Þfagr Sveinn 7^II

Bauð, sás beztrar tíðar
borinn varð und miðgarði,
ríkri þjóð at rjóða
randir Sveinn á landi.
Þó lézk heldr, ef heldi
hvatráðr konungr láði,
á byrjar Val berjask
bilstyggr Haraldr vilja.

Sveinn, sás varð borinn beztrar tíðar und miðgarði, bauð ríkri þjóð at rjóða randir á landi. Þó lézk bilstyggr Haraldr heldr vilja berjask á {Val byrjar}, ef hvatráðr konungr heldi láði.

Sveinn, who was born at the luckiest time on earth, told the powerful people to redden shield-rims ashore. Yet hesitation-shy Haraldr said he preferred to fight on {the Valr <horse> of fair wind} [SHIP], if the quick-witted king withheld land [from him].

Mss: Mork(9v) (Mork); Flat(198ra) (Flat); H(45v), Hr(32vb) (H-Hr); FskBˣ(72r), FskAˣ(268) (Fsk); Kˣ(543v), 39(23vb), F(46ra), E(16r), J2ˣ(271r-v) (Hkr)

Readings: [1] tíðar: so all others, tírar Mork    [2] und: ‘vnn’ Flat, ‘uns i’ FskBˣ;    ‑garði: garð FskAˣ    [3] rjóða: ráða Flat    [5] ef: so H, Hr, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, Kˣ, 39, F, E, J2ˣ, at Mork, Flat;    heldi: hildi Flat    [6] konungr: om. Flat    [7] byrjar: byrja 39    [8] ‑styggr: ‑trauðr FskBˣ, FskAˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 398, Skj BI, 367, Skald I, 183; Mork 1867, 57, Mork 1928-32, 165-6, Andersson and Gade 2000, 201, 476 (MH); Flat 1860-8, III, 341 (MH); Fms 6, 261 (HSig ch. 51); ÍF 29, 258 (ch. 55); ÍF 28, 116 (HSig ch. 35), F 1871, 213-14, E 1916, 56-7.

Context: On his way north after having laid waste to Hedeby, Haraldr encountered Sveinn. Sveinn dared Haraldr to fight him on land, but Haraldr refused and challenged Sveinn to a naval battle.

Notes: [All]: Mork and Flat attribute the st. to Þjóðólfr (Arnórsson; ÞjóðA). — [2] und miðgarði ‘on earth’: Lit. ‘within the middle enclosure’. The prep. und usually denotes a spatial relation ‘under’, either in the sense ‘beneath’ or ‘next to something that towers above’ (see Fritzner: und; LP: und). The phrase und miðgarði ‘within the middle enclosure’ is used regularly in both prose and poetry for ‘on earth’ (see Fritzner: miðgarðr 3; LP: Miðgarðr). Miðgarðr was the mythical stronghold built for men, protecting them from the giants. The use of und ‘beneath’ in this context must have originated in the idea that people lived next to the towering rampart which enclosed Miðgarðr. — [7] Val ‘the Valr <horse>’: See Note to Arn Hryn 19/4. — [8] bilstyggr (m. nom. sg.) ‘hesitation-shy’: Biltrauðr ‘hesitation-reluctant’ (so Fsk) is equally possible, but the ms. witnesses show that it is secondary.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 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. Andersson, Theodore M. and Kari Ellen Gade, trans. 2000. Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157). Islandica 51. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
9. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
10. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
11. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
12. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
13. Mork 1867 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1867. Morkinskinna: Pergamentsbog fra første halvdel af det trettende aarhundrede. Indeholdende en af de ældste optegnelser af norske kongesagaer. Oslo: Bentzen.
14. Internal references
15. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Flateyjarbók’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=44> (accessed 24 April 2024)
16. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=56> (accessed 24 April 2024)
17. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Morkinskinna’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=87> (accessed 24 April 2024)
18. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Haralds saga Sigurðssonar’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=142> (accessed 24 April 2024)
19. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Magnúss saga góða ok Haralds harðráða’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=147> (accessed 24 April 2024)
20. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda, Magnússdrápa 19’ 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. 205.