Cite as: Richard L. Harris (ed.) 2017, ‘Hjálmþés saga ok Ǫlvis 41 (Hjálmþér Ingason, Lausavísur 14)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 532.

In the autumn, following a sea battle in which King Hundingi and his forces are defeated, Hjálmþér, Ǫlvir and Hǫrðr venture to a marvellous land where Hǫrðr seems to die in his sleep. Hjálmþér becomes enraged with Ǫlvir momentarily. He then voices his determination to carry their faithful companion home for burial.

Berum á baki okru         brodda framkeyri, launum svá líf honum,         látum hann eigi eptir.

Heygjum Hörð hvergi,         fyrr en heim komum, gröfum hann heima         hallar vegg undir.

Berum á baki okru {framkeyri brodda}, launum honum svá líf, látum hann eigi eptir. Heygjum Hörð hvergi, fyrr en komum heim, gröfum hann heima undir vegg hallar.

Let us [me] carry {the forward-driver of spear-points} [WARRIOR = Hǫrðr] on our [my] back, repay him thus for life; let us [me] not leave him behind. Let us [me] bury Hǫrðr nowhere, before we [I] come home, let us [me] bury him at home beneath the wall of the hall.

Mss: 109a IIIˣ(280r), papp6ˣ(58v), ÍBR5ˣ(103) (HjǪ)

Readings: [1] Berum: so ÍBR5ˣ, Berum vit 109a IIIˣ, papp6ˣ;    okru: so ÍBR5ˣ, okkar 109a IIIˣ, om. papp6ˣ    [5] Heygjum: so ÍBR5ˣ, ‘heyum’ 109a IIIˣ, ‘heijum’ papp6ˣ    [6] heim: om. but added above the line in another hand papp6ˣ    [7] hann: so papp6ˣ, ‘hann ytar’ 109a IIIˣ, ‘hann ytran’ ÍBR5ˣ;    heima: so papp6ˣ, ÍBR5ˣ, heims 109a IIIˣ    [8] hallar: hallar with und written above in another hand papp6ˣ;    vegg: veggum papp6ˣ;    undir: undir crossed out papp6ˣ

Editions: Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], E. 16. Vers af Fornaldarsagaer: Af Hjálmþérs saga ok Ǫlvis V: AII, 340, BII, 362, Skald II, 196, NN §183; HjǪ 1720, 70, FSN 3, 510, FSGJ 4, 235, HjǪ 1970, 57, 107-8, 174-5.

Context: Hjálmþér speaks this stanza after his shock discovery that Hǫrðr is dead.

Notes: [All]: Hjálmþérsrímur express the substance of this stanza in three much more prolix stanzas (IX, 36-8, Finnur Jónsson 1905-22, II, 61). — [2] framkeyri brodda ‘the forward-driver of spear-points [WARRIOR = Hǫrðr]’: Cf. Meissner 297. — [3] launum honum svá líf ‘repay him thus for life’: Hjálmþér refers to Hǫrðr’s saving of his own life in several episodes of the saga. — [7] gröfum hann heima ‘let us [me] bury him at home’: Most eds prefer this, the original reading of papp6ˣ (so FSN; FSGJ; Skald), and leave out of account a word that appears in both 109a IIIˣ and ÍBR5ˣ (‘ytar’ or ‘ytran’). Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) interprets this word as ítran ‘remarkable’, construing ‘let us bury the remarkable man by the wall of the hall’. Alternatively, ms. ÍBR5ˣs form could be construed as ytran ‘outer’, agreeing with vegg ‘wall’ (l. 8), but, as Kock has observed (NN §183), a non-alliterating nomen is not usually found immediately before one that alliterates. He suggests that the mss’ ytar or ytran are remnants of an original word beginning with <h>.