Eil Þdr 12III/2 — sverðs ‘of the sword [= Þórr and Þjálfi]’
Ok †sifuna† síðan
sverðs liðhat*ar gerðu
hlífar borðs við Hǫrða
harðgleypnis dyn barða,
áðr hylriðar hæði
hrjóðendr fjǫru þjóðar
við skyld-Breta skytju
skálleik Heðins reikar.
Ok síðan gerðu †sifuna† sverðs liðhat*ar dyn harðgleypnis borðs hlífar við Hǫrða barða, áðr hylriðar, hrjóðendr þjóðar fjǫru, hæði Heðins reikar skálleik við skyld-Breta skytju.
And afterwards the … haters of the help of the sword [= Þórr and Þjálfi] held a din of the harsh swallower of the board of defence [SHIELD > SWORD > BATTLE] against the Hǫrðar of precipices [GIANTS], before the pool-steppers [= Þórr and Þjálfi], the destroyers of the people of the shore [GIANTS], could engage in the game of the bowl of the hair-parting [HAT] of Heðinn <legendary hero> [(lit. ‘bowl-game of the hair-parting of Heðinn’) HELMET > BATTLE] against the kin-Britons of the markswoman [= Skaði] [GIANTS].
notes
[2] sverðs liðhat*ar ‘haters of the help of the sword [= Þórr and Þjálfi]’: The emendation from háttar/hattar to hatar ‘haters, enemies’ is necessary because neither háttar (gen. sg. of hôttr ‘custom, manner’ or nom./acc. pl. f. of háttr ‘dangerous’) nor hattar (gen. sg. of hǫttr ‘hat’) makes satisfactory sense. Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s (1851, 23) emendation of the word to liðhatar ‘enemies of help’ has been adopted by all eds except Kiil (1956; see below). The paraphrase sverðs liðhatar ‘haters of the help of the sword’ refers to Þórr and Þjálfi, who enter the realm of the giants unarmed. The expression cannot be called a kenning, since it does not follow a typical kenning pattern and also lacks a specific referent. Kiil (1956, 132) interprets liðháttar as ‘companionship’ and connects it to sifjaðir ‘joined’ (his conjecture for the mss’ ‘sifuna’).