Steinn Óldr 13^II

Gefr áttstuðill jǫfra
ǫrr ok steinda knǫrru
(hann vill hnøggvi sinnar)
hábrynjuð skip (synja).
Þjóð nýtr Óláfs auðar;
annarr konungr mǫnnum,
seðu, hverr slíkt fé reiðir!
Sik beztan gram miklu.

{Ǫrr áttstuðill jǫfra} gefr hábrynjuð skip ok steinda knǫrru; hann vill synja hnøggvi sinnar. Þjóð nýtr auðar Óláfs; seðu, hverr annarr konungr reiðir mǫnnum slíkt fé! …Sik beztan gram miklu….

{The generous lineage-pillar of princes} [KING = Óláfr] gives out armoured ships and painted merchantmen; he wishes to deny his parsimony. People enjoy Óláfr’s wealth; look, what other king gives men such riches! …Himself [to be] the very best ruler….

Mss: Mork(21r) (Mork); H(80v), Hr(56vb) (H-Hr); F(56va), E(30v), J2ˣ(304r) (Hkr); 42ˣ(5v)

Readings: [1] áttstuðill: ættstuðill H, Hr, ‘astuðell’ E    [2] steinda: brenda 42ˣ    [4] synja: dynja Hr    [7] hverr: hvert F

Editions: Skj AI, 412, Skj BI, 382, Skald I, 190, NN §2983; Mork 1867, 129, Mork 1928-32, 295, Andersson and Gade 2000, 284, 483 (Ólkyrr); Fms 6, 447 (Ólkyrr ch. 7); F 1871, 260, E 1916, 107-8 (Ólkyrr).

Context: Stanzas 13-16 illustrate Óláfr’s generosity.

Notes: [All]: In E and J2ˣ, the st. is erroneously attributed to ‘Stúfr’ (inn blindi). — [All]: For a similar display of munificence, see Mark Eirdr 5. — [2] steinda knǫrru ‘painted merchantmen’: For the custom of adorning ship-sides with colour, see Note to Þfagr Sveinn 3/6. A knarr was a merchant ship (see Falk 1914, 107-9; Jesch 2001a, 128-32). — [3, 4] vill synja hnøggvi sinnar ‘wishes to deny his parsimony’: Litotes; he wishes to show his munificence. — [4] hábrynjuð skip ‘armoured ships’: May also denote a row of shields protecting the oarlocks or rowing-stations (see Note to Þfagr Sveinn 4/4 and ÞjóðA Har 5/7). — [7] seðu (imp.) ‘look’: The stem vowel in seðu (< sé þú) was apparently short (resolution is required by the metre). See also the treatment of this word in FGT (1972b, 18). — [8]: The l. echoes Þfagr Sveinn 4/4. — [8]: For this l. of the split refrain (klofastef), see Note to st. 1/8 above.

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. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 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. Jesch, Judith. 2001a. Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age: The Vocabulary of Runic Inscriptions and Skaldic Verse. Woodbridge: Boydell.
7. Falk, Hjalmar, ed. 1914a. Sólarljóð. Videnskapsselskapets skrifter II. Hist.-filos. kl. 7. 2 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
8. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
9. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
10. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
11. 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.
12. Internal references
14. Jayne Carroll (ed.) 2009, ‘Markús Skeggjason, Eiríksdrápa 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. 437-8.
15. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorleikr fagri, Flokkr about Sveinn Úlfsson 3’ 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. 315-16.
16. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorleikr fagri, Flokkr about Sveinn Úlfsson 4’ 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. 316.
17. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Stanzas about Haraldr Sigurðarson’s leiðangr 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. 155-6.