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Völuspá
(Prophecy of the Volva, Prophecy of the
Seeress) is the first and best known poem of the
Poetic
Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and
its coming end related by a völva or seeress addressing Odin. It is one
of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse
mythology. The poem is preserved whole in the Codex Regius and
Hauksbók manuscripts while parts of it are quoted in the Prose Edda.
This is James Allen Chisholm's English translation.
1. I bid a hearing from all holy
wights, the greater and lesser of Heimdall’s children. It is
your wish, Valfather, that I speak the old spells of the world,
the earliest I can recall.
2. I recall the children of Ettins, who,
in the days of yore, brought me to life. I recall the nine
worlds, the nine steads, of the Glorious Meting Wood, beneath the
ground.
3. It was in the earliest times that Ymir
dwelled. Neither sand nor sea, nor cold waves, nor earth were
to be found. There was neither heaven above, nor grass anywhere,
there was nothing but Ginnungagap.
4. Soon Bur’s sons heaved up the
earth. They shaped Midgard, the earth. The sun shone from the
south on the stones of the stead, and green leeks grew from the
ground.
5. From the south the sun, companion of the
moon, threw her right hand across the edge of the world The
sun did not know what hall it had. The stars did not know what
stead they had. The moon did not know what main it
had.
6. All the Regin went to the doom
chair, the Ginn Holy Gods mooted over this. They gave names to
night and the new moons, they named midday, mid afternoon, and
early evening, to reckon the years.
7. The Aesir met on Ida Vale. High they
timbered hof and harrow, they founded forges and
smithied, they shaped tongs and wrought tools.
8. They played tables in the garth and were
blissful. None of them lacked gold, until three maidens came
from the Thurses. Their might was awesome, they came from
Ettinhome.
9. Then all the Regin went to the doom
chair. They held moot to say who should shape the Drighten of
the dwarves from Brim’s blood, from Blain’s
bones.
10. There was Motsognir, the greatest in
speech of all the dwarves. But Durinn was second. These
dwarves made many man-like-bodies out of the earth as Durinn had
asked.
11. Nyr and Nithi, North and South, East
and West, Allthief, Entranced, Nar and Nain, Nithing,
Dain Bifor, Bofor, Bombur, Nari, An, and Anarr, Oinn and
Meadvolf.
12. Veig and Gand-Elf, Windelf,
Thorinn, Thror and Thrainn, Thekk, Lit and Vit, Nar and
Nyrath, Reginn and Rathsvith. Now are the dwarves rightly
listed.
13. Fili, Kili, Fundinn, Nali, Hepti,
Vili, Hanarr, Sviurr, Billing, Bruni, Bild and Buri Frar,
Hornbori, Fraeg and Loni, Aurvang, Jari, and
Oakenshield.
14. I speak of the dwarves in Dvalinn’s
host to tell of their kind down to Lofar, of those who sought
the abode of Aurvang at Jorovallar from the stone of the
hall.
15. Draupnir was there, and also
Dolgthrasir, Har, Haugsthori, Hievang, Gloi, Dori, Ori, Duf,
Andvari Scirvir, Virvir, Skafith, and Ai.
16. Alf and Yngvi and
Eikenskjaldi, Fjalarr and Frosti, Finn and Ginhar. The long
line of down to Lofar will be known while men
live.
17. From the host came three, mighty and
powerful Aesir, to coast. There they found an ash and an
elm of little might, and lacking orlog.
18. They had neither breath nor wit nor life
hue nor manner nor good looks. Odin gave them the breath of
life, Hoenir gave them wod, Lothur gave them life and good
looks.
19. I know an ash that stands, called
Yggdrasil, a tall tree, wet with white dews, dews dripping
down into the dales. Ever green it stands over Urth’s
well.
20. From there come three maidens, deep in
lore, from the water that stands under the tree. One is called
Urth, the other Verthandi, the third Skuld. Scores they
carved, laws they laid, lives they chose. They worked Orlog
for the sons of men.
