Fjórir hanga, fjórir ganga,
tveir veg vísa, tveir hundum varða,
einn eptir drallar ok jafnan heldr saurugr.
Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Fjórir hanga, fjórir ganga, tveir vísa veg, tveir varða hundum, einn drallar eptir ok jafnan heldr saurugr. Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Four hang, four go, two point the way, two ward off dogs, one trails after and [is] always rather dirty. King Heiðrekr, think about the riddle.
[All]: Heiðrekr’s response is (Heiðr 1960, 43): þat er kýr ‘That is a cow’. The H redaction expands (Heiðr 1924, 77): hón hefir fjóra fœtr ok fjóra spena, tvau horn ok tvau augu, enn halinn drallar eptir ‘she has four legs and four teats, two horns and two eyes, but the tail trails after’.