Steinn Óldr 8^II

Ǫll biðr Egða stillir
eggdjarfra lið seggja
sund fyr sínu landi
sóknǫrr stika dǫrrum.
Jǫrð mun eigi verða
auðsótt Fila dróttins
sǫngherðǫndum sverða.
Sik beztan gram miklu.

{Sóknǫrr stillir Egða} biðr lið eggdjarfra seggja stika ǫll sund fyr landi sínu dǫrrum; jǫrð {dróttins Fila} mun eigi verða auðsótt {{sverða sǫng}herðǫndum}. …Sik miklu beztan gram….

{The battle-generous ruler of the Egðir} [NORWEGIAN KING = Óláfr] bids the band of edge-fierce warriors barricade all inlets along his country with spears; the land {of the lord of the Filir} [NORWEGIAN KING = Óláfr] will not be easy to conquer {for the strengtheners {of swords’ song}} [(lit. ‘swords’ song-strengtheners’) BATTLE > WARRIORS]. …Himself [to be] the very best ruler….

Mss: Mork(20r) (Mork); H(78v), Hr(55va) (H-Hr); FskBˣ(81r-v), FskAˣ(321) (Fsk)

Readings: [1] Egða: so FskBˣ, FskAˣ, Engla Mork, H, Hr    [2] eggdjarfra lið seggja: eggdjarfra lið seggi Hr, ‘æggdiarfr frama sæghi’ FskAˣ    [4] stika: stikka Hr, skipa FskBˣ    [5] verða: varða FskAˣ    [6] Fila: fira FskAˣ    [7] sǫngherðǫndum: so FskBˣ, sóknherðir veit Mork, H, sóknherðir mun Hr, ‘sonhærðendum’ FskAˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 411, Skj BI, 380, Skald I, 189; Mork 1867, 124, Mork 1928-32, 287, Andersson and Gade 2000, 278, 483 (Ólkyrr); Fms 6, 435-6 (Ólkyrr ch. 1); ÍF 29, 298 (ch. 79).

Context: In Mork and Fsk this st. is the third (Fsk) or fourth (Mork) in a sequence which describes the naval mobilisation by Óláfr in response to a declaration of war by Sveinn Úlfsson of Denmark. In H-Hr it is the first st. in that sequence.

Notes: [1] stillir Egða ‘ruler of the Egðir [NORWEGIAN KING = Óláfr]’: So FskBˣ, FskAˣ. This is preferable to stillir Engla ‘ruler of the English’ (so Mork, H, Hr). — [4] stika ‘barricade’: Refers to the practice of sticking poles in shallow water to prevent enemy attacks from the sea (see Falk 1912, 26), but it could also be used metaphorically (see Note to Halli XI Fl 1/1, 5). For dǫrrum ‘with spears’ (l. 4), see Note to Gísl Magnkv 12/8 below. — [6] dróttins Fila ‘of the lord of the Filir’: For this ethnic name, which also occurs in st. 1/5 above, see Note to Grani Har 1/5. — [8]: For this l. of the split refrain (klofastef), see the Note to st. 1/8.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Andersson, Theodore M. and Kari Ellen Gade, trans. 2000. Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157). Islandica 51. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
5. Falk, Hjalmar. 1912. Altnordisches Seewesen. Wörter und Sachen 4. Heidelberg: Winter.
6. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
7. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
8. Mork 1867 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1867. Morkinskinna: Pergamentsbog fra første halvdel af det trettende aarhundrede. Indeholdende en af de ældste optegnelser af norske kongesagaer. Oslo: Bentzen.
9. Internal references
10. (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 23 April 2024)
11. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna’ 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=84> (accessed 23 April 2024)
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Morkinskinna’ 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=87> (accessed 23 April 2024)
13. 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.
14. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Grani skáld, Poem about Haraldr harðráði 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. 296-7.
15. Russell Poole (ed.) 2009, ‘Halli stirði, Flokkr 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. 338-9.