Note to Rv Lv 20II
[6] væn hljóð ‘beautiful sounds’: It is not clear what these are. Bibire 1988 translates ‘splendid voices (of war)’, but does not really link this expression to why the poet considers himself worthy of Ermingerðr. Finnbogi Guðmundsson (ÍF 34) does link the two, but glosses the sentence as að barizt var með miklu braki ‘because the fighting took place with much noise’, following Skj B, which however emends to vápnhljóð ‘weapon-sounds’. It seems more likely that Rǫgnvaldr is referring to his own poetry and developing the contrast between past and present activities. He is not averse to praising himself (see Note to Lv 16/2), and refers to his own poetry in sts 11 and 23, and to his role as poet in st. 35, as well as, of course, in st. 1.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
- Bibire, Paul. 1988. ‘The Poetry of Earl Rǫgnvaldr’s Court’. In Crawford 1988, 208-40.