Jǫfrum varð, en urðu
allhvasst Danir falla,
blóðhelsingja bræðir,
brœðr Sigvarðar, œðri.
Bræðir blóðhelsingja varð œðri jǫfrum, en Danir urðu falla allhvasst brœðr Sigvarðar.
The feeder of blood-geese [RAVENS/EAGLES > WARRIOR] overcame princes, and the Danes had to fall most rapidly before the brother of Sigurðr [= Eiríkr].
[4] brœðr: ‘broðr’ FskAˣ
[4] brœðr (dat. sg.) ‘before the brother’: The form brœðr usually denotes nom. or acc. pl., but is commonly found as dat. sg. in skaldic poetry (Finnur Jónsson 1901, 65; LP: bróðir). The nom. pl. brœðr (Sigvarðar) ‘brothers (of Sigurðr)’ could function grammatically in apposition with Danir ‘the Danes’, but not with good sense. On the use of the dat. with falla to mean ‘fall before’, see NN §§1113C, 2463E.
case: dat.