THE POESY OF SKALDS
173
- God of the blade of battle,
- We bear through Hákon's life-days
- The Seed of Fýri's valley
- On our arms, where sits the falcon.
Even as Thjódólfr sang:
- The king sows the bright seed-corn
- Of knuckle-splendid gold rings,
- With the crop of Yrsa's offspring,
- In his company's glad hand-grasp;
- The guileless 'Land-Director
- With Kraki's gleaming barley
- Sprinkles my arms, the flesh-grown
- Seat of the hooded falcon.
XLIV. "It is said that the king called Hölgi, from whom Hálogaland is named, was the father of Thorgerdr Hölgabrúdr; sacrifice was made to both of them, and a cairn was raised over Hölgi: one layer of gold or silver (that was the sacrificial money), and another layer of mould and stones.
Thus sang Skúli Thorsteinsson:
- When I reddened Reifnir's Roof-Bane,
- The ravening sword, for wealth's sake
- At Svöldr, I heaped with gold rings
- Warlike Hölgi's cairn-thatch.
In the ancient Bjarkamál many terms for gold are told: it says there:
