Mark Eirdr 30^II

Hvergi stóðusk hjǫrva borgar
hristimeiðar konungs reiði;
raunar varðat rǫnd við hônum
reist; gerðut þess jǫfrar freista.
Ógnir stóðu af jarla hegni;
engi þorði kapp at strengja
— flestir uggðu foldvǫrð hraustan —
fylkir snarr við Dana harra.

{Hristimeiðar {borgar hjǫrva}} stóðusk hvergi reiði konungs; raunar varðat rǫnd reist við hônum; jǫfrar gerðut freista þess. Ógnir stóðu af {hegni jarla}; engi snarr fylkir þorði at strengja kapp við {harra Dana}; flestir uggðu hraustan foldvǫrð.

{The brandishing-trees {of the stronghold of swords}} [SHIELD > WARRIORS] withstood not at all the rage of the king; in truth a shield was not raised against him; princes did not attempt this. Terrors were inspired by {the punisher of jarls} [KING]; not one keen leader dared to test his strength against {the lord of the Danes} [= Eiríkr]; most feared the brave land-guardian.

Mss: JÓ(170), 873ˣ(56r-v), 180b(31v), 20b II(3vb) (Knýtl)

Readings: [3] raunar: rannar 180b;    varðat: var þat 20b II    [4] gerðut: gerðusk 180b    [5] Ógnir stóðu: ógnin stóð all;    hegni: meiði 180b, 20b II    [7] foldvǫrð: ‘fallduord’ 873ˣ, ‘folld naiord’ 180b, ‘folld naurð’ 20b II    [8] fylkir: fylkis 873ˣ;    harra: ‘h[…]’ 20b II

Editions: Skj AI, 451-2, Skj BI, 420, Skald I, 208; JÓ 1741, 170-1, ÍF 35, 239 (ch. 81).

Context: The st. is cited after a summary of Eiríkr’s royal characteristics. It is the last st. of Eirdr recorded in Knýtl.

Notes: [3-4] raunar varðat rǫnd reist við hônum ‘in truth a shield was not raised against him’: See Sturl Hákfl 10/5, 6, 8 Øngr Göndlar veðrboði reisti rönd við yngva fyr vestan haf ‘No messenger of Gǫndul’s <valkyrie’s> storm [BATTLE > WARRIOR] raised a shield against the king west of the ocean’. For reisa rǫnd við e-m ‘resist sby’ see Fritzner: rönd 3. — [5] ógnir stóðu ‘terrors were inspired’: Ógnin stóð ‘the terror was inspired’ (so all mss) is metrically and contextually possible, but this is too early for the suffixed def. art. (-in) and the emendation is in keeping with earlier eds.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. 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.
4. ÍF 35 = Danakonunga sǫgur. Ed. Bjarni Guðnason. 1982.
5. JÓ 1741 = Jón Ólafsson, ed. 1741. Æfi dana-konunga eda Knytlinga saga: Historia Cnutidarum regum Daniæ. Copenhagen: [n. p.].
6. Internal references
7. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Knýtlinga saga’ 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=19> (accessed 19 April 2024)
8. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarflokkr 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. 754.