Rígsþula

Ár kváðu ganga
grænar brautir
öflgan ok aldinn
ás kunnigan,
ramman ok röskvan
Ríg stíganda.

Men say there went | by ways so green
Of old the god, | the aged and wise,
Mighty and strong | did Rig go striding.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Codex Wormianus opens with Rig striding green roads — öflgan ok aldinn ás, ramman ok röskvan. The manuscript annotator names him Heimdall; Bellows argues the aged wise god with rune-lore fits Odin better. Inferred: Rig (from Celtic rí, king) walks the world as a stranger with authority, not as a raider. Modern: the poem begins with a god on foot, on a path, looking for houses. Social order will be born from visits, meals, and beds — not from a war.

Gekk hann meir at þat
miðrar brautar;
kom hann at húsi,
hurð var á gætti;
inn nam at ganga,
eldr var á golfi;
hjón sátu þar
hár at arni,
Ái ok Edda,
aldinfalda.

Forward he went | on the midmost way,
He came to a dwelling, | a door on its posts;
In did he fare, | on the floor was a fire,
Two hoary ones | by the hearth there sat,
Ai and Edda, | in olden dress. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig reaches a dwelling with door on posts, fire on the floor; Ai and Edda sit hoary-haired in old dress at the hearth. Inferred: Ai/Edda mean Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother — the oldest, poorest generation in the poem's social ladder. Modern: the first hall is spare. Fire and doorway are the signs of habitation. Everything else will be measured against this baseline.

Rígr kunni þeim
ráð at segja;
meir settisk hann
miðra fletja,
en á hlið hvára
hjón salkynna.

Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon in the midst | of the room he sat,
And on either side | the others were. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig speaks wise counsel and sits in the middle of the floor, the couple on either side. Inferred: the ritual posture repeats at every house — center seat, flanking hosts, words before food or sleep. Modern: the god does not loom above them. He takes the middle, as if the household already had three equal places and he is filling the one left open.

Þá tók Edda
ökkvinn hleif,
þungan ok þykkvan,
þrunginn sáðum;
bar hon meir at þat
miðra skutla,
soð var í bolla,
setti á bjóð;
var kalfr soðinn
krása beztr.

A loaf of bread | did Edda bring,
Heavy and thick | and swollen with husks;
Forth on the table | she set the fare,
And broth for the meal | in a bowl there was.
(Calf's flesh boiled | was the best of the dainties.) — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Edda serves a heavy husk-thick loaf, broth in a bowl; calf-meat is the best dish. Inferred: coarse grain and boiled stock mark the thrall household's ceiling of hospitality. Bellows doubts the calf line; Guðni keeps it. Modern: you can read a class by what is on the table. Here the finest fare is still peasant food, and the bread is deliberately rough.

Rígr kunni þeim
ráð at segja;
reis hann upp þaðan,
réðsk at sofna;
meir lagðisk hann
miðrar rekkju,
en á hlið hvára
hjón salkynna.

Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Thence did he rise, | made ready to sleep;
Soon in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig rises to sleep and lays himself between Ai and Edda in the bed. Inferred: the three-night stay is a fixed pattern that will repeat at each tier; paternity follows hospitality law inverted — the guest in the middle. Modern: the poem is explicit where mythology is usually shy. The god fathers a class by sleeping where a husband sleeps, three nights running.

Þar var hann at þat
þríar nætr saman,
gekk hann meir at þat
miðrar brautar;
liðu meir at þat
mánuðr níu.

Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Three nights, then Rig walks the midmost way; nine months pass. Inferred: the time formula binds each visit to a birth — mythological shorthand for pregnancy. Modern: the poem counts like a calendar. Nights for the god's stay, months for the child's arrival. Social origin is timed as precisely as a saga marriage.

Jóð ól Edda
jósu vatni,
hörvi svartan,
hétu Þræl;
svartr var hár,
digrt var lík.