21. I recall the first battle in the
world. There they stabbed Gullveig with spears, and burned her
in Har’s hall. Thrice she was burned, thrice she was born. It
happened often, and yet she lives.
22. She is called Heith, who comes to
houses, the far seeing spae woman. The wise volva knew
gand magic, she understood seith. She played with minds by her
seith. She was always dear to evil women.
23. Then all the Regin went to the doom
chair. The Ginn Holy Gods held moot as to whether the Aesir
should pay tribute or whether all the gods should have a
wassail.
24. Odin sped a shot into the host. That
was the first battle in the world. The board wall was broken, the
fortification of the Ases. The fighting Vanes trod the
battlefield
25. Then all the Regin went to the doom
chair. The Ginn Holy Gods held moot over he who blended the
sky with poison and gave Oth’s woman to the tribe of
Ettins.
26. Thor was then swollen with rage against
the foe. He seldom sits when he hears of such. Oaths were
broken, then word and oath, powerful pacts made between
them.
27. She knows where Heimdall’s hearing is
hidden under the holy sky scraping tree. Over it
flow the watery falls from Valfather’s pledge. Do you want to
know more, or what?
28. She sat out, all alone, there, where the
old one came, the awesome Ase looked in her eye. “What do you
ask of me? Why test me? I know well, Odin, where your eye is
hidden— in the water of Mimir’s well. Mimir drinks
mead each morning from Valfather’s pledge. Do you want
to know more, or what?”
29. Herrfather dealt her rings and a
necklace to have her spells of spae and spae magic. She sees
widely over each of the worlds.
30. She sees valkyries coming from
afar, ready to ride to the Gothic host. Skuld held a shield,
and Skogul another. There were also Gunnr, Hild, Gondol
and Geirskogul. Now Herjan’s maidens are listed, valkyries
ready to ride over the earth.
31. I saw Baldr, the bloodied God, son of
Odin, his orlog hidden. It stood and grew, high among the
trees, slender and fair, the mistletoe teinn.
32. What seemed glorious when on the
boughs turned to a deadly dart when Hoth made his
cast. Baldr’s brother was soon born. When only one year old,
Odin’s son got vengeance
33. He never washed his hands nor combed his
hair, until he had born Baldr’s foe to the pyre. Frigg wept in
Fensalir for Valhalla’s woe. Would you know more, or
what?
34. Then Vali wound war fetters. They
were real strong bonds made of guts.
35. She saw one lying in bonds, in the grove
of kettles. It was the hated form of guileful Loki. Sigyn sits
there, sad by her husband. Do you want to know more, or
what?
36. A stream of saxes and swords flows from
the east through Poison-Dales. It is called
Slith.
37. A golden hall stood in the North on
the vales of Nitha, it was the dwelling of the tribe of Sindra.
Another stood on Okaini, it was the beer hall of the Ettin
Brim.
38. She saw a hall stand, quite far from the
sun, on Nastrond. The doors face north, drops of venom fall in
through the smoke hole. The hall is wound with the spines of
snakes.
39. She saw there oath breakers and
murderers, wading the swift stream. There were also those
who deceived the female advisers of others. Nithogg sucks dead
bodies there, and the warg rips men apart. Do you want to know
more, or what?
40. The old one sat in the Iron-woods in the
east and raised the brood of Fenrir. The worst one of them
all, shall take the sun in the shape of a
troll.
41. He fills himself on the flesh of dead
men, reddens the seat of the gods with gore. The sun turned
swarthy in the following summers. The weather grew
entirely shifty. Do you want to know more, or
what?
42. He sat on a howe hill strumming a
harp. He was the herdsman of a giantess, he was the glad
Eggther. The fair red cock called Fjalar sang to him from the
gallows tree.
43. Gullinkambi sang for the Ases. He
wakes the heroes of Warfather. But another sings beneath the
earth, a soot red cock in the halls of Hel.
