3. How to use this Edition

SkP is intended for a variety of users: for students and scholars of Old Norse and other medieval European languages and literatures, for scholars in cognate disciplines such as history, archaeology, the history of religion, and comparative literature, and for users whose primary interest is in skaldic poetry. In view of its likely augmented readership, SkP contains a greater proportion of introductory and explanatory material than most previous editions, certainly in comparison with Skj, where it is minimal. Most of the explanatory material is to be found in the the skald Biographies, which appear at the head of the oeuvre of named skalds whose authorship of poetry is known; in the Introductions to poems; in the Context sections, which indicate the wider prose context(s) in which a stanza or set of stanzas have been preserved; and in the Notes to each stanza.

Each poem, single stanza (lausavísa) or fragment has a distinct designation and siglum in SkP, which in many cases is different from that used in Skj and in the list at the beginning of Lexicon Poeticum 1931 (LP). The new sigla are designed to be more consistent and transparent and to reflect reconstructions of poems that differ at some points from those in Skj. A comparative table of sigla used in SkP, Skj and LP is included in the introductory part of each volume of SkP.

The text of each poem, single stanza or fragment has been established by its editor on the foundation of a main or base ms., judged by the editor to be the best or (in some cases) the only witness to the probable original. The orthography of the text will have been normalised to the standard appropriate to its probable date of origin. Any emended text, that is, letters or words that have no ms. attestation, is given in italics. Where editors have omitted letters or words that are present in the ms(s), the symbol * appears in the text and prose order. On the matter of emendation, this edition is more conservative than most of its predecessors, avoiding emendation as far as reasonably possible, though previous editors’ conjectures may be mentioned in the Notes. Normalisations are also undertaken on metrical grounds, such as those involving cliticisation or the omission of superfluous pronouns and suffixed articles inserted by later scribes. Normalisations are not regarded as emendations, and they are therefore not marked as such in the printed text.

Since stanzas are written out continuously, as if prose, in medieval (and some post-medieval) mss, the lineation is partly editorial, though normally unproblematic, as are the stanza divisions; any problems are discussed in Introductions and Notes. Stanzas are printed with the two helmingar or half-stanzas side by side, except where the metre is fornyrðislag, ljóðaháttr or málaháttr, in which case the stanzas are printed in long-lines.

Below the stanza is the same text rendered in a prose order, and underneath that is an English translation. The translation provides a version as close as reasonably possible to the sense of the Old Norse text. Unlike most other translations of skaldic poetry, those in SkP give kennings their full sense values, that is, both base-word and determinant are translated and the referent, not being part of the actual text but implicit in it, is given within square brackets, and normally in small capitals (e.g. ‘the stallion of the wave [SHIP]’).

When known individuals are designated either by a typifying kenning or by antonomasia (for these terms, see the General Introduction in SkP I, lxxviii-lxxx), the name follows the kenning or referent in lower case preceded by an = sign, e.g. Eskál Vell 5/3, 4^I ǫrþeysir flausta ‘the valiant racer of ships [SEAFARER = Hákon]’ (typifying kenning) or VGl Lv 10/2^V (Glúm 12) hanga-Týr ‘Týr <god> of the hanged [= Óðinn]’ (antonomasia).

Angle brackets within the English translation are used to provide the generic sense value of Old Norse mythological and legendary names, such as Hildr <valkyrie> and Hálfr <legendary king>, or alternative poetic names for mythological beings, such as Viðurr <= Óðinn>. In the latter case, an = sign appears to the left of the ‘normal’ name.

The editorial apparatus allows the reader to compare the edited version of the main ms. with the text in other ms. witnesses. The Mss listing gives the main ms. first in bold type, followed by the other ms. witnesses ordered primarily on the basis of the assumed stemma, each with folio or page number in round brackets immediately following. Paper mss are distinguished from those of parchment or vellum by having a superscript ˣ after the ms. siglum. Abbreviated reference to the prose source represented by each group of mss is given in italics within round brackets immediately after the group, and where the stanza is found in more than one prose source the groups of mss are separated by semi-colons.

