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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 Lee M. Hollander's English translation.
Hear me, all ye hallowed beings, Both high
and low of Heimdall's children: Thou wilt, Valfather, that I well
set forth The fates of the world which as first I
recall.
I call to mind the kin of etins Which long
ago did give me life. Nine worlds I know, the nine abodes Of
the glorious world-tree the ground beneath.
In earliest times did Ymir live: Was not sea
nor land nor salty waves, Neither earth was there nor upper
heaven, But a gaping nothing, and green things
nowhere.
Was the land then lifted aloft by Bur's
sons Who made Mithgarth, the matchless earth; Shone from the
south the sun on dry land, On the ground then grew the greensward
soft.
From the south the sun, by the side of the
moon, Heaved his right hand over heaven's rim; The sun knew
not what seat he had, The stars knew not what stead they
held, The moon knew not what might she had.
Then gathered together the gods for
counsel, The holy hosts, and held converse; To night and new
moon their names they gave, The morning named, and midday
also, Forenoon and evening, to order the year.
On Itha Plain met the mighty gods; Shrines
and temples they timbered high, They founded forges to fashion
gold, Tongs they did shape and tools they made;
Played at draughts in the garth: right glad
they were, Nor aught lacked they of lustrous gold -- Till
maidens three from the thurses came, Awful in might from
etin-home.
Then gathered together the gods for
counsel, The holy hosts, and held converse: Who the
deep-dwelling dwarfs was to make Of Brimir's blood and Bláin's
bones.
Mótsognir rose, mightiest ruler Of the kin
of dwarfs, but Durin next; Molded many manlike bodies The
dwarfs under earth, as Durin bade them.
Nýi and Nithi, Northri and Suthri, Austri
and Vestri, Althjólf, Dvalin, Nár and Náin, Níping,
Dáin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Nóri, Án and Onar, Ái,
Mjóthvitnir.
Veig and Gandálf, Vindálf, Thráin, Thekk and
Thorin, Thrór, Vit, and Lit, Nár and Regin, Nýráth and
Ráthsvith; Now is reckoned the roster of
dwarfs.
Fíli, Kíli, Fundin, Náli, Heptifíli, Hanar,
Svíur, Frár, Hornbori, Frćg and Lóni, Aurvang, Jari,
Eikinskjaldi.
The dwarfs I tell now in Dvalin's host, Down
to Lofar -- for listening wights -- They who hied them from halls
of stone Over sedgy shores to sandy plains.
There was Draupnir and Dólgthrasir, Hár and
Haugspori, Hlévang, Glói, Skirvir, Virvir, Skafith, Ái, Álf
and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalar and Frosti, Finn and Ginnar. Will
ever be known, while earth doth last, The lines of dwarfs to
Lofar down.
To the coast then came, kind and
mighty, From the gathered gods three great Ćsir; On land they
found, of little strength, Ask and Embla, unfated
yet.
Sense they possessed not, soul they had
not, Being nor bearing, nor blooming hue; Soul gave Óthin,
sense gave Hönir, Being, Lóthur, and blooming
hue.
An ash I know, hight Yggdrasil, The mighty
tree moist with white dews; Thence come the floods that fall
down; Evergreen o'ertops Urth's well this tree.
Thence wise maidens three betake them
-- Urth one is hight, the other, Verthandi, Skuld the third:
they scores did cut, They laws did make, they lives did
choose: For the children of men they marked their
fates.
I ween the first war in the world was
this, When the gods Gullveig gashed with their spears, And in
the hall of Hár burned her -- Three times burned they the thrice
reborn, Ever and anon: even now she liveth.
Heith she was hight where to houses she
came, The wise seeress, and witchcraft plied -- Cast spells
where she could, cast spells on the mind: To wicked women she was
welcome ever.
Then gathered together the gods for
counsel, The holy hosts, and held converse: Should the Ćsir a
truce with tribute buy, Or should all gods share in the
feast.
His spear had Óthin sped o'er the host: The
first of feuds was thus fought in the world; Was broken in battle
the breastwork of Ásgarth, Fighting Vanir trod the field of
battle.
Then gathered together the gods for
counsel, The holy hosts, and held converse: Who had filled the
air with foul treason, And to uncouth etins Óth's wife
given.
Thewy Thór then overthrew the foe -- He
seldom sits when of such he hears: Were sworn oaths broken, and
solemn vows, Gods' plighted troth, the pledges
given.
Where Heimdall's horn is hid, she
knows, Under heaven-touching, holy world-tree; On it are shed
showery falls From Fjolnir's pledge: know ye further, or
how?
Alone she sat out when the lord of
gods, Óthin the old, her eye did seek: What seekest thou to
know, why summon me? Well know I, Ygg, where thy eye is
hidden: In the wondrous well of Mímir; Each morn Mímir his
mead doth drink Out of Fjolnir's pledge: know ye further, or
how?
Gave Ygg to her arm rings and gems For her
seeress' sight and soothsaying: The fates I fathom, yet farther I
see, See far and wide the worlds about.
The valkyries' flock from afar she
beholds, Ready to ride to the realm of men: Skuld held her
shield, Skogul likewise, Guth, Hild, Gondul, and
Geirskogul: For thus are hight Herjan's maidens, Ready to ride
o'er reddened battlefields.
I saw for Baldr, the blessed god, Ygg's
dearest son, what doom is hidden: Green and glossy, there grew
aloft, The trees among, the mistletoe.
The slender-seeming sapling became A fell
weapon when flung by Hoth; But Baldr's brother was born full
soon: But one night old slew him Óthin's son.