A son bore Edda, | with water they sprinkled him,
With a cloth his hair | so black they covered;
Thræll they named him, | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Edda bears a son, water sprinkled, black hair covered with cloth, named Þræll. Manuscript lacuna after the naming; editors reconstruct. Inferred: dark hair marks foreign or thrall stock among blond Scandinavians; sprinkling predates Christian baptism. Modern: a name is assigned before a future is described. Thræll means slave. The poem has already decided his estate in the naming.

var þar á höndum
hrokkit skinn,
kropnir knúar,
ok hrjúgt er nöglum,
fingr digrir,
fúlligt andlit,
lotr hryggr,
langir hælar.

The skin was wrinkled | and rough on his hands,
Knotted his knuckles, | and rough his nails,
Thick his fingers, | and ugly his face,
Twisted his back, | and big his heels. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Þræll's body is catalogued — wrinkled skin, knotted knuckles, thick fingers, ugly face, twisted back, long heels. Lacuna in manuscript; Grundtvig supplies rough nails. Inferred: the description is stereotype, not portrait — a society encoding contempt into verse. Modern: the Eddas rarely give physical detail without purpose. Every limb here says: this is the body meant for burdens.

Hann nam at vaxa
ok vel dafna;
Nam han meir at þat
magns of kosta,
bast at binda,
byrðar gerva;
bar hann heim at þat
hrís gerstan dag.

He began to grow, | and to gain in strength,
Soon of his might | good use he made;
With bast he bound, | and burdens carried,
Home bore faggots | the whole day long. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Þræll grows strong, binds bast, carries loads, bears faggots home all day. Inferred: strength serves servitude — the thrall is useful, not idle. Modern: he is not lazy; he is owned by labor. The poem admires capacity and assigns it to the lowest class. That is how caste stories justify themselves.

Þar kom at garði
gengilbeina,
aurr var á iljum,
armr sólbrunninn,
niðrbjúgt er nef,
nefndisk Þír.

One came to their home, | crooked her legs,
Stained were her feet, | and sunburned her arms,
Flat was her nose; | her name was Thir. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: A woman comes crooked-legged, stained feet, sunburned arms, flat nose — named Þír (serving-woman). Inferred: she matches Þræll in coarseness; the thrall class marries within its own aesthetic. Modern: Þír is not a goddess or a stolen princess. She walks in from the road as rough as the house she will join.

Miðra fletja
meir settisk hon;
sat hjá henni
sonr húss;
ræddu ok rýndu,
rekkju gerðu
Þræll ok Þír
þrungin dægr.

Soon in the midst | of the room she sat,
By her side there sat | the son of the house;
They whispered both, | and the bed made ready,
Thræll and Thir, | till the day was through. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Þír sits mid-floor beside the house-son; they whisper, make the bed, pass the day together. Inferred: the courtship is minimal — no bride-ride, no rings, no veil. Modern: marriage among thralls is a room, a whisper, and a bed. The poem grants them privacy but not ceremony.

Börn ólu þau,
- bjuggu ok unðu, -
hygg ek at héti
Hreimr ok Fjósnir,
Klúrr ok Kleggi,
Kefsir, Fúlnir,
Drumbr, Digraldi,
Dröttr ok Hösvir,
Lútr ok Leggjaldi;
lögðu garða,
akra töddu,
unnu at svínum,
geita gættu,
grófu torf.

Children they had, | they lived and were happy,
Fjosnir and Klur | they were called, methinks,
Hreim and Kleggi, | Kefsir, Fulnir,
Drumb, Digraldi, | Drott and Leggjaldi,
Lut and Hosvir; | the house they cared for,
Ground they dunged, | and swine they guarded,
Goats they tended, | and turf they dug. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Children follow; names are coarse (Fjósnir, Klúrr, Kleggi, Drumbr, Digraldi, Dröttr, Hösvir, Lútr, Leggjaldi). They keep house, dung fields, herd swine and goats, dig turf. Inferred: name-etymologies mock — Stinking, Sluggard, Big-Legged. Labor defines the ætt. Modern: this is a genealogy of chores. The thrall line is secured by work the higher classes will later refuse.

