Hróksv Hrkv 21^VIII (Hálf 71)

Alls mundi mér         angrs léttara,
ef ek Hálfs konungs         hefna mættak,
svá at Ásmundi         eggfránum hjör,
bana baugbrjóts,         brjóst rauf*aðak.

Mér mundi léttara alls angrs, ef ek mættak hefna Hálfs konungs, svá at rauf*aðak brjóst Ásmundi, bana {baugbrjóts}, eggfránum hjör.

I would be eased of all grief, if I could avenge King Hálfr, so that I would pierce the breast of Ásmundr, slayer {of the ring-breaker} [GENEROUS RULER = Hálfr], with a sharp-edged sword.

Mss: 2845(38v) (Hálf)

Readings: [3] Hálfs: hálf 2845    [6] eggfránum: egg fránan 2845    [7] baugbrjóts: baug spjót 2845    [8] rauf*aðak: ‘rraufgadag’ 2845

Editions: Skj AII, 268, Skj BII, 290, Skald II, 153; Hálf 1864, 37-8, Hálf 1909, 128-9, FSGJ 2, 130, Hálf 1981, 135, 195; Edd. Min. 47.

Notes: [1-2] mér mundi léttara alls angrs ‘I would be eased of all grief’: Lit. ‘to me it would be lighter in respect of all grief’. — [6] eggfránum ‘sharp-edged’: The ms. reading cannot be correct, as the context requires a dat. instr.; this cpd adj. occurs also in Þórðh Lv 10/4^V (Þórð 10), again collocated with hjǫrr ‘sword’. — [7] baugbrjóts ‘of the ring-breaker [GENEROUS RULER = Hálfr]’: The element baug- ‘ring’ does not normally occur with terms for ‘spear’; baugbrjótr ‘ring-breaker’ is a common kenning for ‘man’ (see Meissner 330-1) and cf. Hálf 33/7 baugbroti ‘ring-breaker’. This emendation was first suggested by Bugge (Hálf 1864) and has been followed by all subsequent eds.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
4. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
5. Edd. Min. = Heusler, Andreas and Wilhelm Ranisch, eds. 1903. Eddica Minora: Dichtungen eddischer Art aus den Fornaldarsögur und anderen Prosawerken. Dortmund: Ruhfus. Rpt. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
6. Hálf 1981 = Seelow, Hubert, ed. 1981. Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka. RSÁM 20. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar.
7. Hálf 1864 = Bugge, Sophus, ed. 1864. Saga af Hálfi ok Hálfsrekkum. Norrøne Skrifter af sagnhistorisk Indhold 1. Christiania (Oslo): Det Nordiske Oldskriftselskab.
8. Hálf 1909 = Andrews, A. Le Roy, ed. 1909. Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka. ASB 14. Halle: Niemeyer.
9. Internal references
10. Hubert Seelow (ed.) 2017, ‘Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka 33 (Innsteinn Gunnlaðarson, Innsteinskviða 13)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 330.
11. Klaus Johan Myrvoll (ed.) 2022, ‘Þórðar saga hreðu 10 (Þórðr hreða, Lausavísur 10)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1471.