Note to ÞjóðA Har 1II
[5, 6] frôn fǫx orms glóa ‘the gleaming manes of the serpent [dragon-ship] shine’: The reference must be to gold decoration, but it is uncertain whether it applies to the prow and stern of the ship, or only to the prow. (a) The version adopted above, that of E, H and probably Hr, has pl. fǫx glóa ‘manes glow’, and n. nom. pl. frn (ms. ‘fran’) ‘gleaming’ qualifying fǫx. The fact that frn is also found in F although it does not fit grammatically may add support to this reading, as does the praise of the ship’s pl. svírar ‘necks, stems’ in ll. 7-8. (b) The sg. fax glóar is found in Kˣ and F (J2ˣ has ‘fag gloar’), and in Kˣ and J2ˣ the adj. fráns qualifies orms, hence fax fráns orms glóar ‘the mane of the gleaming serpent glows’. This reading has logic on its side insofar as the ship is conceived as a dragon or serpent, and is adopted by most eds.