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1. Hljóðs bið ek allar helgar kindir, meiri ok minni mögu Heimdallar; viltu at ek, Valföðr, vel fyr telja forn spjöll fira, þau er fremst of man. |
Hearing I ask for from all hallowed kindreds, greater and lesser offspring of Heimdallr; You want, Valfather, that I should well recount ancient story of beings1 that I remember from longest ago. |
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| 2. Ek man jötna ár of borna, þá er forðum mik fædda höfðu; níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur, mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan. |
I remember jǫtuns born long ago, those who once me had nurtured;2 nine worlds I remember, nine giantesses inside,3 the great Measure Tree4 down under the ground. | ||
| 3. Ár var alda, þar er ekki var, var-a sandr né sær né svalar unnir; jörð fannsk æva né upphiminn, gap var ginnunga en gras hvergi. |
It was early in the ages, when nothing was,5 there was neither sand nor sea nor cool waves; Earth was nowhere to be found, nor sky above, a gap there was of yawning spaces6 and nowhere grass. | ||
| 4. Áðr Burs synir bjöðum of yppðu, þeir er Miðgarð mæran skópu; sól skein sunnan á salar steina, þá var grund gróin grænum lauki. |
Before the sons of Burr raised up the lands, they who Miðgarð, the glorious, created; the sun shone from the south on the stones of that dwelling-place,7 Then the ground was grown-over with the green leek. 8 | ||
| 5. Sól varp sunnan, sinni mána, hendi inni hægri um himinjöður; sól þat né vissi, hvar hon sali átti, máni þat né vissi, hvat hann megins átti, stjörnur þat né vissu hvar þær staði áttu. |
From the south cast Sól,9 companion of Máni, her right hand around the edge of the sky;10 Sól did not know where she had halls, Máni did not know what power he had, the stars did not know where they had places. | ||
| 6. Þá gengu regin öll á rökstóla, ginnheilög goð, ok um þat gættusk; nótt ok niðjum nöfn of gáfu, morgin hétu ok miðjan dag, undorn ok aftan, árum at telja. |
Then all the regin went to judgement seats, the vastly holy11 gods, and considered that; to Nótt and her children they gave out names, morning they named and midday, afternoon12 and evening, to reckon by years. | ||
| 7. Hittusk æsir á Iðavelli, þeir er hörg ok hof hátimbruðu; afla lögðu, auð smíðuðu, tangir skópu ok tól gerðu. |
The Æsir gathered at Iðavǫllr,13 they who high-timbered hǫrgs and hofs; they laid down forges, smithied wealth, shaped tongs and created tools. | ||
| 8. Tefldu í túni, teitir váru, var þeim vettergis vant ór gulli, uns þrjár kvámu þursa meyjar ámáttkar mjök ór Jötunheimum. |
They played tafl in the enclosure,14 were happy, they had nothing of lack of gold, until there came three þurs maidens very awesomely strong from Jǫtunheim. | ||
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| 9. Þá gengu regin öll á rökstóla, ginnheilög goð, ok um þat gættusk, hverir skyldi dverga dróttir skepja ór Brimis blóði ok ór Bláins leggjum. |
Then all the regin went to judgement seats, the vastly holy gods, and considered that: who15 should create companies of dwarves from Brimir's blood and from Bláin's legs16. | ||
| 10. Þar var Móðsognir mæztr of orðinn dverga allra, en Durinn annarr; þeir mannlíkun mörg of gerðu dvergar í jörðu, sem Durinn sagði. |
There Móðsognir had become the greatest of all dwarves, and Durinn the second; they made many in man's likeness, dwarves in the earth17, as Durinn said. | ||
| 11. Nýi, Niði, Norðri, Suðri, Austri, Vestri, Alþjófr, Dvalinn, Nár ok Náinn Nípingr, Dáinn Bívurr, Bávurr, Bömburr, Nóri, Ánn ok Ánarr, Óinn, Mjöðvitnir. |
Nýi, Niði, Norðri, Suðri, Austri, Vestri,18 Alþjófr, Dvalinn, Nár and Náinn Nípingr, Dáinn Bívurr, Bávurr, Bömburr, Nóri, Ánn and Ánarr, Óinn, Mjǫðvitnir. | ||
| 12. Veggr ok Gandalfr, Vindalfr, Þorinn, Þrár ok Þráinn, Þekkr, Litr ok Vitr, Nýr ok Nýráðr, nú hefi ek dverga, Reginn ok Ráðsviðr, rétt of talða. |
