RvHbreiðm Hl 72^III

Sonr Tryggva bað seggi
síðan ógnarblíða
vallar baug á vági
verja* sœnskum herjum.
Hjaltvendi skar Hrundar
hríðar tungla stríðir
— alms varð hagl á hjalma
hrynja — danskar brynjur.

{Sonr Tryggva} bað síðan ógnarblíða seggi verja* {baug vallar} sœnskum herjum á vági. {Stríðir {tungla {hríðar Hrundar}}} skar danskar brynjur {hjaltvendi}; {hagl alms} varð hrynja á hjalma.

{The son of Tryggvi} [= Óláfr] then commanded the battle-cheerful men to defend {the ring of the meadow} [SERPENT = Ormr inn langi] against Swedish warriors in the bay. {The opponent {of the moons {of the storm of Hrund <valkyrie>}}} [BATTLE > SHIELDS > WARRIOR] cut Danish byrnies {with the hilt-rod} [SWORD]; {hail of the elm-bow} [ARROWS] crashed against helmets.

Mss: papp25ˣ(40r), R683ˣ(133r)

Readings: [4] verja*: verjask papp25ˣ, R683ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 526, Skj BI, 505, Skald I, 248; Hl 1941, 32, 91.

Context: As st. 71 above.

Notes: [All]: The battle commemorated is the battle of Svolder (9 September 1000), in which Óláfr Tryggvason fell while fighting Sveinn tjúguskegg ‘Fork-beard’ of Denmark (see sts 67-8), Óláfr sœnski ‘the Swede’ of Sweden and Eiríkr jarl Hákonarson of Norway (see ÓTHkr chs 99-113, ÍF 26, 350-72; ÍF 29, 147-62; Hfr ErfÓl^I; Hókr Eirfl^I; Skúli Svǫlðr). — [3] baug vallar ‘the ring of the meadow [SERPENT = Ormr inn langi]’: An onomastic pun on Ormr inn langi ‘the Long Serpent’, Óláfr’s famous warship. For that ship, see Notes to Hókr Eirfl 3/4^I and Hfr ErfÓl 10/1^I. — [3] á vági ‘in the bay’: The exact location of Svolder (ON Svǫlðr) is debated, and it is not clear whether the p. n. referred to a bay, a river or an island (see Note to Skúli Svǫlðr 2/4). — [4] verja* ‘defend’: Verjask ‘defend oneself’ has been emended to verja ‘defend’ in keeping with earlier eds.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
4. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
5. Hl 1941 = Jón Helgason and Anne Holtsmark, eds. 1941. Háttalykill enn forni. BA 1. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
6. Internal references
7. Diana Whaley 2012, ‘(Biography of) Óláfr Tryggvason’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 383.
8. Kate Heslop 2012, ‘ Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Erfidrápa Óláfs Tryggvasonar’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 400. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1256> (accessed 27 April 2024)
9. Kari Ellen Gade 2012, ‘ Halldórr ókristni, Eiríksflokkr’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 469. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1267> (accessed 27 April 2024)
10. Kate Heslop 2017, ‘ Skúli Þorsteinsson, Poem about Svǫlðr’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 360. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1371> (accessed 27 April 2024)
11. Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Erfidrápa Óláfs Tryggvasonar 10’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 415.
12. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2012, ‘Halldórr ókristni, Eiríksflokkr 3’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 475.
13. Kate Heslop (ed.) 2017, ‘Skúli Þorsteinsson, Poem about Svǫlðr 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 362.