Vítt stóð ógn af ýti
(íslenzkum her vísi)
orms vallar (bauð allan
aldr goðs lǫgum halda).
Svá lét rœtr, hinns rítar
rjóðendr of vann, góðar,
reyrs, und ráði vôru
réttdœmr konungr settar.
Ógn stóð vítt af ýti vallar orms; vísi bauð íslenzkum her halda lǫgum goðs allan aldr. Svá lét réttdœmr konungr, hinns of vann rjóðendr reyrs rítar, góðar rœtr settar und ráði vôru.
Dread emanated far and wide from the impeller of the plain of the serpent [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]; the leader ordered the Icelandic people to keep the laws of God for all time. Thus the righteous king, the one who conquered reddeners of the reed of the shield [SWORD > WARRIORS], let good roots be set under our condition.
[2] íslenzkum her ‘the Icelandic people’: Herr m. is normally used of a military force but occasionally occurs in phrases denoting the population of a region, adherents of a particular religion, etc., as here (see LP: herr 2; Fritzner: herr 1). This is the first instance in the skaldic corpus of the use of the adj. íslenzkr to denote the population of Iceland collectively; the next occur in the C14th (see LP: íslenzkr).