Rv Lv 26^II

Gekk á drómund døkkvan
— drengr réð snart til fengjar —
upp með œrnu kappi
Auðun fyrstr inn rauði.
Þar nôðu vér þjóðar
— því hefr aldar goð valdit —
— bolr fellr blár á þiljur —
blóði vôpn at rjóða.

Auðun inn rauði gekk fyrstr með œrnu kappi upp á døkkvan drómund; drengr réð snart til fengjar. Nôðu vér at rjóða vôpn þar blóði þjóðar; goð aldar hefr valdit því; blár bolr fellr á þiljur.

Auðun inn rauði (‘the Red’) went first, with sufficient valour, up onto the dark dromon; the warrior went quickly for loot. We were able to redden weapons there in the blood of the army; the God of men has caused that; the black trunk falls onto the planking.

Mss: Flat(140vb), R702ˣ(49r) (Orkn)

Readings: [2] snart: snarr R702ˣ    [8] vôpn: vǫll R702ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 510-11, Skj BI, 485, Skald I, 238; Flat 1860-8, II, 485, Orkn 1887, 173, Orkn 1913-16, 251, ÍF 34, 227 (ch. 88), Bibire 1988, 236.

Context: In discussions after the battle, there is disagreement about who boarded the dromon first. Some felt it would be foolish for them not to all tell the same story about the great event, so it is agreed that Rǫgnvaldr should pronounce on the matter.

Notes: [1] drómund ‘dromon’: See Note to st. 24/4. — [4] Auðun inn rauði ‘Auðun inn rauði (“the Red”)’: He was Erlingr skakki’s stafnbúi ‘forecastle-man’. Hkr (ÍF 28, 325) also mentions that he was the first to board the dromon. — [5] nôðu ‘were able’: Although Skj B and Skald emend to nðum, there is no need, as -m often drops off before vér ‘we’ (ANG §§531.3, 534.3).

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. ANG = Noreen, Adolf. 1923. Altnordische Grammatik I: Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik (Laut- und Flexionslehre) unter Berücksichtigung des Urnordischen. 4th edn. Halle: Niemeyer. 1st edn. 1884. 5th unrev. edn. 1970. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
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. ÍF 34 = Orkneyinga saga. Ed. Finnbogi Guðmundsson. 1965.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. Orkn 1913-16 = Sigurður Nordal, ed. 1913-16. Orkneyinga saga. SUGNL 40. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. Bibire, Paul. 1988. ‘The Poetry of Earl Rǫgnvaldr’s Court’. In Crawford 1988, 208-40.
10. Orkn 1887 = Gudbrand Vigfusson 1887-94, I.
11. Internal references
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ 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=4> (accessed 19 April 2024)