Eskál Vell 23^I

Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 23’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 311.

text and translation

notes and context

Hákon jarl takes the entire host south toward Staðr (Stadlandet) and learns that King Ragnfrøðr has moved into Sogn with his forces. Learning of this, he heads there, lands, stakes out the battlefield and positions his troops on it.

[1-4]: Many suggestions have been made for the interpretation of this helmingr, which consists of two main clauses. (a) The construal above is the most straightforward, and is adopted in ÍF 26 and Hkr 1991. A difficulty here is that síðan ‘then’ (l. 2) would seem to imply that having created mannfall ‘slaughter’, Hákon readied himself for a further battle, although only two (in the north of Sunnmøre and in Sogneforden) are recounted in the prose sources and Ragnfrøðr is said to have fled from Norway after the battle in Sogn (Hkr, ÍF 26, 247; Fsk, ÍF 29, 115), leaving Hákon in control. Possibly the meaning is that Hákon was always ready for battle, or conceivably that the gramr ‘ruler’ is Ragnfrøðr, who was preparing for more strife (cf. Note to ll. 5-8). (b) It is perhaps in order to obviate this difficulty that most interpreters construe the first clause as Gramr varð fyr Vinða myrði við annan styr ‘The ruler encountered the killer of the Wends in a second battle’. En and síðan (l. 2) are then construed with the second clause: en síðan gerðisk mest víðfrægt mannfall at morði ‘and then an immense, widely renowned slaughter arose in battle’ (Fms 12; Vell 1865, 60; Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, I, 149-50; Skj B). This produces a better narrative sequence but assumes extreme fragmentation in l. 2: víðfrægt, en, gramr, síðan.

readings

• [1] Vinða: víga 61, 53, 54, Bb
• [1] myrði: morði 54, Bb
• [2] ‑frægt: ‑frægr 325VIII 1, Bb
• [3] gerðisk: gjǫrðask 54
• [5] Hlym‑: ‘hlum‑’ J1ˣ, ‘hlun‑’ 61, 53, 54, Bb
• [5] Narfi: ‘‑rarfi’ J1ˣ, ‘‑nar fyr’ 53, 54, Bb
• [5] bað: bauð 53, 54, Bb
• [6] flagðs: ‘fladz’ 325VIII 1
• [7] við: var 61, 53, 54, Bb
• [7] ǫndurt: ‘ondvert’ 53, ‘ondyrt’ 54, Bb
• [8] ǫndur: ‘ꜹndr’ J1ˣ, ‘ondvt’ 53
• [8] †fꜹrf†: ‘þorf’ F, ‘forf’ 325VIII 1, ‘vorp’ 61, 53, 54, Bb
• [8] at: af F, á 53, 54, Bb

sources

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.

• AM 35 folx (Kx) — 142r/4 - 142r/11

  Varð fyr vinda myrðe | víþfrøgt en gramr siþan | gerþiz mest at morðe | maɴfall vid styr aɴan | hlym narfi bað huerfa | hlifar flagðs oc lagðe | jalcs vid ondort fylki | ondur fꜹrf at lande |

  (KS)

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• AM 45 fol (F) — 23va/9 - 23va/12

  Varð fyr Vinða myrði
  víðfrægt, en gramr síðan
  gerðisk mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  Hlym-Narfi bað hverfa
  hlífar flagðs ok lagði
  Jalks við ǫndurt fylki
  ǫndur †þorf† af landi.

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• AM 37 folx (J1x) — 82v/14 - 82v/18

  Varð fyr Vinða myrði
  víðfrægt, en gramr síðan
  gerðisk mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  †hlum-†-†-rarfi† bað hverfa
  hlífar flagðs ok lagði
  Jalks við ǫndurt fylki
  †ꜹndr† †fꜹrf† at landi.

  Vard fyr vin | da myrðe við frægt en gramr siþan gerþiz mest | at morðe mannnfall við styr annan hlumra | rfi bað hverfa hlifar flagz ok lagðe | ialks við annðort fylki ꜹnðr fꜹrf at landi

  (KS)

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• AM 38 folx (J2x) — 77v/24 - 77v/31

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• AM 325 VIII 1 4° (325VIII 1) — 3rb/22 - 3rb/26

  Varð fyr Vinða myrði
  víð-frægr, en gramr síðan
  gerðisk mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  Hlym-Narfi bað hverfa
  hlífar †fladz† ok lagði
  Jalks við ǫndurt fylki
  ǫndur †forf† at landi.

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• AM 61 fol (61) — 11v/13 - 11v/16

  Varð fyr víga myrði
  víðfrægt, en gramr síðan
  gerðisk mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  †hlun-†-Narfi bað hverfa
  hlífar flagðs ok lagði
  Jalks var ǫndurt fylki
  ǫndur †vorp† at landi.

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• AM 53 fol (53) — 9va/27 - 9va/31

  Varð fyr víga myrði
  víðfrægt, en gramr síðan
  gerðisk mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  †hlun-†-†-nar fyr† bauð hverfa
  hlífar flagðs ok lagði
  Jalks var †ondvert† fylki
  †ondvt vorp† á landi.

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• AM 54 fol (54) — 5rb/38 - 5va/1

  Varð fyr víga morði
  víðfrægt, en gramr síðan
  gjǫrðask mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  †hlun-†-†-nar fyr† bauð hverfa
  hlífar flagðs ok lagði
  Jalks var †ondyrt† fylki
  ǫndur †vorp† á landi.

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• Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) — 15rb/25 - 15rb/28

  Varð fyr víga morði
  víð-frægr, en gramr síðan
  gerðisk mest at morði,
  mannfall við styr annan.
  †hlun-†-†-nar fyr† bauð hverfa
  hlífar flagðs ok lagði
  Jalks var †ondyrt† fylki
  ǫndur †vorp† á landi.

  Vard fyr viga mordí vid frægr | enn gramr sídan giordiz mest ath mordí mann fall | vid styr annan. hlunnar fyr baud hverfa hlifar flagds | ok lagdí ialks uar óndyrt fylkí aundur vórp  landi |

  (KS)

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