Veggr and Gandalfr, Vindalfr, Þorinn, Þrár and Þráinn, Þekkr, Litr and Vitr, Nýr and Nýráðr, now I have - Reginn and Ráðsviðr - listed dwarves correctly. | ||
| 13. Fíli, Kíli, Fundinn, Náli, Hefti, Víli, Hannar, Svíurr, Billingr, Brúni, Bíldr ok Buri, Frár, Hornbori, Frægr ok Lóni, Aurvangr, Jari, Eikinskjaldi. |
Fíli, Kíli, Fundinn, Náli, Hefti, Víli, Hannar, Svíurr, Billingr, Brúni, Bíldr and Buri, Frár, Hornbori, Frægr and Lóni, Aurvangr, Jari, Eikinskjaldi. | ||
| 14. Mál er dverga í Dvalins liði ljóna kindum til Lofars telja, þeir er sóttu frá salar steini Aurvanga sjöt til Jöruvalla. |
It is time to list the dwarves in Dvalin's kindred for the children of men as far as Lofar, they who sought out from halls of stone the seats19 of Aurvangar to Jöruvellir. | ||
| 15. Þar var Draupnir ok Dolgþrasir, Hár, Haugspori, Hlévangr, Glóinn, Dóri, Óri Dúfr, Andvari Skirfir, Virfir, Skáfiðr, Ái. |
There was Draupnir and Dolgþrasir, Hár, Haugspori, Hlévangr, Glóinn, Dóri, Óri Dúfr, Andvari Skirfir, Virfir, Skáfiðr, Ái. | ||
| 16. Alfr ok Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi, Fjalarr ok Frosti, Finnr ok Ginnarr; þat mun æ uppi meðan öld lifir, langniðja tal Lofars hafat. |
Alfr and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi, Fjalarr and Frosti, Finnr and Ginnarr; that will be forever held high as long as the age20 lives, the account of the father's line of Lofar. | ||
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| 17. Unz þrír kvámu ór því liði öflgir ok ástkir æsir at húsi, fundu á landi lítt megandi Ask ok Emblu örlöglausa. |
Until three21 came of that company powerful and dear22 Æsir to a house, found on the land able to do little Askr and Embla without orlög. | ||
| 18. Önd þau né áttu, óð þau né höfðu, lá né læti né litu góða; önd gaf Óðinn, óð gaf Hænir, lá gaf Lóðurr ok litu góða. |
They did not possess ǫnd,23 they did not have óðr,24 no softness, nor activity,25 nor good colouring;26 Óðinn gave ǫnd, Hœnir gave óðr, Lóðurr gave softness and good colouring. | ||
| 19. Ask veit ek standa, heitir Yggdrasill, hár baðmr, ausinn hvíta auri; þaðan koma döggvar, þærs í dala falla, stendr æ yfir grænn Urðarbrunni. |
I know an ash stands, which is called Yggdrasill, a tall tree, sprinkled27 with white clay;28 from there come the dews which fall in the valleys, it stands for ever over the green Urðarbrunnr.29 | ||
| 20. Þaðan koma meyjar margs vitandi þrjár ór þeim sæ, er und þolli stendr; Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi, - skáru á skíði, - Skuld ina þriðju; þær lög lögðu, þær líf kuru alda börnum, örlög seggja. |
From there come maidens knowing much, three from the lake which stands under the tree; one is called Urðr, the second Verðandi, - they risted on a slip of wood - the third Skuld; they laid down laws, they selected lives, for the children of mankind, humans' ørlǫg.30 | ||
| 21. Þat man hon folkvíg fyrst í heimi, er Gullveigu geirum studdu ok í höll Hárs hana brenndu, þrisvar brenndu, þrisvar borna, oft, ósjaldan, þó hon enn lifir. |
She remembers the war of peoples, the first in the world, when they stuck31 Gullveig with spears and in the hall of Hárr32 burnt her, three times burnt, three times born, often, not seldom, yet she still lives. | ||
| 22. Heiði hana hétu hvars til húsa kom, völu velspáa, vitti hon ganda; seið hon, hvars hon kunni, seið hon hug leikinn, æ var hon angan illrar brúðar. |
Heiðr they called her wherever she came to the houses, a vǫlva of good prophecy,33 she magicked with magic equipment;34 she practised seiðr wherever she could,35 she practised seiðr entranced of mind,36 always she was the darling37 of the wicked wife. | ||
| 23. Þá gengu regin öll á rökstóla, ginnheilög goð, ok um þat gættusk, hvárt skyldu æsir afráð gjalda eða skyldu goðin öll gildi eiga. |
Then all the regin went to judgement seats, the vastly holy gods, and considered that, whether the Æsir should pay tribute38 or all the gods should have tribute.39 | ||
