Þorm Lv 20^I

Þér munk eðr, unz ǫðrum,
allvaldr, náir skǫldum,
— nær vættir þú þeirra? —
þingdjarfr, fyr kné hvarfa.
Braut komumk vér, þótt veitim
valtafn frekum hrafni,
— víksk eigi þat, vága
viggruðr — eða hér liggjum.

Munk eðr hvarfa fyr kné þér, þingdjarfr allvaldr, unz náir ǫðrum skǫldum; nær vættir þú þeirra? Vér komumk braut, þótt veitim valtafn frekum hrafni, eða liggjum hér; þat víksk eigi, {{vága vigg}ruðr}.

I shall still pace about before your knee, assembly-bold mighty ruler, until you get other skalds; when do you expect them? We shall come away even if we provide corpse-prey for the greedy raven, or we shall lie here; that will not fail, {bush {of the steed of the waves}} [(lit. ‘steed-bush of the waves’) SHIP > SEAFARER = Óláfr].

Mss: Holm2(65r), 972ˣ(496va-497va), J2ˣ(220v), 321ˣ(247), Bæb(4va), 68(64r), Holm4(60ra), 61(122vb), 75e 4(1ra), 325V(78va), 325VII(36r), Bb(196rb), Flat(123rb), Tóm(153r) (ÓH); Kˣ(458v-459r) (Hkr); DG8(100v) (ÓHLeg); Hb(89r), 142ˣ(104) (ll. 1-4), 142ˣ(103) (ll. 5-8), 566aˣ(28r), papp4ˣ(128v) (Fbr); 761bˣ(536v marg)

Readings: [1] Þér: nær DG8, ‘ytr’ 142ˣ(104), yðr 761bˣmarg;    munk (‘mvn ec’): mun 321ˣ    [2] all‑: al‑ Flat, Tóm, 142ˣ(104), alls papp4ˣ;    náir: so J2ˣ, Bæb, 68, Holm4, 61, 75e 4, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Hb, 142ˣ(103), 566aˣ, papp4ˣ, náit Holm2, 972ˣ, Tóm, Kˣ, DG8;    skǫldum: skaldi 75e 4, skalda 325V    [3] nær: nærr 61, ‘cnǽr’ 325VII, mér papp4ˣ;    vættir: veitir Holm4;    þú þeirra: ‘[…]’ 75e 4, þú þróttar 325VII    [4] ‑djarfr: ‑djarfir Kˣ;    fyr: so 972ˣ, J2ˣ, Bæb, 68, 61, Bb, Hb, 142ˣ(104), papp4ˣ, um Holm2, Holm4, 75e 4, 325V, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Kˣ, DG8, 566aˣ;    hvarfa: hvarfla Bb, Flat, 142ˣ(104), 566aˣ    [5] Braut: brott 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 61, Bb, Hb, burt 325V;    komumk: ‘kommz’ Holm4, komum DG8;    vér: om. 75e 4;    þótt veitim: þótt veittim 972ˣ, þótt veitum 325V, Tóm, papp4ˣ, ‘þott veiteím’ Bb, þó veitim Flat, en vættir Hb, ef veitum 142ˣ(103), 566aˣ, 761bˣmarg    [6] ‑tafn: ‑fall 75e 4    [7] víksk: so J2ˣ, ‘vizk’ Holm2, 321ˣ, 68, Holm4, 61, 75e 4, 325VII, Bb, Kˣ, 142ˣ(103), víst 972ˣ, Flat, DG8, 566aˣ, papp4ˣ, ‘vínnz’ Bæb, veizt 325V, Tóm, vex Hb, ‘vikz’ ‘vist’ and ‘vizk’ 761bˣmarg;    eigi: eigum Flat, 142ˣ(103), 566aˣ, papp4ˣ, 761bˣmarg, eigu DG8;    þat: þér Bb, þeir DG8, þar Hb, því 142ˣ(103), var papp4ˣ;    vága: unga DG8    [8] vigg‑: víg‑ 68, Bb, papp4ˣ;    ‑ruðr: ‑runnr 61, ‑roðr Tóm;    hér: so Bæb, 68, Holm4, 325V, Tóm, Kˣ, DG8, Hb, 142ˣ(103), 566aˣ, papp4ˣ, þar Holm2, 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 61, 75e 4, Bb, Flat, ‘har’ 325VII

