Thus sang Einarr:

The stark prince lets Hildr's Shield-Sails
Take the sternest crashing Storm-Wind
Of the Valkyr, where hail of bow-strings
Drives; the sword-blade hammers.

As Einarr Tinkling-Scale sang:

The mail-sarks of the warriors,
Firm-woven, did not shelter

The seemly youths 'gainst Högni's
Showers of Hákon's onset.

Even as here:

They set the Point-Net's edge-band
Against the Point-Crash-Urger.

And again:

'Neath eagles' claws the king's foes
Sank at the Clash of Göndul.

XLVIII. "Weapons and armor should be periphrased in figures of battle, and with reference to Odin and the Valkyrs and host-kings: one should call a helmet Cowl, or Hood; a birnie, Sark, or Kirtle; a shield, Tent; and a shield-wall is termed Hall and Roof, Wall and Floor. Shields, periphrased in figures of warships, are called Sun, or Moon, or Leaf, or Sheen, or Garth, of the Ship; the shield is also called Ship of Ullr, or periphrased in terms of Hrungnir's feet, since he stood upon his shield. On ancient shields it

was customary to paint a circle, which was called the 'ring,' and shields are called in metaphors of that ring. Hewing weapons, axes or swords, are called Fires of Blood, or of Wounds; swords are called Odin's Fires; but men call axes by the names of troll-women, and periphrase them in terms of blood or wounds or a forest or wood. Thrusting weapons are properly periphrased by calling them by names of serpents or fishes. Missile weapons are often metaphorically termed hail or sleet or storm. Variants of all these figures have been made in many ways, for they are used chiefly in poems of praise, where there is need of such metaphors. So sang Víga-Glúmr:

With the Hanged-God's helmet
The hosts have ceased from going
By the brink; not pleasant

The bravest held the venture.

Thus sang Einarr Tinkling-Scale:

Helm-folded strife-bold Búi,-
Who from the south went forth
Into Gunn's Crash,

Sigvaldi offered battle.

Sark of Ródi, as Tindr sang:

and din-swift

When came the birnied Hákon

To cast away the ring-rent

Streaming Sark of Odin,

Ródi's rocking sea-steeds were cleared.

Hamdir's Kirtle, as Hallfredr sang:

The war-sleet hard and streaming
Of Egill's weapons breaketh
Fiercely on Hamdir's Kirtles

Of the foremost wave-deer's warriors.

Sörli's Garments, as he

sang further:

Thence the bright Weeds of Sörli
In men's blood must be reddened;
I hear it clearly: Wound-Fire
In cutting showers of iron.

Shields are called Tents of Hlökk, as Grettír sang:

Hlökk's Tent-Raisers held their noses
Together, and the heroes

Of the Rain-Storm of Hildr's Shield-Wall
Hewed at each other's beards.

Ródi's Roof, as Einarr sang:

Ródi's Roof's great Ice-Lump
For the Rain of Freyja's Eyelids
Grows not less, my fair axe-head;

His

age my lord so useth.

Wall of Hildr, as Grettír sang, and as we have written before.

Ship-Sun, as Einarr sang:

In the sea Ólafr's Kinsman

Reddens the flame of the Ship-Sun.

Moon of the Ship's Cheek, as Refr sang:

Fair was the day, when Scatterers
Of Arm-Fire thrust the clear Moon
Of the Cheek into my hand-clasp,
The coiling track of red rings.

Ship's Garth, as here:

The swift Sweller of the Spear-Crash
Shot through the stain-dyed Prow-Garth
As it were birch-bark; truly

He was a bitter battler.

Ash of Ullr, as here:

The Snow-Gusts of Ullr's Ash-Ship
Grimly o'er our Prince shoot

With fullness, where are tossing

The fearsome covered spike-spars.

Blade of Hrungnir's Foot-Soles, as Bragi sang:

Wilt hear, O Hrafnketill,

How I shall praise the Sole-Blade
Of Thrúdr's thief, stain-covered
With skill, and praise my king.

Bragi the Skald sang this concerning the ring on the shield:

Unless it be, that Sigurdr's
Renowned Son would have payment

In good kind for the ring-nave

Of the Ringing Wheel of Hildr.

He called the shield Wheel of Hildr, and the ring the Nave

of the Wheel.

Ring-Earth, as Hallvardr sang:

The Chief of ranks of Combat
Sees the red-gleaming Ring-Earth
Fly in two parts; the white disk,
The pictured, bursts in sunder.

It is also sung:

A ring befits the shield best;
Arrows befit the bow.

A sword is Odin's Fire, as Kormákr sang:

The fight swelled, when the Warrior,
The Wolf's blithe Feeder, in tumult
Fared with Odin's ringing Fire-Flame;
Urdr came forth from the Well.

Fire of the Helm, as Úlfr Uggason sang:

The very mighty Maiden

Of the Mountain made the Sea-Horse

Roll forward, but the Champions

Of Odin's Helm-Fire felled her Wolf-Steed.

Fire of the Birnie, as Glúmr Geirason sang:

At that the Land-Protector

Let the Birnie's Streaming Fire whine,
Hone-whetted, he who warded
Him strongly 'gainst the warriors.