Marga menn sá ek moldar gengna,
þá er eigi máttu þjónustu ná;
heiðnar stjörnur stóðu yfir höfði þeim
fáðar feiknstöfum.
Ek sá marga menn gengna moldar, þá er eigi máttu ná þjónustu; heiðnar stjörnur stóðu yfir höfði þeim, fáðar feiknstöfum.
I saw many men gone into earth, those who had not managed to obtain the sacrament; heathen stars stood over their heads, coloured with terrible staves.
[4] heiðnar: heiðvar 738ˣ, 167b 6ˣ, 214ˣ
[4, 6] heiðnar stjörnur ... fáðar feiknstöfum ‘heathen stars ... coloured with terrible staves’: Most likely a reference to runic staves, as is clearly the case in st. 61/4. Cf. dreyrstöfum ‘with bloody staves’ 40/2 and contrast the hreinar kyndlar ‘pure candles’, helgar bækr ‘holy books’, and himna skript ‘heavenly writing’ of 69/4 and 70/5-6; cf. Tate 1985, 1031-2.