Ólhv Hryn 12^II

Aldri bǫrðusk afli stœrðir
(ógnsveipanda) blóðgum greipum
(hirð sótti þar hvǫss at garði)
harrar tveir af drengskap meira.
Undan reið, sás fremstr vas fundinn,
fyrða gramr, at jǫfnum byrðum;
Sverris ætt fekk sigr at réttu;
svá vildi guð framiðr mildi.

Aldri bǫrðusk tveir harrar, blóðgum greipum, stœrðir afli, af meira drengskap; hvǫss hirð {ógnsveipanda} sótti þar at garði. {Gramr fyrða}, sás vas fundinn fremstr at jǫfnum byrðum, reið undan; {ætt Sverris} fekk sigr at réttu; guð, framiðr mildi, vildi svá.

Never have two lords, with bloody hands, empowered with strength, fought with more bravery; the fierce retinue of the {terror-spreader} [WARRIOR = Hákon] attacked there at the churchyard. {The leader of the people} [RULER = Skúli], who was found to be foremost among those of equal birth, rode away; {Sverrir’s descendant} [= Hákon] rightly won victory; God, excellent in mercy, willed it so.

Mss: E(177v), 55 A(1vb), F(111rb), 42ˣ(164v), 81a(109va), 8(57r), Flat(178vb) (Hák)

Readings: [1, 2] stœrðir ógnsveipanda: ‘stǽr[...]’ 55 A    [1] stœrðir: stœrðar F    [2] ‑sveipanda: so 8, ‑sveipinna E, F, 81a, 8, Flat, ‑svipanna 42ˣ;    greipum: sverðum 55 A    [3] hvǫss: horsk 55 A, hraust F, ‘huerss’ 81a, ‘huo᷎rs’ 8, hress Flat    [3, 4] garði harrar tveir: ‘ga[...]’ 55 A    [4] harrar: herrar E, F, 42ˣ, 81a, 8, Flat    [5] sás (‘sá er’): sá 81a;    fremstr vas fundinn: ‘f[...]’ 55 A    [6] byrðum: burðum all    [7] Sverris: ‘sueriss’ 81a;    ætt fekk sigr at: ‘[...]’ 55 A    [8] framiðr: framdr 42ˣ

Editions: Skj AII, 96-7, Skj BII, 108, Skald II, 57; E 1916, 605, F 1871, 517, Hák 1910-86, 564, Hák 1977-82, 129, Flat 1860-8, III, 154.

Context: Skúli spurred his horse on toward Hákon’s standard, but one of his men caught the reins and held the horse back. The Birkibeinar threw spears at Skúli and nearly hit him.

Notes: [All]: For these events, see also Sturl Hákkv 18. — [2] blóðgum greipum ‘with bloody hands’: It is preferable with regard to syntax to construe this with the first cl., though it could also be construed with the the second cl. (so Skj B) (see Kuhn 1983, 202-4). — [4] drengskap ‘bravery’: It is difficult to capture the full sense of drengskapr in translation. The word connotes uprightness, nobility, and bravery, and was central to the expression of courtly behaviour in the C13-14th. Its use in poetry, however, is restricted to the present st. and Anon Heil 20/2^VII. Here and throughout the poem, Óláfr is careful not to impugn the actions of either of the rivals for the throne. Rather, he praises both contenders and emphasises the courage and uprightness of both with the word drengskapr. — [6] byrðum (f. dat. pl.) ‘birth’: The f. i-stem byrð ‘birth’ is much rarer in ON than its m. counterpart burðr ‘birth’ (all other cognates in Gmc are f.). However, in keeping with previous eds, burðum (so all mss) has been emended to byrðum in order to supply the full internal rhyme in l. 6 (fyrða : byrðum). — [7] ætt Sverris ‘Sverrir’s descendant [= Hákon]’: The word ætt in skaldic poetry may signify ‘family member’ or more specifically ‘descendant’ (see LP: ætt), whereas in prose it generally denotes ‘family’. The Sverrir mentioned in the circumlocution ætt Sverris ‘Sverrir’s descendant [= Hákon]’ is Hákon’s paternal grandfather, King Sverrir Sigurðarson (d. 1202).

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. 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.
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. Kuhn, Hans (1899). 1983. Das Dróttkvætt. Heidelberg: Winter.
7. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
8. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
9. Hák 1977-82 = Mundt, Marina, ed. 1977. Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Oslo: Forlagsentralen. Suppl. by James E. Knirk, Rettelser til Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Norrøne tekster 2. Oslo: Norsk historisk kjeldeskrift-institutt, 1982.
10. Hák 1910-86 = Kjær, Albert and Ludvig Holm-Olsen, eds. 1910-86. Det Arnamagnæanske haandskrift 81a fol. (Skálholtsbók yngsta) indeholdende Sverris saga, Bǫglungasǫgur, Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar. Oslo: Den norske historiske kildeskriftkommission and Kjeldeskriftfondet.
11. Internal references
12. Kirsten Wolf (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Heilagra manna drápa 20’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 886-7.
13. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 18’ 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. 712-13.