Anon (Hálf) 2VIII (Hálf 5)/3 — hníga ‘fall dead’
Ek sé Hringju haug um orpinn,
en Hera hníga hvátinn spjóti.
Sé ek Hjörleifi haptbönd snúin,
en Hreiðari höggvinn gálga.
Ek sé haug um orpinn Hringju, en Hera hníga hvátinn spjóti. Ek sé haptbönd snúin Hjörleifi, en gálga höggvinn Hreiðari.
I see a burial mound thrown up for Hringja and [see] Heri fall dead, pierced by a spear. I see captive bonds twisted for Hjǫrleifr and gallows hewn for Hreiðarr.
readings
[3] hníga: hingat 2845
notes
[3] hníga ‘fall dead’: Most previous eds, following Hálf 1864, have emended the ms. hingat ‘hither, [to] here’ to hníga, as it is difficult to fit hingat into the sense or syntax of the helmingr. However, in NN §2380 Kock argues that the ms. reading hingat makes perfect sense, as hingat can be synonymous with hér, and that the emendation hníga spoils the symmetrical structure of the stanza. His retention of the ms. reading here has not met with favour (cf. Hálf 1981, 111).