Neither cleansed his hands nor combed his
hair Till Baldr's slayer he sent to Hel; But Frigg did weep in
Fensalir The fateful deed: know ye further, or
how?
A captive lies in the kettle-grove, Like to
lawless Loki in shape; There sits Sigyn, full sad in mind, By
her fettered mate: know ye further, or how?
From the east there flows through
fester-dales, A stream hight Slíth, filled with swords and
knives.
Waist-deep wade there through waters
swift Mainsworn men and murderous, Eke those who betrayed a
trusted friend's wife; There gnaws Níthhogg naked
corpses, There the Wolf rends men -- wit ye more, or
how?
Stood in the north on the Nitha Fields A
dwelling golden which the dwarfs did own; Another stood on
Ókólnir, That etin's beer-hall, who is Brimir
hight.
A hall she saw, from the sun so far, On Ná
Strand's shore: turn north its doors; Drops of poison drip
through the louver, It walls are clad with coiling
snakes.
In the east sat the old one, in the
Iron-Woods, Bred there the bad brood of Fenrir; Will one of
these, worse than they all, The sun swallow, in seeming a
wolf.
He feeds on the flesh of fallen men, With
their blood sullies the seats of the gods; Will grow swart the
sunshine in summers thereafter, The weather, woe-bringing: do ye
wit more, or how?
His harp striking, on hill there
sat Gladsome Eggthér, he who guards the ogress; O'er him gaily
in the gallows tree Crowed the fair red cock which is Fjalar
hight.
Crowed o'er the gods Gullinkambi; Wakes he
the heroes who in Herjan dwell; Another crows the earth
beneath In the halls of Hel, of hue dark red.
Garm bays loudly before Gnipa cave, Breaks
his fetters and freely runs. The fates I fathom, yet farther I
see: Of the mighty gods the engulfing doom.
Brothers will battle to bloody end, And
sisters' sons their sibs betray; Woe's in the world, much
wantonness; Axe-age, sword-age -- sundered are shields
-- Wind-age, wolf-age, ere the world crumbles; Will the spear
of no man spare the other.
Mímir's sons dance; the downfall bodes When
blares the gleaming Gjallarhorn; Loud blows Heimdall, with horn
aloft; In Hel's dark hall horror spreadeth, Once more Óthin
with Mím's head speaketh Ere Surt's sib swallows
him.
Trembles the towering tree Yggdrasil, It
leaves sough loudly: unleashed is the etin.
What ails the Ćsir and what the alfs? In
uproar all etins -- are the Ćsir met. At the gates of their grots
the wise dwarfs groan In their fell fastnesses: wit ye further,
or how?
Garm bays loudly before Gnipa cave, Breaks
his fetters and freely runs. The fates I fathom, yet farther I
see: Of the mighty gods the engulfing doom.
Fares Hrym from the east, holding his
shield; The Mithgarth-Worm in mighty rage Scatters the waves;
screams the eagle, His nib tears the dead; Naglfar
loosens.
Sails a ship from the east with shades from
Hel; O'er the ocean stream steers it Loki; In the wake of the
Wolf rush witless hordes Who with baleful Byleist's brother do
fare.
Comes Surt from the south with the
singer-of-twigs, The war god's sword like a sun doth
shine; The tall hills totter, the trolls stagger, Men fare to
Hel, the heavens rive.
Another woe awaiteth Hlín, When forth goes
Óthin to fight the Wolf, And the slayer of Beli to battle with
Surt: Then Frigg's husband will fall lifeless.
Strides forth Víthar, Valfather's son, The
fearless fighter, Fenrir to slay; To the heart he hews the
Hvethrungs's son; Avenged is then Víthar's
father.
Comes then Mjolnir's mighty wielder; Gapes
the grisly earth-girdling Serpent When strides forth Thór to stay
the Worm.
Mightily mauls Mithgarth's warder -- Shall
all wights in the world wander from home -- ; Back falls nine
steps Fjorgyn's offspring -- Nor fears for his fame -- from the
frightful worm.
'Neath sea the land sinketh, the sun
dimmeth, From the heavens fall the fair bright stars; Gusheth
forth stream and gutting fire, To very heaven soar the hurtling
flames.
Garm bays loudly before Gnipa cave, Breaks
his fetters and freely runs. The fates I fathom, yet farther I
see: Of the mighty gods the engulfing doom.
I see green again with growing things The
earth arise from out of the sea; Fell torrents flow, overflies
them the eagle, On hoar highlands which hunts for
fish.
Again the Ćsir on Itha Plain meet, And speak
of the mighty Mithgarth-Worm -- Again go over the great
world-doom, And Fimbultýr's unfathomed runes.
Then in the grass the golden figures, The
far-famed ones, will be found again, Which they had owned in
olden days.
On unsown acres the ears will grow. All ill
grow better; will Baldr come then. Both he and Hoth will in
Hropt's hall dwell, The war gods' fane: do ye wit more, or
how?
Then will Hönir handle the blood-wands, And
Ygg's brothers' sons will forever dwell In wide Wind-Home: do ye
wit more, or how?
I see a hall than the sun more
fair, Thatched with red gold, which is Gimlé hight. There will
the gods all guiltless throne, And live forever in ease and
bliss.
Adown cometh to the doom of the world The
great godhead which governs all.
Comes the darksome dragon flying, Níthhogg,
upward from the Nitha fells; He bears in his pinions as the
plains he o'erflies, Naked corpses: now he will
sink.
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