Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.2003, Síða 324
310
Bjami Einarsson
not have been either libellous or obscene to be perceived as an insult by
the husband.
Another case of mansgngsdråpa is found in Hallfredar saga where
Ingolfr, the son of borsteinn, the chief in Vatnsdalr, after a romantic en-
counter with ValgerSr Ottarsdottir at a ball game, begins visiting her.
This annoys her father very much, and after Ingolfr has declined his of-
fer to marry his daughter, Ottarr asks borsteinn to intervene. The result
is that Ingolfr discontinues his visits “for the time being”, but then he
composes a mansgngsdråpa about ValgerSr. This makes Ottarr again
very angry and he goes to see borsteinn and asks to be allowed to sum-
mon his son. borsteinn says that he does not think this would be advis-
able. In the end Ottarr accepts borsteinn’s offer that he give judgment
himself. Then borsteinn disappoints Ottarr and grants him a small sum
of money as compensation and at the same time orders him to seli his
property and move out of the district. In Vatnsdæla saga, which is
mainly about Ingolfr’s family in Vatnsdalr, there is another version of
this episode. Here Ottarr takes his case all the way to court, but Ingolfr
and his men break up the court and put an end to the proceedings. To
break up a court by violence, called at hleypa upp dominum, is known
in other sagas of Icelanders.
Next we have the testimony of Egils saga. In Ch. 2 the skald Qlvir
hnufa sees Solveig, the daughter of Earl Atli hinn mjovi, and falls pas-
sionately in love with her. Qlvir asks for the hånd of Solveig, but the
Earl considers it inappropriate owing to rank and tums down the pro-
posal. After that Qlvir composes many mansgngskvædi about Solveig.
It is told that Qlvir was so infatuated with Solveig that he abandoned his
habitual viking expeditions. Later, in Ch. 4, the sons of Earl Atli raid the
home of Qlvir intending to kill him. They attack in such strength that
Qlvir can offer no resistance and flees to save his life. He goes to King
Haraldr, who accepts him as his follower, and for a long time Qlvir
stays with the king and becomes his skald.
In the second case of mansgngr in Egils saga, the reader is at last pre-
sented with the poetry in question. In Ch. 56 we are told about Egill’s
strange case of depression. His lifelong friend Arinbjgrn goes to him and
asks about the reason for his apparent sadness: “although you have cer-
tainly suffered a great loss by the death of your brother borolfr, it is man-
ly to endure it; life must go on; by the way, have you composed some-
thing? - Let me hear it”. Egill said that he had recently composed this: