ÞjóðA Magn 4^II

Spurði einu orði
— ǫld blóðroðna skjǫldu,
satts, at svá mǫrg átti —
Selunds mær, hverr vé bæri.
Auðtróðu varð auðit
yfir of skóg at spróga;
títt bar týmargr flótti
til Hringstaða iljar.

Mær Selunds spurði einu orði, hverr bæri vé; satts, at svá mǫrg ǫld átti blóðroðna skjǫldu. {Auðtróðu} varð auðit at spróga yfir of skóg; týmargr flótti bar títt iljar til Hringstaða.

The maiden in Sjælland (Selund, Zealand) learned in a single word who carried the standard; it is true that so many men had blood-reddened shields. {For the wealth-pole} [WOMAN] her lot was to dash through the forest; a great many fugitives took their soles [feet] speedily to Ringsted (Hringstaðir).

Mss: Kˣ(515r-v), 39(17rb), F(40vb), E(8v), J2ˣ(253r) (Hkr); H(11v), Hr(10va) (H-Hr)

Readings: [2] ‑roðna: ‘roða’ 39, ‑rauða F, E, J2ˣ, Hr    [4] Selunds: ‘selunnz’ E, J2ˣ, selund H, Hr;    hverr vé: hvé H, hver hvé Hr    [5] Auðtróðu varð auðit: aur trðu vér áðan E, J2ˣ    [6] at: ‑en E, enn J2ˣ;    spróga: gnógar E, J2ˣ    [7] tý‑: om. E, J2ˣ;    ‑margr: margir E    [8] Hring‑: hrings E, Hr;    iljar: illrar H, ilja Hr

Editions: Skj AI, 365, Skj BI, 336, Skald I, 169, NN §§852, 2028, 2263; Hkr 1893-1901, III, 59, IV, 198, ÍF 28, 53, Hkr 1991, 591 (Mgóð ch. 31), F 1871, 187, E 1916, 28; Fms 6, 80 (Mgóð ch. 38), Fms 12, 135.

Context: Magnús and his forces pursue Sveinn and his men into Sjælland (Selund, Zealand), killing those they catch.

Notes: [1-4]: (a) The arrangement adopted above is necessary since the obvious assumption that ǫld ‘men’ (l. 2) is the subject of spurði ‘learned’ (l. 1) would, among other things, leave átti ‘had, owned’ (l. 3) without a subject. (b) As a variant on this interpretation, satts, at svá mǫrg ‘it is true that so many / it is true that, thus, many’ could be taken with the outer cl. in ll. 1 and 4, bringing mǫrg mær ‘many a maiden’ together, rather than with the rest of ll. 2-3. This is adopted by Finnur Jónsson in Skj B, though the result is a somewhat more disjointed helmingr, against which Kock reacts in Skald and NN §§852, 2028, with ÍF 28 and Hkr 1991 following. — [3] svá ‘so’: (a) This may simply be an intensifier to mǫrg ‘many’, as assumed here (and in NN §852). (b) Finnur Jónsson takes it with spurði ‘learned’ in l. 1, translating ‘thus’ (således, Hkr 1893-1901, IV, så Skj B). (c) ÍF 28 suggests the sense ‘also’ (einnig), and reads svá átti mǫrg ǫld blóðroðna skjǫldu ‘many men also had blood-reddened shields [as well as standards]’ (Hkr 1991 similar). — [4] hverr bæri vé ‘who carried the standard’: The sense of this could be literal, referring to a famous standard-bearer or possibly to Magnús himself in this role, or it could be figurative, perhaps ‘who was victorious’ (cf. ÞjóðA Magnfl 19/6-8 berr hann hæri skjǫld ‘he bears the higher shield’), or ‘who the enemies were’ (as suggested in ÍF 28; cf. Hkr 1991). — [5] auðtróðu varð auðit ‘for the wealth-pole [WOMAN] her lot was’: The variant reading in E, J2ˣ aur trðu vér áðan ‘we trod the mud before’ makes sense in itself but not in the context of the st. — [6] spróga ‘dash’: A rare word, for which LP cites only this context, as well as the horse-name Sprógr, and ONP has only one citation. See also ÍO: spróga 2, and cf. New Norw. sproga ‘jump, skip’.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
6. 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.
7. ONP = Degnbol, Helle et al., eds. 1989-. A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose / Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog. 1-. Copenhagen: The Arnamagnæan Commission.
8. ÍO = Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon. 1989. Íslensk orðsifjabók. Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans.
9. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
10. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
11. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
12. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
13. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
14. Internal references
15. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Magnússflokkr 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, pp. 86-7.