ÞSjár Þórdr 1^I

Þars bǫðharðir bǫrðusk
bands jódraugar landa,
lystr gekk herr til hjǫrva
hnits í Storð á Fitjum.
Ok gimsløngvir ganga
gífrs hlémána drífu
nausta blakks it næsta
Norðmanna gram þorði.

Herr gekk lystr til {hnits hjǫrva} á Fitjum í Storð, þars {bǫðharðir {{landa bands} jó}draugar} bǫrðusk. Ok {{{{{{nausta blakks} hlémána} gífrs} drífu} gim}sløngvir} þorði ganga it næsta {gram Norðmanna}.

The army went eager to {the clash of swords} [BATTLE] at Fitjar on Stord, where {the battle-hardened logs {of the steed {of the chain of lands}}} [(lit. ‘steed-logs of the chain of lands’) SEA > SHIP > SEAFARERS] fought. And {the slinger {of the fire {of the storm {of the troll-woman {of the shielding moon {of the horse of boathouses}}}}}} [(lit. ‘fire-slinger of the storm of the troll-woman of the shielding moon of the horse of boathouses’) SHIP > SHIELD > AXE > BATTLE > SWORD > WARRIOR] dared to advance next to {the lord of the Norwegians} [NORWEGIAN KING = Hákon].

Mss: Kˣ(102v), F(18ra), J1ˣ(62r), J2ˣ(58v) (Hkr); 61(6ra), 325IX 1 a(2va), Bb(7vb), Flat(8rb) (ÓT); FskBˣ(11v), FskAˣ(54) (Fsk)

Readings: [1] bǫð‑: borð‑ FskBˣ, barð‑ FskAˣ;    ‑harðir: ‘‑hrodir’ 325IX 1 a, Bb    [2] bands: brands F;    ‑draugar: ‘‑drugr’ J1ˣ, ‘‑drugar’ J2ˣ, ‘‑drangar’ 325IX 1 a, Bb, FskAˣ    [4] hnits: h(inn)z(?) 325IX 1 a, hvít Bb    [5] Ok: áðr enn FskBˣ, áðr FskAˣ;    gim‑: gunn‑ F, gull‑ FskAˣ;    ‑sløngvir: ‑slǫngum 61, 325IX 1 a, Bb, Flat, ‑slangar FskBˣ    [6] gífrs hlémána: gífr í malma Flat    [7] it: er FskAˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 328, Skj BI, 302, Skald I, 153-4; Hkr 1893-1901, I, 213, ÍF 26, 187-8 (HákGóð ch. 30), F 1871, 82; ÓT 1958-2000, I, 43 (ch. 28), Flat 1860-8, I, 60; Fsk 1902-3, 45 (ch. 12), ÍF 29, 91 (ch. 13).

Context: Þórálfr advances next to King Hákon góði at the battle of Fitjar.

Notes: [All]: The prefatory words to this stanza in Hkr and ÓT identify its source: see Introduction. — [All]: For the battle of Fitjar (c. 961), see also sts 2-4 below, Eyv Hák 2-9, Eyv Lv 1-5 and Glúmr Lv. — [1-4]: The clause arrangement in this helmingr (bound clause preceding the main clause) violates the normal sentence structure of skaldic poetry (see Kuhn 1983, 190-1), and it is possible that the couplets have been rearranged or that they originally belonged to different helmingar. — [4] Storð ‘Stord’: Island north of Haugesund in Hordaland, Norway; Fitjar is located on the north-western coast of that island. — [5-8]: The warrior-kenning in the second helmingr is the most complex extended kenning in the extant corpus of skaldic poetry.

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. Kuhn, Hans (1899). 1983. Das Dróttkvætt. Heidelberg: Winter.
5. ÍF 26-8 = Heimskringla. Ed. Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson. 1941-51.
6. Hkr 1893-1901 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1893-1901. Heimskringla: Nóregs konunga sǫgur af Snorri Sturluson. 4 vols. SUGNL 23. Copenhagen: Møller.
7. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
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. ÓT 1958-2000 = Ólafur Halldórsson, ed. 1958-2000. Saga Óláfs Tryggvasonar en mesta. 3 vols. EA A 1-3. Copenhagen: Munksgaard (Reitzel).
11. Internal references
12. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Heimskringla’ 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=4> (accessed 24 April 2024)
13. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta’ 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=60> (accessed 24 April 2024)
14. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Hákonar saga 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=130> (accessed 24 April 2024)
15. Diana Whaley 2012, ‘ Glúmr Geirason, Lausavísa’ 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. 266. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1210> (accessed 24 April 2024)
16. R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Hákonarmál 2’ 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. 176.
17. Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, Lausavísur 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. 215.