All significant ms. variants, but not simple orthographical variants, are given in the Readings line. They are given in normalised orthography unless the non-normalised ms. reading is ambiguous, difficult to interpret or of particular interest or significance, in which case it is placed within inverted commas. Where variants are given, the lemma (the reading of the text and normally that of the main ms.) is given first, followed by the readings of the other mss, separated from the lemma by a colon. The lemma is shown in the same normalised form as in the text, and if this differs significantly from the ms. form, the ms. spelling is added in round brackets and within inverted commas (e.g. þars (‘þar er’):). In cases where the editor has not followed the main ms., the variant reading selected for the text is in first place as the lemma, followed by a colon and the formula ‘so X’, to indicate that the lemma is not the reading of the main ms.

The Editions line lists all significant previous editions of the text, beginning with Skj, Skald and (where applicable) NN; the text’s designation in Skj B is specified, comprising the poet’s name (if any) as given there, the title of the poem, stanza or fragment and equivalent stanza number. Editions of prose sources containing the stanza are then listed, and followed by other editions, usually in chronological order, with date of publication and relevant page number. The editions are followed, in round brackets, by abbreviated references to the relevant text or saga within a compilation (if applicable), and by the chapter in which the stanza occurs. Chapter numbers are omitted if chapter divisions are too unstable in the source in question. If a stanza is found in more than one prose source, the editions of the individual prose sources are grouped together and separated by semi-colons. Where there are separate editions of the poem in question, these are listed last.

The Context sections are summaries of the prose context(s) in which a stanza or a set of stanzas have been preserved, those in SkP III being drawn mostly from Snorra Edda, Laufás Edda, and the grammatical treatises (TGT; FoGT). Sometimes, as is the case with the þulur (Anon Þul), Háttalykill (RvHbreiðm Hl) and the anonymous Málsháttakvæði (Anon Mhkv), there is no prose context.

The Notes are intended to address significant linguistic, metrical, lexicographical and above all interpretative issues as well as questions of a broader contextual nature. Although the editors do not aim to give a comprehensive history of scholarship and previous editorial practice, significant editorial interpretations and emendations are discussed and evaluated in the Notes.

A sample stanza with graphic explanations of the main features of the edition appears in the endpapers to all SkP volumes. Abbreviated sigla for mss, and sigla for compendia etc., are listed and explained in the prefatory material to this volume. Also listed are general abbreviations (aside from standard ones such as e.g. and cf.) and technical terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader. Abbreviated references to all editions and secondary works cited are expanded in the Bibliography at the end of the volume.

[1]

Note that Biographies of many skalds whose oeuvre is edited in SkP III appear in other volumes of the SkP series. These are the following:

SkP I: Auðunn illskælda (Auðunn); Einarr skálaglamm Helgason (Eskál); Gizurr svarti gullbrárskáld (Gizsv); Glúmr Geirason (Glúmr); Hallar-Steinn (HSt); Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson (Hfr); Óttarr svarti (Ótt); Sigvatr Þórðarson (Sigv); Þjóðólfr ór Hvini (Þjóð); Þórðr Sjáreksson (ÞSjár); Ǫlvir hnúfa (Ǫlv).

SkP II: Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarsson (Arn), Einarr Skúlason (ESk); Grani skáld (Grani); Halldórr skvaldri (Hskv); Hallr Snorrason (HSn); Hallr Þórarinsson breiðmaga (Hbreiðm); Illugi Bryndœlaskáld (Ill); Máni (Máni); Markús Skeggjason (Mark); Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson (Ólhv); Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson (Rv); Sneglu-Halli (SnH); Steinn Herdísarson (Steinn); Sturla Þórðarson (Sturl); Þorkell hamarskáld (Þham); Þorleikr fagri (Þfagr).

SkP IV: Guðbrandr í Svǫlu(m) (Guðbr); Kolbeinn Tumason (Kolb).

