Hharð Lv 13^II

Lv 13-14 (Hharð Lv 13-14) are Haraldr’s last two sts, recited at the battle of Stamford Bridge (25 September 1066), where the Norw. army, led by Haraldr and Tostig Godwineson, faced Tostig’s brother, the Engl. king Harold Godwineson, and his troops. Haraldr, Tostig and the larger part of the Norw. army fell at that battle. Both sts are recorded in Mork (Mork), Fsk (FskAˣ), H-Hr (H, Hr), Flat (Flat), mss Kˣ, F, E, J2ˣ of Hkr and in Hemings þáttr Áslákssonar (Hem) in Hauksbók (Hb). Mork, which offers the best readings, has been chosen as the main ms. For the battle of Stamford Bridge, see also Arn Hardr 10-16, ÞjóðA Lv 10-11 and Stúfr Stúfdr 8.

Framm gǫngum vér        í fylkingu
brynjulausir        und bláar eggjar.
Hjalmar skína;        — hefkat mína —
nú liggr skrúð várt        at skipum niðri.

Vér gǫngum framm í fylkingu, brynjulausir, und bláar eggjar. Hjalmar skína—hefkat mína—; nú liggr skrúð várt niðri at skipum.

We go forth in battle ranks, without byrnies, beneath dark sword-blades. Helmets shine—I don’t have mine—; now our armour lies down by the ships.

Mss: Mork(19r) (Mork); Flat(204ra) (Flat); FskAˣ(304) (Fsk); Kˣ(581v), F(53ra), E(27v), J2ˣ(296v) (Hkr); H(75v), Hr(53vb) (H-Hr); Hb(70v) (Hb)

Readings: [1] gǫngum: gǫngu Flat, Kˣ, Hb, gengum FskAˣ, E, gengu or gǫngu F, Hr, gengu J2ˣ;    vér: om. Flat    [2] fylkingu: fylkingar Flat, E, Hb, fylkingum Hr    [4] und: meðr FskAˣ, undir Kˣ, F, Hr, undir undir Hb    [6] hefkat (‘hefkat ec’): ‘hæfkaðek’ FskAˣ, ‘hefkaða ek’ F, hefka ek E, J2ˣ, H, Hr    [7] nú: þó F;    skrúð: ‘skvð’ H, ‘skurd’ Hr, skraut Hb    [8] at: á Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 360, Skj BI, 332, Skald I, 167; Mork 1867, 117, Mork 1928-32, 276, Andersson and Gade 2000, 271, 481 (MH); Flat 1860-8, III, 394-5 (MH); ÍF 29, 284 (ch. 68); ÍF 28, 187-8 (HSig ch. 91), F 1871, 248, E 1916, 96; Fms 6, 416 (HSig ch. 118); Hb 1892-6, 342, Fellows Jensen 1962, 51 (Hem).

Context: Haraldr recites this st. in fornyrðislag as he marshals his troops before the battle.

Notes: [All]: Haraldr and his men marched from York to Stamford Bridge to receive hostages from the neighbouring counties. They had left behind most of their equipment in their ships at Riccall, because they did not anticipate any hostilities from the English. — [6] mína (f. acc. sg.) ‘mine’: This pron. refers to an understood brynju ‘byrnie’, i.e. ‘I don’t have my byrnie’.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Andersson, Theodore M. and Kari Ellen Gade, trans. 2000. Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157). Islandica 51. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
5. 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.
6. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
9. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
10. Fellows Jensen, Gillian, ed. 1962. Hemings þáttr Áslákssonar. EA B 3. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
11. Hb 1892-6 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1892-6. Hauksbók udgiven efter de Arnamagnæanske håndskrifter no. 371, 544 og 675, 4° samt forskellige papirshåndskrifter. Copenhagen: Det kongelige nordiske oldskrift-selskab.
12. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
13. Mork 1867 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1867. Morkinskinna: Pergamentsbog fra første halvdel af det trettende aarhundrede. Indeholdende en af de ældste optegnelser af norske kongesagaer. Oslo: Bentzen.
14. Internal references
15. (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 27 April 2024)
16. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Flateyjarbók’ 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=44> (accessed 27 April 2024)
17. (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 27 April 2024)
18. (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 27 April 2024)
19. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Morkinskinna’ 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=87> (accessed 27 April 2024)
20. (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 27 April 2024)
21. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Magnúss saga góða ok Haralds harðráða’ 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=147> (accessed 27 April 2024)
22. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Haraldsdrápa 10’ 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. 271.
23. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Lausavísur 13’ 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. 54-5.
24. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Stúfr inn blindi Þórðarson kattar, Stúfsdrápa 8’ 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. 357-8.
25. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Lausavísur 10’ 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. 174-5.
26. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hemings þáttr Áslákssonar’ 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=10292> (accessed 27 April 2024)
27. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hauksbók’ in Guðrún Nordal (ed.), Poetry on Icelandic History. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 4. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=10935> (accessed 27 April 2024)