Dætr váru þær
Drumba ok Kumba,
Ökkvinkalfa
ok Arinnefja,
Ysja ok Ambátt,
Eikintjasna,
Tötrughypja
ok Trönubeina.
Þaðan eru komnar
þræla ættir.

Daughters had they, | Drumba and Kumba,
Ökkvinkalfa, | Arinnefla,
Ysja and Ambott, | Eikintjasna,
Totrughypja | and Tronubeina;
And thence has risen | the race of thralls. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Daughters named with equal ugliness — Drumba, Kumba, Ökkvinkalfa, Arinnefja, Totrughypja, Trönubeina. Closing line: thence rose the race of thralls. Inferred: women carry the same stereotype as men; the stanza closes an entire class-origin arc. Modern: the poem does not trail off. It stamps a conclusion: þræla ættir. Origin myth as social documentation.

Gekk Rígr at þat
réttar brautir,
kom hann at höllu,
hurð var á skíði,
inn nam at ganga,
eldr var á golfi,
hjón sátu þar,
heldu á sýslu.

Forward went Rig, | his road was straight,
To a hall he came, | and a door there hung;
In did he fare, | on the floor was a fire:
Afi and Amma | owned the house. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig walks a straight road to a hall with door on a plank; fire within; Afi and Amma at work. Inferred: second house is already a höll, not a hut — karl-class rises in architecture. Modern: the journey is upward. Same god, same road, better timber. You can read Norse stratification in the doorway alone.

Maðr teglði þar
meið til rifjar;
var skegg skapat,
skör var fyrir enni,
skyrtu þröngva,
skokkr var á golfi.

There sat the twain, | and worked at their tasks:
The man hewed wood | for the weaver's beam;
His beard was trimmed, | o'er his brow a curl,
His clothes fitted close; | in the corner a chest. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Afi hews wood for a weaver's beam; trimmed beard, curl on brow, fitted clothes, chest in the corner. Inferred: grooming and tools signal free farmer status — he makes what his wife weaves. Modern: this man owns craft, not just muscle. The beard is bound; the chest holds value. He is poor enough to work, rich enough to look after himself.

Sat þar kona,
sveigði rokk,
breiddi faðm,
bjó til váðar;
sveigr var á höfði,
smokkr var á bringu,
dúkr var á halsi,
dvergar á öxlum.
Afi ok Amma
áttu hús.

The woman sat | and the distaff wielded,
At the weaving with arms | outstretched she worked;
On her head was a band, | on her breast a smock;
On her shoulders a kerchief | with clasps there was. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Amma wields distaff, stretches arms at the loom; headband, smock, kerchief with clasps on her shoulders. Inferred: textile work is the woman's central labor; dress is neater than Edda's. Modern: Amma is the poem's image of respectable household industry. She weaves while her husband hews — a paired economy.

Rígr kunni þeim
ráð at segja;
meir settisk hann
miðra fletja,
en á hlið hvára
hjón salkynna.

Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon in the midst | of the room he sat,
And on either side | the others were. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig again gives counsel and takes the middle seat. Manuscript jumps here; lines 2–3 reconstructed from parallel stanzas. Inferred: repetition is architecture — the listener learns the ritual and watches only the household change. Modern: same god, same gesture. The pattern is the point. Class differs; the visit does not.

Þá tók Amma
skutlur fullar,
mat á bjóð setti,
var kalfr soðinn
krása beztr.

Then took Amma | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The vessels full | with the fare she set,
Calf's flesh boiled | was the best of the dainties. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Amma sets full vessels; best fare is boiled calf. Stanza largely lost in manuscript; Bugge reconstructs from stanzas 4 and 31. Inferred: karl-class eats better than thralls but repeats the calf as peak delicacy. Modern: editorial repair is honest work. We see a gap and fill it with what the poem already taught us about feast hierarchy.

