Sturl Hrafn 11^II

Brunnu búmanna
bygðir ódygðar;
heitr var hafsætrum
hallar lífgalli.
Fellu fleinþollar
feigir svanteigar
suðr af sæskíðum
sóttir herdróttum.

Bygðir ódygðar búmanna brunnu; {lífgalli hallar} var heitr hafsætrum. {Feigir fleinþollar} fellu suðr, sóttir herdróttum {svanteigar} af {sæskíðum}.

The dwellings of faithless farmers burned; {the life-harm of the hall} [FIRE] was hot in the sea-settlements. {Doomed spear-firs} [WARRIORS] fell in the south, attacked by the war-bands {of the swan-field} [SEA] from {the sea-skis} [SHIPS].

Mss: F(122va), 8(78v), 325X(11rb), Flat(185va) (Hák)

Readings: [2] ‑dygðar: ‑dygðra Flat    [3] heitr: heit Flat;    var: so 325X, í F, Flat, var í 8;    haf‑: hálm 8, ‘h[…]n’ 325X, hjálm Flat    [4] ‑galli: so all others, galla F    [5] flein‑: fleiri 8    [7] af: so 325X, Flat, á F, 8;    sæ‑: skæ‑ 8;    ‑skíðum: ‘‑skiðim’ 325X    [8] sóttir: sóttu 325X;    her‑: lið 325X;    ‑dróttum: drótta Flat

Editions: Skj AII, 122, Skj BII, 129, Skald II, 69, NN §2292, 3152; F 1871, 574, Hák 1977-82, 198, Flat 1860-8, III, 223.

Context: The Norwegians who were on Bute went to the Scottish mainland where they burned and pillaged. One of the crew members called Ruadri, who claimed to have an inherited right to Bute and who had earlier been outlawed by the Scottish king, was especially active during this campaign.

Notes: [1, 2] ódygðar búmanna ‘of faithless farmers’: Formed on the model of the cpd ódygðarmaðr ‘faithless man’ (see Fritzner: údygðarmaðr). Ódygðra búmanna ‘of faithless farmers’ (so Flat) is also possible, but less likely in view of the other ms. witnesses. — [3] hafsætrum ‘in the sea-settlements’: Hap. leg. Cf. norðsætra ‘of the northern settlements’, st. 6/4 above. — [4] lífgalli ‘the life-harm’: Hap. leg. — [5] fleinþollar ‘spear-firs [WARRIORS]’: Following Konráð Gíslason (1895-7, I, 99), Skj B emends to fúrþollar ‘fire-firs’ and takes the cpd with svanteigar ‘of the swan-field’ (i.e. ‘sea’) (l. 6) to form the kenning svanteigar fúrþollar ‘firs of the fire of the swan-field’ (i.e. ‘firs of gold’, ‘generous men’). That emendation is unnecessary if svanteigar ‘of the swan-field’ is construed with herdróttum ‘by the war-bands’ (l. 8) in the sense ‘sea-warriors’ (see NN §2292). Fleinþollr ‘spear-firs’ is otherwise attested as a kenning for ‘warrior’ (see LP: fleinþollr). — [7] af sæskíðum ‘from the sea-skis [SHIPS]’: So NN §3152. The Norw. troops had beached their ships and advanced onto the Scottish mainland. Skj B takes this to mean that the Scots fell on their ships, but no Scottish ships are mentioned in the prose.

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. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
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. Fritzner = Fritzner, Johan. 1883-96. Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. 3 vols. Kristiania (Oslo): Den norske forlagsforening. 4th edn. Rpt. 1973. Oslo etc.: Universitetsforlaget.
8. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
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. Konráð Gíslason. 1895-7. Efterladte skrifter. 2 vols. I: Forelæsninger over oldnordiske skjaldekvad. II: Forelæsninger og videnskablige afhandlinger. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.