Hfr ErfÓl 26a^I

Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Erfidrápa Óláfs Tryggvasonar 26a’ 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. 437.

text and translation

notes and context

The fame of the battle of Svǫlðr, which resulted in the defeat of the most famous king in the Nordic lands, will live on.

[1-4]: This helmingr is transmitted not only by the kings’ sagas but also by the sagas of Icelanders, in this case Hallfr (ÍF 8, 155), albeit with a different text of ll. 1-2 (cf. the similar case of Eskál Lv 1-2). The ms. transmission is further complicated by the fact that Hallfr is interpolated into ÓT as well as being preserved separately. The two helmingar are printed as separate entities in Skj and Skald, as ErfÓl 26 and 28/1-4. This edn regards them as variants, but prints them separately in order to reflect their textual differences and their different prose contexts. The version printed here is preserved within the main text of ÓT, while the Hallfr version is printed in SkP V, Poetry from the Sagas of Icelanders, as Hfr ErfÓl 26b^V (Hallfr 7). This edn thus adopts the position of Krijn (1931, 121), who argues that the Hallfr version is a variant of ErfÓl 26a/1-4. She points out that orðinn, the p. p. of verða ‘to become’, has a different meaning in each version, meaning ‘lost’ here, but ‘become’ in st. 26/4b^V (þanns vas orðinn ‘who had become’). Fidjestøl (1982, 58-9) suggests that misunderstanding of the unusual sense of orðinn in st. 26a/4 might have been the impetus for oral variation. The view of the texts as variants in fact goes back to Árni Magnússon (761bˣ, 175v), who wrote st. 26b/1-2 alongside st. 26a/1-2.

readings

• [1] jǫfri: ‘iafri’ 325VIII 2 g, Bb
• [2] heipt‑: ‘hept‑’ 54, 325VIII 2 g, ‘heft‑’ Bb
• [2] varð: var 54, 325VIII 2 g, Bb
• [2] ríkri: ríki 325VIII 2 g, Bb
• [3] ‑byrði: ‑byr 325VIII 2 g, Bb
• [3] Norðra: ‘narðra’ 53
• [5] þess’s (‘þess er’): þess 54, 325VIII 2 g, Bb
• [7] margaukanda: ‘mar gankanda’ 325VIII 2 g, Bb
• [8] móts: mót 61, 53, 54, 325VIII 2 g, ‘mott’ Bb
• [8] bótir: bóta 54, 325VIII 2 g, 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 61 fol (61) — 69vb/16 - 69vb/19

  Hefk, þanns hverjum jǫfri
  heiptfíknum varð ríkri
  und niðbyrði Norðra
  norðr, goðfǫður orðinn.
  Bíða munk, þess’s breiðan
  barðmána vann skarðan,
  margaukanda mækis
  mót aldrigi bótir.

  Hef ek þannz | huerium io᷎fri heipt fiknum varð rikri vnd nið byrði norðra. norðr guð fo᷎ | ður uorðinn. biða mvn ek þess er breiðan. barð mana vann skarðan. margꜹk | anda mækis mót alldreghi botir.

  (DW)

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• AM 53 fol (53) — 66rb/22 - 66rb/25

  Hefk, þanns hverjum jǫfri
  heiptfíknum varð ríkri
  und niðbyrði †narðra†
  norðr, goðfǫður orðinn.
  Bíða munk, þess’s breiðan
  barðmána vann skarðan,
  margaukanda mækis
  mót aldrigi bótir.

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• AM 54 fol (54) — 67va/40 - 67vb/3

  Hefk, þanns hverjum jǫfri
  †hept-†fíknum var ríkri
  und niðbyrði Norðra
  norðr, goðfǫður orðinn.
  Bíða munk, þess breiðan
  barðmána vann skarðan,
  margaukanda mækis
  mót aldrigi bóta.

  images
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• AM 325 VIII 2 g 4° (325VIII 2 g) — 1va/39 - 1vb/3

  Hefk, þanns hverjum †iafri†
  †hept-†fíknum var ríki
  und nið-byr Norðra
  norðr, goðfǫður orðinn.
  Bíða munk, þess breiðan
  barðmána vann skarðan,
  †mar gankanda† mækis
  mót aldrigi bóta.

  images
Close

• Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) — 103rb/18 - 103rb/22

  Hefk, þanns hverjum †iafri†
  †heft-†fíknum var ríki
  und nið-byr Norðra
  norðr, goðfǫður orðinn.
  Bíða munk, þess breiðan
  barðmána vann skarðan,
  †mar gankanda† mækis
  †mott† aldrigi bóta.

  images
Close

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