RvHbreiðm Hl 77III/2 — harðráðr ‘Hard-ruling’
Haraldr var (herr skar)
harðráðr sigrs bráðr;
— snart lið sleit frið —
(sverðs egg manns legg).
Bargsk ǫld; beit skjǫld
brandr þuðr; óx guðr;
skaut gramr geðframr;
gnast almr; flaug malmr.
Harðráðr Haraldr var bráðr sigrs; herr skar legg manns egg sverðs; snart lið sleit frið. Ǫld bargsk; þuðr brandr beit skjǫld; guðr óx; geðframr gramr skaut; almr gnast; malmr flaug.
Hard-ruling Haraldr was quick [to gain] victory; the army cut a man’s leg with the sword’s edge; the keen company sundered the peace. People saved themselves; a slender blade bit a shield; battle increased; the outstanding-minded lord shot; an elm-bow cracked; an arrow flew.
notes
[2] harðráðr ‘hard-ruling’: Haraldr’s nickname was harðráði ‘Hard-rule’, i.e. ‘one who makes decisive judgements and follows them through’ (see Finnur Jónsson 1907, 252; LP: harðráðr). The nickname does not appear in early prose, but it is found in the heading of ch. 25 of Theodoricus’s history of the Norwegian kings (MHN 50, ‘Hardrad’r’, ‘Hardradr’). It is not clear whether we are dealing with the nickname or an adjectival epithet in the present stanza.