Sturl Hákkv 14^II

Gekk allvaldr
und ýg*shjálmi
meginmildr
merkjum fyrri,
en gullsett
gnæfa knáttu
vísa vé
of valafólki.

Meginmildr allvaldr gekk und ýg*shjálmi fyrri merkjum, en gullsett vé vísa knáttu gnæfa of valafólki.

The tremendously generous mighty ruler advanced under the helmet of terror ahead of the standards, and the gold-embroidered banners of the leader towered above the select troop.

Mss: E(176v), F(110vb), 42ˣ(162v-163r), 81a(109ra), 8(56v), Flat(178vb) (Hák)

Readings: [2] ýg*s‑: ‘ygis’ E, 8, ‘ygís’ F, ‘yggis’ 42ˣ, ‘ægís’ 81a, ‘yngís’ Flat;    ‑hjálmi: hjálm Flat    [4] fyrri: fyrir 81a    [5] ‑sett: so F, 42ˣ, 8, sætr E, ‑setti 81a, stett Flat    [6] knáttu: ‘knættv’ F, knátti 8    [7] vé: vel 81a    [8] of: om. 81a, af Flat;    ‑fólki: so all others, ‘faulfi’ E

Editions: Skj AII, 112-13, Skj BII, 121, Skald II, 65; E 1916, 603, F 1871, 515, Hák 1910-86, 559, Hák 1977-82, 126, Flat 1860-8, III, 151.

Context: The battle of Oslo between Hákon and Skúli on 21 April 1240. Hákon called on his men to advance, and he himself was in front of the army.

Notes: [All]: For this event, see also Ólhv Hryn 10. — [1-2]: The ll. echo Egill Arkv 4/1-2^V. — [2] ýg*shjálmi ‘the helmet of terror’: The ms. readings, which can be normalised as ýgishjálmi (so E, F, 42ˣ, 8) or ægishjálmi (so 81a), render the l. hypermetrical. The helmet of terror (œgishjálmr) belonged to the dragon Fáfnir, and it was among the booty taken by Sigurðr after he had slain the dragon (see Fáfn 16-19 and end prose; NK 183, 188). See also Sturl Hryn 8/8.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. 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.
4. NK = Neckel, Gustav and Hans Kuhn (1899), eds. 1983. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern. 2 vols. I: Text. 5th edn. Heidelberg: Winter.
5. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
6. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
7. Hák 1977-82 = Mundt, Marina, ed. 1977. Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Oslo: Forlagsentralen. Suppl. by James E. Knirk, Rettelser til Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Norrøne tekster 2. Oslo: Norsk historisk kjeldeskrift-institutt, 1982.
8. Hák 1910-86 = Kjær, Albert and Ludvig Holm-Olsen, eds. 1910-86. Det Arnamagnæanske haandskrift 81a fol. (Skálholtsbók yngsta) indeholdende Sverris saga, Bǫglungasǫgur, Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar. Oslo: Den norske historiske kildeskriftkommission and Kjeldeskriftfondet.
9. Internal references
10. Not published: do not cite ()
11. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2022, ‘Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar 100 (Egill Skallagrímsson, Arinbjarnarkviða 4)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 337.
12. Lauren Goetting (ed.) 2009, ‘Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 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, p. 667.
13. Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 8’ 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. 685.