Hákonarmál

Hákonarmál (Old Norse: 'The Song of Hákon')^[1] is a skaldic poem which the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir composed about the fall of the Norwegian king Hákon the Good at the battle of Fitjar and his reception in Valhalla. This poem emulates Eiríksmál and is intended to depict the Christian Hákon as a friend to the pagan gods. The poem is preserved in its entirety and is widely considered to be of great beauty.

These are the last three stanzas.

Góðu dœgri

verðr sá gramr of borinn,

es sér getr slíkan sefa.

Hans aldar

mun æ vesa

at góðu getit.

Mun óbundinn

á ýta sjǫt

Fenrisulfr of fara,

áðr jafngóðr

á auða trǫð

konungmaðr komi.

Deyr fé,

deyja frændr

eyðisk land ok láð.

Síz Hákon fór

með heiðin goð,

mǫrg es þjóð of þéuð.

On a good day

is born that great-souled lord

who hath a heart like his;

aye will his times

be told of on earth,

and men will speak of his might.

Unfettered will fare

the Fenriswolf,

and fall on the fields of men,

ere that there cometh

a kingly lord

as good, to stand in his stead.

Cattle die

and kinsmen die,

land and lieges are whelmed;

since Hákon

to the heathen gods fared

many a host is harried. – Hollander's translation

On a good day

will such a king be born

who leaves such a sorrow.

His reign

will forever be

mentioned as good only.

Unfettered will

on earth

Fenrisulfr go,

before as good

on the empty ground

a king will come.

Cattle die,

kinsmen die,

land and sea are destroyed.

Since Hákon left

with heathen gods

many people are oppressed. – Literal translation

The last stanza is clearly related to a stanza from Hávamál. The traditional view is that Hákonarmál borrowed from that poem but it is also possible that the relation is reversed or that both poems drew on a third source.

References

^ Orchard 1997, p. 71.

Bibliography

Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-34520-5.

External links

Hákonarmál in Old Norse from heimskringla.no
English translation and commentary by Lee M. Hollander
Samuel Laing's translation (within its Heimskringla context)
Two editions of the poem

[FOOTNOTEOrchard199771-1] Orchard 1997, p. 71.

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