ǪrvOdd Lv 14VIII (Ǫrv 47)/2 — Skíðu ‘Skien’
Sjólfr, vartu eigi suðr á Skíðu,
þar er konungar kníðu hjálma.
Óðum dreyra, svá at í ökla tók;
víg vakða ek; vartu eigi þar.
Sjólfr, vartu eigi suðr á Skíðu, þar er konungar kníðu hjálma. Óðum dreyra, svá at tók í ökla; ek vakða víg; vartu eigi þar.
Sjólfr, you were not south at Skien, where kings struck helmets. We waded in blood so that it came up to our ankles; I aroused fighting; you were not there.
readings
[2] Skíðu: so 343a, skiði 7, 471, skeiði 344a
notes
[2] Skíðu ‘Skien’: If this, the reading of 343a, is adopted, the stanza refers to Skien (ON Skíða), a place in Telemark, southern Norway, but if Skíði, the reading of 7 and 471 is followed, then the location of the action mentioned here is on the island of Skye (ON Skíð) in the Hebrides. Most mss of the saga text (Ǫrv 1888, 54, 55, 57, 86, 87) support the former reading, in that the p. n. Skíða is mentioned several times, both in the story of Oddr’s encounter with the viking Sóti and in connection with what happens shortly after his dealings with another viking, Skolli, in Northumberland (see Ǫrv 44 Note to [All]). After this, according to 344a, Oddr’s party sailed south to Skien (ok sigldu þaðan suðr til Skíðu, Ǫrv 1888, 86). The reading Skíðu is adopted by Edd. Min. and in Ǫrv 1888 and 1892, as well as in the present edn. On the other hand, it is just possible that an earlier version of the story extended Oddr’s adventures in the British Isles to the island of Skye. Skj B and Skald prefer this view, and read Skíði here.