Cite as: Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Ǫrvar-Odds saga 135 (Ǫrvar-Oddr, Ævidrápa 65)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 942.
Kom ek um síðir, þar er snarir þóttuz
Sigurðr ok Sjólfr í sveit konungs. |
Réð oss skatna lið skots at beiða
ok skjaldfimi við skata mengi. |
Ek kom um síðir, þar er Sigurðr ok Sjólfr þóttuz snarir í sveit konungs. Lið skatna réð oss at beiða skots ok skjaldfimi við mengi skata.
I came at last to where Sigurðr and Sjólfr considered themselves smart in the king’s company. The troop of warriors advised us [me] to try shooting and agility with the shield against the crowd of men.
Mss: 343a(81v), 471(96r), 173ˣ(64vb) (Ǫrv)
Readings: [2] þar er: þar 173ˣ; snarir: svinnir 173ˣ; þóttuz: so 471, 173ˣ, ‘þottunzt’ 343a [3] Sigurðr: Sigurð 471 [6] skots: skatts 173ˣ [7] skjald‑: so 471, skjaldar 343a, 173ˣ; ‑fimi: ‘[…]’ 173ˣ [8] skata: so 471, skatna 343a, 173ˣ
Editions: Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], E. 10. Vers af Fornaldarsagaer: Af Ǫrvar-Oddssaga IX 65: AII, 318, BII, 337, Skald II, 181, NN §3290C; Ǫrv 1888, 207, FSGJ 2, 360.
Notes: [All]: The Ævdr now turns to the episode of Oddr’s visit to the court of King Herrauðr, and his mannjafnaðr with two of the king’s retainers, Sigurðr and Sjólfr. This verbal exchange, accompanied by a drinking contest, is preceded by contests of hunting, shooting with bows and arrows and swimming (see the following stanza), in each of which Oddr, still disguised as Víðfǫrull or Næframaðr (on the name, see Ǫrv 133, Note to l. 7 above), far outdoes his rivals (cf. Ǫrv 1888, 146-57). On the mannjafnaðr with Sigurðr and Sjólfr, see Introduction to Ǫrv 34-58. — [5, 8]: The poetic noun skati ‘man, warrior’, which occurs in both these lines, forms its gen. pl. as either skata or the older form skatna (cf. ANG §401.3). — [7] skjaldfimi ‘agility with the shield’: A hap. leg., but the meaning of the two elements of this cpd is clear. The
adj. fimr means ‘nimble,
agile’.
