Eskál Vell 37^I

Þvít fjǫlkostigr flestu
flestr ræðr við son Bestlu
— tekit hefk morðs til mærðar —
mæringr an þú færa.

Þvít flestr fjǫlkostigr mæringr ræðr flestu færa an þú við {son Bestlu}; hefk tekit til mærðar morðs.

For most many-virtued famous men control much less than you with {the son of Bestla <giantess>} [= Óðinn]; I have begun the praise of the battle.

Mss: R(21r), Tˣ(21v), W(46), U(26v), B(4r), 744ˣ(22v) (SnE)

Readings: [1] ‑kostigr: ‘‑kost(ar)’(?) B, ‑kostir 744ˣ    [2] flestr: feðr U, ‘fl(via)’(?) B, flestu 744ˣ;    ræðr: ráðr B;    Bestlu: ‘bezlo’ U, ‘beslu’ B    [3] tekit hefk: so all others, væri R;    morðs: morðr U    [4] mæringr: ‘mæring[...]’ B, mæringr 744ˣ;    an: ‘[...]’ B, en 744ˣ;    færa: ‘f(er)a’(?) U, ‘fæ᷎r[...]’ B, færa 744ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 123, Skj BI, 117, Skald I, 66; SnE 1848-87, I, 244, II, 305, 520, SnE 1931, 91, SnE 1998, I, 11.

Context: The stanza is preserved in SnE (Skm) among stanzas exemplifying kennings and heiti for Óðinn.

Notes: [All]: In Skj the stanza is presented as part of the poem’s introduction. This edn places it at the end of the poem because it does not fit the imagery of the introduction, and because it is uncertain whether Einarr skálaglamm is even its author. Whereas SnE cites the name of the skald in every other instance as Einarr skálaglamm, this stanza alone is attributed merely to an Einarr. — [All]: These four lines consist only of a dependent clause introduced by þvít ‘for, because’, and very probably form the second helmingr of an eight-line stanza. The first helmingr might have praised Hákon jarl for his power or his conquests. — [2] við son Bestlu ‘with the son of Bestla <giantess> [= Óðinn]’: The helmingr is one of the few attestations of the notion of a ruler having an obviously close, confidential relationship to Óðinn. It is reminiscent of the motif of the fulltrúi ‘one in whom one puts full confidence, patron deity’, on which see Halvorsen (1960) and Zernack (1998). The sagas of Icelanders contain several reports of people from the heathen period enjoying a special relationship with a god, e.g. the relationship of Hrafnkell or Þorkell inn hávi ‘the Tall’ to Freyr (Hrafnkels saga, ÍF 11, 99; Víga-Glúms saga, ÍF 9, 34). Whether such beliefs belonged to the religion of the late heathen period is controversial, and this stanza is relevant to the debate (as is Egill St 22-24^V). Further comparisons can be made with legendary accounts of kings who are consecrated to Óðinn, who provides them special protection, e.g. Haraldr hilditǫnn ‘War-tooth’ Hræreksson in several C13th sources. The most elaborate account is in Saxo (2005, I, 7, 10, 3, pp. 492-5 and 2005, I, 7, 10, 6, pp. 494-7; cf. Höfler 1952b). — [2] Bestlu ‘of Bestla <giantess>’: See Note to Þul Kvenna II 1/5^III.

References

1. Bibliography
2. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. SnE 1931 = Snorri Sturluson. 1931. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar. Ed. Finnur Jónsson. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
5. SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
6. ÍF 9 = Eyfirðinga sǫgur. Ed. Jónas Kristjánsson. 1956.
7. ÍF 11 = Austfirðinga sǫgur. Ed. Jón Jóhannesson. 1950.
8. Höfler, Otto. 1952b. Germanisches Sakralkönigtum. Tübingen: Niemeyer and Münster: Böhlau.
9. Halvorsen, Eyvind Fjeld. 1960. ‘Fulltrúi’. KLNM 5, 24.
10. Zernack, Julia. 1998. ‘Fulltrúi’. In RGA, 10, 243-5.
11. Internal references
12. Edith Marold 2017, ‘Snorra Edda (Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál)’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
13. 2022, ‘ Anonymous, Víga-Glúms 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, pp. 1374-1398. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=27> (accessed 24 April 2024)
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=112> (accessed 24 April 2024)
15. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Kvenna heiti ókend 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 960.
16. Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2022, ‘Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar 93 (Egill Skallagrímsson, Sonatorrek 22)’ 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. 322.