Bjarkamál

"Bjarkamál" is an Old Norse poem telling the tale of Bödvar Bjarki, the most famous warrior at the court of the legendary Danish king Hrólf Kraki, and other warriors. In 1030, King Olaf II of Norway roused his outnumbered army at the Battle of Stiklestad with the "Bjarkamál", according to "Fóstbrœðra saga".

The poem text

Most of the poem is lost. Only fragments of it are preserved in "Skáldskaparmál" and in "Heimskringla". In Saxo Grammaticus' "Gesta Danorum" a Latin translation of the poem is found but it does probably not closely follow the original.

The following example may illustrate the difference between the original terse Old Norse and Saxo's elaborate translation.

References

* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/onp/onp03.htm The Old Lay of Biarki] Translation and commentary by Lee M. Hollander, includes translation of Axel Olrik's reconstruction
* [http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/bjm.html Bjarkamál] The remnants of the original text, two editions
* [http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/saxo/lat/or.dsr/2/7/index.htm Gesta Danorum, Liber 2, Caput 7] Saxo's Latin version (starting with "Ocius evigilet")
* [http://omacl.org/DanishHistory/book2.html The Danish History: Book Two] Translation of Saxo's version (starting with "Let him awake")