Fast bað fylking hrausta
friðvandr jǫfurr standa;
hamalt sýndisk mér hǫmlur
hildings vinir skilda.
Rammsyndan lauk rǫndum
ráðandi manndáða
nýtr fyr Nizi útan
naðr, svát hver tók aðra.
Friðvandr jǫfurr bað hrausta fylking standa fast; mér sýndisk vinir hildings skilda hǫmlur hamalt. Nýtr ráðandi manndáða lauk rammsyndan naðr rǫndum fyr útan Nizi, svát hver tók aðra.
The peace-concerned ruler ordered the valiant troop to stand firm; I witnessed [lit. it appeared to me that] the friends of the commander setting shields at the rowing-positions, in a wedge-shape. The excellent performer of manly deeds [RULER] enclosed the strong-swimming serpent with shields off the Nissan, so that each one abutted the next.
[8] naðr ‘serpent’: Naðr (cf. Engl. adder) means ‘snake, serpent’, and was used as a poetic synonym for ships named Ormr ‘Serpent’, as well as for the generic word dreki ‘dragon’, hence ‘dragon-ship, warship’ (see LP: naðr). The use of naðr here and in Arn Hardr to refer to a dragon-ship or warship is therefore not unexpected, especially when qualified by rammsyndan ‘powerfully swimming’ (l. 5).