Othere said to his lord, King Alfred, that he lived northernmost of all the Northmen (or Norwegians).
He said that he lived in the land [that is] northward along the Western Sea
He said, however, that the land is [i.e. extends] very long to the north from there.
But it is all waste, except that Sámi people camp out in a few places here and there—by hunting in winter and fishing in summer along the sea.
He said that one time [lit. "on a certain occasion"] he wanted to find out how long the land extended to the north, or whether any man lived north of the wasteland.
Then he travelled northwards along the land.
All the way he kept the wasteland on his starboard [i.e. to his right], and the open sea on his port side [left] for three days.
Then he was as far north as the whalehunters ever [lit. farthest] travel.
Then he travelled north still as far as he could sail in the next three days.
Then the land turned eastward there, or the sea [turned] into the land, he did not know which, but he knew that he waited there for a wind from the west and a little from the north, and then sailed east along the land as far as he could sail in four days.
Then he had to wait for a wind directly from the north, because the land turned southward there, or the sea into the land, he did not know which.
Then he sailed from there due south along the land as much as he could sail in five days.
Then a great river extended there up into that land.
Then they turned up into the river, because they dared not sail forward across the river because of [fear of] hostilities, because the land was all settled on the other side of the river.
He had not previously encountered any settled land since he travelled from his own home; but all the way there was waste land on his starboard, except for fishers and fowlers and hunters, and that was all Sámi; and open sea was always on his port side.
The Biarmians had settled their land very well: but they dared not enter therein.
But the land of the Sámi was all waste, except where hunters camped, or fishermen, or fowlers.