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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sigv Lv 5I

R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Lausavísur 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. 705.

Sigvatr ÞórðarsonLausavísur
456

Áðr hefk gótt við góða
grams stallara alla
átt, þás ossum dróttni,
ógndjarfs, fyr kné hvarfa.
Bjǫrn, fazt opt at árna,
íss, fyr mér at vísa
góðs, meguð gótt of ráða
gunnrjóðr, þvít vel kunnuð.

Áðr hefk átt gótt við alla góða stallara ógndjarfs grams, þás hvarfa fyr kné dróttni ossum. Bjǫrn, fazt opt at árna góðs fyr mér at vísa; meguð, {{íss gunn}rjóðr}, of ráða gótt, þvít kunnuð vel.

Until now I have had good dealings with all the good marshals of the terror-bold prince [Óláfr], those who stroll about before the knee of our lord [as supplicants]. Bjǫrn, you managed often to gain something good for me from [our] leader; you are able, {reddener {of war-ice}} [(lit. ‘war-reddener of ice’) SWORD > WARRIOR], to give good advice, because you understand well [how to].

Mss: Holm2(17v), 325V(22va-b), R686ˣ(35r-v), 972ˣ(122va), J1ˣ(175v), J2ˣ(145r), 325VI(15vb), 75a(7vb-8ra), 73aˣ(46v), 78aˣ(45r-v), 68(16v), 61(88va), Holm4(8vb-9ra), 75c(9r), 325VII(8v), Flat(85rb), Tóm(106r) (ÓH); Kˣ(271v), Bb(143va) (Hkr)

Readings: [1] Áðr: so 73aˣ, 61, Holm4, Kˣ, átt Holm2, 325V, 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 78aˣ, 68, 75c, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Bb, at R686ˣ, J1ˣ;    gótt: ‘got’ R686ˣ, Bb, om. 68, 325VII;    við: ‘[…]’ 325VI, om. 68    [2] grams: gram‑ 325VII;    stallara: ‘skallara’ Tóm    [3] átt: so 73aˣ, 61, Holm4, Kˣ, áðr Holm2, 325V, R686ˣ, 972ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 68, 75c, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Bb, að 78aˣ;    ossum: ‘or..’ 78aˣ, ‘o[…]’ 61, ossa Flat, ǫllum Tóm;    dróttni: ‘drotttu’ R686ˣ, blank space 78aˣ, ‘drorttin’ Tóm, ‘drótin’ Bb    [4] ‑djarfs: ‘‑d[…]rfs’ 325VI, ‑djarfr Bb;    fyr (‘fyrir’): of 972ˣ, 68, 75c, um 325VII, Flat, Kˣ, ‘vf’ Tóm;    hvarfa: hverfa R686ˣ    [5] fazt (‘faztu’): fantu R686ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, áttu 972ˣ, 68, 61, fórtu Tóm, fæztu Bb;    opt: orð Holm4;    árna: ‘arnea’ J1ˣ    [6] íss: so R686ˣ, J1ˣ, 73aˣ, 61, Kˣ, ís Holm2, 325V, 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 78aˣ, 68, Holm4, 75c, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Bb;    at: so 325V, R686ˣ, 972ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 73aˣ, 78aˣ, 61, Holm4, 75c, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Kˣ, af Holm2, 68, Bb;    vísa: vísu 325VI, 75a, 78aˣ, 61, 75c, 325VII, Flat, Tóm    [7] góðs: góð Holm4, gjóðs Flat, Tóm;    meguð: megið 325V, megi J1ˣ, J2ˣ, mega Flat;    gótt: ‘gutt’ 325VII, ‘got’ Bb;    ráða: ræða Holm4    [8] ‑rjóðr: ‑djarfr J1ˣ, J2ˣ, ‑rjóðs Tóm;    þvít (‘þvi at’): alls Kˣ;    kunnuð: kunnið 325V, 972ˣ, 73aˣ, 61, 325VII, kunni Tóm

