Sturl Hákfl 11^II

Þrimr náttum kom Þróttar
þinghlynr til Björgynjar,
áðr en allvald prúðan
ófs dynviðir grófu.
Margr stóð málma fergir
— mikit stríð var þat — síðan
lýða grams yfir leiði
lítt kátr með brá váta.

{{Þróttar þing}hlynr} kom þrimr náttum til Björgynjar, áðr en {{ófs dyn}viðir} grófu prúðan allvald. {Margr fergir málma} stóð síðan lítt kátr með váta brá yfir leiði {grams lýða}; þat var mikit stríð.

{The maple {of Þróttr’s <= Óðinn’s> assembly}} [(lit. ‘assembly-maple of Þróttr’) BATTLE > WARRIOR = Hákon] was brought for three nights to Bergen, before {the trees {of the din of the sword}} [(lit. ‘the din-trees of the sword’) BATTLE > WARRIORS] buried the splendid mighty ruler. {Many a subjugator of weapons} [WARRIOR] later stood little cheerful with wet eyelashes above the grave {of the lord of men} [KING]; that was a great grief.

Mss: F(124ra), Flat(186va) (Hák)

Readings: [5] fergir: skerðir Flat

Editions: Skj AII, 127, Skj BII, 134-5, Skald II, 72; F 1871, 581, Flat 1860-8, III, 232.

Context: Hákon died in Orkney on 16 December 1263, and he was buried temporarily in the Cathedral of S. Magnús. On 5 March 1264 the body was exhumed and brought to Norway. He was reburied on 22 March in the choir of Kristkirken in Bergen.

Notes: [All]: The sentiments expressed in this st. echo the grief that people felt at the burial of Magnús inn góði Óláfsson (Mgóð). See Ókík Magn 2. — [1] þrimr náttum ‘for three nights’: Dat. of time, describing the duration of an action (see NS §118b). — [1] kom ‘was brought’: Lit. ‘came’. — [4] ófs ‘of the sword’: This translation is conjectural (see LP: ófr). The gen. sg. of óf (n.), ófs ‘exceedingly’, is normally used adverbially as an intensifier (see LP: óf). — [5] fergir málma ‘subjugator of weapons [WARRIOR]’: So F. Skerðir málma ‘diminisher of weapons’ (so Flat) fails to provide necessary internal rhyme (-arg- : -erg-).

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
4. 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.
5. NS = Nygaard, Marius. 1906. Norrøn syntax. Kristiania (Oslo): Aschehoug. Rpt. 1966.
6. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
7. Internal references
8. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Biography of) Magnús inn góði Óláfsson’ 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. 5-7.