Ok Vísburs
vilja byrði
sævar niðr
svelgja knátti,
þás meinþjóf
markar ǫttu
setrs verjendr
á sinn fǫður.
Ok allvald
í arinkjóli
glóða garmr
glymjandi beit.
Ok niðr sævar knátti svelgja byrði vilja Vísburs, þás verjendr setrs ǫttu meinþjóf markar á fǫður sinn. Ok glymjandi garmr glóða beit allvald í arinkjóli.
And the kinsman of the sea [FIRE] swallowed the ship of the will [BREAST] of Vísburr when the defenders of the seat [RULERS] incited the harmful thief of the forest [FIRE] against their father. And the roaring dog of embers [fire] bit the sovereign within the hearth-ship [HOUSE].
[7] setrs: so F, J2ˣ, R685ˣ, setr Kˣ, papp18ˣ, 521ˣ, 761aˣ
[7] verjendr setrs ‘the defenders of the seat [RULERS]’: Finnur Jónsson’s translation in Skj B, besiddelses krævere ‘those who claim possession’ and Noreen’s in Yt 1925, försvararna av sina rettigheter till tronen ‘those who defend their rights to the throne’, are attempts to accommodate the prose narration of Yng (see Context), in which both sons fight for their mother’s bridal gift. The interpretation of NN §1010 followed here is preferable, however, as it retains the central meanings of verja ‘defend’ and of setrs (gen. sg.) ‘of the seat’. It views the gen. phrase as a ruler-kenning, a variant on the pattern ‘guardian of the land’ (cf. Meissner 353).