Sturl Hryn 9II
Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hrynhenda 9’ 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. 685-6.
Styrkir gengu menn und merkjum
málma lunds á víðri grundu
— valgammr sleit at vápna móti
varma bráð — af þínu ráði.
Sjálfri skipti örn við úlfa
ógnarbáru höfuðsára
(gyldir stóð yfir greypra hölda
grimrar þjóðar (meginblóði).
Styrkir menn gengu und merkjum {lunds málma} á víðri grundu af ráði þínu; {valgammr} sleit varma bráð at {móti vápna}. Örn skipti við úlfa {sjálfri ógnarbáru} höfuðsára grimrar þjóðar; gyldir stóð yfir meginblóði greypra hölda.
Strong men marched beneath the banners {of the tree of weapons} [WARRIOR = Hákon] on the wide plain according to your plan; {the corpse-vulture} [RAVEN/EAGLE] tore the warm flesh at {the meeting of weapons} [BATTLE]. The eagle shared with the wolves {the very battle-wave} [BLOOD] from the head-wounds of the fierce people; the wolf stood over the life-blood of cruel warriors.
Mss: F(117vb), E(189v), 81a(118rb), 304ˣ(347r-v), Flat(182va) (Hák)
Readings: [1] gengu: óðu 304ˣ [3] at: á 81a, 304ˣ; móti: ‘níoti’ E [4] af: at E, Flat [5] Sjálfri: sjálfr Flat; skipti: skiptu 304ˣ; örn: um E [6] höfuð‑: höfuðs 304ˣ [7] gyldir: ‘gylldr’ Flat; greypra: so all others, grimra F [8] grimrar: so E, 304ˣ, Flat, greyprar F, grimma 81a; þjóðar: þjóðir 81a
Editions: Skj AII, 104, Skj BII, 115, Skald II, 61, NN §1350; F 1871, 550, E 1916, 646, Hák 1910-86, 648, Hák 1977-82, 164, Flat 1860-8, III, 192.
Context: As st. 8 above.
Notes: [All]: Sturla draws a vivid picture of the battlefield. The vultures, ravens, eagles and wolves are shown gleefully feasting on the dead and wounded warriors. This is the only st. in Hryn describing the battlefield, or rather the aftermath of the battle. Nothing is said of King Hákon’s valour or deeds during the fighting. — [3] at móti vápna ‘at the meeting of weapons [BATTLE]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) takes this prepositional phrase with the first cl., which creates an unnecessarily complex w. o. (see NN §1350). — [4] af ráði þínu ‘according to your plan’: Finnur Jónsson and Kock (Skj; Skald) chose the reading of E, Flat at ráði þínu ‘at your advice’, but Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 73) preferred the reading of F, 81a and 304ˣ, af. At in E and Flat could have been caused by at in the previous l. — [7] gyldir (m. nom. sg.) ‘wolf’: This lit. means ‘howler’. — [7] greypra (m. gen. pl.) ‘of cruel’: So E, 81a, 304ˣ, Flat. This reading was adopted in Skj B and Skald. Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 73) chose the F variant, grimra, which is not supported by the other ms. witnesses. — [8] grimrar (f. gen. sg.) ‘of the fierce’: So E, 304ˣ, Flat (81a has grimma). So also Skj B and Skald. Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 73) again adopted the reading of F, greyprar f. gen. sg. ‘cruel’, but it looks as though the scribe of F switched around the two adjectives in ll. 7 and 8.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- 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.
- F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
- E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
- Konráð Gíslason. 1895-7. Efterladte skrifter. 2 vols. I: Forelæsninger over oldnordiske skjaldekvad. II: Forelæsninger og videnskablige afhandlinger. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
- 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.
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