 | 21 | Tók Holmbúa hneykir | 20 | 22 | Gagn brann greypra þegna; | 21 | 23 | Fœrði fylkir Hǫrða, | 22 | 24 | Áræðis naut eyðir | 23 | 25 | Refsir reyndan ofsa | 24 | 26 | Mǫrk lét veitt fyr verka | 26 | 27 | Ǫrð sær Yrsu burðar | 27 | 28 | Lét hræteina hveiti | 32 | 29 | Blóðorra lætr barri | 30a | 30 | Geirs oddum lætr greddir | 30b | 31 | Gera vas gisting byrjuð | 29 | 32 | Hár skyli hirðar stjóri | 35 | Stanzas about Haraldr Sigurðarson’s leiðangr (ÞjóðA Har) SkP | Skj | 1 | Skeið sák framm at flœði, | Lv 18 | 2 | Slyngr laugardag lǫngu | Lv 19 | 3 | Rétt kann rœði slíta | Lv 20 | 4 | Sorgar veit, áðr slíti | Lv 21 | 5 | Eigu skjól und skógi | Lv 22 | 6 | Hléseyjar lemr hvan | Lv 23 | 7 | Haraldr þeysti nú hraustla | Lv 24 | SkP | Skj | 1 | Nús valmeiðum víðis | Lv 9 | 2 | Jarl/Ǫrr lætr, odda skúrar | Sex 28 | 3 | Ganga él of Yngva | Sex 31 | 4 | Snart við sæþráð kyrtat | Sex 33 | 5 | Útan bindr við enda | Sex 34 | SkP | Skj | 1 | Leiða langar dauða | Lv 10 | 2 | Sumar annat skal sunnar | Lv 11 | 3 | [Logit hefr Baldr at Baldri] brynþings fetilstingar | Lv 12 | 4 | Mildingr rauð í móðu | Lv 13 | 5 | Varp ór þrætu þorpi | Lv 14 | 6 | Sigurðr eggjaði sleggju | Lv 15 | 7 | Haddan skall, en Halli | Lv 16 | 8 | Út stendr undan báti | Lv 17 | 9 | Ǫld es, sús jarli skyldi | Lv 25 | 10 | Skalka frá, þótt fylkir | Lv 26 | 11 | Ǫld hefr afráð goldit | Lv 27 | Reconstructions of the Þjóðólfr corpus are offered by Finnur Jónsson in SnE 1848-87, III, 579-90, which is the basis (almost unchanged) for Skj (AI, 361-83, BI, 332-53), and the Skj ordering is retained in Skald (I, 168-77); other major contributions are by Guðbrandur Vigfússon in CPB (II, 198-212) and by Fidjestøl (1982, 133-43, 172).
The principal eds consulted in the course of re-editing Þjóðólfr’s poetry for SkP are listed for each st., and are of two main types: eds of the skaldic corpus (Finnur Jónsson’s in Skj AI, 361-83; BI, 332-53 and Ernst Albin Kock’s in Skald I, 168-77, supported by numerous NN) and eds of the various prose works in which the poetry is preserved. Extracts are also included in anthologies, articles and other works including (with ten or more sts): CPB II, 198-212; Kock and Meissner 1931, I, 57-60; Hollander 1945,190-6 (annotated translations only), Poole 1991, 59-63; and (with seven sts) Turville-Petre 1976, 97-102. Such works as these, together with others containing comment on the poetry, are cited as appropriate in the Notes.
notes
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Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi —
ÞjóðA MagnII
Diana Whaley 2009, ‘(Introduction to) Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi’ 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. 88-103.
stanzas: 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Skj: Þjóðolfr Arnórsson: (AI, 361-8, BI, 332-8)
SkP info: II, 93-4 |
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Cite as: Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi 6’ 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. 93-4. Hrindr af hróka landi
hregg af eikiveggjum
— sunnr leikr eldr of unninn
óðr — í lopt upp glóðum. |
Bœr logar hǫlfu hæra
hjónum nær á Fjóni;
ræfr þola nauð ok næfrar;
Norðmenn sali brenna. |
Hregg af {landi hróka} hrindr glóðum af eikiveggjum upp í lopt; óðr eldr leikr sunnr of unninn. Bœr logar hǫlfu hæra nær hjónum á Fjóni; ræfr ok næfrar þola nauð; Norðmenn brenna sali.
