Harðgǫrvan lét hjǫrvi
holms verða Týr sverða
vind á víðu sundi
vígþey Heðins meyjar,
áðr an Ormi næði
Eirekr eða hlut meira;
mǫrg óð bitr í blóði
benkneif fyr Ôleifi.
Týr sverða lét vind meyjar Heðins, vígþey, verða harðgǫrvan hjǫrvi á víðu sundi holms, áðr an Eirekr næði Ormi eða meira hlut; mǫrg bitr benkneif óð í blóði fyr Ôleifi.
The Týr <god> of swords [WARRIOR] made the wind of the maiden of Heðinn <legendary hero> [= Hildr > BATTLE], war-breeze [BATTLE], become hard-fought with the sword on the wide sound of the islet, before Eiríkr got Ormr (‘Serpent’) and the better lot; many a biting wound-hook [SWORD] waded in blood before Óláfr.
[5] áðr an ‘before’: Skj B takes this as a subordinate clause beginning a new sentence, rather than dependent on the first helmingr, and mǫrg benkneif óð ‘many a wound-hook [SWORD] waded’ as the main clause rather than intercalated. However, subordinate clauses do not normally precede main clauses (Kuhn 1983, 190; and on this stanza see Kock, NN §3057).