Hharð Lv 1^II

Lv 1 (Hharð Lv 1) is transmitted in Hkr (Kˣ), in ÓH (see the mss below), in ÓHLeg (DG8), Fsk (FskBˣ, FskAˣ) and H-Hr (H, Hr). The st. is also found in AM 75e fol 4 (75e 4) of ÓH at the top of fol. 1rb, but the text is now illegible. Because Finnur Jónsson could read some of the st. in that ms., Skj A (75e 4FJ) has also been considered in the present edn. Kˣ is the main ms.

Þora munk þann arm verja,
— þats ekkju munr nekkvat —
— rjóðum vér af reiði
rǫnd — es í hlýtk standa.
Gengra greppr inn ungi
gunnblíðr, þars slǫg ríða,
— herða menn at morði
mót — á hæl fyr spjótum.

Munk þora verja þann arm, es hlýtk standa í; þats nekkvat munr ekkju; rjóðum vér rǫnd af reiði. Inn ungi greppr gengra gunnblíðr á hæl fyr spjótum, þars slǫg ríða; menn herða mót at morði.

I shall dare to defend that rank in which I am placed; that seems to be the wish of the widow; let us redden the shield-rim with rage. The young poet shall not take to his heels, battle-cheered, before spears where weapons swing; men will intensify hostile encounters in the battle.

Mss: Kˣ(459v) (Hkr); Holm2(65r), J2ˣ(221r), 972ˣ(499va), 972ˣ(499vb), 321ˣ(249), 73aˣ(196r), 68(64v), Holm4(60rb), 325VII(36r), 325V(78vb-79ra), 61(123ra), Flat(123rb), Tóm(153r), Bb(196v), 75e 4(1rb) (ÓH); DG8(99v) (ÓHLeg); FskBˣ(51r), FskAˣ(190) (Fsk); H(20v), Hr(15vb) (H-Hr)

Readings: [1] Þora munk þann arm verja: ‘[…]’ 75e 4FJ;    munk (‘mvn ec’): man ek DG8, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, mun H;    þann arm: ‘tha orm’ 972ˣ(499vb);    verja: ‘vera’ Tóm    [2] þats ekkju munr nekkvat: ‘[…]’ 75e 4FJ;    þats (‘þat er’): þat 972ˣ(499va), ‘tha er’ 972ˣ(499vb);    ekkju: ‘ækki’ FskAˣ;    munr: mun H;    nekkvat: ‘neccved’ Holm2, nǫkkurr J2ˣ, 972ˣ(499va), 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, 61, Flat, Tóm, Bb, DG8, H, Hr, ‘nekued’ 972ˣ(499vb), ‘nocqvot’ 68, ‘nocquat’ Holm4, ‘nakot’ 325VII, nǫkkut FskBˣ, FskAˣ    [3] rjóðum vér af reiði: ‘[…]’ 75e 4FJ;    rjóðum vér: rjóðim þessa vér 321ˣ;    vér: ‘vond’ 61;    af: með 68    [4] es (‘er’): ef 68, en DG8, FskBˣ;    í hlýtk (‘ec i hlýt’): ek hlýt í 972ˣ(499va), DG8, ‘ek i hlut’ 972ˣ(499vb), ek hlýt 68, 61, ‘ec lut’ FskAˣ, ek hlýt í at Hr    [5] Gengra: gengrat Holm2, J2ˣ, 972ˣ(499va), 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 68, Holm4, 325VII, 325V, 61, Flat, Tóm, Bb, 75e 4FJ, H, Hr, ‘gemrat’ 972ˣ(499vb), ‘gengr æi’ DG8;    greppr inn: ‘greppínn’ 61, ‘greppr en’ Bb, ‘grepp enn’ FskAˣ, ‘greppren’ Hr;    ungi: ‘iunge’ Flat, unga FskAˣ    [6] ‑blíðr: ‑blíðs 73aˣ;    slǫg: ‘staug’ 972ˣ(499vb), þér 61;    ríða: líða 321ˣ, svíða 68    [7] herða menn at morði: ‘mitt rað er þat mæitit’ DG8;    herða: ‘hardi’ 972ˣ(499vb), herðir by correction 325VII, ‘her þa’ Flat, herði Bb    [8] mót: mjór Bb, morð Hr;    á: at 61, om. FskAˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 356, Skj BI, 328, Skald I, 165-6, NN §806, 1902; ÍF 27, 364-5 (ÓH ch. 209); ÓH 1941, I, 550 (ch. 206), Flat 1860-8, II, 344-5 (ÓH); ÓHLeg 1922, 82-1 (ch. 79), ÓHLeg 1982, 188-9 (ch. 79); ÍF 29, 200 (ch. 34); Fms 6, 129 (HSig ch. 1).

