Arn Þorfdr 17^II

Stǫng bar jarl at Engla
ættgrund, en rauð stundu
— vé bað vísi knýja —
verðung ara tungu.
Hyrr óx; hallir þurru;
herdrótt rak þar flótta;
eim hratt, en laust ljóma,
limdolgr, náar himni.

Jarl bar stǫng at ættgrund Engla, en verðung rauð stundu tungu ara; vísi bað knýja vé. Hyrr óx; hallir þurru; herdrótt rak þar flótta; {limdolgr} hratt eim, en laust ljóma náar himni.

The jarl bore his standard onto the native soil of the English, and his retinue reddened at once the eagle’s tongue; the leader called for banners to advance. Flame grew; halls collapsed; the war-band drove [men] to flight there; {the foe of branches} [FIRE] flung out smoke, and hurled light close to the sky.

Mss: R702ˣ(38v), Flat(132ra), SLR(28) (ll. 7-8) (Orkn)

Readings: [1] at: á Flat    [2] rauð: so Flat, hrauð R702ˣ;    stundu: stundum Flat    [4] verðung: so Flat, ‘vo᷎rdung’ R702ˣ    [5] hallir: halir Flat    [6] her‑: so Flat, heim‑ R702ˣ;    þar: om. Flat    [7] eim: ‘œímr’ Flat    [8] ‑dolgr: ‑dolgs Flat;    náar (‘nær’): nærr Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 346-7, Skj BI, 319, Skald I, 162; Flat 1860-8, II, 412, Orkn 1913-16, 64-5, ÍF 34, 61-2 (ch. 24); Whaley 1998, 253-5.

Context: As for st. 16, since st. 17 follows it directly.

Notes: [All]: An analysis of the motifs which make up this st. is offered in Whaley 1998, 58-61. — [2] stundu ‘at once’: (a) The translation is supported by þegar ‘at once’ at the corresponding point in Orkn’s prose narrative. Stundu usually appears in the phrase af stundu, as in Arn Hardr 10/8 fundusk þeir af stundu ‘they engaged at once’, but stundu, although not otherwise recorded, could be a shortened variant of the phrase (so ÍF 34, 62 n.), since the skalds’ handling of prepositional phrases is often freer than that of prose writers (NS §118b). (b) The variant stundum ‘at times’ does not give good sense. — [6] herdrótt ‘the war-band’: (a) The herdrótt which puts men to flight is presumably the same as the verðung ‘retinue’ in l. 4: Þorfinnr’s men. (b) Heimdrótt ‘native troop’ is a hap. leg. In the context of st. 17 it would refer to the English as defending army; but the evidence of sts 17-18 is that they were routed. — [7] hratt eim ‘flung out smoke’: This is taken as predicate to limdolgr ‘fire’ (l. 8). The variant eimr hratt ‘smoke belched forth’ (so Flat) would also be possible, with an absolute, impersonal use of hrinda (cf. Fritzner: hrinda 1, final example). — [7, 8] limdolgr … laust ljóma náar himni ‘the foe of branches [FIRE] … hurled light close to the sky’: Limdolgr is here taken as an active subject to laust as well as to hratt, although it would also be reasonable to take en laust ljóma ... náar himni ‘and light was cast up against the sky’ as a separate, impersonal construction. These ll. are reminiscent of the image of fire towering against the sky in Vsp 57.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. Whaley, Diana, ed. and trans. 1998. The Poetry of Arnórr jarlaskáld: An Edition and Study. Westfield Publications in Medieval Studies 8. Turnhout: Brepols.
4. 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.
5. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
6. NS = Nygaard, Marius. 1906. Norrøn syntax. Kristiania (Oslo): Aschehoug. Rpt. 1966.
7. ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
8. Orkn 1913-16 = Sigurður Nordal, ed. 1913-16. Orkneyinga saga. SUGNL 40. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. Internal references
10. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Orkneyinga saga’ 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=47> (accessed 6 May 2024)
11. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Haraldsdrápa 10’ 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. 271.
12. Not published: do not cite ()