Brann í bœ fyr sunnan
bjartr eldr Hróiskeldu;
rǫnn lét ræsir nenninn
reykvell ofan fella.
Lôgu landsmenn gnógir;
ló hel sumum frelsi;
drósk harmvesalt hýski
hljótt til skógs á flótta.
Bjartr eldr brann í bœ fyr sunnan Hróiskeldu; nenninn ræsir lét reykvell rǫnn fella ofan. Gnógir landsmenn lôgu; hel ló sumum frelsi; harmvesalt hýski drósk hljótt til skógs á flótta.
Bright fire burned in the settlement south of Roskilde; the vigorous ruler caused smouldering buildings to collapse. Plenty of countrymen lay [dead]; death deprived some of their freedom; the grief-stricken household crawled silently to the forest in flight.
[6] hel: hels Hr
[6] hel ‘death’: Hel, the daughter of Loki, presided over the realm of death in ON mythology. As such, the pers. n. Hel became synonymous with ‘death’, and it is unclear whether the word is used here in the former or the latter meaning.