Hundk Lv 2^VIII (HjǪ 31)

Hverr er sá hoski,         er hjálm ok gerð stýrir,
sterkr ok stórmannligr         stendr þér á hlið aðra?
Glöggra máttu greina         frá görpum þínum;
þá veit ek görr,         hvar gestum skal skipa.

Hverr er sá hoski, er stýrir hjálm ok gerð, stendr sterkr ok stórmannligr á aðra hlið þér? Máttu greina glöggra frá görpum þínum; þá veit ek görr, hvar skal skipa gestum.

Who is that wise one, who possesses helmet and armour, stands strong and magnificent by your side? You must describe your men more clearly; then I will know better where the guests should be seated.

Mss: 109a IIIˣ(273v), papp6ˣ(53v), ÍBR5ˣ(95) (HjǪ)

Readings: [1] sá: sá inn ÍBR5ˣ    [2] hjálm: hjálmi ÍBR5ˣ    [5] greina: so ÍBR5ˣ, greina mér 109a IIIˣ, papp6ˣ    [6] görpum: gestum with first four letters overwritten papp6ˣ

Editions: Skj AII, 338, Skj BII, 360, Skald II, 194; HjǪ 1720, 49, FSN 3, 493, FSGJ 4, 218, HjǪ 1970, 40, 96, 156-7.

Context: Hundingi asks Hjálmþér to identify Ǫlvir using the formulaic excuse of determining appropriate seating arrangements.

Notes: [All]: There are considerable similarities between the following four stanzas of HjǪ (31-4) and Hjálmþérsrímur V, 26-30 (Finnur Jónsson 1905-22, II, 37). — [4] á aðra hlið þér ‘by your side’: Lit. ‘on one side of you’, thinking of the two sides of Hjálmþér’s body. — [5] greina ‘describe’: Ms. ÍBR5ˣ omits the mér ‘to me’ in the other mss, which is extrametrical. Skj B also omits mér, although Finnur Jónsson did not use ÍBR5ˣ. — [7]: The line is unmetrical and needs another, final syllable, which could be supplied by emending görr ‘better’ to gerla ‘completely, clearly’ (cf. HjǪ 39/10).

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. FSN = Rafn, Carl Christian, ed. 1829-30. Fornaldar sögur nordrlanda. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
6. Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1905-22. Rímnasafn: Samling af de ældste islandske rimer. 2 vols. SUGNL 35. Copenhagen: Møller.
7. HjǪ 1720 = Peringskiöld, Johann, ed. 1720. Hialmters och Olvers saga, Handlande om trenne Konungar i Manahem eller Sverige, Inge, Hialmter, och Inge, samt Olver Jarl och om theras uthresor til Grekeland och Arabien. Stockholm: Horn.
8. HjǪ 1970 = Harris, Richard L., ed. 1970. ‘Hjálmþérs saga: A Scientific Edition’. Ph.D. thesis. University of Iowa.
9. Internal references
10. 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Hjálmþés saga ok Ǫlvis’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 488. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=49> (accessed 20 April 2024)
11. Richard L. Harris (ed.) 2017, ‘Hjálmþés saga ok Ǫlvis 39 (Hástigi, Lausavísa 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 530.