Cite as: Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Ǫrvar-Odds saga 43 (Ǫrvar-Oddr, Lausavísur 10)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 856.

Sjólfr, vartu eigi,         þar er sjá knátti brynjur manna,         blóði þvegnar.

Hrukku oddar         í hringserkjum, en höll konungs         heldr kannaðir.

Sjólfr, vartu eigi, þar er knátti sjá brynjur manna þvegnar blóði. Oddar hrukku í hringserkjum, en kannaðir heldr höll konungs.

Sjólfr, you were not there where one could see the mail-coats of men washed with blood. Weapon-points struck on mail-shirts, but you preferred to explore the king’s hall.

Mss: 7(54v), 344a(21v), 343a(77r), 471(88v) (Ǫrv)

Readings: [1] Sjólfr: Sigurðr 471    [2] knátti: mátti 344a, máttum 343a, knáttum 471    [6] hring‑: so 343a, járn‑ 7, 471, ‘hill’ 344a    [8] heldr: ‘hꜹlldr’ 344a

Editions: Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], E. 10. Vers af Fornaldarsagaer: Af Ǫrvar-Oddssaga VII 10: AII, 299, BII, 319, Skald II, 170; Ǫrv 1888, 162, Ǫrv 1892, 80, FSGJ 2, 314-15; Edd. Min. 67.

Context: The drink now starts to affect Sigurðr so that he is unable to speak or compose poetry as he should at this point, which is a sign of his inferior powers in the mannjafnaðr. Sjólfr and Sigurðr now go to sit down, while Oddr drains the horns they have brought him. He then approaches his rivals with two horns and speaks the following two stanzas.

Notes: [2] knátti ‘one could’: An impersonal construction. Skj B and Skald prefer 471’s knáttum ‘we could’. — [6] hringserkjum ‘mail-shirts’: The reading of 343a, which gives alliteration in ll. 5-6; 7 and 471 have the non-alliterating járnserkjum ‘iron shirts’.