Stundum vér til stikka;
styrr vex í Danmǫrku;
esat Sveins synir sáttir
at sinn fǫður dauðan.
Haraldr skal vígi verja
— þás vel tamiðr stikki —
jǫrð af œrnu magni
fyr ellifu brœðrum.
Vér stundum til stikka; styrr vex í Danmǫrku; synir Sveins esat sáttir at dauðan fǫður sinn. Haraldr skal verja jǫrð vígi af œrnu magni fyr ellifu brœðrum; þás stikki vel tamiðr.
We are pondering a poem; strife grows in Denmark; Sveinn’s sons are not reconciled after their father’s death. Haraldr must protect the land in battle with plenty of power against eleven brothers; now the poem is suitably prepared.
[8] fyr ellifu brœðrum ‘against eleven brothers’: These are the sons of Sveinn Úlfsson, being Knútr helgi ‘the Saint’ (r. 1080-6), Óláfr hungr ‘Hunger’ (r. 1086-95), Sveinn, Eiríkr inn góði ‘the Good’ (r. 1095-1103), Sigurðr, Benedikt, Bjǫrn, Guthormr, Eymundr, Nikulás (r. 1103-34) and Úlfr (or Ubbi). See ÍF 35, 135 and n. 1. See also Saxo 2005, II, 11, 7, 1, pp. 18-19.