| 24. Fleygði Óðinn ok í folk of skaut, þat var enn folkvíg fyrst í heimi; brotinn var borðveggr borgar ása, knáttu vanir vígspá völlu sporna. |
Óðinn let fly and shot into the crowd, it was still the first war of peoples in the world; breached was the plank wall of the stronghold40 of the Æsir, The Vanir, with war-magic, kicked the field with their heels.41 | ||
| 25. Þá gengu regin öll á rökstóla, ginnheilög goð, ok um þat gættusk, hverjir hefði loft allt lævi blandit eða ætt jötuns Óðs mey gefna. |
Then all the regin went to judgement seats, the vastly holy gods, and considered that, who had blended destruction 42 into all the heavens or to the race of the jǫtunn given Òð's lass. | ||
| 26. Þórr einn þar vá þrunginn móði, - hann sjaldan sitr - er hann slíkt of fregn -: á gengusk eiðar, orð ok særi, mál öll meginlig, er á meðal fóru. |
Thor alone there struck full of fury - he rarely sits still when he hears of such -: oaths were smashed,43 words and pledges, all the forceful pronouncements that stood in the way.44 | ||
| 27. Veit hon Heimdallar hljóð of folgit und heiðvönum helgum baðmi, á sér hon ausask aurgum forsi af veði Valföðrs. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
She knows Heimdal's ear has been stowed away45 under the light-lacking holy tree, a river she sees rising with clayey rapids from Valfather's pledge. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 28. Ein sat hon úti, þá er inn aldni kom yggjungr ása ok í augu leit. Hvers fregnið mik? Hví freistið mín? Allt veit ek, Óðinn, hvar þú auga falt, í inum mæra Mímisbrunni. Drekkr mjöð Mímir morgun hverjan af veði Valföðrs. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
Alone she sat out, when the old man came, terror's son46 of the Æsir, and looked into her eyes. "What are you asking me? Why are you testing me?47 I know everything, Óðinn, where you stowed your eye,48 in the great well of Mímir. Mímir drinks mead every morning from Valfather's pledge." Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 29. Valði henni Herföðr hringa ok men, fekk spjöll spaklig ok spá ganda, sá hon vítt ok of vítt of veröld hverja. |
For her Herfather chose rings and necklaces, [he] got a wise account50 and spæ of spirits, 51 she saw far and afar in every world. 52 | ||
| 30. Sá hon valkyrjur vítt of komnar, görvar at ríða til Goðþjóðar; Skuld helt skildi, en Skögul önnur, Gunnr, Hildr, Göndul ok Geirskögul. Nú eru talðar nönnur Herjans, görvar at ríða grund valkyrjur. |
She saw valkyries coming from afar, prepared to ride to the Land of Gods; Skuld held a shield, and Skögul another, Gunnr, Hildr, Göndul and Geirskögul. Now are recounted the Nannas of Herjan, prepared to ride the earth, the valkyries.53 | ||
| 31. Ek sá Baldri, blóðgum tívur, Óðins barni, örlög folgin; stóð of vaxinn völlum hæri mjór ok mjök fagr mistilteinn. |
I saw for Baldr, for the bloody sacrifice, Óðin's child, ørlǫg stowed away;54 there stood all grown up higher than the fields,55 slender and very beautiful, the mistletoe. | ||
| 32. Varð af þeim meiði, er mær sýndisk, harmflaug hættlig, Höðr nam skjóta; Baldrs bróðir var of borinn snemma, sá nam Óðins sonr einnættr vega. |
There came to be of that pole, which seemed slender, a dangerous throwing weapon, Hǫðr did shoot; Baldr's brother was born early, so Óðin's son took vengeance at one night old. | ||
| 33. Þó hann æva hendr né höfuð kembði, áðr á bál of bar Baldrs andskota; en Frigg of grét í Fensölum vá Valhallar. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
Nonetheless he did [not] wash his hands or comb his hair, before he brought death to Baldr's slayer; and Frigg wept at it í Fensölum in Fensalir, the woe of Valhǫllr. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 34. Þá kná Váli vígbönd snúa, heldr váru harðgör höft ór þörmum. |
Then can Váli56 twist the battle-fetters, they were rather hardy, bindings made of guts. | ||
