Fyrr rauð Fenris varra
flugvarr konungr sparra
— malmhríðar svall meiðum
móðr — í Gamla blóði,
þás óstirfinn arfa
Eiríks of rak — geira
nú tregr gæti-Gauta
grams fall — á sæ alla.
Fyrr rauð flugvarr konungr sparra varra Fenris í blóði Gamla; móðr svall meiðum malmhríðar, þás óstirfinn of rak alla arfa Eiríks á sæ; nú tregr fall grams gæti-Gauta geira.
Earlier the flight-reluctant king [Hákon] reddened the prop of the lips of Fenrir <wolf> [SWORD] in Gamli’s blood; courage swelled in the trees of the metal-storm [BATTLE > WARRIORS], when, agreeable, he drove all Eiríkr’s heirs to sea; now the fall of the king distresses the guarding Gautar <= Óðinn’s> of spears [WARRIORS].
[1, 2] sparra varra Fenris ‘the prop of the lips of Fenrir <wolf> [SWORD]’: The reference is to the story of the gods binding the wolf Fenrir and setting a sword with the hilt on his lower jaw and the point on his upper jaw to prevent him from biting. Snorri (Gylf, SnE 2005, 29) adds Þat er gómsparri hans ‘That is his gum-prop’, and gómsparri occurs as a sword-kenning in ESk Geisl 48/8VII.