Síðan vas, þats sunnr með láði
siklingr ýtti flota miklum;
skíði vas þá skriðar of auðit
skorðu; renndi Visundr norðan.
Samnask bað til hverrar hǫmlu
— hræðask menn við ættar klæði
Gjúka; þótti gǫfugt eiki
girzkum malmi — Peitu hjalma.
Síðan vas, þats siklingr ýtti miklum flota sunnr með láði; þá vas skíði skorðu of auðit skriðar; Visundr renndi norðan. Bað hjalma Peitu samnask til hverrar hǫmlu; menn hræðask við klæði ættar Gjúka; eiki þótti gǫfugt girzkum malmi.
Later it happened that the sovereign launched a great fleet south along the coast; then the ski of the ship’s prop [SHIP] was granted motion; Visundr (‘Bison’) charged from the north. He [Magnús] urged helmets from Poitou to rally at every rowing position; men fear the raiment of the offspring of Gjúki <legendary king> [ARMOUR]; the oaken vessel seemed splendid with its Russian metal.
[8] Peitu: ‘petu’ Flat
[8] hjalma Peitu ‘helmets from Poitou’: The phrase is probably used metonymically here to refer to Magnús’s helmeted warriors. This is not paralleled elsewhere, although the personal names Hjálmr and Hjálmarr may have arisen from the notion that a man was the ‘helmet’ of his people. There is a precedent for the mention of a ‘Poitou-made helmet’, in Sigv Nesv 15/3, 4I (1016), and a French helmet appears in Sigv Nesv 5/6I. Arms from Poitou were apparently renowned, for peita came to be used in poetry as an appellative for ‘spear’.