Anon (MErl) 1^II

Ǫnundr kvazk eigi mundu
við orrostu kosta,
fyrr an sunnan siglði
Sigurðr jarl með húskarla.
Mjǫk fara Magnúss rekkar
mætir upp á stræti,
en Hôkonar haukar
hart skunduðu undan.

Ǫnundr kvazk eigi mundu kosta við orrostu, fyrr an Sigurðr jarl siglði sunnan með húskarla. Mætir rekkar Magnúss fara mjǫk upp á stræti, en haukar Hôkonar skunduðu hart undan.

Ǫnundr said he would not engage in battle until Sigurðr jarl sailed from the south with the housecarls. Magnús’s splendid men are rushing up the street, but Hákon’s hawks hurried away quickly.

Mss: Kˣ(693v), F(78vb), E(64v), J2ˣ(372r), 42ˣ(59v) (Hkr); H(133r), Hr(86va-b) (H-Hr)

Readings: [1] mundu: ‘myndv’ H    [4] jarl: om. H    [6] á: of F, at E, H, corrected from af J2ˣ, um Hr

Editions: Skj AI, 594-5, Skj BI, 595, Skald I, 290; ÍF 28, 377 (MErl ch. 3), F 1871, 363, E 1916, 227; Fms 7, 284 (Hherð ch. 23).

Context: The st. is recited in 1161 during the battle of Tønsberg, Norway, which Erlingr skakki ‘the Tilting’ Kyrpinga-Ormsson and the troops of his son, Magnús, fight against King Hákon herðibreiðr ‘Broad-shoulder’ Sigurðarson. During the battle, Ǫnundr Símunarson, one of Hákon’s men, flees, because he will not fight unless Jarl Sigurðr Hávarðsson is present.

Notes: [All]: For this battle, see also Þskakk Erldr 2. — [1] Ǫnundr: Ǫnundr Símunarson was Hákon herðibreiðr’s foster-brother. — [3] Sigurðr jarl: Sigurðr Hávarðsson was appointed jarl by Hákon herðibreiðr. On this occasion, he was lying with his fleet near the Götaälv (in present-day south-western Sweden) and was not aware that Erlingr and his troops were attacking Tønsberg. Sigurðr died in the battle of Ramnes (Ré), Vestfold, on 20 February 1163. — [4] húskarlar ‘the housecarls’: These men were members of a king’s or a nobleman’s bodyguard (see Fritzner: húskarl 1 and Note to Okík Magn 2/6). — [5] rekkar Magnúss ‘Magnús’s men’: Magnús Erlingsson had just been elected king of Norway at the age of five, and it is unlikely that he was actually present in person at this battle. — [7] haukar ‘hawks’: A term for ‘brave young men’ (see LP: 1. haukr 2). See also Anon (HSig) 6/7 and Note to Arn Hryn 3/5.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
5. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
6. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
7. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
8. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
9. Internal references
10. Not published: do not cite (MErl^II)
11. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from Haralds saga Sigurðarsonar 6’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 819-20.
12. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda, Magnússdrápa 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 185-6.
13. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Oddr kíkinaskáld, Poem about Magnús góði 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 33.
14. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorbjǫrn skakkaskáld, Erlingsdrápa 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 634.