Editions: Skj AI, 286-7, Skj BI, 265, Skald I, 136; Fms 5, 61, Fms 12, 99, ÓH 1941, I, 548 (ch. 205), Flat 1860-8, II, 343-4; Hkr 1777-1826, II, 348, VI, 109, Hkr 1868, 478 (ÓHHkr ch. 220), Hkr 1893-1901, I, 464, IV, 164-5, ÍF 27, 363, Hkr 1991, II, 517 (ÓHHkr ch. 208); ÓHLeg 1849, 69, 119, ÓHLeg 1922, 84, ÓHLeg 1982, 194-5; Hb 1892-6, 412-13, Fbr 1852, 109, Fbr 1925-7, 208 (ch. 24), ÍF 6, 265, 264 (ch. 24), Loth 1960a, xlix, l, 155 (ch. 17), ÍS II, 841, 845-6 (ch. 24); Gaertner 1907, 312, 311, 344-5, 341-2, Finnur Jónsson 1932-3, 73-4.

Context:

In ÓH and Hkr, Þormóðr before the battle reiterates his determination to remain with King Óláfr, and he wonders aloud about the whereabouts of the king’s skald Sigvatr Þórðarson (who was at this time in Rome with Óttarr svarti). In ÓHLeg, the stanza follows Lv 19. In Fbr, the king responds briefly to the second helmingr of the preceding vísa (Lv 20/5-8; see Note to Lv 20/8), saying it is true that the men assembled will either come through the battle or lie here afterwards. Then the poet delivers the vísa (i.e. Lv 20/1-4 + 15/5-8).

Notes: [All]: In the mss of Fbr, ll. 5-8 are found instead as ll. 5-8 of Lv 19. In their place stand ll. 5-8 of Lv 15. Gaertner (1907, 341-2) seems to be alone in his belief that the arrangement in Fbr is correct. Certainly the arrangement in ÓH is correct if Finnur Jónsson is right that ok Finni is the original reading in Lv 15/6 (to which see the Note), as seems most probable. Finnur (1932-3) also points out that the clause in Lv 15/7-8 exhorting men to board ships is not pertinent to the present context, where seafaring is irrelevant. — [1] eðr ‘still’: This older form of enn (the reading of the mss), used in verse only, is required by the skothending, as first noted by Jón Þorkelsson (1884, 71); also Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson (Nj 1875-8, II, 563). — [4] þingdjarfr ‘assembly-bold’: The sense is ‘bold in legal assemblies’. Grammatically, the word could instead refer to the poet himself. — [5] þótt veitim ‘even if we provide’: Fbr 1852, 109 and ÍF 6 read, with Hb, en veitum ‘but we shall provide’ (indic. rather than subj.), and indeed, this makes for clearer sense. Yet the ms. evidence strongly favours the present reading. — [7-8] vága viggruðr ‘bush of the steed of the waves [(lit. 'steed-bush of the waves’) SHIP > SEAFARER = Óláfr]’: The vocative is construed here with the intercalary clause. An intercalary occupying the third line of a helmingr and the beginning of the fourth is common in Þormóðr’s poetry; see Note to Lv 23/7-8. Previous eds have generally construed the vocative with the first clause of the helmingr, though ÍS is an exception. — [8] eða liggjum hér ‘or we shall lie here’: I.e. ‘lie dead’. (a) This edn, like most others, assumes that the alternative is vér komumk braut ‘we shall come away’ in l. 5, with þat víksk eigi ‘that will not fail’ an intercalary clause, an arrangement that is encouraged by the Context provided in Fbr (see above). The helmingr thus states ‘we shall either live or die’: not a very acute observation, in Finnur Jónsson’s view (1932-3), yet a plausible variant on the theme of ‘victory or death’, in which the þótt-clause may imply that if the skald’s side get away alive it will not be before they have slain some of the enemy. (b) Under the other main arrangement, the alternative to eða hér liggjum is þat víksk eigi. The point is then that either they will show their mettle on the battlefield by feeding the ravens on their enemies’ corpses or they will die trying. The alternative to dying is thus not simply living, but acting boldly (and, as a result, living).

