Ólhv Hryn 5^II

Snjallir fóru mága í millum
menn; seldusk þeir gísla tvenna;
sýnni tók þá sætt, es funnusk
snarir bragningar, herr at magna.
Nafnbœtr jók, sás Nóregs gætir,
niðjum prýddr, ok sikling skrýddi
bjǫrtu heiti bǫðvarfljótan,
blíðs hertoga, gjǫfum fríðum.

Snjallir menn fóru í millum mága; þeir seldusk tvenna gísla; herr tók þá at magna sýnni sætt, es snarir bragningar funnusk. Jók, sás gætir Nóregs, prýddr niðjum, nafnbœtr blíðs hertoga bjǫrtu heiti, ok skrýddi bǫðvarfljótan sikling fríðum gjǫfum.

Good men mediated between the relatives; they exchanged two hostages; people then set about to ensure a secure reconciliation when the brave leaders met. He who protects Norway, of famous descent, increased the rank of the well-disposed duke with an illustrious title and provided the battle-swift prince with beautiful gifts.

Mss: E(167r), F(105va), 42ˣ(145v-146r), 81a(99r), 304ˣ(309r), Flat(175va) (Hák)

Readings: [1] Snjallir: so F, 42ˣ, 304ˣ, Flat, ‘Snallir’ E, snjallr 81a;    fóru: fór 81a;    í: om. F, 304ˣ;    millum: milli F    [2] þeir: þar F;    tvenna: so all others, tvinna E    [3] sýnni: svinnr 81a, ‘sinnj’ 304ˣ;    tók: tóku 42ˣ;    þá sætt: sætt þá 42ˣ, sætt 81a;    funnusk: so F, 304ˣ, ‘fynnizt’ E, fundusk 42ˣ, 81a, Flat    [5] sás (‘sá er’): om. 81a    [6] prýddr: prýðisk 42ˣ, prýddusk 81a, ‘prudur’ 304ˣ;    ok: om. 42ˣ;    skrýddi: ‘skrudi’ 304ˣ    [7] heiti: heitu Flat    [8] blíðs: blíðr Flat

Editions: Skj AII, 94, Skj BII, 106, Skald II, 56, NN §1345; E 1916, 571, F 1871, 489, Hák 1910-86, 494-5, Hák 1977-82, 98, Flat 1860-8, III, 117.

Context: In the spring of 1237, Hákon conferred the title of hertogi ‘duke’, which no Norwegian had previously held, on Skúli at Øretinget in Trondheim.

Notes: [1] mága ‘relatives’: Hákon married Skúli’s daughter Margrét in 1225, making them son-in-law and father-in-law. — [2] tvenna ‘two’: The OIcel. form tvenna (so F, 42ˣ, 81a, Flat) is required for full internal rhyme in l. 2 (menn : tvenna). The form tvinna (so E) is older and specific to ONorw. (see ANG §445 Anm. 4). — [5] nafnbœtr (f. acc. pl.) ‘rank’: Lit. ‘name-improvements’ (nafnbót, sg.). This is the only occurrence of the word in poetry. — [5] sás gætir Nóregs ‘who protects Norway’: The verb gæta ‘protect, watch over’ takes a gen. object. — [6] prýddr niðjum ‘of famous descent’: Lit. ‘adorned with ancestors’. — [6] skrýddi ‘provided’: Lit. ‘adorned’. — [8] hertoga ‘of the duke’: The title hertogi ‘duke’ (lit. ‘army-leader’) is a late borrowing from MLG hertoge, hertoch ‘duke’. For the disputed origin and history of the word hertogi and its cognates in Gmc, see RGA 14: Herzog. See also Note to Sturl Hákkv 23/8.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. RGA = Beck, Heinrich and Holger Arbmann, eds. 1973-2008. Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde. 37 vols. Berlin: de Gruyter. 2nd rev. edn of Hoops 1911-19.
5. ANG = Noreen, Adolf. 1923. Altnordische Grammatik I: Altisländische und altnorwegische Grammatik (Laut- und Flexionslehre) unter Berücksichtigung des Urnordischen. 4th edn. Halle: Niemeyer. 1st edn. 1884. 5th unrev. edn. 1970. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
6. 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.
7. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
8. E 1916 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1916. Eirspennill: AM 47 fol. Nóregs konunga sǫgur: Magnús góði – Hákon gamli. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske historiske kildeskriftskommission.
9. Hák 1977-82 = Mundt, Marina, ed. 1977. Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Oslo: Forlagsentralen. Suppl. by James E. Knirk, Rettelser til Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar etter Sth. 8 fol., AM 325VIII, 4° og AM 304, 4°. Norrøne tekster 2. Oslo: Norsk historisk kjeldeskrift-institutt, 1982.
10. 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.
11. Internal references
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sturla Þórðarson, Hákonarkviða 23’ 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. 716-17.