ESk Geisl 45^VII

Nú fremr, þanns gaf gumnum,
gǫfug dyrð jǫfur fyrða,
(slǫng Eindriði ungi)
armglœðr (í brag rœðu).
Greitt má gumnum létta
guðs ríðari stríðum;
rǫskr þiggr allt, sem œskir,
Óláfr af gram sólar.

Nú fremr gǫfug dyrð {jǫfur fyrða}, þanns gaf gumnum {armglœðr}; Eindriði ungi slǫng rœðu í brag. {Guðs ríðari} má greitt létta stríðum gumnum; rǫskr Óláfr þiggr allt, sem œskir, af {gram sólar}.

Now excellent fame promotes {the prince of men} [= Óláfr], the one who gave men {arm-embers} [GOLD]; Eindriði ungi (‘the Young’) cast the story into the poem. {God’s knight} [SAINT = Óláfr] can easily alleviate afflictions for men; brave Óláfr gets all he desires from {the king of the sun} [= God].

Mss: Flat(2rb), Bb(118ra)

Readings: [1] þanns (‘þann er’): so Bb, sá er Flat    [2] jǫfur: konungr Bb    [3] Eindriði: ‘ein riðe’ Bb    [5-8] abbrev. as ‘G’ Flat    [5, 6, 7, 8] Greitt má gumnum létta guðs ríðari stríðum rǫskr þiggr allt sem œskir Óláfr af gram sólar: ‘Greitt· m· g· l·’ Bb

Editions: Skj AI, 467, Skj BI, 438, Skald I, 216; Flat 1860-8, I, 5, Cederschiöld 1873, 7, Chase 2005, 95, 154.

Notes: [3] Eindriði ungi: Eindriði the Young was a well-known Norwegian contemporary of Einarr Skúlason. He travelled extensively and spent many years as a mercenary in Constantinople (see Orkn, ÍF 34, 193-224, 236-7; Hkr, ÍF 28, 370-1). The mention of his name is meant to enhance the story’s authenticity and to indicate that he was one of Einarr’s oral sources.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873b. ‘Bandamanna saga’. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873a. Geisli eða Óláfs Drápa ens Helga er Einarr orti Skúlason: efter ‘Bergsboken’ utgifven. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10. Lund: Berling.
5. Chase, Martin, ed. 2005. Einarr Skúlason’s Geisli. A Critical Edition. Toronto Old Norse and Icelandic Studies 1. Toronto, Buffalo and London: Toronto University Press.
6. 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.
7. ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
8. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
9. Internal references
10. (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 25 April 2024)
11. Kari Ellen Gade 2017, ‘(Biography of) Einarr Skúlason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 140.
12. (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 25 April 2024)