Note 52 — The First Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane

The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza; some editors combine lines 3–4 with all or part of stanza 53, while others assume the loss of two lines following line 4. Fire-beasts: dragons, i.e., ships. The Norse ships of war, as distinguished from merchant vessels, were often called dragons because of their shape and the carving of their stems.