Sturl Hákfl 4^II

Eim lék hyrr með himni;
hljóp eldr í sal feldan;
vítt hykk þegnum þóttu
þeim markar böl sveima.
Óðuz allar þjóðir
(eiðvandr) konungs reiði
(baugsendir rauð brýndan
brand í Vermalandi).

Hyrr lék eim með himni; eldr hljóp í feldan sal; hykk þeim þegnum þóttu {böl markar} sveima vítt. Allar þjóðir óðuz reiði konungs; {eiðvandr baugsendir} rauð brýndan brand í Vermalandi.

Fire played on fire against the sky; the flame leaped into the collapsed hall; I believe those men thought {the harm of the forest} [FIRE] was surging far and wide. All people feared the wrath of the king; {the reliable ring-giver} [GENEROUS MAN] reddened the sharpened sword in Värmland.

Mss: E(156r), F(97ra), 42ˣ(118v), 81a(86rb), Flat(171ra) (Hák)

Readings: [1] Eim: so F, Flat, Ein‑ E, En 42ˣ, Arm 81a;    lék: so F, 42ˣ, ‘‑leg’ E, legg 81a, leggr Flat;    hyrr með: ‘hyrmir’ 81a;    himni: so all others, ‘hifni’ E    [3] þóttu: þótti Flat    [4] böl: kjöl 81a    [5] Óðuz: so F, eydduz E, Flat, eyðiz 42ˣ, eyðuz 81a    [6] ‑vandr: ‑vandir 81a, ‑valdr Flat;    konungs: konungr 42ˣ, Flat    [7] baug‑: ‘bꜹð‑’ 42ˣ, hauk‑ 81a;    rauð: hrauð 81a

Editions: Skj AII, 125, Skj BII, 132-3, Skald II, 71, NN §3153; E 1916, 531, F 1871, 449-50, Hák 1910-86, 409, Flat 1860-8, III, 71.

Context: Hákon’s punitive campaign in Värmland, Sweden, in 1225. He was on his way back to Norway when he encountered resistance in Sulvik, and in retaliation he burned that settlement to the ground.

Notes: [All]: For this campaign, see also Sturl Hákkv 7-8 and Ólhv Hák 1. — [1] eim ‘fire’: Eimr could also mean ‘smoke’ (e.g. Anon Pét 3/8^VII), but that meaning is rarer in skaldic poetry (and unattested in kennings, see LP: eimr). — [1] lék ‘played on’: Leika (lék 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) is taken in the meaning ‘play on’ construed with an object in the acc. (eim ‘fire’). See Fritzner: leika 5-6. The verb also occurs with an acc. object in the sense ‘attack’ (see Fritzner: leika 1). — [3-4]: These ll. echo Bkrepp Magndr 3/3-4. — [4] böl markar ‘the harm of the forest [FIRE]’: N. acc. sg. here, with the past inf. þóttu lit. ‘seemed’ (l. 3). — [5] allar þjóðir ‘all people’: Lit. ‘all peoples’ (pl.). — [6] eiðvandr (m. nom. sg.) ‘reliable’: Lit. ‘oath-careful’. Skald (and NN §3153) emends to eiðvands (m. gen. sg.) qualifying konungs ‘of the king’.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
7. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
8. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
9. 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.
10. Internal references
11. David McDougall (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Pétrsdrápa 3’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 799.
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bjǫrn krepphendi, Magnússdrápa 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. 398-9.
13. Lauren Goetting (ed.) 2009, ‘Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson, Poem about Hákon 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. 657-8.
14. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 7’ 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. 704-5.