Emjar, þremjar ok Ǫlrøðarnautr,
merki, véttrim ok missifengr,
ónn ok skafningr, undirdregningr,
vargr ok Kaldhamarsnautr, valbǫst ok herðr.
Emjar, þremjar ok Ǫlrøðarnautr, merki, véttrim ok missifengr, ónn ok skafningr, undirdregningr, vargr ok Kaldhamarsnautr, valbǫst ok herðr.
Howls, cutters and Ǫlrøðr’s gift, mark, battle-rim and mis-hitting one, ónn and polished one, under-drawn one, wolf and Kaldhamarr’s gift, sword-hilt panel and shoulder.
[8] valbǫst: ok valbǫst C, ‘valbæst’ A, valbast B
[8] valbǫst (f.) ‘sword-hilt panel’: A poetic term for parts of a sword, probably thin decorative metal plates on sword hilts (see Graham-Campbell 1980, 243-6). The first element is val- ‘the slain’ and the second from bast, a thin metal plate decorating the hilt (so Falk 1914b, 29-31; see also Kommentar V, 555). Cf. Sigrdr 6/3-5 (NK 191): oc rísta [sigrúnar] á hialti hiǫrs, | sumar á véttrimom, | sumar á valbǫstom ‘and carve [runes of victory] on the sword’s hilt, some on the battle-rims, some on the sword-hilt panels’. See also Egill Lv 42/8V (Eg 122) eld valbasta ‘fire of sword-hilt panels [SWORD]’.