ÞjóðA Magnfl 17^II

Hizig laut, es heitir
Helganes, fyr kesjum
(sukku sárir rekkar)
Sveins ferð (bana verðir).
Mætr helt mǫrgu spjóti
Mœra gramr í snœri;
odd rauð aski studdan
ǫrr landreki dǫrrum.

Ferð Sveins laut fyr kesjum hizig, es heitir Helganes; sárir rekkar sukku, verðir bana. {Mætr gramr Mœra} helt mǫrgu spjóti í snœri; ǫrr landreki rauð dǫrrum odd aski studdan.

Sveinn’s troop stooped before halberds there, where it is called Helgenæs; wounded champions sank down, deserving death. {The excellent lord of the Mœrir} [NORWEGIAN KING = Magnús] held many a spear in its thong; the valiant land-ruler reddened with spears the point hafted [lit. supported] with ash.

Mss: Kˣ(516v-517r), 39(17va), F(41ra-b), E(9r), J2ˣ(254r) (Hkr); H(12r), Hr(10vb) (H-Hr); Flat(191vb) (Flat)

Readings: [1] Hizig: ‘Hitzsik’ H, ‘Hítt ek’ Flat;    laut: hlaut H, Flat    [4] verðir: verðar J2ˣ    [5] helt: hlaut Hr    [6] í: om. Flat;    snœri: ‘stiǫri’ E    [7] odd: ‘oð’ E, J2ˣ, oddr Flat    [8] ǫrr: ara H;    dǫrrum: ‘doprvm’ H, ‘draurum’ Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 366, Skj BI, 337, Skald I, 170; Hkr 1893-1901, III, 63, IV, 202, ÍF 28, 57, Hkr 1991, 594 (Mgóð ch. 33), F 1871, 189, E 1916, 30; Fms 6, 84 (Mgóð ch. 40), Fms 12, 137; Flat 1860-8, III, 283, Andersson and Gade 2000, 124, 470 (MH).

Context: Magnús continues to pursue Sveinn across Denmark until he flees to Sweden. Magnús establishes peaceful rule over Denmark and repairs to Norway. Learning this, Sveinn musters troops in Sweden and Skåne (Skáney) and subdues the Dan. islands. Magnús sails south and fights Sveinn off Helgenæs (Helganes). He has fewer forces but bigger and better appointed ships. In a fierce battle, Magnús fights all night with hand-thrown missiles (handskot).

Notes: [All]: On the battle off Helgenæs (Helganes) and its aftermath, see also ÞjóðA Magn 6-7, and Arn Magndr 12, 13 and 16. In Flat the st. is placed between Arn Magndr 13 and 16, and hence implicitly attributed to Arnórr. — [2] kesjum ‘halberds’: Spears that could be used for throwing or hand-to-hand fighting; see Falk 1914, 78-80. — [6] snœri ‘thong’: Cf. snœridǫrr ‘thonged javelins’ in st. 10/6 above. — [8] landreki ‘land-ruler’: This could be regarded as a borderline kenning. Meissner (p. 353) points out that it is perceived as a kenning, but comes to be used as the base-word of a kenning, an example being ESk Hardr II 1/6, 8, where it is qualified by Dana ‘of Danes’. It also occurs among heiti for ‘king’ in Þul Konunga 2/6^III, and Þjóðólfr uses the word in Sex 9, 15 and 27.

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. 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.
5. Falk, Hjalmar, ed. 1914a. Sólarljóð. Videnskapsselskapets skrifter II. Hist.-filos. kl. 7. 2 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
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. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
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. Internal references
13. (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 25 April 2024)
14. (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 25 April 2024)
15. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Konunga heiti 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 689.
16. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Magnússdrápa 12’ 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. 221-2.
17. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Magnússdrápa 13’ 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. 223.
18. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Sexstefja 9’ 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. 121-2.
19. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi 6’ 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. 93-4.