Varði varga myrðir
vítt — svá skal frið slíta —
(jǫfur vildu þann eldask)
ǫndurt folk (at lǫndum).
Starf hófsk upp, þás arfi
ótta vanr, á flótta,
golls, es gramr vas fallinn,
Gunnhildar kom sunnan.
Myrðir varga varði ǫndurt folk vítt; svá skal slíta frið; vildu þann jǫfur eldask at lǫndum. Starf hófsk upp, þás arfi Gunnhildar kom sunnan, vanr ótta golls, es gramr vas fallinn á flótta.
The killer of outlaws [JUST RULER = Hákon] defended the front of the army widely; thus one shall tear apart peace; they wanted that prince to grow old in the lands. The trouble began when the heir of Gunnhildr [= Haraldr gráfeldr] came from the south, bereft of the terror of gold [GENEROUS MAN = Gamli Eiríksson], because the ruler had fallen in flight.
[1] myrðir: myrðar Flat
[1] myrðir varga ‘the killer of outlaws [JUST RULER = Hákon]’: Skj B and Skald emend myrðir (nom.) ‘killer’ to myrði (acc.) and take the kenning as the object of the verb varði ‘defended’, hence ‘the front of the army defended the killer of outlaws widely’. That emendation is unnecessary in view of the prose context.
case: nom.