Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Sturla Þórðarson (Sturl)

13th century; volume 2; ed. Kari Ellen Gade;

1. Hrynhenda (Hryn) - 21


Skj poems:
1. Þverárvísur
2. Þorgilsdrápa
3. Hrynhenda
4. Hákonarkviða
5. Hrafnsmál
6. Hákonarflokkr
7. En drape om Magnús lagaböter
8. Lausavísur


Hrynhenda — Sturl HrynII




SkP info: II, 678

old edition introduction edition manuscripts transcriptions concordance search files

1 — Sturl Hryn 1II

edition interactive full text transcriptions old edition references concordance



Frægjan réð þik Vilhjálmr vígja,
varrbáls hötuðr, kardináli;
engi valdiz jafngóðr hingat
aldar gramr af páfa valdi.
Kórónu lét kristni stýrir,
kynprýddr jöfurr, yðr of skrýdda;
ramri grund hafið, ríkisvandar
reiðivaldr, með frægðum haldit.



Mss: F(114ra), E(182v), 42ˣ(172r), 81a(113vb), Flat(180va) (Hák)

Readings: [1] Frægjan: Frægan 81a;    réð: lét E    [2] varr‑: ‘vor’ 42ˣ;    hötuðr: hvötuðr E, ‘haurauðr’ 42ˣ    [3] valdiz: vandiz E;    hingat: so all others, þangat F    [5] kristni: kristin E;    stýrir: prýði 42ˣ    [6] ‑prýddr: ‑prúðr 42ˣ, ‑bryddr Flat;    jöfurr: so all others, om. F;    skrýdda: ‘skrdda’ Flat    [7] ramri: gramr í E;    grund: grundu E, 42ˣ, 81a

Editions: Skj: Sturla Þórðarson, 3. Hrynhenda 1: AII, 102, BII, 113, Skald II, 60; F 1871, 531, E 1916, 622-3, Hák 1910-86, 598, Flat 1860-8, III, 171.

Context: The st. documents the crowning of King Hákon in Bergen in the summer of 1247.

Notes: [All]: For this event, see also Sturl Hákkv 25-33. — [All]: The st. is attributed to Óláfr hvítaskáld Þórðarson (Ólhv) in Flat (Flat III, 1860-8, 171). — [1] Vilhjálmr ‘William’: Cardinal William of Sabina (Vilhjálmr) was a special emissary of Pope Innocent IV, sent to Norway in 1246 (see Notes to Sturl Hákkv 25/15 and 25/16). Hákon was the illegitimate son of King Hákon Sverrisson and needed the Church’s recognition to secure his claim to the throne. He had been trying to get the Pope’s approval since the 1220s, first through the Norw. bishops, and then by writing directly to Innocent IV. He was the third king of Norway who was crowned by a representative of the Church. The first one was Magnús Erlingsson, who was crowned in 1163 or 1164, the second Sverrir Siguðarson, Hákon’s grandfather, who forced the Norw. bishops to crown him in 1194 (Lunden 1976, 98-9). — [2] varrbáls ‘of the sea-flame’: Vörr means ‘wake of a ship’ or ‘stroke of the oar’, but in the kenning varrbál it means ‘sea’. See also st. 19/4 below. — [5] stýrir kristni ‘leader of Christianity [CARDINAL]’: Sturla could possibly be referring to Pope Innocent IV rather than to Cardinal William, although that seems unlikely. The Pope had given his consent to the crowning, but the Cardinal was present during the ceremony. — [7-8]: Sturla is referring to the fact that when Hákon was crowned he had already been king of Norway for thirty years, since 1217.
