Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrafnsmál 18’ 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. 743.
Hlóðu hugprúðir
hrings at brynþingi
várir vegstórum
virðar baug-Nirði.
Fylduz fjörseldum
frammi valgammar
— hverr man hringþverris
hefna — auðstefni.
Várir hugprúðir virðar hrings hlóðu {vegstórum baug-Nirði} at {brynþingi}. {Valgammar} fylduz frammi {fjörseldum auðstefni}; hverr man hefna {hringþverris}?
Our gallant men of the sword killed {the honourable ring-Njǫrðr <god>} [MAN = Perus] at {the byrnie-assembly} [BATTLE]. {The corpse-buzzards} [RAVENS/EAGLES] stuffed themselves in the vanguard {with the lifeless wealth-dispenser} [GENEROUS MAN]; who will avenge {the ring-diminisher} [GENEROUS MAN]?
Mss: F(123rb), 8(79v), Flat(185vb) (Hák)
Readings: [2] at: í Flat [3] ‑stórum: so 8, Flat, ‑stórir F [4] Nirði: so 8, Flat, nirðir F [5] fjör‑: so Flat, so Flat, fjöl‑ F, 8
Editions: Skj AII, 123-4, Skj BII, 131, Skald II, 70, NN §1362; F 1871, 578, Hák 1977-82, 204, Flat 1860-8, III, 226.
Context: The next morning, Hákon and a contingent of Norwegians went ashore and were surprised by a large Scottish army. Hákon was sent back to the ships, and the remaining Norwegians engaged in battle. Many fell, but a Scottish knight, Perus (so Flat, 8; ‘Ferus’ F), was killed by Andrés Nikulásson.
Notes: [All]: This was the battle of Largs, fought on 2 October 1263. That battle ended in Norw. defeat and marked the end of Hákon’s activities in Scotland. — [3, 4] vegstórum baug-Nirði (m. dat. sg.) ‘the honourable ring-Njǫrðr <god> [MAN = Perus]’: So 8, Flat. Vegstórir baug-Nirðir (m. nom. pl.; so F), is ungrammatical because this kenning is not the subject of the cl. For this kenning, see also ÞTref Hrafn 1/7V (variant reading). — [5] fjörseldum ‘lifeless’: Lit. ‘life-sold’. Hap. leg. — [6] frammi ‘in the vanguard’: I.e. ‘ahead [of the Norw. ranks]’ (so Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, I, 103; NN §1362). Perus was killed among his own men by Andrés, who had penetrated the ranks of the Scots. Skj B takes the adv. with the second cl. and translates it as ‘in the future’ (i fremtiden). However, frammi is otherwise not attested with a temporal meaning (see Fritzner: frammi). The adv. is awkward and appears to be a metrical filler.
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