Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bjǫrn krepphendi, Magnússdrápa 8’ 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. 401-2.
Vítt bar snarr á slétta
Sandey konungr randir;
rauk of Íl, þás jóku
allvalds menn á brennur.
Grœtti Grenlands dróttinn
— gekk hôtt Skota støkkvir —
— þjóð rann mýlsk til mœði —
meyjar suðr í eyjum.
Snarr konungr bar randir vítt á slétta Sandey; rauk of Íl, þás menn allvalds jóku á brennur. {Dróttinn Grenlands} grœtti meyjar suðr í eyjum; {støkkvir Skota} gekk hôtt; mýlsk þjóð rann til mœði.
The swift king carried shields far and wide on level Sanda; smoke drifted throughout Islay when the mighty ruler’s men fuelled the fires. {The lord of Grenland} [NORWEGIAN KING = Magnús] grieved women south in the isles; {the banisher of the Scots} [= Magnús] was superior; the people of Mull fled until exhaustion.
Mss: Kˣ(597r), Kˣ(597v), 39(34rb), 39(34va), E(33v), J2ˣ(310r), 42ˣ(10v-11r), 42ˣ(11r) (Hkr); Mork(23r) (Mork); F(58rb-va); H(88v), Hr(61rb) (H-Hr)
Readings: [1] Vítt: Vítr F; bar: berr Mork, F; snarr: so Mork, H, Hr, snjallr Kˣ, 39, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, snart F; á: of F [3] þás (‘þa er’): þar er Mork, F [4] brennur: brennu 42ˣ [5] Gren‑: so 39, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, Mork, F, H, Hr, grøn‑ Kˣ, ‘grænd‑’ E [6] Skota: so E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, Mork, F, H, Hr, fira Kˣ, 39; støkkvir: so 39, Mork, F, H, stokkum Kˣ, søkkvir E, J2ˣ, ‘sokkum’ 42ˣ, ‘soknir’ Hr [7] mýlsk: ‘mylks’ E, ‘mvlsk’ Mork [8] eyjum: eyjar E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, Mork
Editions: Skj AI, 436, Skj BI, 405-6, Skald I, 200; ÍF 28, 221, 220 (Mberf chs 9, 8), E 1916, 118; Mork 1867, 144, Mork 1928-32, 317, Andersson and Gade 2000, 299, 485 (Mberf); F 1871, 270 (Mberf); Fms 7, 42 (Mberf ch. 20).
Context: As sts 5-7 above.
Notes: [All]: In Hkr and H-Hr the name of the poet is given and the two helmingar are assigned to different sts: ll. 1-4 precede st. 9 below and ll. 5-8 follow st. 6 above. In Mork and F the st. is given as one unit. — [1] snarr ‘swift’: The Hkr variant snjallr ‘courageous’ is possible, but was likely caused by snjallr in st. 9/4 below. The fact that H and Hr have the same variant as Mork (cf. F: ‘snart’), indicates that H-Hr follows the poetic text of the Mork redaction at this point, and the stemma has been changed accordingly. — [2] Sandey ‘Sanda’: Sanda is a small island south of Kintyre, and Fidjestøl points out that the redactors of both Mork and Hkr appear to have identified it with Iona, which occurs in its place in the prose texts (Fidjestøl 1982, 151; see also Jesch 1996, 120 and n. 8). But all versions (including Fsk) state explicitly that Magnús did not harry in Iona (Eyin helga ‘the Holy Island’) (see Mork 1928-32, 317; ÍF 28, 220; Fms 7, 42; ÍF 29, 307), which is difficult to reconcile with the ‘carrying of shields’ mentioned in the st. See also Power 1986, 118 n. 3. — [6] gekk hôtt ‘was superior’: Lit. ‘went high’. For this meaning, see LP: ganga 13. — [6] støkkvir ‘banisher’: Skj B emends to stekkvir to preserve the full rhyme (gekk : stekkvir). However, there are no variant forms of this word with -e- (see ANG §494 Anm.). The stem vowel is a result of w-umlaut of æ (see ANG §82.6). — [8] suðr í eyjum ‘south in the isles’: The variant suðr í eyjar ‘south to the isles’ (so J2ˣ, E, 42ˣ, Mork) is possible, but would require the prepositional phrase to be taken with the preceding cl.: mýlsk þjóð rann til mœði suðr í eyjar ‘the people of Mull fled until exhaustion south to the isles’ (ll. 7, 8). The ms. witnesses indicate this is an independent variant, and the reading suðr í eyjum is preferable from the point of view of w. o. and context (there is no mention of the people of Mull fleeing south).
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