Ǫlvǫr Lv 1VIII (Ǫrv 4)
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Ǫrvar-Odds saga 4 (Ǫlvǫr, Lausavísa 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 813.
introduction
This stanza, in the háttlausa ‘formless’ variant of dróttkvætt, occurs in the mss of Ǫrv as the first of a pair, with the second stanza recorded both immediately after it and also as ǪrvOdd (Ævdr) 41 (Ǫrv 111) (q. v.). According to the saga Oddr and his companions are harrying in Ireland. During the course of these adventures, in which Oddr’s foster-brother Ásmundr is killed (cf. ǪrvOdd Ævdr 38 (Ǫrv 108)), Oddr meets a beautiful woman, Ǫlvǫr, who offers to make him a magic silken shirt with life-protecting properties, which would be ready for him a year after their first encounter. She offers this to stop him attacking members of her family, who have killed Ásmundr. Oddr returns to Ireland the following summer to receive the shirt and invites her to marry him as a reward.
text and translation
Serk um frák ór silki
í sex stöðum görvan;
ermr á Íralandi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar drósir;
varp Óþjóðans móðir.
Um frák serk ór silki görvan í sex stöðum; ermr á Íralandi, önnur norðr með Finnum. Saxa meyjar slógu, en suðreyskar spunnu; valskar drósir váfu; móðir Óþjóðans varp.
‘I have heard of a silken shirt made in six places; a sleeve in Ireland, another north among the Saami. Maidens of the Saxons struck [the weft], and Hebrideans spun; southern women wove; Óþjóðann’s mother cast [the warp]. ’
notes and context
Oddr asks Ǫlvǫr whether she made the magic shirt all by herself, and this lausavísa is her response.
Uniquely in Ǫrv, this stanza is in the metre háttlausa ‘formless’ (cf. SnSt Ht 67III), a variant of dróttkvætt lacking internal rhyme. For this reason, some eds (Ǫrv 1892, 39 n. 15 and 42 n. 23) have doubted whether it originally belonged in Ǫrv.
readings
- [1] Serk: serkinn 343a, 471, 173ˣ
- [1] um (‘of’): om. 344a, 567IV, 343a, 471, 173ˣ
- [1] frák (‘frá ek’): hefi ek hér 344a
- [1] ór: í 343a, 173ˣ
- [1] silki: silki corrected from silfri 344a, silfri 567IV, 471, sogni 343a, 173ˣ
- [2] í: ok í 344a, 343a, 471, ok 173ˣ
- [2] sex: so 344a, vij 7, 567IV, 343a, 471, 173ˣ
- [2] stöðum: lutum 173ˣ
- [3] ermr: so 344a, 567IV, ermr var 7, 343a, 471, 173ˣ
- [3] Íra‑: Ír‑ 471
- [7] drósir: brúðir 343a, 471
- [8] varp: en varp 173ˣ
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.
-
Holm perg 7 4° (7) — 50v/4 - 50v/6
imagesSerk um frák ór silki
í vij stöðum görvan;
ermr var á Íralandi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar drósir;
varp Óþjóðans móðir.Serk of fra ek ór silki i .vij. stauðum geruan | ermr var a íra lanndi aunnur norðr með finnum. slógu saxa méyiar enn suðr eyskar | spunnu vafu valskar drósir varp oþíoðans moðir.
(HA)
-
AM 344 a 4° (344a) — 14r/13 - 14r/16
Serk of, hefi ek hér ór silki
images
ok í sex stöðum görvan;
ermr á Íralandi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar drósir;
varp Óþjóðans móðir. -
AM 567 IV 4° (567IV) — 2vb/17 - 2vb/20
Serk ,of frák ór silfri
images
í vij stöðum görvan;
ermr á Íralandi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar drósir;
varp Óþjóðans móðir. -
AM 343 a 4° (343a) — 66r/11 - 66r/13
serkinn of, frák í sogni
images
ok í vij stöðum görvan;
ermr var á Íralandi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar brúðir;
varp Óþjóðans móðir. -
AM 471 4° (471) — 71v - 71v
serkinn of, frák ór silfri
images
ok í vij stöðum görvan;
ermr var á Ír-landi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar brúðir;
varp Óþjóðans móðir. -
AM 173 folx (173x) — 31r/24 - 31r/29
serkinn of, frák í sogni
images
ok vij lutum görvan;
ermr var á Íralandi
önnur norðr með Finnum.
Slógu Saxa meyjar,
en suðreyskar spunnu;
váfu valskar drósir;
en varp Óþjóðans móðir. -
AM 344 b 4°x (344bx) — 11v/11 - 11v/13
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