Þat frák enn,
at Aðils fjǫrvi
vitta véttr
of viða skyldi.
Ok dáðgjarn
af drasils bógum
Freys ôttungr
falla skyldi.
Ok við aur
ægir hjarna
bragnings burs
of blandinn varð.
Ok dáðsæll
deyja skyldi
Ála dolgr
at Uppsǫlum.
Þat frák enn, at véttr vitta skyldi of viða fjǫrvi Aðils. Ok dáðgjarn ôttungr Freys skyldi falla af bógum drasils. Ok ægir hjarna burs bragnings varð of blandinn við aur. Ok dáðsæll dolgr Ála skyldi deyja at Uppsǫlum.
I have learned, further, that the creature of charms [SORCERESS] had to destroy the life of Aðils. And the deed-eager descendant of Freyr [= Swedish king] had to fall off the back of the steed. And the sea [fluid] of the brains of the son of the ruler [RULER] was blended with mud. And the deed-fortunate enemy of Áli had to die at Uppsala.
[10] ægir: so F, ægis Kˣ, 521ˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ, 761aˣ, ægis corrected from ægir papp18ˣ, ‘ægist’ R685ˣ
[10] ægir hjarna ‘the sea [fluid] of the brains’: The mss give either ægis (Kˣ, J1ˣ, J2ˣ) or ‘ø̨ger’ (normalised ægir) (F). Most eds have selected the F reading and conjoined ægir ‘sea’ and hjarna, as a gen. attribute, to form a kenning in which hjarna is taken to mean ‘skull’ and the kenning referent as ‘brain’, although hjarni itself normally means ‘brains’ and the kenning is unparalleled. Meissner suggests regarding it instead as a free composition (Meissner 129), and this is the solution tentatively adopted here.