Þorm Lv 25^I

Undrask ǫglis landa
eik, hví vér róm bleikir;
fár verðr fagr af sôrum;
fannk ǫrva drif, svanni.
Mik fló malmr inn døkkvi
magni keyrðr í gǫgnum;
hvasst beit hjarta it næsta
hættligt járn, es vættik.

{Eik {landa ǫglis}} undrask, hví vér róm bleikir; fár verðr fagr af sôrum; fannk {drif ǫrva}, svanni. Inn døkkvi malmr, keyrðr magni, fló í gǫgnum mik; hættligt járn beit hvasst it næsta hjarta, es vættik.

{The oak {of the lands of the hawk}} [ARMS > WOMAN] wonders why we are [I am] pale; few grow handsome from wounds; I met {a blizzard of arrows} [BATTLE], lady. The dark metal, driven with might, flew through me; the dangerous iron bit sharply next to the heart, I expect.

Mss: Holm2(69v), 972ˣ(542va), J2ˣ(229v), 321ˣ(262), 73aˣ(204v-205r), Holm4(65rb), 61(126vb), 325V(82vb-83ra), 325VII(39r), Bb(200va), Flat(126ra), Tóm(157r) (ÓH); Kˣ(476r-v) (Hkr); DG8(102r) (ÓHLeg); 142ˣ(106), 566aˣ(31r), papp4ˣ(130r) (Fbr); 761bˣ(548r marg)

Readings: [1] Undrask: undrar DG8;    ǫglis: ‘æglis’ 325VII, DG8, ‘eyglis’ Kˣ;    landa: kindar DG8    [2] hví: at J2ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, 325VII, Bb, DG8, 142ˣ, 566aˣ, ‘hv[…]’ 61, þvít Tóm, papp4ˣ;    vér róm: vér sém J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, DG8, 142ˣ, 566aˣ, papp4ˣ, 761bˣmarg    [3] fár: fáar papp4ˣ;    fagr: so 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 61, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, Kˣ, DG8, 142ˣ, 566aˣ, papp4ˣ, 761bˣmarg, ‘fadr’ Holm2    [4] fannk (‘fann ec’): ‘fann el’ 321ˣ;    ǫrva: ‘aufa’ 321ˣ    [5] Mik: ‘mk’ 61;    fló: flaug DG8;    malmr inn: ‘malrínn’ Tóm;    døkkvi: ‘deykcvi’ Holm2, kløkkvi Kˣ    [6] magni: megni 972ˣ, 73aˣ, ‘magin’ 321ˣ;    keyrðr: ‘ke[…]rðr’ 61, ‘kǫrðr’ Kˣ    [7] hvasst: ‘huazt’ 73aˣ;    beit: beitt Bb, Tóm;    hjarta it: ‘híarta :t’ Holm4, hjartat 61, Flat, Tóm, DG8, papp4ˣ    [8] járn: so J2ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, Kˣ, DG8, 142ˣ, papp4ˣ, 761bˣmarg, om. Holm2, ‘j[…]’ 61, sár 566aˣ;    es (‘er’): om. Tóm;    vættik (‘ec vætti’): ek mætti 972ˣ, ek veitti Holm4, ek ætla Flat, ek vænti DG8, eg vætta papp4ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 288, Skj BI, 266, Skald I, 137; Fms 5, 92, Fms 12, 103, ÓH 1941, I, 585 (ch. 234), Flat 1860-8, II, 365; Hkr 1777-1826, II, 377, VI, 115, Hkr 1868, 498 (ÓHHkr ch. 247), Hkr 1893-1901, I, 502-3, IV, 172, ÍF 27, 392, Hkr 1991, II, 539 (ÓHHkr ch. 234); ÓHLeg 1849, 73, 120, ÓHLeg 1922, 88, ÓHLeg 1982, 202-5; Fbr 1925-7, 231, ÍF 6, 274 (ch. 24), Loth 1960a, li, 157-8 (ch. 17), ÍS II, 843, 850 (ch. 24); Gaertner 1907, 312, 347-8, Finnur Jónsson 1932-3, 79.

