Anon Nkt 51II/5 — grœr ‘grows’
Þess es austr
í Ósló bœ
lofðungs lík
lagit í kistu.
Nú grœr jǫrð
of jǫfurs beinum
at Hallvarðs
hári kirkju.
Lík þess lofðungs es lagit í kistu austr í Ósló bœ. Nú grœr jǫrð of beinum jǫfurs at hári Hallvarðskirkju.
The corpse of that king is laid in a coffin east in the city of Oslo. Now earth grows over the prince’s bones in lofty Hallvardskirken.
notes
[5] nú grœr jǫrð ‘now earth grows’: This statement is incorrect, because Sigurðr was interred in the stone wall of the church, outside the choir on the south side (ÍF 28, 276). According to Bjarni Aðalbjarnarson (ÍF 28, 276-7 n. 6), this royal burial custom is not attested elsewhere, and he suggests that Sigurðr and his men may have seen such tombs during their journey to Palestine. Other kings who were entombed similarly in Hallvardskirken were Sigurðr’s son, Magnús inn blindi ‘the Blind’ (d. 1139), Ingi Haraldsson (d. 1161) and Hákon ungi ‘the Young’ Hákonarson (d. 1257).