Vas, sem reyk (af ríki
regn dreif stáls) í gegnum
hjalm-Njǫrðungum, harðan,
heiðingja lið, gingi.
Halft fimta vann heimtan
hundrað, brimi*s sunda,
nýztan tír, þars nœra,
Norðmanna, val þorðu.
Lið heiðingja vas hjalm-Njǫrðungum, sem gingi harðan í gegnum reyk; regn stáls dreif af ríki. Halft fimta hundrað Norðmanna vann heimtan nýztan tír, þars þorðu nœra val sunda brimi*s.
The host of heathens was to the helmet-Nirðir <gods> [WARRIORS] as if they were going hard through smoke; the rain of steel [BATTLE] drove mightily. Four and a half hundreds of Norwegians laid claim to very useful honour, where they dared to feed the falcon of the bays of the sword [BLOOD > RAVEN].
[3] ‑Njǫrðungum: ‘niord vnar’ Bb
[3] hjalm-Njǫrðungum (dat. pl.) ‘helmet-Nirðir’: Pl. Njǫrðungar, derived from the name of the god Njǫrðr, is used in skaldic poetry (only as the second element of cpd nouns) as a base-word in kennings for men. According to Snorri Sturluson, Njǫrðr controls wind and fire (SnE 1982, 23), and Einarr may have used his name in this hap. leg. kenning to emphasize the imagery of smoke and storm.
case: dat.
number: pl.