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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Flokkr about Óláfr helgi — Bersi ÓlflI

Bersi Skáld-Torfuson

Diana Whaley 2012, ‘ Bersi Skáld-Torfuson, Flokkr about Óláfr helgi’ 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. 790. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1116> (accessed 19 April 2024)

 

The three extant stanzas of the flokkr (Bersi Ólfl) are all preserved in Snorri Sturluson’s Óláfs saga helga in both the separate (ÓH) and Heimskringla (ÓHHkr) versions (jointly designated ÓH-Hkr below). It is possible that conventional praise of Óláfr was contained in stanzas now lost, but the surviving ones instead constitute the reluctant utterance of one who fought with Sveinn jarl Hákonarson at Nesjar, c. 1016, and was captured by Óláfr Haraldsson some time after; see Context to st. 1 for Snorri’s account of the circumstances, and for the battle see Sigvatr’s Nesjavísur (Sigv Nesv). The poem is dated c. 1020 in Skj. The choice of main ms. is, as often, difficult, Kˣ and Holm2 being both good candidates and having very similar texts. Although Holm2 might be given priority, as a vellum ms. rather than a paper transcript, and a representative of the prior work ÓH, the readings of Kˣ across the three stanzas are slightly better in the light of the whole paradosis; see below for mss used in this edition.

References

  1. Internal references
  2. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ 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, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=4> (accessed 19 April 2024)
  3. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=53> (accessed 19 April 2024)
  4. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Óláfs saga helga (in Heimskringla)’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=152> (accessed 19 April 2024)
  6. Russell Poole 2012, ‘ Sigvatr Þórðarson, Nesjavísur’ 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. 555. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1357> (accessed 19 April 2024)
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Information about a text: poem, sequence of stanzas, or prose work

This page is used for different resources. For groups of stanzas such as poems, you will see the verse text and, where published, the translation of each stanza. These are also links to information about the individual stanzas.

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