Dróttkvætt or “noble warrior’s metre”
From the Karlevi runestone in Oland, c. 1000 AD
Folginn liggr hinns fylgðu
flestr vissi þat mestar
daeðir dolga Þruðar
draugr í þeimsi haugi;
munat reið-Viðurr ráða
rógstarkr í Danmarku
Endils jarmungrundar
ørgrandari landi.
Tree of Thrud of hostilities,
the man whom the greatest virtues accompanies
(most men knew that)
lies buried in this mound;
a more upright chariot-Vidur
of wondrous-wide ground of Endil
will not rule, strife strong,
land in Denmark.
A Note on the Kennings:
’ Tree of Thrud of hostilities’ Thrud was the daughter of Thor, but is here used simply to mean ‘goddess’. The goddess of hostilities is a Valkyrie. The ‘tree’ of the Valkyrie is a warrior.
‘Chariot-Vidur of wondrous-wide ground of Endil’ Endil is the name of a legendary sea-king and the ‘ground’ of the sea-king is the ocean. ‘Chariot of the ocean’ is a ship. Vidur is one of the heiti or alternate names of Óðinn, and here is used to simply mean ‘god’. The ‘god’ of a ship is its captain.
Which then gives us:
A warrior
the man whom the greatest virtues accompanies
(most men knew that)
lies buried in this mound;
a more upright captain
will not rule, strife strong,
land in Denmark.