Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrafnsmál 12’ 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. 737.
Bauð inn böðfróði
bragna sigrmagnaðr
austan orrostu
optar spjót-Hroptum.
Þorðut þrekstærðan
þegnar ófegnir
bjórs við blikrýri
berjaz útverja.
{Inn böðfróði sigrmagnaðr bragna} austan bauð optar {spjót-Hroptum} orrostu. Ófegnir þegnar þorðut berjaz við {þrekstærðan {{útverja bjórs} blik}rýri}.
{The war-crafty victory-augmenter of men} [WARRIOR = Hákon] from the east often offered battle {to the spear-Hroptar <= Óðinn’s>} [WARRIORS]. The unhappy warriors did not dare to fight against {the powerful diminisher {of the flash {of the beer of fishing-stations}}} [(lit. ‘flash-diminisher of the beer of fishing-stations’) SEA > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN].
Mss: F(122vb), 304ˣ(362r), Flat(185vb) (Hák)
Readings: [1] böð‑: bók Flat [2] sigr‑: sig‑ 304ˣ; ‑magnaðr: magna Flat [4] optar: odda 304ˣ, optaz Flat; Hroptum: skoptum F, broddum 304ˣ, ‘sko᷎ptum’ Flat [5] ‑stærðan: ‘stordann’ 304ˣ, stirðan Flat [6] ‑fegnir: ‑gegnir 304ˣ [7] ‑rýri: stýri Flat
Editions: Skj AII, 122, Skj BII, 129, Skald II, 69-70, NN §109; F 1871, 575, Hák 1977-82, 200, Flat 1860-8, III, 224.
Context: Hákon wanted to reach an agreement with the Scottish king Alexander (III), and sent Kolbeinn, one of his retainers, to the Scottish court as an envoy. Hákon suggested that the two kings should meet with their armies and settle their dispute either by peaceful means or by battle. Alexander was slow to respond.
Notes: [All]: Alexander III (r. 1241-86) stalled the negotiations with the Norwegians intentionally in anticipation of the autumn storms which would put the Norw. fleet at a disadvantage. — [4] optar (comp.) ‘often’: Lit. ‘more often’. — [4] spjót-Hroptum ‘to the spear-Hroptar <= Óðinns> [WARRIORS]’: So NN §109. The emendation is conjectural. The reading of F, spjótskoptar ‘spear-forelocks’ makes no sense in the context. Flat has ‘sko᷎ptum’, i.e. sköptum ‘shafts’ which could be construed as a dat. instr. ‘with the spear-shafts’. However, the internal rhyme (aðalhending) requires the stressed syllable -opt- (not -öpt-). Hroptr is a heiti for ‘Óðinn’. Odda spjótbroddum ‘with the spear-points of the points’ (so 304ˣ) cannot be construed in any meaningful way. — [5] þrekstærðan ‘powerful’: Lit. ‘power-increased’. Þrekstirðan ‘power-firm’ (so Flat) is also possible. — [7] blikrýri ‘flash-diminisher’: Blikstýri ‘flash-controller’ (so Flat) is an equally good reading.
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