Þyrmðit Baldrs of barmi
(berg) solgnum þar dolgi
(hristusk bjǫrg ok brustu)
— brann upphiminn — manna.
Mjǫk frák móti hrøkkva
myrkbeins Haka reinar,
þás vígligan, vagna
vátt, sinn bana þátti.
Of barmi Baldrs þyrmðit þar solgnum dolgi manna; berg hristusk ok bjǫrg brustu; upphiminn brann. Frák vátt vagna myrkbeins reinar Haka hrøkkva mjǫk móti, þás þátti vígligan bana sinn.
The brother of Baldr [= Þórr] did not spare there the greedy enemy of men [GIANT = Hrungnir]; rocks were shaken and crags burst apart; the heaven above burnt. I have heard that the knower of killer whales of the dark bone of the land of Haki <sea-king> [SEA > ROCK > GIANTS > GIANT = Hrungnir] moved very violently in opposition, when he recognised his warlike slayer.
[1] of: af W
[1] of barmi Baldrs ‘the brother of Baldr [= Þórr]’: Baldr was Þórr’s half-brother; Óðinn was the father of both gods, but Þórr’s mother was Jǫrð (see Note to st. 15/7), while Baldr’s was Óðinn’s wife Frigg (SnE 2005, 45-8; Vsp 53). Barmi is a poetic word for brother, and means lit. ‘child nourished at the same breast’, untrue in this case. Cf. Bragi Rdr 3/8 of barmar Erps ‘the brothers of Erpr’, also used of half-brothers. Of is here the pleonastic particle (LP: 1. of C), sometimes found in early poetry with nouns of kinship or close friendship; in Haustl there are instances of this usage in of rúni Þórs ‘confidant of Þórr [= Loki]’ st. 8/5, of rúna trolls trjónu ‘friend of the troll of the muzzle [= Mjǫllnir > = Þórr]’ st. 17/7 and here; cf. Kuhn (1929a) and Fidjestøl (1989b).