Anon Gyð 3VII/4 — bryn ‘of the mailcoat’
Hvarf er þeim, er þurfa,
þingnárungum, váru,
branda rjóðr í bráðar
brynflagð*a nauðsynjar.
Fekk strandloga stökkvir
stígverjanda hverjum
fráns af fjárhlut sínum
fullar hendr, meðan endiz.
Rjóðr branda er hvarf þeim brynflagð*a þingnárungum, er váru þurfa, í bráðar nauðsynjar. Stökkvir strandloga fekk hverjum fráns stígverjanda hendr fullar af fjárhlut sínum, meðan endiz.
The reddener of swords [WARRIOR] is a support for those beings of the assembly of the trolls of the mailcoat [(lit. ‘assembly-beings of the mailcoat-trolls’) AXES > BATTLE > WARRIORS] who were poor, in cases of sudden need. The flinger of shore-flame [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN] gave every defender of the path of the snake [(lit. ‘snake’s path-defender’) GOLD > MAN] hands full of his wealth, while it lasted.
readings
[4] brynflagð*a: ‘[...](ni)agdra’(?) B, ‘[...]ynlagdra’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘(br)yn(la)gdra’ BRydberg, ‘[...]týn[...]agdna’ BFJ
notes
[4] brynflagð*a ‘of the mailcoat-trolls’: B is very badly worn, and none of the previous transcribers were able to read the word in full. Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s reconstruction to brynflagðra, made in a note to the 444ˣ transcript, cannot be correct on grammatical grounds. The second <r> must be removed to give the gen. pl. of the n. noun flagð ‘troll woman, female monster’. Axes were traditionally referred to in skaldic verse using base-words for troll women.
kennings
- brynflagð*a — of the trolls of the mailcoat [AXES]
- brynflagð*a þing — of the assembly of the trolls of the mailcoat [BATTLE]
- þeim brynflagð*a þingnárungum, — for those beings of the assembly of the trolls of the mailcoat [WARRIORS]