Anon Brúðv 3VII/4 — fjöld* ‘a multitude’
Út gjörðiz atburðr
einnhverr um framan svein
í heimi — horskr maðr
hölda má sá við fjöld*
þar er mildi mærðvalds
móðir lýsti huggóð
dýra, sú er dýrst er,
drótta við sig*-Þrótt.
Einnhverr atburðr um framan svein gjörðiz út í heimi — sá horskr maðr má við fjöld* hölda —, þar er huggóð móðir mærðvalds drótta, sú er dýrst er, lýsti dýra mildi við sig*-Þrótt.
A certain event concerning an outstanding youth took place abroad [lit. out in the world] — that wise man can withstand a multitude of men — where the kind-hearted mother of the glory-ruler of mankind [= God (= Christ) > = Mary], who is the most noble one, manifested precious mercy to the battle-Þróttr <= Óðinn> [WARRIOR].
readings
[4] fjöld*: fjöldr 721
notes
[3-4] sá horskr maðr má við fjöld* hölda ‘that wise man can withstand a multitude of men’: This comment by the poet presumably anticipates the young man’s later withstanding pressure from his family and society in general to get married. — [4] fjöld* (f. sg.) ‘multitude’: All mss have fjöldr. Jón Helgason printed the reading from 721 without comment. The word fjöldr cannot be found in any dictionary and is emended to fjöld here. Konráð Gíslason (1846, 76-7) pointed out that occasionally scribes added <r> before or after <ð> due to the similarity of the phonemes. That might be the case here.