Þham Magndr 5^II

Uppgǫngu réð yngvi
ítr með helming lítinn;
áræði hykk áðan
Eysteins fǫður treystask.
Hôtt gall hjǫrr, en sótti
— hneit egg við fjǫr seggja —
— malmsœkir rauð mæki —
Magnús í lið gǫgnum.

Ítr yngvi réð uppgǫngu með lítinn helming; hykk {fǫður Eysteins} áðan treystask áræði. Hjǫrr gall hôtt, en Magnús sótti í gǫgnum lið; egg hneit við fjǫr seggja; {malmsœkir} rauð mæki.

The splendid king advanced ashore with a small unit; I believe {Eysteinn’s father} [= Magnús] earlier put faith in his courage. The sword resounded loudly, and Magnús advanced through the troop; the blade thrust at the lives of men; {the weapon-attacker} [WARRIOR] reddened the sword.

Mss: Mork(24v) (Mork); H(93v), Hr(64ra) (H-Hr)

Readings: [1] réð: réð ek H    [7] mæki: mækir Hr

Editions: Skj AI, 439, Skj BI, 408, Skald I, 201, NN §806; Mork 1867, 155, Mork 1928-32, 335-6, Andersson and Gade 2000, 312, 488 (Mberf); Fms 7, 71 (Mberf ch. 36).

Context: Magnús’s last stand in Ulster on 24 August 1103. The Norw. troops had disembarked from their ships and advanced inland to meet a unit of their men who were bringing supplies from Connacht. They came under a surprise attack by the men of Ulster, and a mighty battle ensued.

Notes: [1-2]: These two ll. echo Arn Hardr 10/1-2. That poem was composed in memory of Magnús’s grandfather, Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, who fell at the battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September 1066. Þorkell must have known Arnórr’s encomium and been struck by the similarities of the circumstances surrounding the two battles (leaving the ships, advancing inland and being unprepared for battle). Hence the borrowing was likely intentional. — [2] helming ‘unit’: See Note to Valg Har 4/1. — [3] áðan ‘earlier’: Skj B takes this with the first cl., which creates a convoluted w. o. (see NN §806).

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. Fms = Sveinbjörn Egilsson et al., eds. 1825-37. Fornmanna sögur eptir gömlum handritum útgefnar að tilhlutun hins norræna fornfræða fèlags. 12 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
6. 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.
7. Mork 1928-32 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1928-32. Morkinskinna. SUGNL 53. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
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. Kari Ellen Gade 2009, ‘(Biography of) Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson’ 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. 35-56.
11. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Magnúss saga berfœtts’ 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=144> (accessed 1 May 2024)
12. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Arnórr jarlaskáld Þórðarson, Haraldsdrápa 10’ 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. 271.
13. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Valgarðr á Velli, Poem about Haraldr harðráði 4’ 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. 303.