Ólhv Hák 1^II

Vígstorma, namt Vermum,
valdr, fláræði gjalda;
lézt ræsir gim geisa;
gekk eldr of sjǫt rekka.
Bœndr hlutu kvǫl, þás kyndisk
kapps hár logi, sára;
gegn, létuð hyr hegna,
hjaldréls frǫmuðr, vélar.

{Valdr vígstorma}, namt gjalda Vermum fláræði; ræsir, lézt gim geisa; eldr gekk of sjǫt rekka. Bœndr hlutu sára kvǫl, þás kapps hár logi kyndisk; {gegn frǫmuðr hjaldréls}, létuð hyr hegna vélar.

{Controller of battle-storms} [WARRIOR = Hákon], you repaid the Vermir for their treason; ruler, you made fire rage; flames rose above men’s houses. Farmers suffered bitter torment when the tremendously high blaze was kindled; {righteous promoter of the battle-shower} [WARRIOR = Hákon], you made fire punish their deceits.

Mss: E(155v), F(96vb), 42ˣ(117v-118r), 81a(85vb), Flat(170vb) (Hák)

Readings: [2] valdr: vald 42ˣ    [3] lézt (‘léztu’): létu 81a, Flat;    gim: gín F, gunn 42ˣ, Flat    [5] kvǫl: om. 81a;    þás (‘þá er’): þá 81a;    kyndisk: so F, 81a, Flat, ‘kyndis’ E, 42ˣ    [6] hár: spár Flat;    sára: om. F    [7] gegn: gagn Flat;    létuð: létu Flat    [8] hjaldr‑: hjǫr F

Editions: Skj AII, 92-3, Skj BII, 104, Skald II, 55; E 1916, 529, F 1871, 448, Hák 1910-86, 406, Flat 1860-8, III, 69.

Context: In 1225 King Hákon and his retinue marched into Värmland, Sweden, to punish the people for supporting the Ribbungar and sending men to harry in Norway. On the Saturday before Lent, Hákon burned the farms in the parish of Eda, located in south-western Värmland, which had been abandoned by the time of his arrival.

Notes: [All]: For Hákon’s campaign in Värmland, see also Sturl Hákkv 7-8 and Sturl Hákfl 4. — [3] lézt ‘you made’: The pret. indic. form of the verb láta ‘let, allow’ that is used to address Hákon switches from the informal lézt (2nd pers. sg.) ‘you made’ to the formal létuð (2nd pers. pl.) ‘you made’ (l. 7). — [4] eldr gekk of sjǫt rekka ‘flames rose above men’s houses’: Cf. Arn Hardr 1/2, eldr rann of sjǫt manna ‘flames ran through men’s houses’. — [6] kapps ‘tremendously’: Used adverbially as an intensifier (see LP: kapp). See also Gísl Magnkv 12/7. — [8] hjaldréls ‘of the battle-shower’: This could refer to ‘spears, arrows’ in specific or ‘battle’ in general (see Meissner 144, 178).

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
4. 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.
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. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
7. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
8. Hák 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
10. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Haraldsdrápa 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, pp. 261-2.
11. 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.
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 7’ 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. 704-5.
13. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarflokkr 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, pp. 748-9.