unz tírrœkir tœki
tveir brœðr of þat rœða
orð, hvat œski-Nirðir
… framast mynði.
Þollr gat … inn ellri
… fyr bróður
lýst ok langa freistni
… hlífar,
unz tveir tírrœkir brœðr tœki rœða orð of þat, hvat œski-Nirðir … mynði framast; inn ellri þollr … hlífar gat lýst … ok langa freistni … fyr bróður,
until the two renown-cultivating brothers began to speak of that which the wishing-Nirðir <gods> … [MEN] first remembered; the older tree … of the shield [BATTLE > WARRIOR] was able to describe … and long ordeal … to his brother,
[3, 4] ‑Nirðir …: ‘nir[...]’ 673b, ‘nirþer [...]’ 673bÞH, 673bFJ, ‘nirþ[...]’ 673bJH
[4] …: A determinant of a man-kenning appears to be required here, but the metre predicts only that the two syllables should begin with a vowel and contain -yn. Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s conjecture, undlinns ‘of the wound-snake [SWORD]’, was rejected by Jón Helgason because it produces a poor rhyme. Finnur had ynðis ‘of happiness’ and added of before mynði to fill out the metre. Jón proposed instead odddyns ‘of the spear-din [BATTLE]’.