Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld (Þorm)
11th century; volume 5; ed. R. D. Fulk;
I. Lausavísur (Lv) - 21
V. Lausavísur (Lv) - 12
V. Þorgeirsdrápa (Þorgdr) - 15
This edition is currently in preparation.
The biography below may represent a superseded edition, notes and/or
an interim or draft version. Do not cite this material without
consulting the volume and skald editors. Þormóðr Bersason’s (Þorm) story is told in Fóstbrœðra saga ‘Saga of the Sworn Brothers’ (Fbr), and on its witness he may be supposed to have been born c. 998 and to have died of a wound received in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. The saga, however, is untrustworthy as to particulars, as the author seems to have derived most of his information about the poet from the poetry available to him. According to the saga, in childhood he and his friend Þorgeirr Hávarsson each swore that he would avenge the killing of the other if he lived. The latter, at the age of fifteen, avenged the killing of his father, initiating a string of thirteen killings commemorated in Þormóðr’s poem celebrating his sworn brother, Þorgeirsdrápa ‘Drápa about Þorgeirr’ (Þorgdr). Even though their friendship ended when Þormóðr was about fifteen, Þormóðr travelled to Greenland after Þorgeirr was killed (c. 1024), to take vengeance on the perpetrator Þorgrímr trolli (‘Troll’? see Note to Fbr 29/1) and three of his sons. The poet earned his nickname kolbrúnarskáld ‘Coal-brow’s Poet’ for having composed poetry in praise of Þórbjǫrg kolbrún Glúmsdóttir, though none of these survive (probably for reasons of a moral nature; see Boyer 1990, 80). According to Þormóðar þáttr (Þorm; see Þorm Lv 10-11I) he served King Knútr inn ríki Sveinsson (Cnut the Great) in Denmark before returning to Norway, where he spent the last part of his short life in the service of the king, Óláfr Haraldsson (S. Óláfr). According to a memorable passage in Hkr, on the morning of the battle of Stiklestad he recited Bjarkamál in fornu (Anon Bjark 1-2III) to rouse the king’s troops. For further biographical information, see Finnur Jónsson (1932-3, 31-3), ÍF 6, lii-lxx and Schach (1993).
|
Lausavísur —
Þorm LvV (Fbr)
R. D. Fulk 2012, ‘ Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld, Lausavísur’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 820. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1466> (accessed 17 May 2022)
stanzas: 10
11
15
16
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
cross-references: 17 = Anon (Vǫlsa) 11I
for reference only: 18x
19x
20x
21x
22x
23x
24x
25x
Skj: Þórmóðr Bersason Kolbrúnarskáld: 2. Lausavísur (AI, 281-8, BI, 260-6); stanzas (if different): 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
12 |
13 |
14
SkP info: I, 834 |
old edition
introduction
edition
manuscripts
transcriptions
concordance
search
files
| 21 — Þorm Lv 21I
edition
interactive
full text
transcriptions
old edition
references concordance
Cite as: R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld, Lausavísur 21’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 834. Á sér, at vér vôrum
vígreifr með Ôleifi;
sár fekk’k, Hildr, at hvôru,
hvítings, ok frið lítinn.
Skínn á skildi mínum;
skald fekk hríð til kalda;
nær hafa eskiaskar
ǫrvendan mik gǫrvan. | Á sér, at vér vôrum, vígreifr, með Ôleifi; {Hildr hvítings}, fekk’k at hvôru sár ok lítinn frið. Skínn á skildi mínum; skald fekk til kalda hríð; {eskiaskar} hafa gǫrvan mik nær ǫrvendan. It can be seen that we were [I was], war-happy, with Óláfr; {Hildr <valkyrie> of the bright drinking-horn} [WOMAN], I got, at all events, a wound and little peace. It shines on my shield; the skald got too cold a blizzard; {spear-ash-trees} [WARRIORS] have made me nearly left-handed.
|
texts: ‹Fbr 36› (ch. 26),
‹ÓHLeg 58› editions: Skj Þórmóðr Bersason Kolbrúnarskáld: 2. Lausavísur 21 (AI, 287; BI, 265); Skald I, 136, NN §712; Hb 1892-6, 414, Fbr 1852, 110, Flat 1860-8, II, 363-4, Fbr 1925-7, 211-12, ÍF 6, 270 (ch. 24), Loth 1960a, 156 (ch. 17), ÍS II, 841-2, 848 (ch. 24); ÓHLeg 1849, 72, 120, ÓHLeg 1922, 87, ÓHLeg 1982, 200-1; Gaertner 1907, 312, 345-6, Finnur Jónsson 1932-3, 74-5.
sources
AM 544 4° (Hb) |
89r, 33 - 89v, 1 |
(Fbr) |
 |
 |
| |
AM 142 folx (142x) |
104, 30 - 105, 7 |
(Fbr) |
 |
 |
| |
AM 566 a 4°x (566ax) |
29r, 14 - 29v, 3 |
(Fbr) |
 |
 |
| |
Holm papp 4 4°x (papp4x) |
129v, 9 - 129v, 12 |
(Fbr) |
 |
 |
| |
GKS 1005 fol (Flat) |
125vb, 19 - 125vb, 21 |
(Fbr) |
 |
 |
| |
Thott 1768 4°x (1768x) |
230v - 231r |
(Fbr) |
|
 |
| |
AM 141 folx (141x) |
55v, 19 - 55v, 26 |
(Fbr) |
 |
 |
| |
DG 8 (DG8) |
101v, 31 - 101v, 33 |
(ÓHLeg) |
|
 |
| |
AM 761 b 4°x (761bx) |
489v, 10 - 489v, 17 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|