Firrði hjǫrr við herðar
haus; sagði frið lausan
dylgju reyr it dýra;
drósk almr fyr grams hjalmi.
Norn kom flærð at fjǫrnis
(folktjald rufu) skjaldar;
sôr frák snǫrpum dreyra
seggjum (langbarðs eggjar).
Hjǫrr firrði haus við herðar; it dýra reyr dylgju sagði frið lausan; almr drósk fyr hjalmi grams. Norn skjaldar kom at flærð fjǫrnis; eggjar langbarðs rufu folktjald; frák sôr dreyra snǫrpum seggjum.
Sword removed skull from shoulders; the precious reed of enmity [SPEAR] pronounced peace over; the bow was drawn before the lord’s helmet. The norn of the shield [AXE] came to deceit of the helmet [BATTLE]; the edges of the sword ripped the battle-tent [SHIELD]; I have heard that wounds bled on keen warriors.
[6] skjaldar: ‘skialldir’ Bb
[5, 6] norn skjaldar ‘the norn of the shield [AXE]’: This is the sole example of norn ‘fate, weird sister’ as a base-word to an axe-kenning. Usually these kennings are based on words for, or names of, giantesses or troll-women (see Meissner 148). Hfr Lv 10/4V (Hallfr 13) suggests that to a Christian convert, at least, the norns were also baleful, and so could have been a suitable equivalent for these malevolent supernatural females. — [6] skjaldar ‘of the shield’: The ms. reading appears to be a corruption of an inflected form of skjǫldr m. ‘shield’, and the context and need for aðalhending suggest gen. sg. skjaldar rather than nom. pl. skildir.