Ótt Knútdr 5I
Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Óttarr svarti, Knútsdrápa 5’ 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. 772.
text and translation
Gunni lézt í grœnni,
gramr, Lindisey framða;
belldu viðr, þvís vildu,
víkingar þar ríki.
Bíða lézt í breiðri
borg Hemminga sorgir
œst fyr Úsu vestan
engst folk, Svía þrøngvir.
Gramr, lézt gunni framða í grœnni Lindisey; þar belldu víkingar ríki viðr, þvís vildu. {Þrøngvir Svía}, lézt œst engst folk bíða sorgir í breiðri borg Hemminga fyr vestan Úsu.
‘King, you caused battle to be fought in green Lindsey; there the vikings used in opposition the strength they wished. Oppressor of the Swedes [= Knútr], you angrily caused the English people to experience sorrows in broad Hemingbrough, to the west of the Ouse. ’
notes and context
This stanza is quoted after a brief statement that Knútr had his first battles in England in Lindisey (Lindsey) and Hemingaborg (Hemingbrough).
The ASC (s.a. 1016) records that early in 1016 Knútr took his army north through Lincolnshire into Northumbria. — [3-4]: These are difficult lines, and some form of emendation seems necessary. Knýtl 1919-25 and ÍF 35 (followed here) prefer to emend því to þar in l. 4, while Skj B and Skald emend þvís to þeirs in l. 3, resulting in the sense ‘the vikings who wished used in opposition that strength’. The former interpretation seems preferable from a scribal point of view, as the second því could have arisen through dittography, perhaps encouraged by agreement with the following ríki.
readings
sources
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
-
Jón Ólafsson 1741 (JÓ) — 14 - 14
Gunni lézt í grœnni,
images
gramr, Lindisey framða;
belldu viðr, þvís vildu,
víkingar því ríki.
Bíða lézt í breiðri
borg Heminga sorgar
œst fyr Úsu vestan
engst folk, Svía þrøngvir. -
AM 20 d folx (20dx) — 5v/13 - 5v/20
Gunni lézt í grœnni,
images
gramr, Lindisey framða;
belldu viðr, þvís vildu,
víkingar því ríki.
Bíða lézt í breiðri
borg Heminga sorgar
œst fyr Úsu vestan
engst folk, Svía þrøngvir. -
NKS 873 4°x (873x) — 6v/23 - 6v/6
Gunni lézt í grœnni,
images
gramr, Lindisey framða;
belldu viðr, þvís vildu,
víkingar því ríki.
Bíða lézt í breiðri
borg Heminga sorgar
œst fyr Úsu vestan
engst folk, Svía þrøngvir. -
Holm papp 41 4°x (41x) — 5r/24 - 5v/2
Gunni lézt í grœnni,
gramr, Lindisey framða;
belldu viðr, þvís vildu,
víkingar því ríki.
Bíða lézt í breiðri
borg helminga sorgar
œst fyr Úsu vestan
engst folk, Svía þrøngvir.
editions and texts
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.