Hskv Útdr 7^II

Bǫðstyrkir, lézt barka
— bragnings verk á Serkjum
fræg hafa gǫrzk — fyr gýgjar
gagnstíg ofan síga.
Enn í hall at helli,
hernenninn, fjǫlmennum,
Gǫndlar þings, með gengi,
gný-Þróttr, neðan sóttir.

{Bǫðstyrkir}, lézt barka síga ofan fyr {gagnstíg gýgjar}; verk bragnings á Serkjum hafa gǫrzk fræg. Enn, {hernenninn {Gǫndlar þings gný}-Þróttr}, sóttir neðan í hall at fjǫlmennum helli með gengi.

{Battle-strengthener} [WARRIOR], you let boats be lowered from above before {the through-route of the giantess} [CRAG]; the lord’s deeds against the Saracens have become famous. And you, {battle-enterprising Þróttr <= Óðinn> {of the din of Gǫndul’s <valkyrie’s> assembly}} [(lit. ‘din-Þróttr of Gǫndul’s assembly’) BATTLE > WARRIOR] advanced up the cliff toward the well-manned cavern with your followers.

Mss: Kˣ(610v), 39(37rb), F(61rb), E(38r), J2ˣ(319r), 42ˣ(18r-v) (Hkr); Mork(25v) (Mork); H(95r), Hr(64vb) (H-Hr); FskAˣ(352-353) (Fsk)

Readings: [1] Bǫð‑: band 42ˣ;    ‑styrkir: ‑sterkir Mork;    lézt: lét H, Hr, FskAˣ;    barka: branda 42ˣ    [2] bragnings: ‘bragnins’ E, Hr    [3] fræg: so 39, F, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, Mork, H, Hr, ‘frǫgir’ Kˣ, ‘færg’ FskAˣ;    gýgjar: ‘gyiar’ Mork    [4] ‑stíg: vígr F    [5] Enn: þar er FskAˣ;    hall at: ‘hiall at’ 39, hallar J2ˣ    [6] ‑mennum: ‑menni 42ˣ, Hr    [7] gengi: ‘gegni’ 42ˣ    [8] ‑Þróttr: so 39, F, E, J2ˣ, 42ˣ, Mork, H, ‘‑þóttr’ Kˣ, ‑þrótt Hr, ‑drótt FskAˣ;    neðan: ‘þeðan’ FskAˣ;    sóttir: sótti Mork, H, Hr, FskAˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 487, Skj BI, 459, Skald I, 226; ÍF 28, 245-6 (Msona ch. 6), F 1871, 284, E 1916, 132; Mork 1867, 162, Mork 1928-32, 347, Andersson and Gade 2000, 319, 489 (Msona); Fms 7, 82-3 (Msona ch. 6); ÍF 29, 317 (ch. 86).

Context: Sigurðr laid siege to a cave on a cliff, in which marauding Moors had taken refuge. The Norsemen lowered two boats from above in front of the mouth of the cave and set fire to it.

Notes: [All]: In Mork, sts 7-8 are given in reverse order. For a full account of this event, see Þstf Stuttdr 4 Context. See also Hskv Útkv and st. 8 below. — [1] lézt (2nd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘let’: If the Mork, H, Hr, FskAˣ variant lét (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘let’ is adopted, bǫðstyrkir ‘battle-strengthener’ would be the subject rather than a form of address. — [2] barka ‘boats’: Lit. ‘barks’. These were smaller boats that could be tied to a larger ship (< MLat. barca). See Falk 1912, 87. See also Hkr (ÍF 28, 244): tveir skipbáta, er barkar eru kallaðir ‘two ship-boats which are called barks’. The word barki is attested in poetry only here, and it is possible that these boats were a local Mediterranean product.

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. 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.
5. Falk, Hjalmar. 1912. Altnordisches Seewesen. Wörter und Sachen 4. Heidelberg: Winter.
6. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
9. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
10. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
11. Mork 1867 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1867. Morkinskinna: Pergamentsbog fra første halvdel af det trettende aarhundrede. Indeholdende en af de ældste optegnelser af norske kongesagaer. Oslo: Bentzen.
12. Internal references
13. (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 26 April 2024)
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Magnússona saga’ 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=149> (accessed 26 April 2024)
15. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘ Halldórr skvaldri, Útfararkviða’ 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. 482-3. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1274> (accessed 26 April 2024)
16. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þórarinn stuttfeldr, Stuttfeldardrápa 4’ 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. 476.