44. Garm bays loudly before
Gnipa-Cave. The bonds are sheared and he runs hungry. I know
much lore, yet see even more, of Ragnarok and the powerful
victory Tivar.
45. Brothers shall battle one another and
fight to the death. Sister’s sons bring ruin on their
sib. There is hardness on the world and great whoredom An axe
age, a sword age, shields are cloven. A wind age, a warg age,
before the world falls, no man will spare the
other.
46. Mim’s sons play. The Meter will be set
alight. Heimdall blows loudly on old Gjallarhorn with the horn
aloft. Odin speaks with Mim’s head.
47. Yggdrasil, the standing ash, is
shaking. The old tree howls, the Ettin is loose. All who walk
the Hel-roads are terrified, right before the kin of Surt swallow
it.
48. How fare the Ases, how fare the elves?
All of Ettinhome is in an uproar. The Aesir met in things. The
dwarves groaned before stone gates, masters of the mountain
walls. So do you want to know more, or what?
49. Garm bays loudly before
Gnipa-cave. The bonds are sheared and he runs hungry. She
knows much lore, but I see more of Ragnarok and the powerful
victory Tivar.
50. Hrym fares from the east, bearing a
linden board. The worm Jormungand is engulfed by an ettin
rage and churns the waves. The eagle screams and its pale beak
is cutting corpses. Naglfar is loose.
51. The ship fares from the East. The
folk of Muspell come over the sea, with Loki steering. Kinsmen of
fools fare with Freki, Beylast’s brother
52. Surt fares from the south with the bane
of branches. The sun of the slaughter Tivar shines from his
sword. Crags shake, and fiends reel. Heroes walk the Hel-road.
Heaven is cloven.
53. Another sort of grief comes to
Hlin when Odin fares to fight the wolf and the illustrious
Bane of Beli to battle with Surt. Frigg’s lover will then
fall.
54. Then comes the mighty son of
Victory-father, Vithar, to vie with the deadly beast. He
struck the heart of Hvethrung’s son and so his father was
avenged.
55. The fierce jaws of the earth encircling
worm gaped from the hills at the holy sky. Then Odin´s son
meets the worm, Vithar’s kinsman slays the
warg.
56. Then came the mighty son of Hloth (the
earth). Odin’s son strode to fight against the wolf. In rage
Midgard’s ward dropped him. All heroes shall leave the
homestead. Fjorgyn’s son strode nine steps back from the
serpent, not worried about fame.
57. The sun turned dark, and the land sank
into the sea The bright stars fell from heaven. Steam and fire
ferment. Flames leap high to heaven itself.
58. Garm bays loudly before
Gnipa-cave. The bonds are sheared and he runs hungry. She
knows much lore, but I see more about Ragnarok and the Powerful
Victory Tivar.
59. She sees another rise up, earth from the
ocean, all agreen. Torrents flow and the eagle flies
above scanning the fells and hunting fish.
60. The Aesir meet in Ida-Vale and talk
of the mighty Midgard worm, recalling the mighty doom and
Fimbulty’s ancient runes.
61. They will again find the
wondrous gold chess pieces in the grass, those they had owned
in the days of yore.
62. The unsown acres will then grow. Evil
will turn better, Baldr will return. Both Baldr and Hoth shall
live in Hropt’s victory hall, the work of the gods. Do you want
to know more, or what?
63. Hoenir will then handle the lot wood,
his brother’s two sons will live there in the wide wind
home. Do you want to know more, or what?
64. She sees a hall, standing fairer than
the sun, thatched with gold in Gimle. There the worthy
drightens shall dwell, forever in happiness.
65. Then comes the strong one, to the doom
of the gods, the awesome one from above who rules
all.
66. The dark drake comes flying, the
flashing viper from under Nitha-Fells She sees Nithogg carrying
corpses in his feathers as he flies over the valley. Now she
shall sink down.
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