Friggjar þótti svipr at syni;
sá var taldr ór miklu kyni;
Hermóðr vildi auka aldr;
Éljúðnir vann sólginn Baldr.
Ǫll grétu þau eptir hann;
aukit var þeim hlátrar bann;
heyrinkunn er frá hánum saga;
hvat þarf ek of slíkt at jaga.
Þótti svipr at syni Friggjar; sá var taldr ór miklu kyni; Hermóðr vildi auka aldr; Éljúðnir vann Baldr sólginn. Þau ǫll grétu eptir hann; bann hlátrar var þeim aukit; saga frá hánum er heyrinkunn; hvat þarf ek at jaga of slíkt.
It seemed a sudden loss concerning the son of Frigg <goddess> [= Baldr]; he was reckoned from a great family; Hermóðr wanted to extend his life; Éljúðnir <hall of Hel>
[6] bann hlátrar var þeim aukit ‘their ban of laughter [SORROW] grew’: Lit. ‘the ban of laughter [SORROW] grew for them’. The kenning occurs again only in GSúrs Lv 5/4V (Gísl 7). The word bann has juridical connotations and is found chiefly in legal and theological texts (ONP: bann). It appears in datable verse only from C11th on: e.g. hungrbann ‘ban on hunger’ i.e. ‘feasting’ (ÞjóðA Magnfl 7/4II); fjǫrbann ‘ban on life’ i.e. ‘death’ (Sigv Víkv 12/4I); friðbann ‘ban on peace’ i.e. ‘strife’ (Sigv ErfÓl 10/2I; Ólhv Hryn 6/2II).