Arn Magndr 6^II

Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Magnússdrápa 6’ 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. 215-16.

text and translation

notes and context

All three prose works include sts 6 and 7 in their accounts of how Magnús assumed rule over Denmark. In Hkr and H-Hr, st. 6 appears early in the narrative, as Magnús sails to Jutland. In Flat it finishes off the brief account and st. 6 follows 7.

[5-7]: (a) The warrior-kenning bjóðr brynþings ‘the convenor of the byrnie-assembly’ assumed above is well paralleled, e.g. by brynþings boði ‘announcer of the byrnie-assembly [BATTLE > WARRIOR]’, ǪrvOdd Ævdr 8/3 and 34/3^VIII. It is taken here as the subject to setti branda ‘steered his prows’. Fetilstinga œsi ‘the impeller of sword-belt stabbers [SWORDS > WARRIOR]’ is assumed to form another kenning, object to fús tók ǫld við... ‘eager, people received...’, and gramr ‘(fierce) monarch, sovereign’ in l. 8 is taken in apposition to bjóðr brynþings. This is also the analysis adopted by Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), by Kock (NN §1295), and by Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 28, 35 n.) who, however, favours reading æsi ‘god’ (nom. sg. ss/áss) rather than œsi ‘impeller’ as the base-word of the kenning. (b) The variant ‘blidr’ (so H, Hr, Flat), i.e. the adj. blíðr ‘blithe’, could qualify gramr ‘monarch’ in l. 8, and the vowel of ms. bryn- would be long (the metrically preferable alternative), hence brýn- ‘pressing, urgent’. In this case brýnþings fetilstinga œsi is construed as a single kenning, hence fús tók ǫld við œsi fetilstinga brýnþings ‘eager, people received the impeller of the pressing assembly of sword-belt-stabbers [SWORDS > BATTLE > WARRIOR]’. Fetilstinga þing is fairly certainly attested in the C13th GunnHám Lv 5/8^V, and the assumption of brýn- ‘pressing, urgent’ would find some support in kennings such as rammþing Glamma ‘mighty assembly of Glammi’ in st. 9/2 below. The l. brynþing fetilstinga occurs in Eyv Lv 1/2^I, and the interpretation of that st. would be greatly helped by the assumption that bryn-, the reading of all mss, stands for brýn- ‘pressing’ rather than bryn- ‘byrnie’; cf. also ÞjóðA Lv 3. However, the contexts in which brynþing must mean ‘byrnie-assembly’ (including Mark Eirdr 7/1 and the eddic Sigrdr 5, NK 190) are numerous enough to suggest that (a) above is the safer alternative in the present context.

readings

• [1] munk (‘mun ec’): mun Hr
• [1] Sygna: svigna 39
• [2] snarfengjan: so 39, F, J2ˣ, H, Flat, om. Kˣ, snarfengjar E, snarfengan Hr
• [3] ok: varð H, var Hr, Flat
• [4] hlé‑: hlæ‑ 39, J2ˣ, Hr
• [4] visundr: visund Hr
• [5] bjóðr: blíðr H, Hr, Flat
• [5] breiðu: brðu J2ˣ, beiðu Hr
• [6] brynþings: byrðings Flat
• [6] fetilstinga: meginhringa H, Hr, meginþinga Flat
• [8] Jót‑: ‘hiot‑’ Flat
• [8] branda: brandi Hr

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.

• AM 63 folx (Kx) — 507r - 507r

  Segja munk, hvé Sygna
  bar þengil
  hallr ok hrími sollinn
  hléborðs visundr norðan.
  Setti bjóðr at breiðu
  brynþings — fetilstinga
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr branda.

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• AM 39 fol (39) — 15ra/34 - 15ra/34

  Segja munk, hvé svigna
  snarfengjan bar þengil
  hallr ok hrími sollinn
  hlæ-borðs visundr norðan.
  Setti bjóðr at breiðu
  brynþings — fetilstinga
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr branda.

  images
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• AM 45 fol (F) — 39ra/38 - 39rb/2

  Segja munk, hvé Sygna
  snarfengjan bar þengil
  hallr ok hrími sollinn
  hléborðs visundr norðan.
  Setti bjóðr at breiðu
  brynþings — fetilstinga
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr branda.

  Segia mvn ek | hve sygna snarfengían bar þeɴgil hallr ok hrí | mi sollíɴ hle borðz visvndr norðan · setti bioðr at breí || ðo brynþíngs fetil stínga fvs tok olld við æsi iotlandi gramr | branda·

  (VEÞ)

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• AM 47 fol (E) — 6r/27 - 6r/29

  Segja munk, hvé Sygna
  snarfengjar bar þengil
  hallr ok hrími sollinn
  hléborðs visundr norðan.
  Setti bjóðr at breiðu
  brynþings — fetilstinga
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr branda.

  images
Close

• AM 38 folx (J2x) — 247v/3 - 247v/10

  Segja munk, hvé Sygna
  snarfengjan bar þengil
  hallr ok hrími sollinn
  hlæ-borðs visundr norðan.
  Setti bjóðr at brðu
  brynþings — fetilstinga
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr branda.

  Segia

  (TW)

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• AM 66 fol (H) — 6r/7 - 6r/9

  Segja munk, hvé Sygna
  snarfengjan bar þengil
  hallr varð hrími sollinn
  hléborðs visundr norðan.
  Setti blíðr at breiðu
  brynþings — meginhringa
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr branda.

  Segía

  (TW)

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• GKS 1010 fol (Hr) — 7ra/23 - 7ra/26

  Segja mun, hvé Sygna
  snarfengan bar þengil
  hallr var hrími sollinn
  hlæ-borðs visund norðan.
  Setti blíðr at beiðu
  brynþings — meginhringa
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  Jótlandi gramr brandi.

  Segia

  (TW)

  images
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• GKS 1005 fol (Flat) — 190va/32 - 190va/35

  Segja munk, hvé Sygna
  snarfengjan bar þengil
  hallr var hrími sollinn
  hléborðs visundr norðan.
  Setti blíðr at breiðu
  byrðings — meginþinga
  fús tók ǫld við œsi —
  †hiot-†landi gramr branda.

  Segía

  (TW)

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