Context: In ÓH, excluding Flat, and Hkr, a woman tending wounds asks Þormóðr why he is so pale. In Flat, he asserts that he is hardly injured, and a woman offering milk asks why he is so pale if he is largely unscathed. In ÓHLeg, a woman bearing wood throws down her burden when she sees Þormóðr and declares that the dead walk. He denies being dead, and we are told that he has a spot on his nose. In Fbr, a woman in charge of water for the wounded asks why he is so pale and whether he is not in some difficulty. In Fbr and ÓHLeg (as well as in Flat), this stanza precedes Lv 24; in ÓH it follows. (See the discussion in the Introduction.) In ÓHLeg, ÓH and Hkr Þormóðr dies soon after delivering this stanza.

Notes: [2] vér róm ‘we are [I am]’: On this syncopated form of vér erum, see ANG §158 Anm. 2. — [4] svanni ‘lady’: Finnur Jónsson (1932-3) rightly observes that the vocative form could belong to either the second or the third clause. — [5] døkkvi ‘dark’: The reading kløkkvi ‘malleable’ of Kˣ (alone) is not likely to be correct, and may be a result of misreading <d> as <cl>. At all events, the contrast of døkkvi with bleikir ‘pale’ makes for a superior reading. — [7] hvasst ‘sharply’: Ulset (1975, 93) takes this as an adj. qualifying jarn ‘iron’, while noting the possibility of an adv. — [8] es vættik ‘I expect’: Lit. ‘as I expect’. Gaertner (1907, 348) suggests that the meaning may be ‘I hope’, given that Þormóðr did not want to outlive Óláfr.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. ANG = Noreen, Adolf. 1923. Altnordische Grammatik I: Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik (Laut- und Flexionslehre) unter Berücksichtigung des Urnordischen. 4th edn. Halle: Niemeyer. 1st edn. 1884. 5th unrev. edn. 1970. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
5. Flat 1860-8 = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and C. R. Unger, eds. 1860-8. Flateyjarbók. En samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. 3 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
6. ÓH 1941 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert and Jón Helgason, eds. 1941. Saga Óláfs konungs hins helga: Den store saga om Olav den hellige efter pergamenthåndskrift i Kungliga biblioteket i Stockholm nr. 2 4^to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
7. ÓHLeg 1982 = Heinrichs, Anne et al., eds and trans. 1982. Olafs saga hins helga: Die ‘Legendarische Saga’ über Olaf den Heiligen (Hs. Delagard. saml. nr. 8^II). Heidelberg: Winter.
8. ÍF 6 = Vestfirðinga sǫgur. Ed. Björn K. Þórólfsson and Guðni Jónsson. 1943.
9. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
10. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
11. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
12. ÓHLeg 1922 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert, ed. 1922. Olafs saga hins helga efter pergamenthåndskrift i Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek, Delagardieske samling nr. 8^II. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 47. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
13. Ulset, Tor. 1975. Merknader til en del skaldedikt. Oslo: Novus.
14. Gaertner, K. H. 1907. ‘Zur Fóstbrœðra saga. I. Teil: Die vísur’. BGDSL 32, 299-446.
15. Loth, Agnete, ed. 1960a. Membrana regia deperdita. EA A 5. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
16. Fbr 1925-7 = Björn K. Þórólfsson, ed. 1925-7. Fóstbrœðra saga. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
17. Finnur Jónsson. 1932-3. ‘Þórmóðr Kolbrúnarskald’. APS 7, 31-82.
18. Hkr 1777-1826 = Schöning, Gerhard et al., eds. 1777-1826. Heimskringla edr Noregs konunga-sögor. 6 vols. Copenhagen: Stein.
19. Hkr 1868 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1868. Heimskringla eller Norges kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlassøn. Christiania (Oslo): Brøgger & Christie.
20. ÓHLeg 1849 = Keyser, R. and C. R. Unger. eds. 1849. Olafs saga hins helga: En kort saga om kong Olaf den Hellige fra anden halvdeel af det tolfte aarhundrede. Efter et gammelt pergaments-haandskrift i Universitets-bibliotheket i Upsala. Christiania (Oslo): Feilberg & Landmark.
21. ÍS = Bragi Halldórsson et al., eds. 1987. Íslendinga sögur og þættir. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Svart á hvítu.
22. Internal references
23. (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 24 April 2024)
24. (forthcoming), ‘ Anonymous, Fóstbrœðra saga’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=7> (accessed 24 April 2024)
25. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga (Legendary)’ 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=31> (accessed 24 April 2024)
26. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Flateyjarbók’ 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=44> (accessed 24 April 2024)
27. (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 24 April 2024)
28. (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 24 April 2024)