Hjþ Lv 16VIII (HjǪ 44)
Richard L. Harris (ed.) 2017, ‘Hjálmþés saga ok Ǫlvis 44 (Hjálmþér Ingason, Lausavísur 16)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 536.
text and translation
Burt er Snarvendill, ór slíðrum horfinn;
má ek eigi víg vekja, veldr því Ölvir.
Hefna munda ek Harðar, ef hann hér væri,
ok rjóða minn mæki í manna blóði.
Snarvendill er burt, horfinn ór slíðrum; ek má eigi vekja víg, Ölvir veldr því. Ek munda hefna Harðar, ef hann væri hér, ok rjóða mæki minn í blóði manna.
‘Snarvendill is gone, disappeared from the scabbard; I cannot stir up battle, Ǫlvir causes that. I would avenge Hǫrðr, if it were here, and redden my sword in the blood of men. ’
notes and context
Immediately after Hringr’s last stanza the prose text states Hjálmþér vill þá þrífa til sverðsins, ok var þat í burtu ‘Hjálmþér then wants to take hold of the sword, but it had disappeared’. He then speaks this stanza.
In this stanza Hjálmþér still does not seem to understand what has happened and appears to think he could gain vengeance upon King Hringr for Hǫrðr’s death if he had his sword, Snarvendill. It is possible that here, as occasionally elsewhere, the composer of the prose has confused the original narrative reflected more accurately in the poetry. The reference to Ǫlvir’s causing the sword to disappear is unexplained in the prose text.
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.
-
AM 109 a III 8°x (109a IIIx) — 280v/30 - 281r/2
imagesBurt er Snarvendill,
ór slíðrum horfinn;
má ek eigi †vy[…]† vekja,
veldr því Ölvir.
Hefna munda ek Harðar,
ef hann hér væri,
ok rjóða minn mæki
í manna blóði.burt | er snarvendill ur slijdrum horfen ma ec ey vy[…] | vekia || vekia velldr þvi oluir hefna mvndac hardar ef hann hier | væri oc ʀioda minn mæki j manna Blodi
(RH)
-
Holm papp 6 4°x (papp6x) — 59v - 59v
Burt er Snarvendill,
images
ór slíðrum horfinn;
má ek eigi víg vekja,
veldr því Ölvir.
Hefna munda ek Harðar,
ef hann hér væri,
ok rjóða minn mækir
í manna blóði. -
ÍBR 5 folx (ÍBR5x) — 104 - 104
Burt er Snarvendill,
images
ór slíðrum horfinn;
má ek eigi víg vekja,
veldr því Ölvir.
Hefna munda ek Harðar,
ef hann hér væri,
ok rjóða minn mæki
í manna blóði.
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