Rígr kunni þeim
ráð at segja;
reis frá borði,
réð at sofna;
meir lagðisk hann
miðrar rekkju,
en á hlið hvára
hjón salkynna.

Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
He rose from the board, | made ready to sleep;
Soon in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig rises from the board, sleeps between Afi and Amma. Inferred: board not floor — Karl's parents dine at table height. Modern: the bed scene repeats, but the household around it has risen. Hospitality scales with class.

Þar var hann at þat
þríar nætr saman,
gekk hann meir at þat
miðrar brautar;
liðu meir at þat
mánuðr níu.

Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Three nights, midmost way, nine months — formula repeated; line 2 supplied by analogy with stanza 6. Inferred: the poem's clock is reliable; Karl's birth is as inevitable as Þræll's once the pattern is set. Modern: mythic time here is domestic time. Nights and months do the work other poems assign to fate.

Jóð ól Amma
jósu vatni,
kölluðu Karl,
kona sveip rifti,
rauðan ok rjóðan,
riðuðu augu.

A son bore Amma, | with water they sprinkled him,
Karl they named him; | in a cloth she wrapped him,
He was ruddy of face, | and flashing his eyes. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Amma bears Karl; water sprinkled, wrapped in cloth, ruddy face, flashing eyes. Inferred: red and bright mark the free farmer against the thrall's black swarthiness — color ideology in verse. Modern: Karl means churl/freeman. The poem paints him with the colors of health and visibility. He is meant to be seen in a field.

Hann nam at vaxa
ok vel dafna,
öxn nam at temja,
arðr at gerva,
hús at timbra
ok hlöður smíða,
karta at gerva
ok keyra plóg.

He began to grow, | and to gain in strength,
Oxen he ruled, | and plows made ready,
Houses he built, | and barns he fashioned,
Carts he made, | and the plow he managed. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Karl tames oxen, makes plough and arðr, builds houses and barns, fashions carts, drives the plough. Inferred: kartr (cart) shows Celtic loanword contact; this is the technology of settled farming. Modern: the free class is defined by what it builds and drives. Not war gear — oxen, timber, wheels.

Heim óku þá
hanginluklu,
geitakyrtlu,
giftu Karli;
Snör heitir sú,
settisk und rifti;
bjuggu hjón,
bauga deildu,
breiddu blæjur
ok bú gerðu.

Home did they bring | the bride for Karl,
In goatskins clad, | and keys she bore;
Snör was her name, | 'neath the veil she sat;
A home they made ready, | and rings exchanged,
The bed they decked, | and a dwelling made. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Bride brought home in goatskin, keys at her belt, named Snör, veiled; rings exchanged, bed decked, dwelling made. Inferred: wagon-borne bride and keys signal household authority; marriage is economic alliance. Modern: Snör means daughter-in-law. She arrives with the symbols of a farm mistress, not a war prize.

Börn ólu þau,
- bjuggu ok unðu, -
hét Halr ok Drengr,
Hölðr, Þegn ok Smiðr,
Breiðr, Bóndi,
Bundinskeggi,
Búi ok Boddi,
Brattskeggr ok Seggr.

Sons they had, | they lived and were happy:
Hal and Dreng, | Holth, Thegn and Smith,
Breith and Bondi, | Bundinskeggi,
Bui and Boddi, | Brattskegg and Segg. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Sons named Halr, Drengr, Hölðr, Þegn, Smiðr, Breiðr, Bóndi, Bundinskeggi, Búi, Boddi, Brattskeggr, Seggr — men, holders, craftsmen, yeomen. Inferred: names praise breadth, smithing, bound beards — ordered masculinity. Modern: this is a roster of respectable male roles. The poem imagines a class of people it can name without mockery.

