Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Fragments 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 159.
The helmingr (ESk Frag 8) is found in SnE (mss R (main ms.), Tˣ, U, A, B (and 744ˣ), C). The metre is dunhent (see Frag 6 above, Note to [All]), and the poet’s name is given as Einarr (no patronymic) in all mss. The battle imagery suggests that the stanza belonged to an encomium.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn Gera beitu —
— fekksk arnar matr jǫrnum —
Jarnsǫxu grǫn faxa.
Rauð grǫn {sámleitum faxa Jarnsǫxu} sveita; ǫrn sleit {beitu Gera}; {matr arnar} fekksk jǫrnum.
‘He reddened the whiskers of Jarnsaxa’s <troll-woman’s> swarthy steed [WOLF] with blood; an eagle tore Geri’s <wolf’s> bait [CORPSES]; food of the eagle [CORPSES] was provided by weapons. ’
The helmingr is given as an example of a heiti for ‘eagle’ (ǫrn ‘eagle’; arnar ‘of the eagle’).
For the metre, see Note to Frag 6 above. — [2]: This line is also found in Hókr Eirfl 7/6I.
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn gróa beitu —
— fekksk arnar matr jǫrnum —
Jarnsǫxu grǫn fǫxu.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn Gera beitu —
— fekksk arnar matr jǫrnum —
Jarnsǫxu grǫn faxa.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn Gera beitu —
— fekksk arnar matr jǫrnum —
Jarnsǫxu grǫn faxa.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn Gera beitur —
— fekksk arnar matr jǫrnum —
Jarn-sǫxum grǫn faxa.
Samlæitvm rꜹð svæita slæit ǫrn gera bæitvr fækz arnar matr ⸌iarnvm⸍ iarnsǫxvm grǫn | faxa .
(VEÞ)
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn geira beitur —
— fekksk arnar †[…]† jǫrnum —
Jarn-sǫxum grǫn faxa.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn Gera beitu —
— fekksk arnar †matr† jǫrnum —
Jarnsǫxu grǫn faxa.
Sámleitum rauð sveita
— sleit ǫrn Gera beitu —
— fekksk arnar matr †ærnum† —
Jarnsǫxu †nog† fǫxu.
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