Arn Hryn 14II/8 — ǫrva ‘of arrows’
Hefnir, fenguð yrkisefni,
Ôleifs; gervik slíkt at môlum;
Hlakkar lætr þú hrælǫg drekka
hauka; nú mun kvæði aukask.
Fjórar hefr þú, randa rýrir
reyrar setrs, á einum vetri
— allvaldr, estu ofvægr kallaðr —
ǫrva hríðir frœkn of gǫrvar.
Hefnir Ôleifs, fenguð yrkisefni; gervik slíkt at môlum; þú lætr hauka Hlakkar drekka hrælǫg; nú mun kvæði aukask. Rýrir setrs reyrar randa, þú hefr frœkn of gǫrvar fjórar hríðir ǫrva á einum vetri; allvaldr, estu kallaðr ofvægr.
Avenger of Óláfr [= Magnús], you furnished matter for the verse; I fashion such [deeds] into words; you allow hawks of Hlǫkk <valkyrie> [RAVENS/EAGLES] to drink the corpse-sea [BLOOD]; now the poem will swell. Diminisher of the home of the reed of shields [SWORD > SHIELD > WARRIOR], you have, daring, performed four blizzards of arrows [BATTLES] in one season; mighty ruler, you are called invincible.
readings
[8] ǫrva hríðir: ‘aurferd hirder’ 1005ˣ, 19ˣ
notes
[5, 8] fjórar hríðir ǫrva ‘four blizzards of arrows [BATTLES]’: The ‘four battles’ fought in a single season (lit. ‘winter’) are probably those of Wollin (Jóm), Rügen (Ré), Århus (Áróss) and Lyrskovshede (Hlýrskógsheiðr), all fought in 1043, and the st. seems to have been understood so by Snorri (Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson, ÍF 28). The author of Knýtl, as the context there suggests, thought otherwise. That the victory at Lyrskovshede followed the sacking of Wollin/Jóm is probable (so all but one version of the Icel. annals for 1043, Storm 1888, 17, 108, 317 and 469, with p. 58 as the exception; Schreiner 1930-3, 39 favoured dating Lyrskovshede before Wollin).
kennings
- fjórar hríðir ǫrva — four blizzards of arrows [BATTLES]