Þhorn Harkv 11^I

‘Á baki létu blíkja         — barðir vôru grjóti —
Sváfnis salnæfrar         seggir hyggjandi.
Œstusk austkylfur         ok of Jaðar hljópu
heim ór Hafrsfirði         ok hugðu á mjǫðdrykkju.

‘Hyggjandi seggir létu {{Sváfnis sal}næfrar} blíkja á baki; vôru barðir grjóti. Austkylfur œstusk ok hljópu of Jaðar, heim ór Hafrsfirði, ok hugðu á mjǫðdrykkju.

‘Sensible men made {shingles {of the hall of Sváfnir <= Óðinn>}} [(lit. ‘hall-shingles of Sváfnir’) = Valhǫll > SHIELDS] gleam on their backs [in flight]; they were pelted with stones. The east-cudgels were stirred up and ran across Jæren, homewards from Hafrsfjorden, and concentrated on mead-drinking.

Mss: Kˣ(62v), F(10vb), J1ˣ(35r), J2ˣ(36r) (Hkr); 51ˣ(4v-5r), FskBˣ(5v-6r), 302ˣ(8r), FskAˣ(17), 52ˣ(7v), 301ˣ(6r) (Fsk); Flat(76vb) (Flat); R(1r) (ll. 1-4), Tˣ(2v) (ll. 1-4), W(9), U(2r) (SnE)

Readings: [1] létu: leitu J1ˣ;    blíkja: so F, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 51ˣ, FskBˣ, 302ˣ, FskAˣ, 52ˣ, 301ˣ, R, Tˣ, W, U, blika Kˣ, Flat    [3] Sváfnis: Svǫlnis F, U, ‘svafins’ FskAˣ;    sal‑: sval‑ J1ˣ, Tˣ    [4] hyggjandi: so F, J2ˣ, 51ˣ, FskBˣ, 302ˣ, FskAˣ, 52ˣ, 301ˣ, Flat, R, W, U, ‘hyggiando’ Kˣ, Tˣ    [5] Œstusk: œstisk J1ˣ, J2ˣ;    aust‑: auð‑ F, austr J1ˣ, J2ˣ, Flat;    ‑kylfur: so F, J1ˣ, FskAˣ, 52ˣ, 301ˣ, ‘‑kylpur’ Kˣ, ‘kylfr’ J2ˣ, ‘‑kylgur’ 51ˣ, FskBˣ, 302ˣ, om. Flat    [6] ok of Jaðar (‘ok vm jaðar’): um Jaðarbyggðir Flat    [7] ‑firði: so all others, ‘fyrþi’ Kˣ    [8] mjǫð‑: mjaðar 51ˣ, FskBˣ, 302ˣ

Editions: Skj AI, 26, Skj BI, 23, Skald I, 15; Hkr 1777-1826, I, 96, VI, 18, Hkr 1868, 62, Hkr 1893-1901, I, 125, IV, 36, ÍF 26, 117, Hkr 1991, I, 72 (HHárf ch. 18/19), F 1871, 49; Fsk 1902-3, 17 (ch. 2), ÍF 29, 68-9 (ch. 3); Fms 10, 191, Fms 12, 226, Flat 1860-8, I, 574 (HarHárf); SnE 1848-87, I, 34-5, SnE 1931, 13, SnE 2005, 7; Möbius 1860, 229, Jón Helgason 1946, 144-5, Jón Helgason 1968, 18.

Context: In Fsk, Hkr and Flat, as for st. 7. In SnE (Gylf), ll. 1-4 are cited as evidence for the remark that Valhǫll was roofed with shields.

Notes: [1-4]: In SnE the helmingr is attributed to Þjóðólfr ór Hvini. — [3] Sváfnis ‘of Sváfnir <= Óðinn>’: Etymologically ‘one who puts to sleep’, i.e. kills (see Note to Þul Óðins 4/3^III). On the variant reading Svǫlnis, another name for Óðinn, see Note to Þul Óðins 6/5^III and Falk (1924, 29). — [3] salnæfrar ‘hall-shingles’: Birch bark was used for laths under the thatch (cf. Note to ÞjóðA Magn 6/7^II). The kenning derives its meaning from the belief that the roof of Valhǫll was formed of gilded shields (see Grí 9/5; SnE 2005, 7). — [4] hyggjandi ‘sensible’: The meaning is clearly ironic, given the open contempt for the enemy throughout the stanza. — [5] austkylfur ‘the east-cudgels’: A dismissive term for Kjǫtvi’s fleeing men: like ModIcel. drumbur, kylfa signifies both a piece of wood and a contemptible person. As for aust- ‘east’, regardless of whether Kjǫtvi was king of Agðir (Agder), as Hkr indicates, his men’s flight across Jaðarr (Jæren) indicates that their home was (south and) east of Hafrsfjǫrðr (Hafrsfjorden). See also Notes to sts 7/4, 7/5 (austan) and 9/3. — [6] Jaðar ‘Jæren’: The region along the North Sea coast south of Stavanger.

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. SnE 1848-87 = Snorri Sturluson. 1848-87. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar: Edda Snorronis Sturlaei. Ed. Jón Sigurðsson et al. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Legatum Arnamagnaeanum. Rpt. Osnabrück: Zeller, 1966.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. 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.
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. Hkr 1991 = Bergljót S. Kristjánsdóttir et al., eds. 1991. Heimskringla. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Mál og menning.
9. F 1871 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1871. Fríssbók: Codex Frisianus. En samling af norske konge-sagaer. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.
10. Fsk 1902-3 = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1902-3. Fagrskinna: Nóregs kononga tal. SUGNL 30. Copenhagen: Møller.
11. SnE 1931 = Snorri Sturluson. 1931. Edda Snorra Sturlusonar. Ed. Finnur Jónsson. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
12. ÍF 29 = Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum; Fagrskinna—Nóregs konungatal. Ed. Bjarni Einarsson. 1985.
13. SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
14. Möbius, Theodor. 1860. Edda Sæmundar hins fróða. Mit einem Anhang bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig: Hinrichs.
15. Falk, Hjalmar. 1924. Odensheite. Skrifter utg. av Videnskapsselskapet i Kristiania. II. Hist.-filos. kl. 1924, 10. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
16. Jón Helgason, ed. 1968. Skjaldevers. 3rd edn. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
17. Jón Helgason. 1946. ‘Haraldskvæði’. Tímarit Máls og menningar, 131-46.
18. Hkr 1777-1826 = Schöning, Gerhard et al., eds. 1777-1826. Heimskringla edr Noregs konunga-sögor. 6 vols. Copenhagen: Stein.
19. Hkr 1868 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1868. Heimskringla eller Norges kongesagaer af Snorre Sturlassøn. Christiania (Oslo): Brøgger & Christie.
20. Internal references
21. Edith Marold 2017, ‘Snorra Edda (Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál)’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
22. (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)
23. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Flateyjarbók’ 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=44> (accessed 24 April 2024)
24. (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 24 April 2024)
25. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Gylfaginning’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=113> (accessed 24 April 2024)
26. (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Haralds þáttr hárfagra’ 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=137> (accessed 24 April 2024)
27. (forthcoming), ‘ Heimskringla, Haralds saga hárfagra’ 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=140> (accessed 24 April 2024)
28. Edith Marold 2017, ‘(Biography of) Þjóðólfr ór Hvini’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 431.
29. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Óðins nǫfn 4’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 741.
30. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Óðins nǫfn 6’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 746.
31. Not published: do not cite ()
32. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2009, ‘Þjóðólfr Arnórsson, Stanzas about Magnús Óláfsson in Danaveldi 6’ 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. 93-4.