Anon Krm 4VIII/10 — skildir ‘shields’
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi.
Heðins kvánar varð auðit,
þá er vér Helsingja heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í Ívu;
oddr náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
á sú roðin heitu.
Grenjaði brandr við brynjur
bensildr; klufuz skildir.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Kvánar Heðins varð auðit, þá er vér heimtum Helsingja til heimsala Óðins. Lögðum upp í Ívu; þá náði oddr bíta; öll sú á var roðin heitu gjálfri unda. Brandr grenjaði við brynjur, bensildr; skildir klufuz.
We hewed with the sword. The woman of Heðinn <legendary hero> [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)] was at hand when we brought the people of Hälsingland to the dwellings of Óðinn <god> [= Valhǫll]. We proceeded up the Ífa <river>; then the sword-point managed to bite; that whole river was reddened by a hot surge of wounds [BLOOD]. The sword roared on coats of mail, [as did] wound-herrings [ARROWS/SPEARS]; shields were cloven.
readings
[10] bensildr klufuz skildir (‘bens hilldr klufuzt skillder’): ‘Bens hilldur klufust skillder’ with ‘Bensilldur klufu skilldi Worm’ written below line 6ˣ, bensildr klufu skildi R702ˣ, LR, ‘Bensildur klaufu skýldi’ R693ˣ
notes
[10] skildir klufuz ‘shields were cloven’: This edn follows the wording of the main ms. and construes skildir klufuz as a separate clause, while understanding bensildr ‘wound-herrings [ARROWS/SPEARS]’ as in apposition to brandr ‘the sword’ (l. 7). The alternative reading of the other mss requires skildi (dat. sg.) ‘shield’ to be emended to the acc. pl. skjöldu, to give the clause bensildr klufu skjöldu ‘wound-herrings [ARROWS/SPEARS] clove shields’. This appears to be the reading of all previous eds apart from Rafn (1826) and CPB, who follow 1824b (cf. 6ˣ). Those eds who adopt the alternative reading appear to have understood skildi as an unrecorded form of the acc. pl. ‘shields’, except in the cases of Wisén (1886-9) and Finnur Jónsson (1893b), who spell skjöldu here.