SkP V: Egill Skallagrímsson (Egill); Hávarðr halti ísfirðingr (Hávh); Kormákr Ǫgmundarson (KormǪ).

SkP VII: Níkulás Bergsson (Ník).

SkP VIII: Starkaðr gamli Stórvirksson (StarkSt).

[2]

A full discussion of normalisation in the edition as a whole is given in Section 3.2 in the General Introduction to SkP I, xliv-li. Section 9 in the Introduction to SkP VII, lxv-lxvii covers the fourteenth century. The actual orthography of most base mss for each poem or stanza can be seen in the transcripts available in the electronic edition, where images of the mss are also available.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
6. SkP = Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages. Turnhout: Brepols.
7. SkP I = Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Ed. Diana Whaley. 2012.
8. SkP III = Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade in collaboration with Edith Marold. 2017.
9. SkP IV = Poetry on Icelandic History. Ed. Guðrún Nordal. Forthcoming.
10. SkP V = Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Ed. Tarrin Wills, Kari Ellen Gade and Margaret Clunies Ross. 2022.
11. SkP VII = Poetry on Christian Subjects. Ed. Margaret Clunies Ross. 2007.
12. SkP II = Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade. 2009.
13. Internal references
14. Edith Marold 2017, ‘Snorra Edda (Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál)’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
15. Margaret Clunies Ross 2017, ‘(Biography of) Auðunn illskælda’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 18.
16. (forthcoming), ‘ Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson, The Third Grammatical Treatise’ in Tarrin Wills (ed.), The Third Grammatical Treatise. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=32> (accessed 18 April 2024)
17. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, The Fourth Grammatical Treatise’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=34> (accessed 18 April 2024)
18. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Einarr Skúlason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 140.
19. Not published: do not cite (Egill^V)
20. Edith Marold 2017, ‘(Biography of) Einarr skálaglamm Helgason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 137.
21. Diana Whaley 2017, ‘(Biography of) Glúmr Geirason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 194.
22. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Grani skáld’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 196.
23. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Hallr Snorrason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 228.
24. Margaret Clunies Ross 2017, ‘(Biography of) Hávarðr halti Ísfirðingr’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 241.
25. Judith Jesch 2009, ‘(Biography of) Hallr Þórarinsson breiðmaga’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 610-11.
26. Diana Whaley 2017, ‘(Biography of) Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 212.
27. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Halldórr skvaldri’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 210.
28. Guðrún Nordal 2017, ‘(Biography of) Kolbeinn Tumason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 270.
30. Jayne Carroll 2017, ‘(Biography of) Markús Skeggjason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 292.
31. Beatrice La Farge 2017, ‘(Biography of) Níkulás Bergsson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 299.
32. Lauren Goetting 2017, ‘(Biography of) Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 301.
33. Margaret Clunies Ross 2017, ‘(Biography of) Ǫlvir hnúfa’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 491.
34. Matthew Townend 2017, ‘(Biography of) Óttarr svarti’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 335.
35. Judith Jesch 2017, ‘(Biography of) Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 342.
36. Judith Jesch 2017, ‘(Biography of) Sigvatr Þórðarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 347.
37. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Steinn Herdísarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 388.
38. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Sturla Þórðarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 392.
39. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Þorleikr fagri’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 484.
40. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Þorkell hamarskáld’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 482.
41. Edith Marold 2017, ‘(Biography of) Þjóðólfr ór Hvini’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 431.
42. Margaret Clunies Ross 2017, ‘(Biography of) Starkaðr gamli Stórvirksson’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 241.
43. Roberta Frank 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Málsháttakvæði’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1213. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1029> (accessed 18 April 2024)
44. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘ Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1001. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1347> (accessed 18 April 2024)
45. Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 5’ 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. 289.
46. John McKinnell (ed.) 2022, ‘Víga-Glúms saga 12 (Víga-Glúmr Eyjólfsson, Lausavísur 10)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1396.
47. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Laufás Edda’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=10928> (accessed 18 April 2024)