Eigu skjól und skógi
skafnir snekkju stafnar;
læsir leiðangrs vísi
lǫnd herskipa brǫndum.
Almenningr liggr innan
— eið láta sér skeiðar
hábrynjaðar hlýja —
hverja vík í skerjum.
Skafnir stafnar snekkju eigu skjól und skógi; vísi leiðangrs læsir lǫnd brǫndum herskipa. Almenningr liggr innan hverja vík í skerjum; hábrynjaðar skeiðar láta eið hlýja sér.
The planed stems of the vessel get shelter in the lee of the wood; the fleet’s prince encloses the lands with the prows of warships. The host lies at anchor in every bay in the skerries; the longships, armoured around the oarports, let the headland protect them.
[7] hábrynjaðar ‘armoured around the oarports’: The adj. also occurs in Steinn Óldr 13/4 and Þfagr Sveinn 4/4. This translation assumes that the first element is from hár m. ‘oarport’ (see Note to st. 4/3, 4), but h(r) ‘high’ is also possible, as assumed in Skj B. The ‘armour’ is normally assumed to be the row of shields which could be set up when the ship was at anchor or under sail, though not when it was being rowed, and this seems correct in the absence of any archaeological evidence for defensive plating on Viking Age warships (see Jesch 2001a, 157-9).