Sigv ErfÓl 24^I

Gǫrts, þeims gótt bar hjarta,
gollit skrín at mínum
— hrósak helgi ræsis —
— hann sótti goð — dróttni.
Ár gengr margr frá mæru
meiðr þess konungs leiði
hreins með heilar sjónir
hrings, es blindr kom þingat.

Gollit skrín [e]s gǫrt at dróttni mínum, þeims bar gótt hjarta; hrósak helgi ræsis; hann sótti goð. {Margr meiðr hrings}, es kom blindr þingat, gengr ár með heilar sjónir frá mæru leiði þess hreins konungs.

A golden shrine has been made for my lord, who had a fine heart; I praise the holiness of the leader; he went to God. {Many a tree of the sword} [MAN] who came thither blind goes soon with healed eyes from the glorious resting-place of that pure king.

Mss: Kˣ(501r), 39(13vb), F(38rb), E(4v), J2ˣ(243r) (Hkr); Holm2(73r), 325VI(41rb), 321ˣ(277), 73aˣ(213v), Holm4(68vb), 61(129va-b), 325V(88rb), 325VII(41r), Bb(205ra-b), Flat(127va), Tóm(160v) (ÓH)

Readings: [1] Gǫrts þeims (‘Gort er þeim er’): Gǫrt var þeim Bb;    gótt: ‘gutt’ Holm4;    bar: var Tóm    [2] gollit: golligt 39, F, E, J2ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, Bb, goll 61, Flat, Tóm;    at: af E, J2ˣ, 73aˣ, of Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, of veg 61, ‘vín’ Bb, af veg Flat, um veg Tóm;    mínum: sínum Flat    [4] hann: herr 61, Flat, Tóm, her 325VII;    sótti goð: sótt goði 325VII;    dróttni: dróttin 39, F, 325VI, Holm4, 61, 325V, Bb, dróttinn E, J2ˣ, 321ˣ, Flat, drótti Tóm    [5] Ár: þar 61, Flat, Tóm;    margr: mestr 325VI, om. 321ˣ, marg Bb;    mæru: mærum 61, 325V, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, mætu Bb    [6] leiði: reiði 61, Flat, Tóm    [7] heilar: hvassar 39, helgar 61, Flat, Tóm    [8] es (‘er’): en 325VII

Editions: Skj AI, 263-4, Skj BI, 244-5, Skald I, 126-7, NN §1118; Hkr 1893-1901, III, 22, IV, 186-7, ÍF 28, 20-1, Hkr 1991, II, 568-9 (MGóð ch. 10), F 1871, 174; ÓH 1941, I, 616 (ch. 253), Flat 1860-8, II, 379; Jón Skaptason 1983, 179, 309.

Context: King Magnús has a magnificent shrine made for his father’s relics, and many miracles take place at it.

Notes: [2] gollit ‘golden’: The synonymous golligt is the reading of several mss. — [2] skrín ‘shrine’: This is the earliest example of this loan-word from Lat. scrinium, which in ON can mean either ‘shrine’ or ‘reliquary’ (see also ÞjóðA Magnfl 5/4^II, and Anon Nkt 31/7^II and Note). The prose context describes a large, body-sized structure, and this is supported by leiði ‘resting-place’ in l. 6 (see Note below), and by the term sæing ‘bed’ referring to the same structure in Þloft Glækv 6/3. — [2] at ‘for’: Of ‘over’, in most early ÓH mss, is also a good reading. — [5-8]: For petitioners approaching Óláfr’s shrine with disabilities and leaving it healed, see also Þloft Glækv 8/5-8. — [5, 6] frá mæru leiði ‘from the glorious resting-place’: As pointed out in ÍF 28, this seems to refer to the shrine, rather than the more usual meaning of leiði, ‘grave’. — [6, 8] meiðr hrings ‘tree of the sword [WARRIOR]’: The sg. form of hrings suggests that here the meaning ‘sword’ (cf. Þhorn Harkv 1/1 and Note, Sigv Nesv 9/4, Sigv Berv 1/7^II) is more appropriate than the more usual ‘(arm-)ring’, though both are possible. — [7] hreins ‘pure’: (a) The adj. is likely to qualify konungs ‘king’ in this context of miracles (so also Skj B; ÍF 28). (b) Kock (NN §1118) takes it with hrings ‘sword’, citing several stanzas by Sigvatr that appear to be structured in the same way. As Kock notes, only the poet or his audience could know for certain which construal is correct.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
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. ÓH 1941 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert and Jón Helgason, eds. 1941. Saga Óláfs konungs hins helga: Den store saga om Olav den hellige efter pergamenthåndskrift i Kungliga biblioteket i Stockholm nr. 2 4^to med varianter fra andre håndskrifter. 2 vols. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 53. Oslo: Dybwad.
7. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
8. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
10. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
11. Jón Skaptason. 1983. ‘Material for an Edition and Translation of the Poems of Sigvat Þórðarson, skáld’. Ph.D. thesis. State University of New York at Stony Brook. DAI 44: 3681A.
12. Internal references
13. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga’ 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. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=53> (accessed 19 April 2024)
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Magnúss saga ins góða’ 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=116> (accessed 19 April 2024)
15. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Anonymous Poems, Nóregs konungatal 31’ 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. 781.
16. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Bersǫglisvísur 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. 12-14.
17. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Nesjavísur 9’ 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. 569.
18. R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorbjǫrn hornklofi, Haraldskvæði (Hrafnsmál) 1’ 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. 94.
19. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Magnússflokkr 5’ 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. 69-70.
20. Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Þórarinn loftunga, Glælognskviða 6’ 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. 871.
21. Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Þórarinn loftunga, Glælognskviða 8’ 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. 873.