> http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/utgafa/valagaldur.php

Well, here's what I've made of it so far. Lots of guesswork and
gaps. And I'm sure some of my guesses are very daft. I await more
expert explications with curiosity...


1. Flugu valir
er fylgdu kyni
eyglóu djásna
ættar lilju.
Sat að gildi
Sigurðar bur,
Eysteins, Ragnar,
Uppsala grams.

Falcons flew who followed the kin of the sun of diadems (=lady) of
the lilly's lineage. Sigurðr's son (=King Sigurd Ring's son =
Ragnarr loðbrók) sat at the feast of Eysteinn, lord of Uppsala.

2. Þannig flugu,
þreyttu vængi,
sátu á bustum
salarkynna
þar er landrekar
leiddu að grönum
mæran drykk mjaðar.

Thus they flew, wore out their wings, sat on the gables of the
homestead where the kings brought glorious mead to their lips.


3. Tiggjar reifir
og teitir voru.
Lék að als oddum
inndrótt jöfra.
Heyrðu haukar
hvert orð mæltu
Yngva arfþegi
og Skjöldungur.

Cheery and merry the rulers were. The retinue of the chiefs
balenced on the point of an awl(?! That can´t be right...). The
hawks heard every word that Yngvi's heir (=the king of Sweden) and
the Skjöldungr (=the king of Denmark) spoke.


4. Þaðan vængveifar
vildu sveima,
drottning fundu
Dana í sængu.
Þar er af verum
vöktu *droti
gylfa kván
og gólu svo:

Thence the wing-wavers (=birds) wished to journey, found the queen
of the Danes in bed, there where they woke Gylfi's (=the kings??)
queen(?) from her comforts (comfortable slumbers), and chanted thus:


5. "Vaki þú drottning
dýrbornasta
ifröðuls sala
und þrepskjöldum,
Völsunga jóð,
Völsunga blóm,
sunna Danfoldar
Sigurði borin!"

"Awake, oh queen, most noble born under the threshold of the halls
of the sun (=the sky?), child of the Volsungs, flower of the
Volsungs, sun of the land of the Danes, born to Sigurðr
(Fáfnisbani)."


Kráka gól:

6. "Hví kemur Hábrók
hvítur að beði
og Salgópnir
sárra valkastar?
Nú er mið njóla
nú er í brjósta
dölum *borgi
of draum-Njórun."

Kráka chanted, "Why comes white Hábrók (High Britches = hawk) to my
bed and Salgofnir (=bird) of the wounds of the heap of the slain
(=carrion-eating bird). Now it is midnight. Now the dream-goddess
(dream-earth? = night) is stowed safe (i.e. borgit?) in the dales of
the breast (=heart, mind; i.e. now one is asleep and dreaming??).


7. "Vér munum fræða
völu djásna
fyrr en kemur
Fjörgynjar bur.
Höfum látið
hvelpa elris
víða of heim
und væng standa.

We wish to inform the seeress of diadems (damsel) before Fjörgyn's
son (day) comes. We have made the alder's whelps (winds) stand
under our wings far and wide in the world (we've flown a long way).


8. Situr Ragnar
að Svía grams
öðlingur *Iotra
í fagnaði,
réttir mundu
mót hrímkálki,
teigar horntrega
týr hraustastur.

Ragnarr, the lord of the Jutes(?) (=king of the Danes), sits
enjoying good cheer at the home of the king of the Swedes, reaches
with out with his hand to the goblet (of glass or crystal?
Zoega: "foaming cup"). The boldest god of horn-grief takes a deep
draught. ("horn-grief", kenning for some kind of weapon? Or is
the horn's grief what Ragnarr, the "boldest god", drinks, the liquid-
-tears?--of the horn? I'm floudering here...).


9. *(Iól oc afa)
jöfri borinn
Svoldur sörva
í Svíþjóðu
færir Ragnari
fagurbúin.
Vel líst á mær
lofðungi Dana.

?? and ?? born to the chief fair-clad Svoldr of necklaces (?
=Hildr, battle = goddess, of necklaces = lady?) in Sweden brings to
Ragnarr. The lord of the Danes looks well on (likes the looks of)
the maiden.


10. Eysteinn hyggur
Uppsala vörður
gott til mægis
gunnveifs harra.
Trúir mæringur
mani borna
Ragnar sína
rjóða beðju.

Eysteinn, guardian of Uppsala, thinks it good to become related by
marriage to the lord of the war-wave (=Ragnarr? But what's a "war-
wave"? And how exactly does the grammar work here?). The prince,
Ragnarr, believes his ruddy (red-cheeked?) bed-companion (=Kráka) to
be born of a bondswoman.


11. Kóngur er véltur
í kvonfangi,
eru döglingi
ill ráð gefin,
gleymt hefur Kráku
*gloþinars *fec..
alvalds vinur
eiðrofi *varc

The king is deceived in this wedding arrangement. Evil counsel is
given to the ruler. He has forgotten Kráka, married the glow-
string/pine/bow(?) (a kenning for woman?), friend of the all-
powerful [ruler = king], become (i.e. varð) an oath-breaker.


12. Toga máljárn
tröll úr munni
Gauta gram
gjafmildasta.
Stolm sér biður
strandar hauka,
Eysteinn gefi
ör að kván.

(!) Trolls draw engraved iron from the mouth of the most generous
lord of the Gauts (Ragnarr? Eysteinn?)?? He requests for himself
that generous/brisk Eysteinn give him the island of the strand of
hawks (=arm/hand) for his wife. (Not sure about this at all. Could
it possibly be some circumlocution of the phrase: biðja konu til
handa e-m "ask for a woman on someone's behalf?)


13. Festir Vánar elds
Freyju Ragnar,
þó skal sitja
þrjú ár í festum.
Þau höfum tíðindi
talin undan
eiðu Bjarnar
alvalds málu."

The Freyja of the river's fire (=goddess of gold = lady) is to sit
three years betrothed. Those tidings have been kept from Björn's
mother, the all-powerful [ruler's] female friend.


Kráka gól:
14. "Talinn frá eg
tíðinda flokk.
Hafið heilir
haukar of flogið!
Munat jöfur
man það spenna
hre..i dólga kyn
her alsviðar."

Kráka chanted, "I have heard told a bunch of tidings. Well flown,
you hawks! The leader will not clasp that maiden, ?? in kin of
foes, army ??