| 35. Haft sá hon liggja und Hveralundi, lægjarns líki Loka áþekkjan; þar sitr Sigyn þeygi of sínum ver vel glýjuð. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
A captive she saw lying under Hveralundr, to the form of the guileful Loki similar; there sits Sigyn, surely not of her husband well content. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 36. Á fellur austan um eitrdala söxum ok sverðum, Slíðr heitir sú. |
A river falls from the east through dales of poison,57 with seaxes and swords, Slíðr is its name. | ||
| 37. Stóð fyr norðan á Niðavöllum salr ór gulli Sindra ættar; en annarr stóð á Ókólni bjórsalr jötuns, en sá Brimir heitir. |
There stood to the north on Niðavǫllr a hall of gold, of the kin of Sindri; and another stood on Ókólnir, the beer-hall of a jǫtunn, and that one is called Brimir.58 | ||
| 38. Sal sá hon standa sólu fjarri Náströndu á, norðr horfa dyrr; falla eitrdropar inn um ljóra, sá er undinn salr orma hryggjum. |
A hall she saw standing far from the sun, on Nástrǫnd, the door facing north; drops of poison fall in through the smoke-hole, that hall is woven of the backs of serpents. | ||
| 39. Sá hon þar vaða þunga strauma menn meinsvara ok morðvarga ok þann er annars glepr eyrarúnu; þar saug Niðhöggr nái framgengna, sleit vargr vera. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
She saw there wading the burdensome streams men who were forsworn and outlaw murderers and him who beguiles another man's sweetheart of whispered secrets;59 There Niðhǫggr sucked corpses of the dead, the wolf tore men. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 40. Austr sat in aldna í Járnviði ok fæddi þar Fenris kindir; verðr af þeim öllum einna nokkurr tungls tjúgari í trölls hami. |
In the east sat the old female in Járnviðr and there bore60 Fenrir's kin; there will come of them all one particular one a snatcher of the moon61 in a troll's form.62 | ||
| 41. Fyllisk fjörvi feigra manna, rýðr ragna sjöt rauðum dreyra; svört verða sólskin um sumur eftir, veðr öll válynd. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
It fills itself with the vitals63 of the doomed64 reddens the dwellings of the regin with red gore; black the sunbeams become in summers after, the weather all shifty. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 42. Sat þar á haugi ok sló hörpu gýgjar hirðir, glaðr Eggþér; gól of hánum í galgviði fagrrauðr hani, sá er Fjalarr heitir. |
There sat there on a barrow and struck his harp an ogress' herdsman, the merry Eggþér; there crowed above him in the gallows-wood the bright red65 rooster who is called Fjalarr. | ||
| 43. Gól of ásum Gullinkambi, sá vekr hölða at Herjaföðrs; en annarr gelr fyr jörð neðan sótrauðr hani at sölum Heljar. |
There crowed above the Æsir Gullinkambi, who wakens the warriors at Herfather's; and another crows underneath the earth a sooty-red rooster in the halls of Hel. | ||
| 44. Geyr nú Garmr mjök fyr Gnipahelli, festr mun slitna, en freki renna; fjölð veit ek fræða, fram sé ek lengra um ragna rök römm sigtíva. |
Now Garmr barks a lot in front of Gnipahellir, the tether will break, and the ravenous one escape; Much I know of lore,66 I see far ahead to the judgement of the powers67, bitter, of the victory-gods. | ||
| 45. Bræðr munu berjask ok at bönum verðask, munu systrungar sifjum spilla; hart er í heimi, hórdómr mikill, skeggöld, skalmöld, skildir ro klofnir, vindöld, vargöld, áðr veröld steypisk; mun engi maðr öðrum þyrma. |
Brothers will fight each other and be each other's bane, sisters' children ravage kinship;68 in the world it is hard, great whoredom, an axe age, a sword age, shields are cloven, a wind age, a wolf age, before the world collapses. No one will spare another. | ||
| 46. Leika Míms synir, en mjötuðr kyndisk at inu galla Gjallarhorni; hátt blæss Heimdallr, horn er á lofti, mælir Óðinn við Míms höfuð. |
Mím's sons play, but fate's measure is lit at the clarion call of Gjallarhorn; high69 blows Heimdallr, the horn is raised aloft, Óðinn consults with Mím's head. | ||