Enn hétu svá
öðrum nöfnum,
Snót, Brúðr, Svanni,
Svarri, Sprakki,
Fljóð, Sprund ok Víf,
Feima, Ristill.
Þaðan eru komnar
karla ættir.

Daughters they had, | and their names are here:
Snot, Bruth, Svanni, | Svarri, Sprakki,
Fljoth, Sprund and Vif, | Feima, Ristil:
And thence has risen | the yeomen's race. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Daughters Snot, Brúðr, Svanni, Svarri, Sprakki, Fljóð, Sprund, Víf, Feima, Ristill — worthy, bride, slender, fair, graceful. Closing: thence rose the yeomen's race. Inferred: female names mirror male upgrade from thrall mockery to praise. Modern: karla ættir ends the section like þræla ættir ended the first. The poem stamps origins twice.

Gekk Rígr þaðan
réttar brautir;
kom hann at sal,
suðr horfðu dyrr,
var hurð hnigin,
hringr var í gætti.

Thence went Rig, | his road was straight,
A hall he saw, | the doors faced south;
The portal stood wide, | on the posts was a ring,
Then in he fared; | the floor was strewn. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig comes to a sal with south-facing doors, half-open portal, ring on the doorpost, strewn floor. Inferred: south doors and ringed post mark high-status hall; straw strewn for feast. Modern: the third house announces itself before anyone speaks. Direction, metal, and clean straw are class markers.

Gekk hann inn at þat,
golf var stráat;
sátu hjón,
sáusk í augu,
Faðir ok Móðir,
fingrum at leika.

Within two gazed | in each other's eyes,
Fathir and Mothir, | and played with their fingers;
There sat the house-lord, | wound strings for the bow,
Shafts he fashioned, | and bows he shaped. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Faðir and Móðir gaze in each other's eyes, play with fingers; lord winds bowstring, shapes shafts and bows. Inferred: intimacy plus weapon-craft — noble household combines affection and war preparation. Modern: they are not working like Afi and Amma. They look at each other and handle the tools of violence at ease.

Sat húsgumi
ok sneri streng,
alm of bendi,
örvar skefti;
en húskona
hugði at örmum,
strauk of rifti,
sterti ermar.
Keisti fald,
kinga var á bringu,
síðar slæður,
serk bláfáan;
brún bjartari,
brjóst ljósara,
hals hvítari
hreinni mjöllu.

The lady sat, | at her arms she looked,
She smoothed the cloth, | and fitted the sleeves;
Gay was her cap, | on her breast were clasps,
Broad was her train, | of blue was her gown,
Her brows were bright, | her breast was shining,
Whiter her neck | than new-fallen snow. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Lady tends sleeves, cap, blue gown, bright brow, shining breast, neck whiter than new-fallen snow. Guðni splits across 28–29; Bellows merges. Inferred: beauty catalogues replace labor catalogues; whiteness marks jarl-class femininity. Modern: the poem spends its most luminous lines on cloth and skin. Noble women are seen as appearance; thrall women as function.

Rígr kunni þeim
ráð at segja;
meir settisk hann
miðra fletja,
en á hlið hvára
hjón salkynna.

Rig knew | well wise words to speak,
Soon in the midst | of the room he sat,
And on either side | the others were. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig takes the middle seat again; wise words, hosts on either side. Inferred: even in the grand hall the ritual is identical — only the room has changed. Modern: by the third visit you know the choreography. The god's behavior is the constant. The houses are the variable.

Þá tók Móðir
merkðan dúk,
hvítan af hörvi,
hulði bjóð,
hon tók at þat
hleifa þunna,
hvíta af hveiti,
ok hulði dúk.

Then Mothir brought | a broidered cloth,
Of linen bright, | and the board she covered;
And then she took | the loaves so thin,
And laid them, white | from the wheat, on the cloth. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Móðir spreads embroidered linen, thin white wheat loaves on the cloth. Inferred: white bread vs husk loaf — food poetry as class poetry. Modern: the board is covered before it is loaded. Linen first, then bread. Order is part of wealth.

