ESk Geisl 68^VII

svát lausnara leysi
langvinr frá kvǫl strangri
nýta þjóð ór nauðum
nafnkuðr við trú jafnan,
víga skýs, þeirs vísa,
veljendr, framan telja
ǫflugs Krists af ôstum
alnennins brag þenna.

svát {nafnkuðr langvinr lausnara} leysi jafnan nýta þjóð frá strangri kvǫl, ór nauðum við trú, {veljendr {skýs víga}}, þeirs telja þenna framan brag alnennins vísa af ôstum ǫflugs Krists.

so that {the well-known old friend of the Saviour} [= Óláfr] might constantly release able people from the great torment, from distress on account of the faith, those {choosers {of the cloud of battle}} [SHIELD > WARRIORS] who tell this splendid poem of the energetic prince about the love of mighty Christ.

Mss: Flat(2va), Bb(118va)

Readings: [2] langvinr: so Bb, ‘lang vinn’ Flat    [3] ór: ok Bb    [4] nafnkuðr: ‘nagl kvaddr’ Bb;    jafnan: stadda Bb    [5] þeirs (‘þeir er’): ‘þar er’ Bb    [6] veljendr: ‘velendr’ Flat, ‘velivndr’ Bb;    framan: glaðir Bb    [7] Krists: Krist Bb    [8] alnennins: so Bb, ‘almenins’ Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 472, Skj BI, 444, Skald I, 219, NN §§952, 3396T; Flat 1860-8, I, 7, Cederschiöld 1873, 10, Chase 2005, 118, 167.

Notes: [1] svát ‘so that’: St. 68, joined to the preceding ll. by this subordinating conj., continues the prayer begun in the second helmingr of st. 67. — [3, 4] ór nauðum við trú ‘from distress on account of the faith’: Taking Flat’s ór rather than Bb’s ok (favoured by both Skj B and Skald), the phrase must be read as in apposition to frá strangri kvǫl ‘from great torment’ (l. 2). Bb’s text allows the reading frá strangri kvǫl ok nauðum við trú ‘from great torment and distress on account of the faith’. — [5] þeirs ‘those ... who’: The eds of Skj B and Skald prefer Bb’s reading þars ‘where’. — [6] framan ‘splendid’: The reading of Flat, here understood as an adj. qualifying þenna brag ‘this poem’ (l. 8). Other eds choose Bb’s reading glaðir ‘happy’ (l. 6), which can be construed with the base-word of the kenning for warriors, veljendr.

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.