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. Nj 1875-89 = Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson. 1875-89. Njála: Udgivet efter gamle håndskrifter. Íslendingasögur udgivne efter gamle haandskrifter af Det Kongelige Nordiske Oldskrift-selskab 4. Copenhagen: Thiele.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. Flat 1860-8 = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and C. R. Unger, eds. 1860-8. Flateyjarbók. En samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. 3 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
6. ÓH 1941 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert and Jón Helgason, eds. 1941. Saga Óláfs konungs hins helga: Den store saga om Olav den hellige efter pergamenthåndskrift i Kungliga biblioteket i Stockholm nr. 2 4^to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
7. ÓHLeg 1982 = Heinrichs, Anne et al., eds and trans. 1982. Olafs saga hins helga: Die ‘Legendarische Saga’ über Olaf den Heiligen (Hs. Delagard. saml. nr. 8^II). Heidelberg: Winter.
8. ÍF 6 = Vestfirðinga sǫgur. Ed. Björn K. Þórólfsson and Guðni Jónsson. 1943.
9. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
10. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
11. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
12. Jón Þorkelsson [J. Thorkelsson]. 1884. ‘Bemærkninger til nogle steder i versene i Heimskringla’. Aftryk af oversigt over det kgl. danske videnskabs selskabs forhandlinger 1884. Copenhagen: Luno.
13. Hb 1892-6 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1892-6. Hauksbók udgiven efter de Arnamagnæanske håndskrifter no. 371, 544 og 675, 4° samt forskellige papirshåndskrifter. Copenhagen: Det kongelige nordiske oldskrift-selskab.
14. ÓHLeg 1922 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert, ed. 1922. Olafs saga hins helga efter pergamenthåndskrift i Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek, Delagardieske samling nr. 8^II. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 47. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
15. Gaertner, K. H. 1907. ‘Zur Fóstbrœðra saga. I. Teil: Die vísur’. BGDSL 32, 299-446.
16. Loth, Agnete, ed. 1960a. Membrana regia deperdita. EA A 5. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
17. Fbr 1925-7 = Björn K. Þórólfsson, ed. 1925-7. Fóstbrœðra saga. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
18. Finnur Jónsson. 1932-3. ‘Þórmóðr Kolbrúnarskald’. APS 7, 31-82.
19. Fbr 1852 = Konráð Gíslason, ed. 1852. Fóstbrœðra saga. Copenhagen: Berling.
20. Hkr 1777-1826 = Schöning, Gerhard et al., eds. 1777-1826. Heimskringla edr Noregs konunga-sögor. 6 vols. Copenhagen: Stein.
21. Hkr 1868 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1868. Heimskringla eller Norges kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlassøn. Christiania (Oslo): Brøgger & Christie.
22. ÓHLeg 1849 = Keyser, R. and C. R. Unger. eds. 1849. Olafs saga hins helga: En kort saga om kong Olaf den Hellige fra anden halvdeel af det tolfte aarhundrede. Efter et gammelt pergaments-haandskrift i Universitets-bibliotheket i Upsala. Christiania (Oslo): Feilberg & Landmark.
23. ÍS = Bragi Halldórsson et al., eds. 1987. Íslendinga sögur og þættir. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Svart á hvítu.
24. Internal references
25. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=4> (accessed 27 April 2024)
26. (forthcoming), ‘ Anonymous, Fóstbrœðra saga’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=7> (accessed 27 April 2024)
27. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga (Legendary)’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=31> (accessed 27 April 2024)
28. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=53> (accessed 27 April 2024)
29. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Óláfs saga helga (in Heimskringla)’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=152> (accessed 27 April 2024)
30. Matthew Townend 2017, ‘(Biography of) Óttarr svarti’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 335.
31. Judith Jesch 2017, ‘(Biography of) Sigvatr Þórðarson’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 347.