Eyv Lv 6^I

Fyrr rauð Fenris varra
flugvarr konungr sparra
— malmhríðar svall meiðum
móðr — í Gamla blóði,
þás óstirfinn arfa
Eiríks of rak — geira
nú tregr gæti-Gauta
grams fall — á sæ alla.

Fyrr rauð flugvarr konungr {sparra varra Fenris} í blóði Gamla; móðr svall {meiðum {malmhríðar}}, þás óstirfinn of rak alla arfa Eiríks á sæ; nú tregr fall grams {gæti-Gauta geira}.

Earlier the flight-reluctant king [Hákon] reddened {the prop of the lips of Fenrir <wolf>} [SWORD] in Gamli’s blood; courage swelled {in the trees {of the metal-storm}} [BATTLE > WARRIORS], when, agreeable, he drove all Eiríkr’s heirs to sea; now the fall of the king distresses {the guarding Gautar <= Óðinn’s> of spears} [WARRIORS].

Mss: Kˣ(100r), Kˣ(108r) (l. 1), 39(2vb) (l. 1), F(17va), F(18vb), J1ˣ(60v), J1ˣ(64v) (l. 1), J2ˣ(56v), J2ˣ(62r) (l. 1) (Hkr); 61(6va), Bb(8va) (ÓT); FskBˣ(13r), FskAˣ(59) (Fsk)

Readings: [2] flug‑: fjǫl Bb    [3] ‑hríðar: hríða FskAˣ;    svall: sval Bb    [4] móðr: móð 61    [5] óstirfinn: óstirfins FskAˣ;    arfa: arna FskBˣ    [6] Eiríks: ‘eir’’ Bb, Eirík FskAˣ;    of rak: om. J1ˣ, om. with ok rak in margin J2ˣ;    of: so F(17va), F(18vb), 61, FskAˣ, ok Kˣ, Bb, FskBˣ    [7] nú: þat FskAˣ;    tregr: tregar 61, Bb;    gæti‑: geitar Bb    [8] grams: gram Bb;    fall: vall FskBˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 72, Skj BI, 63, Skald I, 39; Hkr 1893-1901, I, 207-8, 224, IV, 52-3, ÍF 26, 181-2, 199, Hkr 1991, I, 116, 131-2 (HákGóð ch. 27, HGráf ch. 1), F 1871, 79, 85; Fms 1, 48, Fms 12, 30, ÓT 1958-2000, I, 47-8 (ch. 30); Fsk 1902-3, 50-1 (ch. 13), ÍF 29, 96 (ch. 14); Krause 1990, 231-6.

Context:

In Fsk (similarly ÓT) it is explained that after Hákon góði’s death his entourage and that of Haraldr gráfeldr engage in wrangling about the comparative merits of Haraldr and his predecessor, which culminates in an exchange of verses between the two skalds Glúmr Geirason and Eyvindr skáldaspillir. Hkr cites Lv 6 twice, both times as Eyvindr’s riposte to a bragging stanza about Hákon’s death composed by Glúmr; except in F the second citation is of the first line only.

Notes: [1, 2] sparra varra Fenris ‘the prop of the lips of Fenrir <wolf> [SWORD]’: The reference is to the story of the gods binding the wolf Fenrir and setting a sword with the hilt on his lower jaw and the point on his upper jaw to prevent him from biting. Snorri (Gylf, SnE 2005, 29) adds Þat er gómsparri hans ‘That is his gum-prop’, and gómsparri occurs as a sword-kenning in ESk Geisl 48/8^VII. — [4] í blóði Gamla ‘in Gamli’s blood’: Gamli Eiríksson, Haraldr gráfeldr’s brother, and predecessor as leader of the Gunnhildarsynir (Eiríkssynir), had been killed some time earlier in the battle of Rastarkálfr, an otherwise unknown locality on the island of Fræði (Frei, Møre og Romsdal), c. 955. For Gamli and the battle, see Gsind Hákdr 8, ÞSjár Þórdr 2 and Glúmr Lv. — [5] óstirfinn ‘agreeable’: This is the only citation for the adj. in LP: óstirfinn and its meaning is unclear, except that it is the antonym of stirfinn ‘stiff-minded, stubborn, obstinate’ (see Fritzner, AEW: stirfinn). Konráð Gíslason (1892, 69, followed by Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B; ÍF 26) suggests ‘cheerful and friendly [towards his men]’, which would fit with the wider context; Konráð notes a number of partial parallels to this motif. Bjarni Einarsson (ÍF 29) tentatively suggests an extended sense ‘brave, keen’. — [6] of rak ‘he drove’: Of is the expletive particle. — [7] Gauta ‘Gautar <= Óðinns>’: The base-word of a kenning for ‘warriors’, probably the pl. of the Óðinn-name Gautr (and so previous eds). Names of gods are frequent in this role, and pl. forms occur, especially frequently in the case of Njǫrðr (Meissner 259). Gautar is also the name of the people of Gautland (Götaland), but this is unlikely here.

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. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
6. AEW = Vries, Jan de. 1962. Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2nd rev. edn. Rpt. 1977. Leiden: Brill.
7. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
8. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
9. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
10. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
11. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
12. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
13. Fsk 1902-3 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1902-3. Fagrskinna: Nóregs kononga tal. SUGNL 30. Copenhagen: Møller.
14. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
15. ÓT 1958-2000 = Ólafur Halldórsson, ed. 1958-2000. Saga Óláfs Tryggvasonar en mesta. 3 vols. EA A 1-3. Copenhagen: Munksgaard (Reitzel).
16. SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
17. Konráð Gíslason, ed. 1892a. Udvalg af oldnordiske skjaldekvad, med anmærkninger. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
18. Krause, Arnulf, ed. 1990. Die Dichtung des Eyvindr skáldaspillir: Edition-Kommentar-Untersuchungen. Altnordische Bibliothek 10. Leverkusen: Literaturverlag Norden Mark Reinhardt.
19. Internal references
20. (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 18 April 2024)
21. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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=56> (accessed 18 April 2024)
22. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=60> (accessed 18 April 2024)
23. Diana Whaley 2017, ‘(Biography of) Glúmr Geirason’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 194.
24. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Gylfaginning’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=113> (accessed 18 April 2024)
25. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Hákonar saga góða’ 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=130> (accessed 18 April 2024)
26. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Haralds saga gráfeldar’ 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=138> (accessed 18 April 2024)
27. Diana Whaley 2012, ‘ Glúmr Geirason, Lausavísa’ 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. 266. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1210> (accessed 18 April 2024)
28. Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 48’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 46-7.
29. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Guthormr sindri, Hákonardrápa 8’ 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. 168.
30. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2012, ‘Þórðr Særeksson (Sjáreksson), Þórálfs drápa Skólmssonar 2’ 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. 238.