Hvégis, Draupnis drógar
dís — ramman spyrk vísa —
(sá ræðr) valdr (fyr veldi)
vagnbrautar mér fagnar.
Hvégis valdr vagnbrautar fagnar mér, dís drógar Draupnis; spyrk vísa ramman; sá ræðr fyr veldi.
In whatever way the ruler of the wagon-road [SKY/HEAVEN > = God] welcomes me, dís <minor female deity> of the drawing of Draupnir <mythical ring> [GOLD > WOMAN]; I hear the lord is powerful; he rules over the realm.
[1] Hvégis (‘hvegi er’): hneigi er Tˣ
[All]: The main subject of Ormr’s poem is unknown. The poet seems to be speculating about the welcome he anticipates receiving in heaven. If Ormr came from the Hebrides, where much of the population was Christian well before Christianity came to Norway and Iceland, it is likely that the referent of the kenning in ll. 3-4 is the Christian God, rather than Óðinn. Skj B is undecided, while Faulkes (SnE 1998, I, 180) suggests the helmingr may be about Óðinn ‘and perhaps refers to the poet’s reception in Valhǫll or heaven’.