Eyv Hák 2I/6 — darraðr ‘the banner’
Bróður fundu þær Bjarnar í brynju fara,
konung inn kostsama, kominn und gunnfana.
Drúpðu dolgráar, en darraðr hristisk;
upp vas þá hildr of hafin.
Þær fundu bróður Bjarnar fara í brynju, inn kostsama konung, kominn und gunnfana. Dolgráar drúpðu, en darraðr hristisk; hildr vas þá upp of hafin.
They [the valkyries] found Bjǫrn’s brother [= Hákon] putting on a mail-shirt, that admirable king, stationed under his battle-standard. Enmity-yard-arms [SPEARS] drooped, and the banner shook; the battle was then begun.
readings
[6] darraðr: darrar J1ˣ(62r), J2ˣ(58r), ‘durr vordr’ FskBˣ, ‘daur’ FskAˣ
notes
[6] darraðr ‘the banner’: The word may be cognate with OE daroþ ‘spear’ (the meaning assumed by most eds), though the geminate <r> renders that doubtful. The word has also been thought by Falk (1924, 6-7) to mean ‘sword’. Holtsmark (1939) interprets it as a banner which is shaken as a sign for battle to begin, and this interpretation is now widely accepted: see Olsen (1962a, 4-5), Dronke (1969, 49-50) and particularly Poole (1991, 125-31).