Arn Magndr 10^II

Óð með øxi breiða
ódæsinn framm ræsir
— varð of hilmi Hǫrða
hjǫrdynr — ok varp brynju,
þás of skapt, en skipti
skapvǫrðr himins jǫrðu,
— Hel klauf hausa fǫlva —
hendr tvær jǫfurr spendi.

Ódæsinn ræsir óð framm með breiða øxi ok varp brynju; {hjǫrdynr} varð of {hilmi Hǫrða}, þás jǫfurr spendi tvær hendr of skapt, en {skapvǫrðr himins} skipti jǫrðu; Hel klauf fǫlva hausa.

The unsluggish ruler stormed forth with broad axe, and cast off his byrnie; {a sword-clash} [BATTLE] arose around {the ruler of the Hǫrðar} [NORWEGIAN KING = Magnús], as the prince clenched both hands around the shaft, and {the shaping guardian of heaven} [= God] allotted earth; Hel clove pallid skulls.

Mss: Kˣ(511r-v), 39(16rb), F(40ra), E(7v), J2ˣ(250r) (Hkr); Holm2(74v-75r), 972ˣ(588va), 325VI(42vb), 321ˣ(285), 325V(90va), 61(130vb), Bb(206vb-207ra), Tóm(161v) (ÓH); FskBˣ(58r), FskAˣ(222) (Fsk, ll. 1-4); H(8v), Hr(8vb) (H-Hr); Flat(191va) (Flat)

Readings: [2] ódæsinn: ‘odælinn’ E, ‘odræsinn’ 325V, Tóm;    framm: frá Tóm    [3] varð: virð Tóm;    of: und 61;    Hǫrða: ‘hordan’ 61    [4] hjǫrdynr: ‘hiordvnr’ Bb, ‘hiorðine’ FskBˣ, hjǫrdyn H, Hr, hrædýr Flat;    ok: so F, Holm2, 972ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 325V, 61, Bb, Tóm, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, H, Hr, Flat, en Kˣ, er E, J2ˣ;    brynju: brynjum Hr, Flat    [5] þás (‘þa er’): þar er E, J2ˣ, Holm2, þat er 325VI, 321ˣ, þá 325V;    en: er Bb;    skipti: skeptir 61, Tóm, skepti Flat    [6] ‑vǫrðr: vǫrð 61;    himins: ‘himis’ 325V    [7] Hel klauf hausa fǫlva: om. 61;    klauf: ‘klaup’ 321ˣ    [8] tvær: tveim 325V, tveimr 61, Tóm;    jǫfurr spendi: so 39, F, E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 325V, 61, Bb, FskBˣ, H, Hr, Flat, jǫfurs spendu Kˣ, jǫfur spendar Tóm

Editions: Skj AI, 340-1, Skj BI, 313, Skald I, 159; Hkr 1893-1901, III, 48-9, ÍF 28, 43-4, Hkr 1991, 584 (Mgóð ch. 28); ÓH 1941, I, 630 (ch. 265); Fsk 1902-3, 212 (ch. 42), ÍF 29, 223 (ch. 50), F 1871, 183, E 1916, 24; Fms 6, 65 (Mgóð ch. 32), Fms 12, 132-3; Flat 1860-8, III, 281, Andersson and Gade 2000, 121, 469 (MH); Whaley 1998, 201-3.

Context: In Hkr, ÓH and H-Hr, the st. is quoted near the beginning of the account of the battle of Lyrskovshede (Hlýrskógsheiðr). After receiving heartening portents, Magnús casts off his byrnie and rushes into the attack. In Flat, st. 10 is the first of three sts by Arnórr which are quoted at the end of the brief account of the battle; it has the same summary role in Fsk.

Notes: [All]: This battle is also commemorated in st. 11 below, ÞjóðA Magnfl 6-7, Arn Hryn 13 and Þfagr Sveinn 1. — [2] ódæsinn ‘unsluggish’: I.e. ‘energetic’. Ódæsinn is recorded only here, although dæsinn and dásinn, both ‘inactive, feeble’ each appears once in LP, and dási m. ‘sluggish, inactive person’ twice. The literal sense of ódæsinn is ‘not out of breath, unwearied’ (cf. dæsa(sk) ‘groan, lose one’s breath from exhaustion’, p. p. dæstr ‘exhausted’). — [4] ok ‘and’: En ‘and/but’ in the main ms. Kˣ and 39 also gives excellent sense, but ok has by far the stronger ms. support. — [6] skapvǫrðr himins ‘the shaping guardian of heaven [= God]’: Skapvǫrðr is a hap. leg. in which skap- could have the active sense ‘creating, shaping, fashioning’ emphasised here, or the passive ‘natural, fated’ as in the adjectives skapligr ‘natural, suitable’ and skapdauði ‘fated to die’. — [7] Hel: The axe Hel had, according to Snorri, been owned by Magnús’s father Óláfr (MgóðHkr ch. 28, ÍF 28, 43). Theodoricus, in his Historia (MHN 49) also reports that Magnús wielded his father’s axe (not there named) two-handed at Lyrskovshede (Hlýrskógsheiðr), and that it was shattered in the battle but is partly preserved in the cathedral at Trondheim (Niðaróss). Hel was the goddess of death and her realm in pre-Christian mythology, and by juxtaposing the name with himins ‘heaven’s’ and jǫrðu ‘earth’ (both l. 6) the skald seems to encourage these associations. — [8] jǫfurr spendi ‘the prince clenched’: This has much the stronger ms. authority, but Kˣ’s hendr tvær jǫfurs spendu (of skapt) ‘the prince’s two hands clenched (round the shaft)’ gives equally good sense, and is printed in Skj B, but must be secondary.

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. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. 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.
6. Andersson, Theodore M. and Kari Ellen Gade, trans. 2000. Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157). Islandica 51. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
7. Whaley, Diana, ed. and trans. 1998. The Poetry of Arnórr jarlaskáld: An Edition and Study. Westfield Publications in Medieval Studies 8. Turnhout: Brepols.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. MHN = Storm, Gustav, ed. 1880. Monumenta historica Norvegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen. Kristiania (Oslo): Brøgger. Rpt. 1973. Oslo: Aas & Wahl.
11. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
12. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
13. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
14. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
15. Fsk 1902-3 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1902-3. Fagrskinna: Nóregs kononga tal. SUGNL 30. Copenhagen: Møller.
16. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
17. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
18. Theodoricus = Theodrici monachi historia de antiquitate regum Norwagiensium. In MHN 1-68.
19. Internal references
20. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Flateyjarbók’ 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=44> (accessed 23 April 2024)
21. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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=56> (accessed 23 April 2024)
22. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna’ 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=84> (accessed 23 April 2024)
23. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Magnúss saga góða ok Haralds harðráða’ 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=147> (accessed 23 April 2024)
24. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Hrynhenda, Magnússdrápa 13’ 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. 198-200.
25. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorleikr fagri, Flokkr about Sveinn Úlfsson 1’ 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. 313.
26. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Magnússflokkr 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. 70-2.