Sagt var, at rauðra randa
reynendr flota sínum
jólanótt at Jaðri
Jómsvíkingar kœmi.
Váru heldr á harðan
hernuð firar gjarnir;
rjóðendr buðu ríki
randorma Geirmundi.
Sagt var, at reynendr rauðra randa, Jómsvíkingar, kœmi flota sínum at Jaðri jólanótt. Firar váru heldr gjarnir á harðan hernuð; rjóðendr randorma buðu ríki Geirmundi.
It was said that the testers of red shields [WARRIORS], the Jómsvíkingar, brought their fleet to Jæren on Yule-night. Men were rather eager for a hard raiding campaign; the reddeners of shield-snakes [SWORDS > WARRIORS] offered force to Geirmundr.
[4] Jómsvíkingar ‘the Jómsvíkingar’: This collective name for the warriors based in Jóm or Jómsborg (see Note to st. 6/2) is not found in contemporary poetry, and this led Lauritz Weibull to dispute their existence; see ÍF 26, cxi-cxii for a summary of the debate.