Styrkárr Frag 1^III

Ok ept ítrum støkkvi
ók Hǫgna lið vǫgnum
hlunns á Heita fannir
hyrjar flóðs af móði.

Ok lið Hǫgna ók {vǫgnum hlunns} af móði á {fannir Heita} ept {ítrum støkkvi {hyrjar flóðs}}.

And Hǫgni’s troop drove {the launcher’s wagons} [SHIPS] in a rage onto {the snowdrifts of Heiti <sea-king>} [WAVES] after {the excellent scatterer {of the flood’s fire}} [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN].

Mss: R(35v), Tˣ(36v), W(80), U(34r), A(12r) (SnE); 2368ˣ(120), 743ˣ(97v) (LaufE)

Readings: [1] støkkvi: so W, U, A, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ, om. R, ‘strocqui’ Tˣ    [2] vǫgnum: ‘uygnvm’ W    [3] Heita: so U, heiða R, Tˣ, W, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ, ‘hafar’ A

Editions: Skj AI, 417, Skj BI, 387, Skald I, 192; SnE 1848-87, I, 446-7, II, 333, 444, III, 88, SnE 1848, 91, SnE 1931, 158, SnE 1998, I, 76; LaufE 1979, 395.

Context: In both Skm and LaufE, the helmingr is cited to illustrate a kenning for ‘ship’ using vagn ‘wagon’ as a base-word.

Notes: [All]: The incident alluded to cannot be identified with certainty. Faulkes (SnE 1998, I, 200) suggests that it may belong to the story of Hildr Hǫgnadóttir, related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 72) and mentioned in Bragi Rdr 8-11, RvHbreiðm Hl 45-6 and SnSt Ht 49. In Snorri’s account, the legendary King Hǫgni pursued by ship and confronted King Heðinn Hjarrandason, who had invaded his kingdom and abducted his daughter Hildr (whose name means ‘battle’), with the consequence that the two kings’ forces are doomed to fight a daily battle (Hjaðningavíg ‘Battle of the Hjaðningar’) to the end of time (see Context to Bragi Rdr 8). If that is the case, the kenning støkkvi hyrjar flóðs ‘scatterer of the flood’s fire [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’ (ll. 1, 4) would refer to Heðinn. — [3] Heita ‘of Heiti <sea-king>’: For the sea-king Heiti, see Note to Þul Sea-kings l. 3.

References

1. Bibliography
2. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
3. SnE 1848 = Sveinbjörn Egilsson, ed. 1848. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar, eða Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál og Háttatal. Reykjavík: Prentsmiðja landsins.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. LaufE 1979 = Faulkes, Anthony, ed. 1979. Edda Magnúsar Ólafssonar (Laufás Edda). RSÁM 13. Vol. I of Two Versions of Snorra Edda from the 17th Century. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, 1977-9.
6. SnE 1931 = Snorri Sturluson. 1931. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar. Ed. Finnur Jónsson. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
7. SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
8. Internal references
9. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=112> (accessed 25 April 2024)
10. Elena Gurevich 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Heiti for sea-kings’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 987. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1045> (accessed 25 April 2024)
11. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Bragi inn gamli Boddason, Ragnarsdrápa 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 39.
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill 45’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1053.
13. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 49’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1158.
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Laufás Edda’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=10928> (accessed 25 April 2024)