Blakkr Lv 1^II

Reisum vé fyr vísa!
Verum þungir Kuflungum!
Lǫtum brýndan hjǫr bíta!
Bolum tafn und kló hrafni!
Hnekkjum fjanda flokki!
Friðum land jǫfurs brandi!
Rjóðum dǫrr í dreyra!
Drepum meira hlut þeira!

Reisum vé fyr vísa! Verum þungir Kuflungum! Lǫtum brýndan hjǫr bíta! Bolum tafn und kló hrafni! Hnekkjum flokki fjanda! Friðum land jǫfurs brandi! Rjóðum dǫrr í dreyra! Drepum meira hlut þeira!

Let’s raise banners before the leader! Let’s be hostile to the Kuflungar! Let’s make the sharpened sword bite! Let’s chop carrion beneath the claw of the raven! Let’s put the flock of enemies to flight! Let’s pacify the prince’s land with the sword! Let’s redden spears in gore! Let’s kill the greater part of them!

Mss: 327(55v), Flat(155va), 8(9v-10r), E(102v), 81a(31rb) (Sv)

Readings: [1] vé: ‘vær’ Flat    [4] und: við E    [5] Hnekkjum: stǫkkum E    [8] meira hlut þeira: þeira lið fleira Flat

Editions: Skj AI, 538, Skj BI, 519, Skald I, 253; ÍF 30, 163 (ch. 106), Sv 1920, 113, Flat 1860-8, II, 627, E 1916, 355, Sv 1910-86, 139.

Context: During the summer of 1187, Jón kuflungr and his men again travel north to Trondheim with a large fleet to attempt to catch Sverrir and the Birkibeinar unawares (for the previous expedition, see Nefari Lv). Sverrir sets sail south to meet them, and Blakkr, who was among Sverrir’s men on this occasion, recites this st.

Notes: [All]: The metre is áttmælt ‘eight-times spoken’ (see SnSt Ht 10^III, SnE 1999, 9), in which a st. contains eight independent clauses, each of which occupies one l. — [All]: For a similar cry to battle from the faction of the Kuflungar, see Nefari Lv above. Blakkr clearly imitates the content and style of Nefari’s st., which was composed the year before. — [2] Kuflungum ‘the Kuflungar’: The followers of the royal pretender Jón kuflungr ‘Monk’ lit. ‘the cowled one’ (d. 1188), who claimed to be the son of King Ingi Haraldsson (d. 1161). — [3] lǫtum ‘let’s’: See Note to Nefari Lv ll. 3, 7. — [7] dǫrr ‘spears’: See Note to Gísl Magnkv 12/8.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. Sv 1920 = Indrebø, Gustav, ed. 1920. Sverris saga etter Cod. AM 327 4°. Christiania (Oslo): Dybwad. Rpt. 1981. Oslo: Norsk historisk kjeldeskrift-institutt.
4. 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.
5. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
6. SnE 1999 = Snorri Sturluson. 1999. Edda: Háttatal. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. Rpt. with addenda and corrigenda. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
7. ÍF 30 = Sverris saga. Ed. Þorleifur Hauksson. 2007.
8. Sv 1910-86 = Kjær, Albert and Ludvig Holm-Olsen, eds. 1910-86. Det Arnamagnæanske haandskrift 81a fol. (Skálholtsbók yngsta) indeholdende Sverris saga, Bǫglungasǫgur, Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar. Oslo: Den norske historiske kildeskriftkommission and Kjeldeskriftfondet.
9. Internal references
11. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Nefari, Lausavísa’ 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. 645-6. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1308> (accessed 26 April 2024)
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Gísl Illugason, Erfikvæði about Magnús berfœttr 12’ 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. 424-5.
13. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Snorri Sturluson, Háttatal 10’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1115.