Hverr er sá inn eini, er sefr í ösgrúa,
ok af grjóti einu görr?
Föður né móður áat sá inn fagrgjarni;
þar mun hann sinn aldr ala.
Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Hverr er sá inn eini, er sefr í ösgrúa, ok görr af grjóti einu? Sá inn fagrgjarni áat föður né móður; þar mun hann ala aldr sinn. Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Who is that, the lone one, who sleeps in the ash-grate, and is struck from stone alone? That bright-eager one has neither father nor mother; there he must spend his life. King Heiðrekr, think about the riddle.
[5] fagr‑: fjár‑ 281ˣ, 597bˣ, fár‑ R715ˣ
[5] fagrgjarni ‘bright-eager one’: Unrecorded as an Old Norse word, but appropriate to fire waiting to be kindled. Ms. R715ˣ’s variant, fárgjarni ‘damage-eager’, is also an acceptable reading and is adopted by several eds. The H-redaction mss have fjárgjarni ‘money-eager’, which gives poor sense in the context.