HSt Frag 1I/8 — mól ‘pounded’
Tolf vas elds at aldri
ýsetrs hati vetra,
hraustr þás herskip glæsti
Hǫrða vinr ór Gǫrðum.
Hlóðu Hamðis klæðum
hjǫrva gnýs ok skýjum
hilmis menn sem hjǫlmum
hlýrvigg, en mól stýri.
Hati elds ýsetrs vas tolf vetra at aldri, þás hraustr vinr Hǫrða glæsti herskip ór Gǫrðum. Menn hilmis hlóðu hlýrvigg klæðum Hamðis ok skýjum gnýs hjǫrva sem hjǫlmum, en stýri mól.
The hater of the fire of the yew-bow’s rest [ARM/HAND > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN = Óláfr] was twelve winters in age when the bold friend of the Hǫrðar [NORWEGIAN KING = Óláfr] made his warships splendid on leaving Russia. The ruler’s men loaded the bows-steed [SHIP] with the garments of Hamðir <legendary hero> [ARMOUR] and clouds of the din of swords [BATTLE > SHIELDS] and likewise helmets, and the rudder pounded.
readings
[8] mól: ‘níol’ F
notes
[8] mól ‘pounded’: The reading in F is ‘níol’ (so also 761bˣ(152r) and F 1871), since although the first three minims could represent ‘m’ (which is printed in Skj A, B, Skald and CPB), the acute accent marks out ‘í’. ‘Níol’, normalised njól, could be a poetic term for ‘night’ (LP: njól f.), but the context seems to require a predicate for stýri, the rudder or steering gear of a ship, and hence emendation to mól, 3rd pers. pret. sg. of mala ‘to grind’, is necessary, and is adopted in previous eds. The verb is normally used of grinding corn, but here seems to represent the motion of the rudder in heavy seas.