Innsteinn Innkv 9VIII (Hálf 29)
Hubert Seelow (ed.) 2017, ‘Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka 29 (Innsteinn Gunnlaðarson, Innsteinskviða 9)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 327.
introduction
The second part of Innkv (Hálf 29-33) is separated from the first in the saga by a short prose passage describing the events in Ásmundr’s hall where Hálfr and the Hálfsrekkar have been feasting. It takes the form of a monologue spoken by Innsteinn to encourage Hálfr and the other Hálfsrekkar to fight and to leave the burning hall. There are some discrepancies between the prose introduction and the stanzas of this part that are discussed in the Notes below.
text and translation
Rýkr um hauka í höll konungs;
ván er at drjúpi vax af söxum.
Mál er gulli ok gersimum,
hjálmum skipta með Hálfsrekkum.
Rýkr um hauka í höll konungs; ván er at vax drjúpi af söxum. Mál er skipta hjálmum, gulli ok gersimum, með Hálfsrekkum.
‘There is smoke around the hawks in the king’s hall; it is to be expected that wax will drip from the swords. It is time to share helmets, gold and treasures with Hálfr’s champions. ’
notes and context
This stanza is preceded by a prose paragraph. Hálfr attends King Ásmundr’s banquet with half his troops. When the guests have fallen asleep, Ásmundr and his men set fire to the hall. One of Hálfr’s champions wakes up and, realising that the hall is filled with smoke, says: Rjúka mun um hauka vára nú ‘Now there will be smoke around our hawks’. He then goes back to sleep. Another of Hálfr’s men wakes up and, realising that the hall is on fire, says: Drjúpa man nú vax af söxum ‘Now wax will drip from the swords’. He then lies down again. Then King Hálfr awakes. He rises, wakes up his men and orders them to take their arms. They attempt to get out by jumping against the walls. The stanza is introduced by the words: Þá kvað Innsteinn ‘Then Innsteinn said’.
The stanza is spoken by Innsteinn and warns indirectly that the hall is on fire. In the prose text ll. 1-2 are attributed to one of the Hálfsrekkar, and ll. 3-4 to another, while the hortatory remarks of the second helmingr are attributed in the prose to King Hálfr, who in the poem seems not to have yet woken from his postprandial sleep. — [3-4]: Munch (1852-63, I, i, 304 n. 1) suggests that wax, smeared on the warriors’ weapons to prevent corrosion, will melt in the heat of the fire and drip down. It seems that sword blades may have been coated with a thin layer of wax to prevent them rusting.
readings
sources
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.
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GKS 2845 4° (2845) — 36v/7 - 36v/9
imagesRýkr um hauka
í höll konungs;
ván er at rjúki
vax af söxum.
Mál er gulli
ok gersimum,
hjálmum skipta
með Hálfsrekkum.Rykur um hauka j haull kóngs von er at ʀíuk ǀ i uax af sauxum mal er gulli ok gersimum hialmum skípta med alfs ǀ ʀekum
(HS)
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