ǪgmEyb Lv 1^VIII (Ǫrv 31)

The younger mss of Ǫrv continue with a number of narratives of Oddr’s encounters with powerful grotesque beings, which are not in 7 and 344a. The following lausavísur are attributed to the sinister and threatening Ǫgmundr Eyþjófsbani ‘Killer of Eyþjófr’, whom Oddr has been seeking ever since Ǫgmundr killed Oddr’s foster-brother Þórðr. Ms. 343a is the main ms. for these three stanzas.

Beiði ek Geirrøð         með goða hylli,
kappa inn stærsta,         koma mér at bjarga,
ok beðju mína         beint sem aðra;
þarf ek nú allra         þeira gengis.

Ek beiði Geirrøð með hylli goða, kappa inn stærsta, koma at bjarga mér, ok beðju mína beint sem aðra; nú þarf ek gengis allra þeira.

I implore Geirrøðr, with the favour of the gods, the greatest champion, to come and rescue me, and my bed-fellow likewise along with the others; now I need the help of them all.

Mss: 343a(74r), 471(84v), 173ˣ(48v-49r) (Ǫrv)

Readings: [1] Beiði: bið 471, 173ˣ    [3] stærsta (‘stæzta’): sterka 173ˣ    [7] þarf ek nú allra: so 471, þvíat nú þarf ek allra 343a, 173ˣ

Editions: Skj AII, 296-7, Skj BII, 316, Skald II, 168; Ǫrv 1888, 135, FSGJ 2, 293-4.

Context: Oddr discovers that Ǫgmundr has increased his power by marrying Geirríðr, daughter of the giant Geirrøðr of Geirrøðargarðar, so he and his companions travel east to the Baltic (Austrvegr) to confront Ǫgmundr. They find him fishing in a small boat, but he rows quickly to shore when he sees them coming, and they meet on land.

Notes: [1] Geirrøð ‘Geirrøðr’: The Geirrøðr of this narrative seems to be modelled on the giant Geirrøðr of Geirrøðargarðar ‘Geirrøðr’s courtyards’ with whom the god Þórr had hostile dealings according to Eil Þdr^III (cf. Þdr 1/7-8^III for the mention of the giant’s name) and Skm (SnE 1998, I, 24-30). That Geirrøðr had two daughters, Gjálp and Greip, who intended serious mischief to Þórr, just as Geirríðr does to Oddr, according to the prose narrative. In each case the god or hero kills both the father and the daughter(s). — [2] með hylli goða ‘with the favour of the gods’: Skj B assumes that Geirrøðr possesses the favour of the gods (Geirrød, der besidder guders gunst ‘Geirrøðr, who possesses the gods’ favour’) and it is for this reason Ǫgmundr calls upon him. Another interpretation is that Ǫgmundr calls on Geirrøðr and also invokes the favour of the gods. The meaning is slightly different in each case. What is certain is that Ǫgmundr brands himself an obdurate pagan (in the eyes of a Christian audience) with these words. A number of formulae invoking the pre-Christian gods use the noun hylli (e.g. Óðins hylli ‘the favour of Óðinn’ Grí 51/6 (NK 67), Ullar hylli … oc allra goða ‘the favour of Ullr and all the gods’ Grí 42/1-2 (NK 65), til hylli Óðins ‘for Óðinn’s favour’ Hfr Lv 7/1-2^V (Hallfr 10). — [7]: The reading of 471 provides a metrical line, whereas that of 343a and 173ˣ is unmetrical.

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. NK = Neckel, Gustav and Hans Kuhn (1899), eds. 1983. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern. 2 vols. I: Text. 5th edn. Heidelberg: Winter.
5. SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
6. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
7. Ǫrv 1888 = Boer, R. C., ed. 1888. Ǫrvar-Odds saga. Leiden: Brill.
8. Internal references
9. 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Ǫrvar-Odds saga’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 804. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=35> (accessed 19 April 2024)
10. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál’ 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=112> (accessed 19 April 2024)
11. Not published: do not cite (ǪgmEyb^VIII)
12. Edith Marold with the assistance of Vivian Busch, Jana Krüger, Ann-Dörte Kyas and Katharina Seidel, translated from German by John Foulks 2017, ‘ Eilífr Goðrúnarson, Þórsdrápa’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 68. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1170> (accessed 19 April 2024)
13. Not published: do not cite ()
14. Edith Marold (ed.) 2017, ‘Eilífr Goðrúnarson, Þórsdrápa 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 75.
15. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2022, ‘Hallfreðar saga 10 (Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Lausavísur 7)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 884.