| 47. Skelfr Yggdrasils askr standandi, ymr it aldna tré, en jötunn losnar; hræðask allir á helvegum áðr Surtar þann sefi of gleypir. |
Shudders the ash Yggdrasill70, standing there, the old tree cries, and the jǫtunn gets free; all are frightened on the path to Hel before Surtr's kinsman swallows it.71 | ||
| 48.72 Hvat er með ásum? Hvat er með alfum? Gnýr allr Jötunheimr, æsir ro á þingi, stynja dvergar fyr steindurum, veggbergs vísir. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
What ails the Æsir? What ails the Álfar? All Jǫtunheimr resounds, Æsir are in Thing, dwarves groan before the doors of stone, wise in the ways of their rock walls. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 49. Geyr nú Garmr mjök fyr Gnipahelli, festr mun slitna en freki renna; fjölð veit ek fræða, fram sé ek lengra um ragna rök römm sigtíva. |
Now Garmr barks a lot in front of Gnipahellir, the tether will break, en freki renna; Much I know of lore, I see far ahead, to the judgement of the powers, bitter, of the victory-gods. | ||
| 50. Hrymr ekr austan, hefisk lind fyrir, snýsk Jörmungandr í jötunmóði; ormr knýr unnir, en ari hlakkar, slítr nái niðfölr , Naglfar losnar. |
Hrymr drives from the east, lifts his shield in front of him, Jǫrmungandr writhes in jǫtunn-fury; the serpent churns the waves, and the eagle screams,73 pitch-dark-pale74, rends corpses, Naglfar casts off. | ||
| 51. Kjóll ferr austan, koma munu Múspells of lög lýðir, en Loki stýrir; fara fíflmegir með freka allir, þeim er bróðir Býleists í för. |
The ship75 sails from the east, will come Múspell's people over water, and Loki steers; ogre-kin76 travel all with the ravener, in their group is the brother of Býleistr.77 | ||
| 52. Surtr ferr sunnan með sviga lævi, skínn af sverði sól valtíva; grjótbjörg gnata, en gífr rata, troða halir helveg, en himinn klofnar. |
Surtr travels from the south with the destruction of switches,78 there shines from his sword the sun of the val-gods; the rocky cliffs clash, and fiends are on the way, men tread the road to Hel, and the heavens split open. | ||
| 53. Þá kemr Hlínar harmr annarr fram, er Óðinn ferr við ulf vega, en bani Belja bjartr at Surti; þá mun Friggjar falla angan. |
Then comes Hlín's second grief to pass, when Óðinn goes into combat with the wolf, and Beli's bane bright against Surtr; then will Frigg's love79 fall. | ||
| 54. Geyr nú Garmr mjök fyr Gnipahelli, festr mun slitna en freki renna; fjölð veit ek fræða, fram sé ek lengra um ragna rök römm sigtíva. |
Now Garmr barks a lot in front of Gnipahellir, the tether will break, and the ravenous one escape; Much I know of lore, I see far ahead, to the judgement of the powers, bitter, of the victory-gods. | ||
| 55. Þá kemr inn mikli mögr Sigföður, Víðarr, vega at valdýri. Lætr hann megi Hveðrungs mundum standa hjör til hjarta, þá er hefnt föður. |
Then comes the great offspring of Sigfather, Víðarr, to attack the slaughter-beast. With his hand he shoves home in Hveðrung's offspring's80 heart the blade, then is his father avenged. | ||
| 56. Þá kemr inn mæri mögr Hlóðynjar, gengr Óðins sonr við orm vega, drepr af móði Miðgarðs véurr, munu halir allir heimstöð ryðja; gengr fet níu Fjörgynjar burr neppr frá naðri níðs ókvíðnum. |
Then comes the great offspring of Hlóðyn, Óðin's son goes to attack the serpent, He strikes in fury, Miðgarð's hallower,81 all humans will clear out of their homestead; he walks nine paces, Fjǫrgyn's son, barely that, from the viper that did not shrink from vileness82. | ||
| 57. Sól tér sortna, sígr fold í mar, hverfa af himni heiðar stjörnur; geisar eimi ok aldrnari, leikr hár hiti við himin sjalfan. |
Sól is seen to blacken, the earth sinks in the sea, fall from the sky the bright stars; there rage smoke and flame,83 the heat rises high to the sky itself. | ||
| 58. Geyr nú Garmr mjök fyr Gnipahelli, festr mun slitna en freki renna; fjölð veit ek fræða fram sé ek lengra um ragna rök römm sigtíva. |
