Úlfs bága verr ægis
ítrbáls hati málu;
sett eru bǫrð fyr bratta
brún Míms vinar rúnu.
Orms váða kann eiðu
allvaldr gǫfugr halda;
menstríðir, njót móður
mellu dólgs til elli.
Hati ítrbáls ægis verr málu bága úlfs; bǫrð eru sett fyr bratta brún rúnu vinar Míms. Gǫfugr allvaldr kann halda eiðu váða orms; menstríðir, njót móður dólgs mellu til elli.
The hater of the precious pyre of the sea [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN] defends the wife of the wolf’s enemy [= Óðinn > = Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)]; prows are placed before the steep edge of the confidante of Mímir’s <mythical being’s> friend [= Óðinn > = Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)]. The glorious mighty ruler can hold the mother of the serpent’s harmer [= Þórr > = Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)]; necklace-destroyer [GENEROUS MAN], enjoy the mother of the giantess’s enemy [= Þórr > = Jǫrð (jǫrð ‘earth’)] until old age.
[4] vinar Míms ‘of Mímir’s <mythical being’s> friend [= Óðinn]’: Mímir was a wise mythical being whose head was preserved by the gods in a well in Ásgarðr. The gen. of the name is given variously as Mímis and Míms (see ANG §371 anm. 2 and LP: Mímir). The kenning vinr Míms is also given in Egill St 23/5V (Eg 94). See Note to l. 1 above. There can be no coincidence that two of the kennings from the two stanzas of St appear in the present stanza, and Snorri appears to have mined Egill’s poem for kennings containing ofljóst.