Framm setti hon
fulla skutla,
silfri varða, á bjóð,
fáin fleski
ok fugla steikða,
vín var í könnu,
varðir kálkar;
drukku ok dæmðu,
dagr var á sinnum.

Then forth she brought | the vessels full,
With silver covered, | and set before them,
Meat all browned, | and well-cooked birds;
In the pitcher was wine, | of plate were the cups,
So drank they and talked | till the day was gone. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Silver-covered vessels, browned meat, roasted birds, wine in pitcher, plate cups; they drink and talk till day departs. Inferred: manuscript defective in opening lines; Gering's emendation restores sense. Modern: this is feast vocabulary — silver, birds, wine, plate. The jarl table is the poem's proof of arrival at the top of household rank.

Rígr kunni þeim
ráð at segja;
reis hann at þat,
rekkju gerði.
Þar var hann at þat
þríar nætr saman;

Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon did he rise, | made ready to sleep;
So in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig rises, makes the bed, lies between Faðir and Móðir. Inferred: the sexual ritual reaches the highest house without modification. Modern: the same god, the same three nights. The noblest parents receive the same guest placement as the hoariest thrall forebears.

gekk hann meir at þat
miðrar brautar;
liðu meir at þat
mánuðr níu.

Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Three nights, midmost way, nine months — formula third time. Inferred: repetition now feels like law, not surprise. Modern: the listener expects Jarl before the stanza ends. Myth has become pattern recognition.

Svein ól Móðir,
silki vafði,
jósu vatni,
Jarl létu heita;
bleikt var hár,
bjartir vangar,
ötul váru augu
sem yrmlingi.

A son had Mothir, | in silk they wrapped him,
With water they sprinkled him, | Jarl he was;
Blond was his hair, | and bright his cheeks,
Grim as a snake's | were his glowing eyes. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Móðir bears Jarl; wrapped in silk, sprinkled, blond hair, bright cheeks, snake-fierce eyes. Inferred: silk and bleikt hár mark nobility; grim eyes forecast war-leader temperament. Modern: Jarl means noble-born. The child arrives wrapped in the most expensive fiber the poem knows.

Upp óx þar
Jarl á fletjum;
lind nam at skelfa,
leggja strengi,
alm at beygja,
örvar skefta,
flein at fleygja,
frökkur dýja,
hestum ríða,
hundum verpa,
sverðum bregða,
sund at fremja.

To grow in the house | did Jarl begin,
Shields he brandished, | and bow-strings wound,
Bows he shot, | and shafts he fashioned,
Arrows he loosened, | and lances wielded,
Horses he rode, | and hounds unleashed,
Swords he handled, | and sounds he swam. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Jarl grows to shields, bowstrings, arrows, lances, horses, hounds, swords, swimming. Inferred: entire upbringing is martial — no plough, no turf. Modern: where Karl got oxen, Jarl gets weapons. The classes are separated by what children practice before adulthood.

Kom þar ór runni
Rígr gangandi,
Rígr gangandi,
rúnar kendi;
sitt gaf heiti,
son kveðsk eiga;
þann bað hann eignask
óðalvöllu,
óðalvöllu,
aldnar byggðir.

Straight from the grove | came striding Rig,
Rig came striding, | and runes he taught him;
By his name he called him, | as son he claimed him,
And bade him hold | his heritage wide,
His heritage wide, | the ancient homes. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Rig returns from the grove, teaches runes, gives his name, claims son, bids him hold ancestral óðal lands. Inferred: Rig = Heimdall per annotator; rune-teaching and naming fit Odin in scholarly debate. The god re-enters as teacher, not lover. Modern: paternity becomes inheritance. Jarl is not merely born noble — he is instructed, renamed, and given land-right in one encounter.