Context: Before the battle of Stiklestad (29 July 1030), King Óláfr commands his half-brother, the fifteen-year-old Haraldr, not to engage in the fighting because of his youth. Haraldr responds with this st. In ÓHLeg, the st. is attributed to Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld (Þorm^I).

Notes: [All]: For this battle, see also Hharð Lv 2a-b, ÞjóðA Sex 1 and Bǫlv Hardr 1/1-4, as well as a great deal of poetry in SkP I. — [1] arm ‘rank’: Lit. ‘arm’. Denotes a row of soldiers standing side by side, as opposed to a file of soldiers. See also Hskv Hardr 1. — [2] ekkju ‘of the widow’: The identity of the ‘widow’ (or ‘woman’) is obscure, but it could refer to Haraldr’s and Óláfr’s mother, Ásta (see also Notes to Hharð Gamv 5/1 and Hharð Lv 14/2, 3). — [5] greppr ‘poet’: This word can mean either ‘(brave) man’ or ‘poet’ (see Fritzner: greppr; LP: greppr). Because Haraldr was a poet, the latter meaning has been adopted here. — [7] at morði ‘in the battle’: Unlike in prose, where morð denotes ‘murder’ (see Fritzner: morð), the word is used in poetry for ‘battle, fighting, killing’ (LP: morð). Skj B connects the prepositional phrase with the previous cl. (‘where weapons swing in the battle’). That construction creates an awkward w. o. (see NN §806, and, following Kock, so also ÍF 28; ÍF 29). — [8] mót ‘hostile encounters’: For the meaning, see LP: mót A.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj A = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15a. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. A: Tekst efter håndskrifterne. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1967. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
4. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
5. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
6. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
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. 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.
9. 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.
10. ÓH 1941 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert and Jón Helgason, eds. 1941. Saga Óláfs konungs hins helga: Den store saga om Olav den hellige efter pergamenthåndskrift i Kungliga biblioteket i Stockholm nr. 2 4^to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
11. ÓHLeg 1982 = Heinrichs, Anne et al., eds and trans. 1982. Olafs saga hins helga: Die ‘Legendarische Saga’ über Olaf den Heiligen (Hs. Delagard. saml. nr. 8^II). Heidelberg: Winter.
12. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
13. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
14. ÓHLeg 1922 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert, ed. 1922. Olafs saga hins helga efter pergamenthåndskrift i Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek, Delagardieske samling nr. 8^II. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 47. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
15. SkP I = Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Ed. Diana Whaley. 2012.
16. Internal references
17. (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 20 April 2024)
18. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga (Legendary)’ 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=31> (accessed 20 April 2024)
19. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga’ 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=53> (accessed 20 April 2024)
20. (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 20 April 2024)
21. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna’ 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=84> (accessed 20 April 2024)
22. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Haralds saga Sigurðssonar’ 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=142> (accessed 20 April 2024)
24. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bǫlverkr Arnórsson, Drápa about Haraldr harðráði 1’ 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, pp. 286-8.
25. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Lausavísur 1’ 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, pp. 42-3.
26. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Lausavísur 14’ 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, pp. 55-6.
27. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Gamanvísur 5’ 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. 40.
28. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Halldórr skvaldri, Haraldsdrápa 1’ 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. 493.
29. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Sexstefja 1’ 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, pp. 112-13.
30. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Lausavísur 2a’ 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, pp. 43-4.