Sigv Óldr 1^I

Loptbyggvir, mátt leggja
lands rétt, þanns skal standask,
unnar, allra manna,
eykja, liðs á miðli.

{Lopt{byggvir {eykja unnar}}}, mátt leggja rétt lands, þanns skal standask á miðli liðs allra manna.

{Inhabitant {of the loft {of the draught-animals of the wave}}} [(lit. ‘loft-inhabitant of the draught-animals of the wave’) SHIPS > AFTER-DECK > SEAFARER], you are able to establish the law of the land which shall remain in force among the troop of all men.

Mss: Kˣ(257r-v), papp18ˣ(78r), J1ˣ(163r), J2ˣ(138r) (Hkr); Holm2(14r), R686ˣ(28r), 972ˣ(95va), 325VI(12rb), 321ˣ(58), 73aˣ(38r), 78aˣ(35v), 68(13r), 61(85va), Holm4(6ra), 325V(17vb), 325VII(6r), Bb(137va), Flat(84rb), Tóm(103r) (ÓH)

Readings: [1] Lopt‑: láð‑ 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 78aˣ, lof‑ 325VII;    ‑byggvir: so J1ˣ, J2ˣ, Holm2, R686ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 78aˣ, 68, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, ‑byggir Kˣ, papp18ˣ, 73aˣ, ‑byggjum 61;    leggja: láta 78aˣ    [2] lands: land‑ papp18ˣ, Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 78aˣ, 61, Bb, Flat, Tóm;    skal: má papp18ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 78aˣ, skal corrected from kann J2ˣ;    standask: standa 73aˣ, 78aˣ, 325V, 325VII, Flat, Tóm    [4] eykja: ok eykja 972ˣ, ýta 61;    liðs: lið 972ˣ;    á: í R686ˣ, 972ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 78aˣ, 68, 61, Bb

Editions: Skj AI, 240, Skj BI, 226, Skald I, 117; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 82, IV, 126, ÍF 27, 73-4, Hkr 1991, I, 300 (ÓHHkr ch. 58); ÓH 1941, I, 104 (ch. 43), Flat 1860-8, II, 48; Jón Skaptason 1983, 103, 246.

Context: King Óláfr’s law-making activities are described; the farmers (bœndr) are said to have assented to his new laws.

Notes: [1] loptbyggvir ‘inhabitant of the loft (lit. loft-inhabitant)’: In poetry, lopt normally means ‘air’ (LP: lopt 1), but here it evidently has its common prose meaning of ‘floor or space above the cross-beams of a house’ (Fritzner: lopt 3), and therefore, when qualified by a kenning for ‘ship’, is an equivalent to lypting ‘(raised) after-deck’ (cf. Sigv Erlfl 3/7, Arn Hryn 10/1^II, 16/6^II).  — [4] á miðli ‘among’: See Note to Sigv Víkv 4/6.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. 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.
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. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
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. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
10. 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.
11. Internal references
12. (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 24 April 2024)
13. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda, Magnússdrápa 10’ 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. 195-6.
14. Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Flokkr about Erlingr Skjálgsson 3’ 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. 633.
15. Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Víkingarvísur 4’ 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. 539.