Harðgǫrvan lét hjǫrvi
holms verða Týr sverða
vind á víðu sundi
vígþey Heðins meyjar,
áðr an Ormi næði
Eirekr eða hlut meira;
mǫrg óð bitr í blóði
benkneif fyr Ôleifi.
Týr sverða lét vind meyjar Heðins, vígþey, verða harðgǫrvan hjǫrvi á víðu sundi holms, áðr an Eirekr næði Ormi eða meira hlut; mǫrg bitr benkneif óð í blóði fyr Ôleifi.
The Týr <god> of swords [WARRIOR] made the wind of the maiden of Heðinn <legendary hero> [= Hildr > BATTLE], war-breeze [BATTLE], become hard-fought with the sword on the wide sound of the islet, before Eiríkr got Ormr (‘Serpent’) and the better lot; many a biting wound-hook [SWORD] waded in blood before Óláfr.
[8] ben‑: bein‑ 54, Bb, ‘b[…]n’ 325VIII 2 g
[8] benkneif ‘wound-hook [SWORD]’: Kneif f. ‘hook, claw, pincer’ (?), probably related to knífr ‘knife’ (ÍO: kneif), is well-attested in the modern language but rare in OIcel. It occurs as a byname in Ldn (ÍF 1, 51, 340-3), where it is spelt variously kneif and (the younger form) hneif, and as a variant reading in GSúrs Lv 27/5V (Gísl 30). Sword-kennings based on words for tools are fairly common, e.g. bengrefill ‘wound-hoe’ Egill Hfl 8/3V (Eg 41), and see Meissner 156. LP: benkneif suggests sårkniv(?), spyd ‘wound-knife(?), spear’.