Anon Óldr 5^I

Vestr helt varga nistir
víðfrægr lagar skíðum
(ár* rauð ungr í þeiri)
Englands á vit (branda).
Fyrr vann ǫðlingr errinn,
(engr) an Nóreg fengi,
hár* (vas hilmi dýrri)
hefnð síns fǫður efnða.

{Víðfrægr nistir varga} helt {skíðum lagar} vestr á vit Englands; ungr rauð branda ár* í þeiri. Hár*, errinn ǫðlingr vann hefnð fǫður síns efnða fyrr an fengi Nóreg; engr vas dýrri hilmi.

{The wide-renowned wolves’ provider} [WARRIOR] steered {skis of the ocean} [SHIPS] westwards towards England; young, he reddened swords early on that [journey]. The tall, vigorous prince succeeded in carrying out vengeance for his father before he would take Norway; no-one was worthier than the ruler.

Mss: Bb(112va)

Readings: [3] ár*: ‘árr’ Bb    [7] hár*: ‘harr’ Bb

Editions: Skj AI, 574, Skj BI, 568, Skald I, 275, NN §§318, 329, 2984C; Munch and Unger 1847, 121, 140, Gullberg 1875, 12, 24-5.

Notes: [All]: The action of the poem moves from Garðar (Russia) to the British Isles, and raids in north-west Europe such as are specified in Hfr Óldr 1-4 are not narrated; cf. HSt Rst 3. Óláfr’s revenge for his father Tryggvi is also associated with an attack on England in HSt Rst 4; see Note to Rst 4/2, 4. — [1]: The line is almost identical to Þham Magndr 2/1^II. — [3] ár* ‘early’: The adv. could alternatively be taken with the principal clause (so Skj B). Ms. ‘árr’ has been emended here: a slight emendation, given the frequency with which the scribe writes double consonants for single (see hár ‘tall’ in l. 8) or the reverse (see sts 7/3 létti ‘it stopped’, 10/3 skreytta ‘adorned’, 21/3 grimmr ‘cruel’ and 24/3 hrǫnnum ‘waves’ and Notes to these); see also Note to st. 7/8 vápnbautinn ‘weapon-beaten’ for scribal handling of the unstressed suffix -in(n). — [3] í þeiri ‘on that [journey]’: The pronoun þeiri is f. dat. sg., so the omitted noun is likely to be fǫr f. ‘journey’. This is assumed by Finnur Jónsson, who translates på det tog ‘on that journey’ in Skj B, and it is supported by the occurrence of í þeiri, with the same meaning, in Mark Eirdr 10/8^II. — [4] á vit Englands ‘towards England’: Óláfr’s raids in England are confirmed by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle s. a. 993 [991] (‘A’) and 994 (‘E’, ‘F’). — [7] hár* ‘tall’: See Note to l. 3 ár above. — [8]: The line is almost identical to HSt Rst 4/4.

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. Munch, P. A. and C. R. Unger, eds. 1847. Oldnorsk læsebog med tilhörende glossarium. Christiania (Oslo): Dahl.
6. Gullberg, H., ed. 1875. Óláfs drápa Tryggvasonar: fragment ur “Bergsboken”. Lund: Berling.
7. Internal references
8. Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 3’ 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. 900.
9. Rolf Stavnem (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallar-Steinn, Rekstefja 4’ 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. 901.
10. Jayne Carroll (ed.) 2009, ‘Markús Skeggjason, Eiríksdrápa 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. 442.
11. Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Þorkell hamarskáld, Magnússdrápa 2’ 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. 411.
12. Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson, Óláfsdrápa 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. 392.