BjHall Kálffl 8^I

Frôgum, Finns hvé mági
fylgðuð, Kalfr, of dylgjur,
ok lézt á sæ snekkjur
snarla lagt at jarli.
Áræði vannt eyða
óðfúss sonar Brúsa
— hléði hugr — en téðuð
heiptminnigr Þórfinni.

Frôgum, Kalfr, hvé fylgðuð {mági Finns} of dylgjur, ok lézt snarla lagt snekkjur at jarli á sæ. Vannt eyða áræði {óðfúss sonar Brúsa}, en téðuð heiptminnigr Þórfinni; hugr hléði.

We [I] have heard, Kálfr, how you followed {the son-in-law of Finnr} [= Þorfinnr Sigurðarson] into battle, and quickly had warships steered against the jarl [Rǫgnvaldr Brúsason] at sea. You succeeded in destroying the attack {of the ragingly eager son of Brúsi} [= Rǫgnvaldr] and, intent on hostility, you supported Þorfinnr; your courage protected [you].

Mss: Holm2(76r), 61(131vb), Bb(208rb), Tóm(163r) (ÓH); R702ˣ(40r), Flat(133ra), Flat(135rb) (Orkn)

Readings: [2] fylgðuð: fylgði R702ˣ    [3] á sæ: ‘as aa’ 61, yðrum R702ˣ;    snekkjur: ‘sneckr’ 61, snekkjum R702ˣ    [4] snarla: ‘s(ar)narlla’(?) 61, árla R702ˣ;    lagt at: sett með Tóm    [5] vannt (‘uant þu’): so 61, Bb, Tóm, váttu Holm2, nátu R702ˣ, vartu Flat(133ra), Flat(135rb);    eyða: ‘ejdi’ Tóm    [6] óð‑: all‑ 61, odd‑ Bb, ó‑ Flat(133ra), Flat(135rb);    sonar: syni 61, R702ˣ, Flat(133ra), Flat(135rb)    [7] hléði: hlœði 61, Tóm, Flat(133ra), Flat(135rb), ‘hlędut’ Bb;    hugr: ruðr 61, Flat(133ra), Flat(135rb);    téðuð: tœðit Tóm, tœðuð R702ˣ, ‘h(ly)dut’(?) Flat(133ra), réðut Flat(135rb)    [8] heipt‑: hept Bb;    ‑minnigr: ‑minnigum 61;    Þórfinni: Þórfinn 61

Editions: Skj AI, 396, Skj BI, 365, Skald I, 182; ÓH 1941, I, 639, ÍF 27, 449 (ch. 270); Orkn 1913-16, 71, 131 n., ÍF 34, 67-8, 122 n. 2 (chs 26, 56; stanza not printed at repeat). 

Context: In Orkn ch. 26, the context is the sea-battle of Rauðabjǫrg (probably Roberry) between the joint jarls of Orkney, Þorfinnr Sigurðarson and his nephew Rǫgnvaldr Brúsason. Kálfr is present with six large ships but at first holds back because of divided loyalties: King Magnús has offered to restore his estates in Norway if he supports Rǫgnvaldr, but Þorfinnr is related to Kálfr by marriage, and makes a persuasive speech after which Kálfr orders his men to join battle on Þorfinnr’s side. The stanza is repeated in Flat, along with Arn Þorfdr 19^II, 20^II and 24^II, in a strangely inappropriate context at the end of Orkn ch. 56, which deals with Þorfinnr’s son Páll. The context in ÓH is a compressed account of the events of Orkn, and refers implicitly to a version of Orkn as a source: oc er fra þvi laung saga ‘and there is a long saga about that’.

Notes: [All]: The battle of Rauðabjǫrg, fought in the Pentland Firth c. 1044, is also commemorated in Arn Lv 1^II and Arn Þorfdr 19-22^II. On the identification of the site, see Note to Arn Þorfdr 20/8^II. — [1] mági Finns ‘the son-in-law of Finnr [= Þorfinnr Sigurðarson]’: Þorfinnr jarl Sigurðarson of Orkney is said in Orkn (ÍF 34, 63) to have married Ingibjǫrg, daughter of Kálfr’s brother Finnr. — [2] of dylgjur (f. acc. pl.) ‘into battle’: Here, as in Skj B and ÍF 27, dylgjur is taken in the general sense of ‘battle, enmity, hostility’ (see LP: dylgja, and cf. dolg ‘battle’). The ModIcel. sense of dylgjur is ‘insinuation, innuendo’, and ÍF 34 translates er hann hafði ögrað þér með svívirðingum ‘when he urged you shamefully’, taking this to refer to Þorfinnr’s persuasion of Kálfr to reject Magnús’s offer of reconciliation (see Context above). — [6] óðfúss sonar Brúsa ‘of the ragingly eager son of Brúsi [= Rǫgnvaldr]’: On Rǫgnvaldr jarl Brúsason, see Arn Rǫgndr^II and SkP II, xciv-xcv. The reading of Flat, ófúss syni Brúsa, is likely to be influenced by the identical line Arn Lv 1/4^II; that stanza immediately precedes Bjarni’s in Orkn. — [7] hléði ‘protected’: 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic. of hlýja ‘to cover, protect, warm’. ‘Protect’ seems the most suitable translation here, though ÍF 27 and ÍF 34 prefer the sense ‘to warm’, referring to Kálfr’s mind or courage growing hot. — [8] heiptminnigr ‘intent on hostility’: ÍF 27 and ÍF 34 translate this with the more specific minnugur (forns) fjandskapar ‘mindful of former enmity’; there is no evidence of personal hostility between Kálfr and Rǫgnvaldr, but they had fought on opposite sides at Stiklastaðir (Stiklestad).

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
5. 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.
6. ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. Orkn 1913-16 = Sigurður Nordal, ed. 1913-16. Orkneyinga saga. SUGNL 40. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. SkP II = Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Ed. Kari Ellen Gade. 2009.
10. Internal references
11. (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 24 April 2024)
12. (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)
13. Diana Whaley 2009, ‘ Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Rǫgnvaldsdrápa’ 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. 178-81. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1103> (accessed 24 April 2024)
14. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 19’ 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. 251-2.
15. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 20’ 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. 253-4.
16. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Lausavísa 1’ 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. 280-1.