Rv Lv 24^II

Erlingr gekk, þars okkur,
ógnsterkr, ruðusk merki,
frægr með fremð ok sigri
fleinlundr at drómundi.
Hlóðum vér, en víða
vas blóð numit þjóðum,
— sverð ruðu snjallir fyrðar
snǫrp — blámanna gǫrpum.

Erlingr, {frægr fleinlundr}, gekk ógnsterkr at drómundi með fremð ok sigri, þars merki okkur ruðusk. Vér hlóðum gǫrpum blámanna, en blóð vas víða numit þjóðum; snjallir fyrðar ruðu snǫrp sverð.

Erlingr, {the renowned spear-tree} [WARRIOR], went, threateningly strong, towards the dromon with success and victory, where our standards were reddened. We piled up the heroes of the black men, and blood was widely taken from the people; valiant men reddened sharp swords.

Mss: Flat(140va), R702ˣ(49r) (Orkn)

Readings: [2] ‑sterkr: ‑sterk R702ˣ    [6] vas (‘var’): varð R702ˣ    [7] snjallir: snarpir R702ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 510, Skj BI, 484-5, Skald I, 237-8, NN §1155 anm.; Flat 1860-8, II, 485, Orkn 1887, 172-3, Orkn 1913-16, 250, ÍF 34, 226 (ch. 88), Bibire 1988, 235-6.

Context: The crusaders successfully attack a large dromon, killing everyone on board and acquiring a large amount of treasure.

Notes: [All]: Ch. 87 of Orkn describes how Rǫgnvaldr consults both his bishop and Erlingr skakki about the feasibility of attacking the dromon; the bishop is cautious, but Erlingr’s optimism and eloquence win the day. This episode happened somewhere in the Mediterranean, not far from Sardinia, in early 1152. — [1, 5] okkur; vér ‘our; we’: The contrast between the dual pron. in l. 1 and the pl. in l. 5 may not be significant (the dual form is required in l. 1 for the skothending). If it is, then the first helmingr refers to Rǫgnvaldr and Erlingr leading the attack, while the second helmingr refers more generally to the valour of the whole company. — [2] ógnsterkr ‘threateningly strong’: This could also be translated as ‘strong in battle’. — [3] með fremð ok sigri ‘with success and victory’: Cf. HSn Lv 2/5. — [4] at drómundi ‘towards the dromon’: For an alternative poetical account of this episode, see Þskakk Erldr 1 and the Notes there for discussion of what actually happened. — [4] drómundi ‘the dromon’: This was a Byzantine warship or merchantman, though see Note to Þskakk Erldr 1, where it is suggested that the ship being attacked was actually a large sailing ship rather than a dromon.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. 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.
5. ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
6. Orkn 1913-16 = Sigurður Nordal, ed. 1913-16. Orkneyinga saga. SUGNL 40. Copenhagen: Møller.
7. Bibire, Paul. 1988. ‘The Poetry of Earl Rǫgnvaldr’s Court’. In Crawford 1988, 208-40.
8. Orkn 1887 = Gudbrand Vigfusson 1887-94, I.
9. Internal references
10. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Orkneyinga 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=47> (accessed 25 April 2024)
11. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Hallr Snorrason, Lausavísur 2’ 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. 637-8.
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorbjǫrn skakkaskáld, Erlingsdrápa 1’ 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. 631-4.