Máttit hón við hættna
heilrôð Svía deila
meir, þótt Magnús væri
margnenninn sonr hennar.
Olli hón, þvít allri
áttleifð Haralds knátti
mest með môttkum Kristi
Magnús konungr fagna.
Hón máttit, heilrôð, deila meir við hættna Svía, þótt margnenninn Magnús væri sonr hennar. Hón olli mest, með môttkum Kristi, þvít Magnús konungr knátti fagna allri áttleifð Haralds.
She could not have dealt, fully decisive, better with the daring Swedes even if the very energetic Magnús had been her son. She was the main reason, with the mighty Christ, that King Magnús could gladly take up all the inheritance of Haraldr.
[6] áttleifð Haralds ‘the inheritance of Haraldr’: Despite the unanimous agreement of previous eds and translators that this refers to Haraldr hárfagri ‘Fair-hair’, it is more likely that it refers to Magnús’s paternal grandfather Haraldr grenski ‘from Grenland’. Sigvatr regularly referred to Magnús’s father Óláfr as the ‘heir of Haraldr’, presumably meaning the father rather than the remote ancestor, while the concept of Norway as the inheritance of Haraldr hárfagri was not fully established until the time of Haraldr harðráði ‘Hard-rule’ (Krag 1989).