Bjbp Jóms 7I/4 — niðjar ‘kinsmen’
Hvervetna frák heyja
Harald bardaga stóra;
þeir ruðu bitra branda
bǫðgjarnastir niðjar.
Sjá knáttu þar síðan
siðfornir glym járna;
þótti þeim at efla
þǫrf Véseta arfa.
Frák Harald heyja stóra bardaga hvervetna; þeir bǫðgjarnastir niðjar ruðu bitra branda. Síðan knáttu siðfornir sjá þar glym járna; þótti þeim þǫrf at efla arfa Véseta.
I have heard that Haraldr fought great battles everywhere; those extremely battle-eager kinsmen reddened sharp blades. Then heathens could see there the crash of iron weapons [BATTLE]; it seemed necessary to them to support the heir of Véseti [= Búi].
notes
[3, 4] þeir bǫðgjarnastir niðjar ‘those extremely battle-eager kinsmen’: Presumably, if the above identification of Haraldr as Strút-Haraldr is correct, these are Strút-Haraldr’s sons, Sigvaldi and Þorkell inn hávi ‘the Tall’. The adj. (bǫðgjarnastir ‘extremely battle-eager’) is in the strong form here, as also in st. 14/2, 3, 4 sá frœkn Hamðis faldruðr ‘that brave bush of the hood of Hamðir <legendary hero> [(lit. hood-bush of Hamðir) HELMET > WARRIOR]’ and st. 27/6, 7 þeir gunnrakkastir gumnar ‘those extremely battle-bold men’. In noun phrases of this structure (demonstrative sá/sú/þat + adj. + noun), there are skaldic examples of both weak and strong adjectives (see LP: sá 1). The strong form may have been favoured in the Jóms examples since in all three the demonstrative and adj. are not consecutive.