Sjórs Lv 3^II

Skjótt bark skjǫld inn hvíta
— skald biðr, at goð valdi —
ár til eggja skúrar
ótrauðr, en frá rauðan.
Þat hefk hǫgg of hǫggvit
handvíst á Blálandi,
— goð ræðr sókn ok sigri —
svanni, þínum manni.

Ár bark ótrauðr inn hvíta skjǫld skjótt til {skúrar eggja}, en frá rauðan; skald biðr, at goð valdi. Þat handvíst hǫgg hefk of hǫggvit manni þínum á Blálandi, svanni; goð ræðr sókn ok sigri.

Earlier I, not unwilling, carried the white shield speedily to {the shower of sword-blades} [BATTLE], and [when I carried it] back [it was] red; the poet asks that God prevail. That sure blow I have struck for your husband in Africa, woman; God rules war and victory.

Mss: Mork(30v) (Mork); H(109r), Hr(72rb) (H-Hr); F(64vb), E(43r), J2ˣ(329r), 42ˣ(26v)

Readings: [1] bark (‘bar ec’): bar 42ˣ    [2] at: á 42ˣ    [4] frá: fá 42ˣ    [5] Þat: þar F, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ    [6] ‑víst: ‑laust H    [7] ræðr: ráði 42ˣ    [8] svanni: svanninn F

Editions: Skj AI, 454-5, Skj BI, 422-3, Skald I, 209; Mork 1867, 189, Mork 1928-32, 387, Andersson and Gade 2000, 349, 490 (Msona); Fms 7, 155 (Msona ch. 40); F 1871, 300, E 1916, 151 (Msona).

Context: King Sigurðr recites this st. about his exploits abroad to Ingibjǫrg Guthormsdóttir, the wife of his brother, King Eysteinn Magnússon.

Notes: [All]: For Sigurðr’s journey to Palestine and Byzantium, see ESk Sigdr I, Hskv Útkv, Hskv Útdr and Þstf Stuttdr. — [1] inn hvíta skjǫld ‘the white shield’: For red and white shields and their significance, see Falk 1914, 128-32. White shields seem to have been less prestigious than red shields and also a sign of peace. That Sigurðr carried a red shield when he returned from the battle not only implies that the shield had been reddened with blood, but also that he had gained honour from the fighting. — [5] þat ‘that’: Skj B and Skald adopt the variant þar ‘there’ (so F, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ) taken with á Blálandi ‘in Africa’ (l. 6). — [6] handvíst ‘sure’: Lit. ‘hand-sure’. — [6] á Blálandi ‘in Africa’: Lit. ‘Dark-land’. Usually denotes North Africa. See Note to Bǫlv Hardr 5/4.

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. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. Andersson, Theodore M. and Kari Ellen Gade, trans. 2000. Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157). Islandica 51. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
6. Falk, Hjalmar, ed. 1914a. Sólarljóð. Videnskapsselskapets skrifter II. Hist.-filos. kl. 7. 2 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
7. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
8. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
9. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
10. Mork 1867 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1867. Morkinskinna: Pergamentsbog fra første halvdel af det trettende aarhundrede. Indeholdende en af de ældste optegnelser af norske kongesagaer. Oslo: Bentzen.
11. Internal references
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Magnússona 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=149> (accessed 16 April 2024)
13. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Einarr Skúlason, Sigurðardrápa I’ 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. 538-42. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1151> (accessed 16 April 2024)
14. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Halldórr skvaldri, Útfarardrápa’ 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. 483-92. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1273> (accessed 16 April 2024)
15. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Halldórr skvaldri, Útfararkviða’ 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. 482-3. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1274> (accessed 16 April 2024)
16. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Þórarinn stuttfeldr, Stuttfeldardrápa’ 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. 473-9. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1477> (accessed 16 April 2024)
17. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bǫlverkr Arnórsson, Drápa about Haraldr harðráði 5’ 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. 290-1.