Editions: Skj AI, 267, Skj BI, 247, Skald I, 128, NN §§1854B, 2008F; Fms 4, 135, Fms 12, 82, ÓH 1853, 55, 268, ÓH 1941, I, 135 (ch. 53), Flat 1860-8, II, 57; Hkr 1777-1826, II, 81, VI, 80-1, Hkr 1868, 274 (ÓHHkr ch. 70), Hkr 1893-1901, II, 112-13, IV, 119, ÍF 27, 92, Hkr 1991, I, 314 (ÓHHkr ch. 71); Konráð Gíslason 1892, 36, 175, 231, Jón Skaptason 1983, 188, 314.

Context: When King Óláfr Haraldsson sends his marshal Bjǫrn digri ‘the Stout’ on a dangerous mission to the east to try to arrange a reconciliation with King Óláfr Eiríksson of Sweden (in 1018: see Introduction to Sigv Austv), Bjǫrn asks Sigvatr to accompany him. Bjǫrn and Sigvatr are on excellent terms, and Sigvatr speaks this stanza. (The prose is arranged somewhat differently in Flat, making Sigvatr’s participation in the mission seem less of an afterthought.)

Notes: [All]: The Bb text for Lv 5-7 belongs to the Hkr redaction, being copied from a ms. akin to K (ÓH 1941, II, 1116), while the greater part of Bb belongs to the ÓH redaction. — [1, 3] áðr … átt ‘until now … had’: For a parallel to the transposition of these two words in most ÓH mss, see Nj 1875-8, II, 211. — [2]: The line is virtually identical to Steinn Úlffl 1/4II. — [5] Bjǫrn: Bjǫrn digri fell defending his lord Óláfr in his last battle at Stiklastaðir (Stiklestad, 1030). He is praised as a paradigm of heroism in Sigv ErfÓl 18. — [5] fazt ‘you managed’: The verb is 2nd pers. sg. pret. indic. of m. v. fetask. — [8] þvít ‘because’: Ternström (1871, 39) and Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) read alls ‘since’, with Kˣ.

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. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
  4. Nj 1875-89 = Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson. 1875-89. Njála: Udgivet efter gamle håndskrifter. Íslendingasögur udgivne efter gamle haandskrifter af Det Kongelige Nordiske Oldskrift-selskab 4. Copenhagen: Thiele.
  5. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  6. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
  7. 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.
  8. 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 4to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
  9. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
  10. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
  11. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
  12. 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.
  13. Konráð Gíslason, ed. 1892a. Udvalg af oldnordiske skjaldekvad, med anmærkninger. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
  14. Ternström, Alfred. 1871. Om skalden Sighvat Thordsson och tolkning af hans Austrfararvísur, Vestrfararvísur och Knútsdrápa. Lund: Ohlsson.
  15. Hkr 1777-1826 = Schöning, Gerhard et al., eds. 1777-1826. Heimskringla edr Noregs konunga-sögor. 6 vols. Copenhagen: Stein.
  16. Hkr 1868 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1868. Heimskringla eller Norges kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlassøn. Christiania (Oslo): Brøgger & Christie.
  17. ÓH 1853 = Munch, P. A. and C. R. Unger, eds. 1853. Saga Olafs konungs ens helga. Christiania (Oslo): Det kongelige norske Fredriks Universitet.
  18. Internal references
  19. (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)
  20. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Flateyjarbók’ 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=44> (accessed 19 April 2024)
  21. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga’ 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=53> (accessed 19 April 2024)
  22. (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 19 April 2024)
  23. R. D. Fulk 2012, ‘ Sigvatr Þórðarson, Austrfararvísur’ 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. 578. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1351> (accessed 19 April 2024)
  24. Judith Jesch (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Erfidrápa Óláfs helga 18’ 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. 686.
  25. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Steinn Herdísarson, Úlfsflokkr 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. 366-7.
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