Jayne Carroll (ed.) 2009, ‘Markús Skeggjason, Eiríksdrápa 17’ 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. 447.
Hǫrga varðisk herr í borgum;
hjaldrganga vas snǫruð þangat;
harðir kníðusk menn at morði;
merki blés of hilmi sterkan.
Eirekr vakði odda skúrir;
eggjar týndu lífi seggja;
sungu jǫrn, en sœfðusk drengir;
sveiti fell á valkǫst heitan.
{Herr hǫrga} varðisk í borgum; hjaldrganga vas snǫruð þangat; harðir menn kníðusk at morði; merki blés of sterkan hilmi. Eirekr vakði {skúrir odda}; eggjar týndu lífi seggja; jǫrn sungu, en drengir sœfðusk; sveiti fell á heitan valkǫst.
{The host of heathen temples} [HEATHENS = Wends] defended itself in the strongholds; the battle-advance was quickly turned thither; fierce men pressed forward at the slaughter; the banner blew around the strong prince. Eiríkr stirred up {showers of arrow-points} [BATTLE]; blades destroyed the lives of men; weapons sang, and warriors died; blood fell on the hot carrion-heap.
Mss: JÓ(154), 873ˣ(51v), 180b(30r) (Knýtl)
Readings: [1] Hǫrga: Hǫrða 180b [3] harðir: harðar 180b; kníðusk: ‘kinndur’ 180b [7] sœfðusk: svœfðumsk 180b [8] fell: ‘fieill’ 180b
Editions: Skj AI, 448, Skj BI, 417, Skald I, 206; JÓ 1741, 154-5, ÍF 35, 224 (ch. 76).
Context: As sts 14-16 above. After the battle described in st. 16, the Wends fled and stayed in strongholds. They were pursued by the Danes who engaged them in battles and killed many of them.
Notes: [1] hǫrga ‘of heathen temples’: A hǫrgr was a place of pagan worship, at one time a stone pile (pagan altar); later the term was applied to buildings in which worship took place (see Turville-Petre 1964, 239-40). Because the Wends were heathen, this is an appropriate determinant in this kenning. In 180b, the herr ‘host’ appears to be made up of Hǫrðar, men from Hordaland, Norway, which makes no sense in the context. See also Note to st. 4/7. — [7] drengir ‘warriors’: See Note to st. 5/1 above.
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