Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Ynglingatal 15’ 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. 34.
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum fœti
víðs borinn
á Vendli sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarlar Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of veginn hǫfðu.
Dugandligr Óttarr fell und greipar ara fyr vôpnum Dana. {Hergammr} víðs borinn sparn þann hrægum fœti á Vendli. Frák þau verk Vǫtts ok Fasta verða sœnskri þjóð at sǫgum, at jarlar Fróða eylands hǫfðu of veginn {vígfrǫmuð}.
‘The valiant Óttarr fell beneath the talons of the eagle before the weapons of the Danes. The battle-vulture [RAVEN/EAGLE], come from afar, trod him with flesh-hung foot at Vendill. I have learned that these deeds of Vǫttr and Fasti became legends for the Swedish people, that the jarls of Fróði from the island had killed the inciter of war [WARRIOR]. ’
Strife arises between Egill’s son and successor Óttarr and the Danish king Fróði over some tribute that Egill had promised in return for Fróði’s support but never paid. Fróði invades Sweden with his troops, doing great damage. The following summer, when Fróði has gone raiding in the Baltic, Óttarr retaliates and invades, devastating Limafjǫrðr (the Limfjorden area). Fróði’s jarls Vǫttr and Fasti stage a defence in the king’s absence, and Óttarr dies in a battle in Vendill. The Danes lay his body on a hill, leaving it to birds and wild animals. They send a wooden crow to Sweden as a taunt about the king, for which reason he is afterwards called vendilkráka ‘Vendel-crow’.
This stanza sets the death of Óttarr in Denmark, at a place called Vendill which Þjóðólfr may have associated with Vendsyssel, north of Limfjorden in Jutland. However, this is generally assumed to stem from a misinterpretation of Swedish tradition on Þjóðólfr’s part, which was then taken up by HN and by Snorri in Hkr. According to numerous scholars (e.g. Vikstrand 2004, 379-83), the p. n. Vendill originally designated the region Vendel, north of Uppsala. This identification has been made partly because of the exceptionally large burial mound there, known as Ottarshögen since the second half of the C17th. Although it cannot be proven that the ruler buried there was the Óttarr of Yt, the dating of the Vendel finds corresponds roughly to that of the stanza’s historical background inasmuch as it may be inferred from Beowulf. A further indication that Vendill is the Vendel district in Sweden has been seen in Vendilkráka, the king’s nickname, which appears in Hkr. However, this nickname applies to Egill in HN and Íslb, not to Óttarr. Vendelkråkor is said to have been a comical designation for people from Vendel over a long period (Vikstrand 2004, 380-3). The assumption has been that Snorri transferred Egill’s nickname to his son Óttarr (Bugge 1894, 141; Storm 1899, 109; Krag 1991, 121). If this is correct, the association with the region in Sweden would also apply to Egill.
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum fœti
†vitz† borinn
á Vendli sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarla Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of veginn hǫfðu.
fell Ottaʀ | undir ara greipar | duganligr | fyr dana vápnom. | þaɴ hergamr | hrægum fø̨ti | vitz boriɴ | a vendle sparn. | þꜹ fra ec verc | vǫtz oc fasta | sø̨nscri þioð | at sǫgom ver(þ)a | at eylandz | jarla fro(þ)a | vigframað | um vegiɴ hꜹfðo.
(KS)
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum fœti
†vitz† borinn
á Vendli sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarla Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of veginn hǫfðu.
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum fœti
†vitz† borinn
á Vendli sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarla Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of veginn hǫfðu.
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum fœti
víti borinn
á Vendli †spáro†.
Þau frák verk
†vatz† ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarlar Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of vegit hǫfðu.
Fell Ottar vndir ára | greipar. dvgandligr fyr dana vapnom∙ þaɴ hergamr hrø̨gvm fø̨ | tí víti boríɴ a vendli spáro∙ þꜹ fra ek verk vatz ok fasta sø̨s | nskri þioð at sꜹgom verþa. At eylandz jarlar froþa vig frꜹ΄moð | of vegít hofðo∙
(KS)
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum færi
†vitz† borinn
á †vændli† sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
†jj† Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of veginn hǫfðu.
Fell Ottar undir ara greipar dugandligr fyri dana uapn | um þann hergamr hrægum færi uitz boriɴ a uændli | sparnn þꜹ fra ek verkuautz ok fasta sonskri þiod at sau | gum uerþa at eylandz .jj. froda uigfraumud of vægin hꜹf |dv
(KS)
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum færi
†vitz† borinn
á †vandli† sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarlar Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of vegit hǫfðu.
fell Ottaʀ undir | ara greipar | dugandligr | fyri dana vapnom | þann hergamr | hrægum færi | vitz borinn | a vandli sparn | þꜹ fra ec verc | vꜹtz oc fasta | Sǫnskri þioð | at sꜹgum verða | at Eylandz | jar(lar) froða | vig frꜹmut | of vegit hofþu |
(KS)
†feill Ottur†
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum færi
†vitz† borinn
á †vændli† sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
†jj† Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of væg hǫfðu.
Feill Ottur undir ara greipar. dugandligr firi dana uapnum þann | her.gamr hrægu(m) færi uitz borin a uændli sparnn þau fra ek verk. | uautz oc fasta sønskri þiod at saugum uerþa at eylandz JJ. Froda | uig fraumuð of uægin haufdu.
(KS)
Fell Óttarr
und ara greipar
dugandligr
fyr Dana vôpnum.
Þann hergammr
hrægum fœti
†vitz† borinn
á Vendli sparn.
Þau frák verk
Vǫtts ok Fasta
sœnskri þjóð
at sǫgum verða,
at eylands
jarla Fróða
vígfrǫmuð
of veginn hǫfðu.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.