SteigÞ Kv 1^II

Vǫrum félagar fjórir
forðum, einn við stýri.

Forðum vǫrum fjórir félagar, einn við stýri.

Formerly we were four companions, one at the helm.

Mss: Kˣ(595v), 39(34ra), F(57rb), E(32r), J2ˣ(307r), 42ˣ(8r) (Hkr); Ágr(20rb) (Ágr); FskBˣ(84r), FskAˣ(332) (Fsk); Mork(21v) (Mork); H(82v), Hr(58ra) (H-Hr)

Readings: [1] Vǫrum: ‘Reyrom’ F    [2] forðum: fœrðum F, E, Ágr, FskBˣ, Mork, H, Hr;    við: viðr FskAˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 434, Skj BI, 403, Skald I, 198; ÍF 28, 216 (Mberf ch. 6), F 1871, 264, E 1916, 112; ÍF 29, 44 (ch. 47), Ágr 1995, 66-7 (ch. 48); ÍF 29, 305 (ch. 80); Mork 1867, 135, Mork 1928-32, 304, Andersson and Gade 2000, 290, 484 (Mberf); Fms 7, 12 (Mberf ch. 7).

Context: This ditty is spoken by Steigar-Þórir right before he is hanged by Magnús for treason.

Notes: [All]: For the event described in this couplet, see also Bkrepp Magndr 2-3, Þham Magndr 1 and Lv 1, Gísl Magnkv 1-8 and Anon (Mberf) 2-3. — [1] vǫrum ‘we were’: Previous eds render this verbal form as vrum ‘we were’ with a long stem vowel. However, the metre requires a short vowel (neutralisation in anacrusis). For the shortened form vǫrum, see Sievers 1879, 312-13 and Kuhn 1936, 439 n. 16. — [1] fjórir félagar ‘four companions’: This refers to Steigar-Þórir and the three men who joined him in the uprising: the royal pretender Sveinn Haraldsson, Skjálgr (af Jaðri ‘from Jæren’; so Fsk, Mork) and Egill Ásláksson (so Hkr, H-Hr) or Áskelsson (so Ágr, Fsk, Mork) af Forlandi ‘from Forland’ (af Aurlandi ‘from Aurland’; H-Hr). See MberfHkr (ÍF 28, 213-14), Ágr (ÍF 29, 43-4); Fsk (ÍF 29, 303-4), Mork 1928-32, 298-9 and Fms 7, 4-5.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Ágr = [Anonymous] Ágrip af Nóregs konunga sögum.
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. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. Kuhn, Hans (1899). 1936a. ‘Die Negation des Verbs im Altnordischen’. BGDSL 60, 431-44. Rpt. in Kuhn (1899) 1969-78, I, 124-34.
9. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
10. Ágr 1995 = Driscoll, Matthew J., ed. and trans. 1995. Ágrip af Nóregskonungasǫgum: A Twelfth-Century Synoptic History of the Kings of Norway. Viking Society for Northern Research Text Series 10. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
11. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
12. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
13. 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.
14. Sievers, Eduard. 1879. ‘Beiträge zur Skaldenmetrik II’. BGDSL 6, 264-376.
15. Internal references
16. (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 26 April 2024)
17. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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=56> (accessed 26 April 2024)
18. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna’ 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=84> (accessed 26 April 2024)
19. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Morkinskinna’ 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=87> (accessed 26 April 2024)
20. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Magnúss saga berfœtts’ 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=144> (accessed 26 April 2024)
21. Kari Ellen Gade and Diana Whaley (eds) 2009, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from Magnúss saga berfœtts 2’ 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. 829-30.
22. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bjǫrn krepphendi, Magnússdrápa 2’ 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. 397-8.
23. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Gísl Illugason, Erfikvæði about Magnús berfœttr 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, p. 417.
24. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorkell hamarskáld, Magnússdrápa 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. 410-11.