Anon Krm 10VIII/4 — í ‘in’
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi.
Hildr var sýnt í vexti,
áðr Freyr konungr felli
í Flæmingjaveldi.
Náði blár at bíta
blóði smeltr í gyltan
Högna kufl at hjaldri
harðr bengrefill forðum.
Mær grét morginskæru
mörg, þá er tafn fekkz vörgum.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Hildr var sýnt í vexti, áðr Freyr konungr felli í Flæmingjaveldi. Harðr, blár bengrefill, smeltr blóði, náði forðum at bíta í gyltan kufl Högna at hjaldri. Mörg mær grét morginskæru, þá er tafn fekkz vörgum.
We hewed with the sword. The battle was clearly well advanced before King Freyr fell in the realm of the Flemings. The tough, blue wound-digger [SWORD], dripping with blood, succeeded long ago in biting into the gilded cowl of Hǫgni <legendary hero> [ARMOUR] in the conflict. Many a maiden wept early that morning, when prey was obtained for wolves.
readings
[4] í Flæmingjaveldi: í Flæmingja veldi with ‘ä landi. W.’ in margin 6ˣ, á Flæmingja landi R702ˣ, ‘a flemingia lande’ LR, R693ˣ
notes
[4] í Flæmingjaveldi ‘in the realm of the Flemings’: ‘The realm of the Flemings’ must be Flanders, the exact extent of which in viking times is uncertain. According to Steenstrup (1876-82, III, 105-6), its coast extended northwards from Quentowic in the mouth of the river Canche, just south of Boulogne, to the Scheldt estuary (in modern terms from north-eastern France through Belgium into the south-west Netherlands). A viking raid on Paris followed by devastation of coastal regions is reported in the contemporary Annales Bertiniani for 845 (Nelson 1991, 60-2; Rau 1969, 64-6; Skyum-Nielsen 1967, 13-14), and the leader of the Paris raid is named as Reginheri (cf. Ragnarr) in the contemporary Annales Xantenses (Rau 1969, 348; cf. Skyum-Nielsen 1967, 15) and as Raginarius in the near-contemporary Translatio Sancti Germani (de Smedt et al. 1883, 91-3; cf. Rowe 2012, 28-31). It is thus possible that the coastal regions referred to in the Annales Bertiniani were those of Flanders, and that the raiders were Reginheri and his followers. The evidence, however, is uncertain, and it is likely that the land of the Flemings is mentioned here simply as one of the many known viking targets.