Skylda ek Víkar í viði hávum,
Geirþjófs bana, goðum um signa.
Lagða ek geiri gram til hjarta;
þat er mér hermast handaverka.
Ek skylda um signa Víkar, bana Geirþjófs, goðum í hávum viði. Ek lagða geiri til hjarta gram; þat er mér hermast handaverka.
I was obliged to dedicate Víkarr, the slayer of Geirþjófr, to the gods on the high tree. I thrust with the spear to the ruler’s heart; that is for me the most regrettable of the deeds of my hands.
[4] signa ‘dedicate’: Although this verb (ultimately from Lat. signare ‘dedicate, consecrate’) appears more frequently in late Christian skaldic poetry, it also occurs in eddic poems (Sigrdr 8/1, Hyndl 28/10), as well as in Egill Lv 5/8V (Eg 9), in contexts that are probably early and not obviously Christian.