Jarl hóf herför,
reið ór byggðum;
reið hann meir þaðan
myrkvan við,
hélug fjöll,
unz at höllu kom.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Forward he rode | through the forest dark,
O'er the frosty crags, | till a hall he found. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Jarl rides dark wood and frosty crags to a hall. Opening lacuna in manuscript; editors supply journey-beginning lines. Inferred: war career starts with departure from settled life. Modern: the poem loses text exactly where Jarl leaves home. We reconstruct the moment he becomes raider — editorial work standing in for a torn page.

Skaft nam at dýja,
skelfði lind,
hesti hleypði
ok hjörvi brá;
víg nam at vekja,
völl nam at rjóða,
val nam at fella,
vá til landa.

His spear he shook, | his shield he brandished,
His horse he spurred, | with his sword he hewed;
Wars he raised, | and reddened the field,
Warriors slew he, | and land he won. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Spear shaken, shield brandished, horse spurred, sword hewed; wars raised, field reddened, warriors slain, land won. Inferred: Bellows splits Guðni 37; warfare stanza is the jarl's proof of fitness. Modern: nobility here is not birth alone. It must take land with edged weapons.

Réð hann einn at þat
átján búum,
auð nam skipta,
öllum veita
meiðmar ok mösma,
mara svangrifja,
hringum hreytti,
hjó sundr baug.

Eighteen halls | ere long did he hold,
Wealth did he get, | and gave to all,
Stones and jewels | and slim-flanked steeds,
Rings he offered, | and arm-rings shared. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Jarl rules eighteen bú, distributes wealth — gems, slim-flanked horses, rings and arm-rings broken for gifting. Inferred: eighteen estates is saga-scale prosperity; generosity secures followers. Modern: a jarl is measured by how much he can give away. Hoarding is not the virtue — circulation is.

Óku ærir
úrgar brautir,
kómu at höllu,
þar er Hersir bjó;
mey átti hann
mjófingraða,
hvíta ok horska,
hétu Erna.

His messengers went | by the ways so wet,
And came to the hall | where Hersir dwelt;
His daughter was fair | and slender-fingered,
Erna the wise | the maiden was. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Messengers ride wet ways to Hersir's hall; daughter Erna fair, slender-fingered, wise. Inferred: hersir is local lord; marriage politics connect jarl to established power. Modern: Erna means capable. She enters the poem as alliance, not ornament.

Báðu hennar
ok heim óku,
giftu Jarli,
gekk hon und líni;
saman bjuggu þau
ok sér unðu,
ættir jóku
ok aldrs nutu.

Her hand they sought, | and home they brought her,
Wedded to Jarl | the veil she wore;
Together they dwelt, | their joy was great,
Children they had, | and happy they lived. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Hand sought, bride brought, Jarl weds veiled Erna; they dwell together, joy great, children, happy age. Inferred: legitimate dynasty requires marriage into another lordly house. Modern: the warlord becomes a household man. The poem pauses its weapon lists for joy and offspring.

Burr var inn ellsti,
en Barn annat,
Jóð ok Aðal,
Arfi, Mögr,
Niðr ok Niðjungr,
- námu leika, -
Sonr ok Sveinn,
- sund ok tafl, -
Kundr hét enn,
Konr var inn yngsti.

Bur was the eldest, | and Barn the next,
Joth and Athal, | Arfi, Mog,
Nith and Svein, | soon they began-
Sun and Nithjung-- | to play and swim;
Kund was one, | and the youngest Kon. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Sons Burr, Barn, Jóð, Aðal, Arfi, Mögr, Niðr, Niðjungr, Sonr, Sveinn, Kundr — all names meaning son/heir/descendant; youngest Konr. Inferred: genealogical wordplay foreshadows konungr etymology. Modern: every name says lineage. Kon is literally the youngest son-word, about to become king-word.

Upp óxu þar
Jarli bornir,
hesta tömðu,
hlífar bendu,
skeyti skófu,
skelfðu aska.