A storm from {the land of cormorants} [SEA] flings embers from oak walls up into the air; to the south raging fire sports, once kindled. The settlement blazes twice as high hard by the households on Fyn; roof and shingles endure distress; Norwegians burn down halls.
Mss: Kˣ(516r), 39(17va), F(41ra), E(8v), J2ˣ(253v) (Hkr); H(11v), Hr(10vb) (H-Hr)
Readings: [1] af: á 39, F, E, J2ˣ; hróka: ‘horda‑’ Hr [2] hregg: ‘hreigg’ E; ‑veggjum: eggjum H, leggjum Hr [4] upp: af Hr [5] Bœr: so 39, F, J2ˣ, H, Hr, ‘bǫrr’ Kˣ, ‘bǫr’ E [7] þola: þolir Hr; nauð: rauð 39
Editions: Skj: Þjóðolfr Arnórsson, 4. Lausavísur 2: AI, 377, BI, 347, Skald I, 174, NN §§806, 866; Hkr 1893-1901, III, 61, IV, 200-1, ÍF 28, 55, Hkr 1991, 592 (Mgóð ch. 32), F 1871, 188, E 1916, 29; Fms 6, 82 (Mgóð ch. 39), Fms 12, 136.
Context: During Magnús Óláfsson’s pursuit of
Sveinn Úlfsson across Denmark, Sveinn escapes to Västergötland (Gautland) and
from there to the king of Sweden, while Magnús harries Fyn (Fjón). Sveinn’s
supporters there flee.
Notes: [1] af landi hróka ‘from the land of cormorants [SEA]’: Hence a storm or wind (hregg, l. 1) off the sea. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson in ÍF 28 (followed by Hkr 1991) adopts the reading á ‘on’ and takes hróka landi as a word-play yielding sjár m. ‘sea’ and hence the p. n. Sjáland (Sjælland, Zealand; Selund in st. 4/4, ÞjóðA Sex 24/2). This has the advantages of avoiding two instances of af ‘from’ and providing a comparison between incidents on Sjælland and Fyn which makes sense of hǫlfu hæri ‘twice as high’ in l. 5. However, the interpretation rather implausibly assumes that landi counts twice, and since the prose context makes no mention of a Sjáland, this seems not to have been the way the medieval compilers read the st. — [2] af eikiveggjum ‘from oak walls’: Although seemingly a hap. leg., this is transparent. LP: eikivegg understands it as referring to the gunwale of a ship, but there is no reason to doubt that this is all about burning buildings (or perhaps palisades) along the coast. — [3] sunnr ‘to the south’: Like other adverbials in the st., this could be taken with more than one cl. It is understood here (as in Skald and ÍF 28) as belonging with the rest of l. 3 and hence with the intercalated cl., while Finnur Jónsson read it with the main, enclosing, cl. built around hrindr ‘flings’ (l. 1) (Hkr 1893-1901 and Skj B). ÍF 28 explains ‘south of the sea’ (fyr sunnan haf). — [3] of unninn ‘once kindled’: Literally ‘made’. Of is the expletive particle and unninn the m. nom. sg. p. p. of vinna ‘make, do’, qualifying eldr, hence literally ‘(the) made fire’. — [5] hǫlfu hæra ‘twice as high’: The normal sense of hǫlfu, despite its literal sense ‘higher by half’. The comp. has nothing obvious to compare with, and may be simply an intensive, unless Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson’s theory about af hróka landi is correct (see Note to l. 1 above), or Finnur Jónsson’s suggestion that hǫlfu hæra means that the flame was twice the height of the burning building itself (Hkr 1893-1901, IV, 200). — [6] hjónum nær ‘hard by the households’: Like sunnr ‘to the south’ (l. 3), this is syntactically ambiguous, since, as Finnur Jónsson noted, it goes equally well or badly with all three clauses in the second helmingr (Hkr 1893-1901, IV, 200). Following Sveinbjörn Egilsson (in Fms), he construed it with l. 7 ræfr þola nauð ok næfrar ‘roof and shingles suffer distress’, assuming that the sense was that the roof burned over the heads of the inhabitants (Hkr 1893-1901, IV and Skj B). This edn like others makes the simpler assumption that hjónum nær belongs with ll. 5-6, forming a couplet (cf. NN §§806, 866). — [7] næfrar ‘shingles’: Næfr f., here in the pl., refers to strips of bark, especially birch-bark, used to thatch roofs. Strictly it refers to the skin covering the tree’s bark (Fritzner: næfr). See also Note to Anon Nkt 4/8.
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