Hugr er í Hængi; hvass er Dragvendill;
beit hann orð Óðins, sem ekki væri.
Bráz nú Baldrs faðir; brigt er at trúa honum;
njóttu heill handa; hér munum skiljaz.
Hugr er í Hængi; Dragvendill er hvass; hann beit orð Óðins, sem ekki væri. Nú bráz faðir Baldrs; at trúa honum er brigt; njóttu heill handa; hér munum skiljaz.
There is courage in Hœngr (‘Salmon’); Dragvendill is sharp; he bit Óðinn’s word, as if it were nothing. Now the father of Baldr <god> [= Óðinn] has been deceptive; to put one’s trust in him is uncertain; enjoy safe and sound [the work of] your hands; here we will part.
[3-4] hann beit Óðins orð, sem ekki væri ‘he bit Óðinn’s word, as if it were nothing’: This statement could be paraphrased as ‘he (the sword Dragvendill) is stronger than Óðinn’s spells to dull Dragvendill’ (cf. Ket 36). Óðins orð could also refer to the promise of victory that Óðinn gave Framarr in his youth (cf. Ket 32). Ket ch. 5 (FSGJ 2, 173) mentions that Óðinn had stipulated (skapat) that iron could not ‘bite’ (i.e. wound) Framarr.