Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 22’ 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. 715-16.
Þar sighljóð
syngja knáttu
harða hvell
hvössum munni
í herför
of höfuð manna
Högna mans
hlýrna dísir
Þar knáttu {dísir {hlýrna {mans Högna}}} syngja harða hvell sighljóð hvössum munni of höfuð manna í herför.
There {the dísir <minor female deities> {of the sun and moon {of Hǫgni’s <legendary hero’s> girl}}} [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’) > SHIELDS > VALKYRIES] sang very shrill battle-songs with a sharp mouth around the heads of men in the army-campaign.
Mss: E(178r), F(111va), 42ˣ(165v), 81a(110ra), 8(57v), Flat(179ra) (Hák)
Readings: [1] Þar: om. Flat; sig‑: sigr‑ F, 81a, 8, Flat, liggr 42ˣ [2] syngja: syngva F, Flat; knáttu: náðu 81a, knátti 8 [3] harða: harðla 42ˣ, Flat [4] hvössum: ‘ho᷎rsum’ 8 [6] of: um 81a, om. Flat; höfuð: höfuðs F, 42ˣ, 8, Flat
Editions: Skj AII, 114-15, Skj BII, 123, Skald II, 66; E 1916, 607, F 1871, 518, Hák 1910-86, 658, Hák 1977-82, 130, Flat 1860-8, III, 156.
Context: As the battle drew to a close, Skúli’s men tried to seek refuge in the church, but so many attempted to enter at the same time that they could not get through the door. They fell so densely that three or four lay dead on top of one another.
Notes: [1] sighljóð ‘battle-songs’: So E. Sigrhljóð ‘victory-songs’ (so F, 81a, 8, Flat) is also possible. — [6] of höfuð manna ‘around the heads of men’: The cpd höfuðsmanna (gen. pl.) ‘of leaders’ (so F, 42ˣ, 8, Flat) is ungrammatical because the prep. of ‘around’ does not take the gen. — [7] mans Högna ‘of Hǫgni’s <legendary hero’s> girl [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)]’: Hildr was the daughter of Hǫgni, and she figured prominently in the so-called Hjaðningavíg ‘battle of the Hjaðningar’ (see SnE 1998, I, 72-3). Hildr was also the name of a valkyrie, and ON hildr means ‘battle’. — [8] hlýrna ‘of the sun and moon’: The pl. of hlýrn ‘sun, moon’ refers to both celestial bodies.
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