Þflekk Lv 1^II

Mæl þú við mik,        Magnús konungr!
Ek vas í fylgju        með fǫður þínum.
Þá bark hǫggvinn        haus minn þaðan,
es þeir of dauðan        dǫgling stigu.
Þú elskar        þá arma þjóð
dróttinssvika,        es djǫful hlœgðu.

Mæl þú við mik, Magnús konungr! Ek vas í fylgju með fǫður þínum. Þá bark hǫggvinn haus minn þaðan, es þeir stigu of dauðan dǫgling. Þú elskar þá arma þjóð, dróttinssvika, es hlœgðu djǫful.

Speak to me, King Magnús! I was in the following with your father. Then I carried my cleft skull away, when they stepped over the dead king. You love that wretched crowd, traitors to their liege-lord, who gratified the devil.

Mss: Kˣ(502r), 39(14ra), F(38va), E(5r), J2ˣ(244r) (Hkr); Holm2(73v), 972ˣ(582va), 325VI(41vb), 321ˣ(280), 73aˣ(215r), Holm4(69va), 325VII(41r), 325V(89ra), 61(130ra), Tóm(161r), Bb(205vb) (ÓH)

Readings: [1] við: om. 325V    [2] konungr: konungs Bb    [3] Ek vas í fylgju (‘ec var i fylgio’): því at í fylgju vark 39, F;    Ek vas (‘ec var’): var ek 325VI, 73aˣ, 61, Tóm;    í fylgju: í fylgu Holm2, í ferð 972ˣ, í fylking 325VI, í fylgi 61    [4] fǫður: ‘.f.’ 39, feðr J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 61    [5] hǫggvinn: ‘høgginn’ Holm4, ‘hoggum’ 61    [6] þaðan: þenna 972ˣ    [7] es þeir (‘er þeir’): om. Tóm;    þeir: om. 325VII, 325V;    of: so F, E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 321ˣ, 325V, um Kˣ, 325VI, Holm4, Tóm, Bb, yfir 39, 73aˣ, 325VII, 61, af 972ˣ    [8] dǫgling: ‘daugliga’ 972ˣ    [9] Þú elskar: enn þú elskar 972ˣ, Holm4    [10] þá arma þjóð: þá enn illu þjóð 972ˣ, þær armar þjóðir 325VI, 321ˣ, þá aumu þjóð 73aˣ, ‘þa ꜹma (?) þoðar’ 325VII, þá ǫrmu þjóð 325V, þá illa ok arma 61, Tóm, þá ina ǫrmu þjóð Bb    [11] dróttins‑: so 39, F, Holm2, 972ˣ, 325VI, 325VII, 61, Tóm, Bb, dróttin‑ Kˣ, E, J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V    [12] djǫful: djǫfulinn 61, Tóm;    hlœgðu: ‘hlædu’ 972ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 331, Skj BI, 305, Skald I, 155, NN §3081; ÍF 28, 23 (Mgóð ch. 13), F 1871, 175, E 1916, 15; ÓH 1941, I, 621-2 (ch. 258).

Context: Þorgeirr approaches King Magnús inn góði Óláfsson and wishes to speak to him about an important matter. The king pays scant attention to what he is saying and is more concerned with listening to those who stand closer. After Þorgeirr has recited this st., Magnús summons him, settles Þorgeirr’s case to his satisfaction and promises his friendship.

Notes: [All]: This event took place c. 1038 (see also Sigv Berv, Kolgr Ól and BjHall Kálffl 7^I). — [4] fǫður (m. dat. sg.) ‘father’: Both fǫður and feðr (so J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 61) are possible dat. forms (see ANG §419). — [9] þú elskar ‘you love’: The l. is hypometrical. Various later scribes and redactors tried to solve the irregularity by adding another syllable to l. 10 and transferring the demonstrative þá (f. acc. sg.) ‘that’ or þær (f. acc. pl.; so 325VI, 321ˣ) ‘those’ to l. 9. Kock (NN §3081) emends to enn þú elskar ‘but you love’ with 972ˣ and Holm4. That variant is secondary and not supported by the majority of ms. witnesses. — [11] dróttinssvika (m. acc. pl.) ‘traitors to their liege-lord’: Lit. ‘liege-lord-traitors’. For this cpd, see Fritzner: dróttinsviki. Þorgeirr refers to the fact that Magnús had appointed Kálfr Árnason one of his chief counsellors, even though he had been among the leaders of the army which opposed Óláfr at Stiklestad (see also BjHall Kálffl 7^I). — [12] es hlœgðu djǫful ‘who gratified the devil’: The earliest attested occurrence of djǫfull ‘devil’ in ON poetry. The word seems to be used here in a Christian sense: those who fought against Óláfr and betrayed the one who had been appointed king of Norway by divine grace, joined the forces of hell, which gladdened the devil. The same topos is expressed in abundance in Sv, especially in the speeches (see ÍF 30, xxxv), which does cast some doubt on the authenticity of the present st. See also Notes to ESk Eystdr 2/3 and Rv Lv 32/2.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. ANG = Noreen, Adolf. 1923. Altnordische Grammatik I: Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik (Laut- und Flexionslehre) unter Berücksichtigung des Urnordischen. 4th edn. Halle: Niemeyer. 1st edn. 1884. 5th unrev. edn. 1970. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
5. 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.
6. ÓH 1941 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert and Jón Helgason, eds. 1941. Saga Óláfs konungs hins helga: Den store saga om Olav den hellige efter pergamenthåndskrift i Kungliga biblioteket i Stockholm nr. 2 4^to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
9. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
10. ÍF 30 = Sverris saga. Ed. Þorleifur Hauksson. 2007.
11. Internal references
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Sverris saga’ 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=2> (accessed 26 April 2024)
13. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Biography of) Magnús inn góði Óláfsson’ 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. 5-7.
14. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Kolgrímr litli, Poem about Óláfr helgi’ 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. 8. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1291> (accessed 26 April 2024)
15. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Sigvatr Þórðarson, Bersǫglisvísur’ 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. 11-30. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1352> (accessed 26 April 2024)
16. Alison Finlay (ed.) 2012, ‘Bjarni gullbrárskáld Hallbjarnarson, Kálfsflokkr 7’ 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. 887.
17. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Eysteinsdrápa 2’ 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. 560-1.
18. Judith Jesch (ed.) 2009, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl Kali Kolsson, Lausavísur 32’ 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. 608-9.