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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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ESk Geisl 54VII

Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 54’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 51.

Einarr SkúlasonGeisli
535455

Hétu hart á ítran
hraustir menn af trausti
— stríð svall ógnar eyðis —
Ôláf í gný stála,
þars of einn í ǫrva
(undbôru) flug vôru
(roðin klofnuðu Reifnis
rǫnn) sex tigir manna.

Hraustir menn hétu hart af trausti á ítran Ôláf í {gný stála} — stríð {eyðis ógnar} svall —, þars sex tigir manna vôru of einn í {flug ǫrva}; {Reifnis rǫnn}, roðin {undbôru}, klofnuðu.

Strong men called hard with confidence on glorious Óláfr in {the noise of steel weapons} [BATTLE] — the distress {of the destroyer of terror} [RULER = Byzantine emperor] increased —, where sixty men [lit. six tens of men] were against one in {the flight of arrows} [BATTLE]; {Reifnir’s <sea-king> houses} [SHIELDS], reddened {with the wound-wave} [BLOOD], were cloven.

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

Readings: [3] svall: so Bb, stall Flat;    ógnar: ógn þá er Bb;    eyðis: óðusk Bb    [4] Ôláf: so Bb, láfr Flat    [5] einn: so Bb, einum Flat    [6] undbôru: so Bb, ‘undḅꜳr ꜳ’ Flat    [7] roðin: so Bb, rofin Flat;    klofnuðu: so Bb, klofnaði Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 469, Skj BI, 440-1, Skald I, 217, NN §945; Flat 1860-8, I, 6, Cederschiöld 1873, 8, Chase 2005, 104, 158-9.

Notes: [2] af trausti ‘with confidence’: cf. HómNo, 112: á hann hafa callat með trauſti ‘they have called on him with confidence’. — [3] stríð eyðis ógnar svall ‘the distress of the destroyer of terror increased’: Flat’s reading is followed here, except for the verb; Skj B and Skald follow Bb, understanding an intercalary stríð ógn svall ‘tough battle raged’, while construing þás óðusk with í stála gný ‘when they were afraid in the noise of steel weapons [BATTLE]’. — [5-8]: Bb’s text is better than Flat’s and has been followed here. — [8] sex tigir ‘six tens’: The ON prose versions also mention the sixty-to-one advantage of the Petchenegs over the Varangians (Louis-Jensen 1970, 35; ÓHLeg 1982, 214; Hkr, ÍF 28, 372; ÓH 1941, 636).

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. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873b. ‘Bandamanna saga’. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10.
  4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  5. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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 4to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
  10. ÓHLeg 1982 = Heinrichs, Anne et al., eds and trans. 1982. Olafs saga hins helga: Die ‘Legendarische Saga’ über Olaf den Heiligen (Hs. Delagard. saml. nr. 8II). Heidelberg: Winter.
  11. HómNo = Indrebø, Gustav. 1931. Gamal norsk homiliebok, Cod. AM 619, 4°. Det norske historiske Kjeldeskrift Fond, Skrifter 54. Oslo: Dybwad. Rpt. 1966. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
  12. Louis-Jensen, Jonna. 1970a. ‘“Syvende og ottende brudstykke”. Fragmentet AM 325 IV 4to.’. Opuscula 4, 31-60. BA 30. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
  13. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
  14. Internal references
  15. (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 29 March 2024)
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