Ásb Ævkv 1^VIII (OStór 4)

Peter Jorgensen (ed.) 2017, ‘Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar 4 (Ásbjǫrn, Ævikviða 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 608.

introduction

The following nine stanzas have conventionally been termed ‘Ásbjǫrn’s death-song’ and have similarities to a sub-group of long poems attested mostly from fornaldarsögur, termed ævikviður ‘life poems’ or (erroneously, because they have no conventional refrain) ævidrápur ‘life-lays’ in Modern Icelandic, that purport to be the dying words of a hero, usually composed and recited in extremis (see further Introduction to Volume VIII, Sections 7.1 and 7.2). The sub-group is characterised by its autobiographical review of salient events in the hero’s life and, often, as here, by the speaker’s request that the poem be sent as a final greeting to a relative, in this case Ásbjǫrn’s mother. Other poems of this kind are Hildibrandr Lv 1-6 (Ásm 1-6), Hjálmarr Lv 4-19 (Ǫrv 14-29), Ǫrvar-Oddr Ævidrápa 1-71 (Ǫrv 71-141), Anon Krm (Ragn), Hallmundr, Hallmundarkviða 1-6^V (Hallkv 1-6 (Gr 51-6)) and Grettir Ásmundarson’s ævikviður (Grett Ævkv I, 1-3^V (Gr 22-4) and Grett Ævkv II^V (Gr 39-42)), the three last-named occurring in Grettis saga, which, although usually classed among the sagas of Icelanders, bears a strong resemblance to fornaldarsögur in this and many other respects.

It is likely that the composer of Ásb Ævkv knew and imitated other poems of this type, and possible verbal and metrical parallels are pointed out in the Notes. The metre of most of the stanzas is an irregular dróttkvætt (for details, see Introduction and Notes to the stanzas).

According to OStór, Ásbjǫrn delivered his ævikviða while the giant Brúsi tore out his intestines and wound them round an iron pillar (for a discussion of this method of torture and death, see Faulkes 2011b, 94 n.). After he had finished the poem, he is said to have died ‘with great courage and nobility’ (með mikilli hreysti ok drengskap). The stanzas are presented one after the other in the saga text without any intervening prose.

text and translation

notes and context

The first of nine stanzas spoken by Ásbjǫrn after the giant Brúsi has torn out Ásbjǫrn’s intestines and wound them round an iron pillar. The stanzas are introduced with the words Ásbjörn kvað þá vísur þessar jafnframmi ‘Ásbjǫrn spoke these verses at the same time [as his intestines were being wound round the pillar]’.

[5]: This line has three alliterating staves.

readings

• [1] Segiz þat minni móður: ‘Segi ek minni mætri mœðr’ 554h βˣ
• [2] ei: ei á 554h βˣ
• [3] láð: land 2845, 554h βˣ
• [4] svan‑: núna 554h βˣ
• [4] í: á 554h βˣ
• [5] Hafði ek: hafðak 2845, hef ek 554h βˣ
• [5] ek: ek aptr 554h βˣ
• [7] nú mun segg á síðu: en nú mun ek ei 554h βˣ
• [8] egg dregin verða: ‘rander reina’ 554h βˣ

sources

Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.

• GKS 1005 fol (Flat) — 70va/18 - 70va/21

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• GKS 2845 4° (2845) — 23v/9 - 23v/13

  Segiz þat minni móður;
  mun hon ei syni kemba
  svarðar land í sumri
  svanhvít í Danmörku.
  hafðak henni heitit,
  at ek heim koma munda;
  nú mun segg á síðu
  sverðs egg dregin verða.

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• AM 554 h β 4°x (554h βx) — 63r/16 - 63r/20

  †Segi ek minni mætri mœðr† ;
  mun hon ei á syni kemba
  svarðar land í sumri
  núnahvít á Danmörku.
  hef ek ,ek aptr henni heitit,
  at ek heim koma munda;
  en nú mun ek ei
  sverðs †rander reina† .

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