Sigv Knútdr 9^I

Létat af jǫfurr
(ætt manna fannsk)
Jótlands etask
ílendr (at því).
Vildi foldar
fæst rôn Dana
hlífskjǫldr hafa.
Hǫfuðfremstr jǫfurr.

Ílendr létat {jǫfurr Jótlands} etask af; ætt manna fannsk at því. {Hlífskjǫldr Dana} vildi hafa fæst rôn foldar. … Hǫfuðfremstr jǫfurr.

Arrived in his land, {the lord of Jutland} [DANISH KING = Knútr] did not let himself be deprived; the race of men were pleased at that. {The protecting shield of the Danes} [DANISH KING = Knútr] would allow minimal plundering of the land. … The most eminent prince.

Mss: Kˣ(410r), 325XI 1(3rb) (Hkr); Holm2(52r), J2ˣ(196v-197r), 321ˣ(184), 73aˣ(160r), 68(49v), Holm4(46rb), 61(112ra), 75c(31r), 325V(58va), Bb(181va), Flat(115rb), Tóm(138r) (ÓH); FskBˣ(47r) (Fsk); DG8(92v) (ÓHLeg)

Readings: [1] Létat: ‘let[…]’ 325XI 1, ‘Lezat’ 61, leit Flat, leitat Tóm, lét at FskBˣ, DG8;    af: om. J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ;    jǫfurr: jǫfrar J2ˣ    [2] ætt: átt Tóm;    fannsk: fann J2ˣ, 321ˣ, 73aˣ    [3] Jótlands: Jótland J2ˣ, DG8, í Jótlands Bb;    etask: ættask J2ˣ, eta 321ˣ, 73aˣ, í etask Bb, er lauk DG8    [4] ílendr: ílendi J2ˣ;    at: af 61, 75c, 325V, Bb, Flat, DG8    [5] Vildi: ‘[…]di’ 325XI 1, valdi 75c, Bb, Flat;    foldar: ‘fulldar’ 321ˣ    [6] fæst rôn: frán 321ˣ, fráneygr 73aˣ;    fæst: flest 75c, Flat, fest 325V, Bb, FskBˣ, ‘faust’ Tóm, fast DG8;    rôn: rann 61, 75c, 325V, Bb, Tóm;    Dana: ‘da’ 325V    [7] ‑skjǫldr: skjǫld 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 75c, Bb, Flat    [8] Hǫfuðfremstr: ‘[…]fremstr’ 325XI 1;    jǫfurr: ‘jo[...]’ 325XI 1

Editions: Skj AI, 250-1, Skj BI, 234, Skald I, 121; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 361, IV, 145, ÍF 27, 278 (ÓHHkr ch. 149); ÓH 1941, I, 434 (ch. 139), Flat 1860-8, II, 280; Fsk 1902-3, 164 (ch. 27), ÍF 29, 186 (ch. 32); ÓHLeg 1922, 61, ÓHLeg 1982, 146-7.

Context: In ÓH-Hkr, Snorri quotes this stanza in illustration of Knútr’s pursuit of Óláfr and Ǫnundr, prior to their encounter at Á in helga (Helgeå). In Fsk and ÓHLeg, the stanza is quoted after a brief account of the battle.

Notes: [All]: The stanza may well refer to the sea-battle at Á in helga (Helgeå, c. 1026, on which, see ÞSjár Róðdr, Ótt Knútdr 11 and Note to Ótt Knútdr 11/3), but since the p. n. is not given, this remains less than certain. The prose Contexts (above) cite the stanza in relation either to the battle itself or to the lead-up to it. — [4] ílendr ‘arrrived in his land’: On this rare word, see Note to Arn Þorfdr 22/5^II. — [6] fæst ‘minimal’: Superlative of fár ‘few, little’; here presumably a litotes for ‘none at all’. — [8]: The line completes the klofastef ‘split refrain’; see Note to st. 3/1 above. 

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. ÓHLeg 1982 = Heinrichs, Anne et al., eds and trans. 1982. Olafs saga hins helga: Die ‘Legendarische Saga’ über Olaf den Heiligen (Hs. Delagard. saml. nr. 8^II). Heidelberg: Winter.
6. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
7. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
8. Fsk 1902-3 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1902-3. Fagrskinna: Nóregs kononga tal. SUGNL 30. Copenhagen: Møller.
9. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
10. ÓHLeg 1922 = Johnsen, Oscar Albert, ed. 1922. Olafs saga hins helga efter pergamenthåndskrift i Uppsala Universitetsbibliotek, Delagardieske samling nr. 8^II. Det norske historiske kildeskriftfond skrifter 47. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
11. Internal references
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga helga (Legendary)’ 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=31> (accessed 25 April 2024)
13. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Fagrskinna’ 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=56> (accessed 25 April 2024)
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Óláfs saga helga (in Heimskringla)’ 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=152> (accessed 25 April 2024)
15. Kari Ellen Gade 2012, ‘ Þórðr Særeksson (Sjáreksson), Róðudrápa’ 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. 242. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1419> (accessed 25 April 2024)
16. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Þorfinnsdrápa 22’ 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. 255-6.
17. Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Óttarr svarti, Knútsdrápa 11’ 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. 781.