Sigv Erl 1^I

Einn vissak þér annan
Jalks bríktǫpuð glíkan;
vítt réð gumna gætir
— Guðbrandr hét sá — lǫndum.
Ykkr kveðk jafna þykkja,
ormláðs hati, báða;
lýgr hinn at sér lægir
linnsetrs, es telsk betri.

Vissak {einn annan {Jalks brík}tǫpuð} glíkan þér; sá hét Guðbrandr; {gætir gumna} réð vítt lǫndum. Kveðk ykkr báða þykkja jafna, {hati {ormláðs}}; {hinn lægir {linnsetrs}}, es telsk betri, lýgr at sér.

I knew of {[only] one other destroyer {of the plank of Jálkr <= Óðinn>}} [(lit. ‘plank-destroyer of Jálkr’) SHIELD > WARRIOR] like you; he was called Guðbrandr; {the protector of men} [RULER = Guðbrandr] ruled lands widely. I declare you are both thought equal, {hater {of the snake-land}} [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN = Erlingr]; {the diminisher {of the serpent-abode}} [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN] who considers himself better is lying to himself.

Mss: Kˣ(337v-338r), papp18ˣ(108v), Bb(162va-b) (Hkr); Holm2(33v), 325V(36ra), J2ˣ(169r), 325VI(21va), 321ˣ(123-124), 73aˣ(91v), 68(32r), 61(99va), Holm4(26ra), 325VII(18r), Flat(103rb), Tóm(120v) (ÓH); DG8(94r) (ÓHLeg)

Readings: [1] annan: jafnan Bb, annar DG8    [2] Jalks: jarls Bb, Holm2, 325V, J2ˣ, 325VI, 68, 61, 325VII, Flat, ‘jalnis’ 321ˣ, jarl DG8;    brík‑: ‘huk’ 73aˣ;    ‑tǫpuð: tǫpuðr 325VI, 61, ‑tapað Holm4, ‘taup̄’ Tóm, ‑skipaðr DG8;    glíkan: slíkan 325VII    [3] vítt: við Bb, vitr 325V, 73aˣ, Flat    [4] hét: réð Flat, hann er Tóm;    lǫndum: landi 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 61    [5] Ykkr: Yggr with ykkr in the margin Holm2, yðr 325VII;    þykkja: so Bb, Holm2, 325V, J2ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 68, 61, Holm4, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, þykki Kˣ, papp18ˣ, DG8    [6] ormláðs hati: ulfs gráðtapaðr DG8;    orm‑: orms‑ 325V, 68, orð‑ 325VII    [7] hinn: hvern 321ˣ, hverr DG8;    at: er Bb, Tóm, ok Holm4;    sér: sig Flat;    lægir: leggir Bb, lægis DG8    [8] linn‑: ‘legs‑’ Bb, legg‑ Holm2, 325V, J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Flat, læk‑ 68, láð 61, linns‑ Holm4, leggs 325VII;    ‑setrs: ‑setr Bb, 325V, ‑serks DG8;    es (‘er’): corrected from ‘k̄’ (?) Holm2, eðr Flat;    telsk: ‘tels’ 321ˣ, 325VII, tekr DG8

Editions: Skj AI, 243, Skj BI, 228, Skald I, 118, NN §1861; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 227, IV, 139, ÍF 27, 183-4, Hkr 1991, I, 381-2 (ÓHHkr ch. 112); ÓH 1941, I, 271 (ch. 99), Flat 1860-8, II, 188; ÓHLeg 1922, 65, ÓHLeg 1982, 154-6; Jón Skaptason 1983, 112, 255-6.

Context: In ÓH-Hkr, Dala-Guðbrandr ‘Guðbrandr of the Dales’ is introduced and Sigvatr is cited as an authority for the fact that he was comparable with Erlingr Skjálgsson in terms of power and land. In ÓHLeg, the stanza is cited in the context of Erlingr’s final battle (see Introduction, above).

Notes: [All]: The DG8 (ÓHLeg) text of this stanza is damaged, so the text printed in ÓHLeg 1922 has been used to supplement the ms. in the Readings above. For interpretation of the ÓHLeg text, particularly its kennings, see ÓHLeg 1982. — [7-8]: These lines seem to refer, in the light of jafna ‘equal’ in l. 5, to whichever of the two chieftains might claim to be superior to the other, but they could also be construed as referring to a hypothetical third chieftain who might claim that he is better than either of them. Lægir linnsetrs ‘diminisher of the serpent-abode [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’ could also be construed as an apostrophe to Erlingr, parallel to the kenning for ‘generous man’ in l. 6 (so Hkr 1893-1901, IV and Skj B). Jón Skaptason (1983, 256) suggests the kenning refers to Guðbrandr.

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. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
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. ÓH 1941 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert and Jón Helgason, eds. 1941. Saga Óláfs konungs hins helga: Den store saga om Olav den hellige efter pergamenthåndskrift i Kungliga biblioteket i Stockholm nr. 2 4^to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
7. ÓHLeg 1982 = Heinrichs, Anne et al., eds and trans. 1982. Olafs saga hins helga: Die ‘Legendarische Saga’ über Olaf den Heiligen (Hs. Delagard. saml. nr. 8^II). Heidelberg: Winter.
8. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
9. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
10. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
11. Jón Skaptason. 1983. ‘Material for an Edition and Translation of the Poems of Sigvat Þórðarson, skáld’. Ph.D. thesis. State University of New York at Stony Brook. DAI 44: 3681A.
12. ÓHLeg 1922 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert, ed. 1922. Olafs saga hins helga efter pergamenthåndskrift i Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek, Delagardieske samling nr. 8^II. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 47. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
13. Internal references
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga (Legendary)’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=31> (accessed 20 April 2024)
15. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Óláfs saga helga (in Heimskringla)’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=152> (accessed 20 April 2024)