Soon grew up | the sons of Jarl,
Beasts they tamed, | and bucklers rounded,
Shafts they fashioned, | and spears they shook. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Jarl's sons tame beasts, round shields, shaft arrows, shake spears. Inferred: warrior training repeats Jarl's youth at scale — a class maintaining itself. Modern: the sons practice what their father practiced. Nobility is a curriculum.

En Konr ungr
kunni rúnar,
ævinrúnar
ok aldrrúnar;
meir kunni hann
mönnum bjarga,
eggjar deyfa,
ægi lægja.

But Kon the Young | learned runes to use,
Runes everlasting, | the runes of life;
Soon could he well | the warriors shield,
Dull the swordblade, | and still the seas. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Konr ungr learns ævinrúnar and aldrrúnar; shields warriors, dulls blades, stills seas. Inferred: rune-charms parallel Hávamál 147–163; Kon exceeds brothers in magical kingship. Modern: the youngest is the most dangerous. Not strongest in arm — strongest in lore that bends battle and water.

Klök nam fugla,
kyrra elda,
sefa of svefja,
sorgir lægja;
þýjar kendi,
týnur beitti,
afl ok eljun
átta manna.

Bird-chatter learned he, | flames could he lessen.,
Minds could quiet, | and sorrows calm;
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The might and strength | of twice four men. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Bird-speech, fire-quenching, sleep and sorrow calming; strength of eight men. Lacuna in manuscript between charms and strength. Inferred: editors assume lost lines; sorcery list matches royal magician role. Modern: Kon is a ruler who speaks with birds before a bird counsels him. The poem prepares its own ending in his skills.

Hann við Ríg jarl
rúnar deildi,
brögðum beitti
ok betr kunni;
þá öðlaðisk
ok þá eiga gat
Rígr at heita,
rúnar kunna.

With Rig-Jarl soon | the runes he shared,
More crafty he was, | and greater his wisdom;
The right he sought, | and soon he won it,
Rig to be called, | and runes to know. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Kon shares runes with Rig-Jarl, outdoes him in craft, wins right to bear name Rígr and know runes. Inferred: succession is intellectual victory over father; Rig's name passes when the son surpasses teaching. Modern: kingship is not just birth. Kon must beat his father in the art that defines their line.

Reið Konr ungr
kjörr ok skóga,
kolfi fleygði,
kyrrði fugla.
Þá kvað þat kráka,
sat kvisti ein:
"Hvat skaltu, Konr ungr,
kyrra fugla?

Young Kon rode forth | through forest and grove,
Shafts let loose, | and birds he lured;
There spake a crow | on a bough that sat:
"Why lurest thou, Kon, | the birds to come? — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Kon rides brush and wood, shoots shafts, tames birds; crow on branch asks why he hunts birds. Inferred: birds as counselors appear in Helgakviða and Fáfnismál; hunting scene contrasts with war counsel to come. Modern: the poem shifts from lists to drama. A single crow interrupts the prince at play.

Heldr mætti ér
hestum ríða,
hjörvi bregða
ok her fella.
Á Danr ok Danpr
dýrar hallir,
æðra óðal
en ér hafið;
þeir kunnu vel
kjóli at ríða,
egg at kenna,
undir rjúfa."

"'Twere better forth | on thy steed to fare,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and the host to slay.
"The halls of Dan | and Danp are noble,
Greater their wealth | than thou hast gained;
Good are they at guiding the keel,
Trying of weapons, | and giving of wounds." — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Crow urges horses and sword, war hosts; names Danr and Danpr's costly halls, higher óðal, skill at keel, edge, wounds under shields. Manuscript ends; Guðni 49–50 are duplicate fragments omitted. Inferred: poem likely composed for Danish royal praise — Mogk's Gorm/Harald argument. Modern: the crow points Kon toward greater halls than he owns. The Codex Wormianus breaks before the marriage that saga tradition promises. What remains is direction, not arrival.