Now Garmr barks a lot in front of Gnipahellir, the tether will break, and the ravenous one escape; Much I know of lore, I see far ahead, to the judgement of the powers, bitter, of the victory-gods. | ||
| 59. Sér hon upp koma öðru sinni jörð ór ægi iðjagræna; falla forsar, flýgr örn yfir, sá er á fjalli fiska veiðir. |
She sees coming up a second time an earth from ocean84 again green; waterfalls tumble, eagles fly above, who are in the hills hunting fish. | ||
| 60. Finnask æsir á Iðavelli ok um moldþinur máttkan dæma ok minnask þar á megindóma ok á Fimbultýs fornar rúnir. |
Æsir come together at Iðavǫllr and on the earth-thong mighty they pass judgement86 and remember there powerful decisions87 and Fimbultýr's ancient runes. | ||
| 61. Þar munu eftir undrsamligar gullnar töflur í grasi finnask, þærs í árdaga áttar höfðu. |
There will afterwards the wondrous golden tafl pieces be found in the grass, which in days of yore they had owned. | ||
| 62. Munu ósánir akrar vaxa, böls mun alls batna, Baldr mun koma; búa þeir Höðr ok Baldr Hrofts sigtoftir, vé valtíva. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
Unsowed the fields will grow, all misfortune will be abated, Baldr will come; they dwell, Hǫðr and Baldr, in Hropt's victory dwellings, the vé of the slaughter-gods.88 Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 63. Þá kná Hænir hlautvið kjósa ok burir byggja bræðra tveggja vindheim víðan. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? |
Then Hœnir knows how to89 choose the lots90 and they inhabit, the sons of the two brothers, the wide wind-home. Do you still seek to know - or what? | ||
| 64. Sal sér hon standa sólu fegra, gulli þakðan á Gimléi; þar skulu dyggvar dróttir byggja ok um aldrdaga ynðis njóta. |
A hall she sees standing fairer than the sun, roofed with gold, at Gimlé; there are the worthy hosts to dwell and in all the days of their lives enjoy bliss. | ||
| 65. Þá kemr inn ríki at regindómi öflugr ofan, sá er öllu ræðr. |
Then comes the powerful one to the divine judgement, a strong one from above, who rules over all. | ||
| 66. Þar kemr inn dimmi dreki fljúgandi, naðr fránn, neðan frá Niðafjöllum; berr sér í fjöðrum, - flýgr völl yfir, - Niðhöggr nái. Nú mun hon sökkvask. |
Then comes the dusky dragon flying, a gleaming serpent, up from Niðafjǫll; he carries in his feathers - he flies over the field - Niðhǫggr, corpses. Now she will lie down. |
References:
1. spjǫll: both history and an account of history, news, a tale. firar: used of humans, of gods, and of both humans and gods; the last seems most appropriate here.
2. fædda: can mean anything from "gave birth to" through "raised" to "fed", so it could be rendered "parented" or "took care of"; the ending tells us the speaker is female.
3. íviðjur: a rare word for "giantesses" that begins with the prefix í-, "in" - usually here rendered "rooms", but Dronke points out the poet is either punning on viðr, "wood, tree" or using the word in its original precise sense, for the giantesses from whom the roots of the World Tree grow. Cleasby-Vigfússon also has "giantesses."
4. mjǫtvið: "measure-wood," the World Tree. In Cleasby-Vigfússon this is seen as an error for mjǫtuðr, which occurs in verse 46. Olive Bray has "Fate Tree."
5. þar er ekki var, reading taken from the Prose Edda; most editions follow the Codex Regius and have þar er Ymir byggði, "when Ymir dwelt," for this line.
6. A reference to Ginnungagap; but it is unclear whether it is a reversal of the name or whether there was actually an Old Norse verb ginna, "to yawn, gape"; Dronke suspects that ginnunga- was borrowed from Old High German ginung (a word for Chaos derived from a verb "to gape") just as Muspell was borrowed from Old High German Muspilli or Mutspilli.
7. salar: literally "hall."
8. The leek, laukr, here deliberately chosen to stand for all plants because of its size and nobility, commonly contrasted with grass (mentioned at the end of verse 3), as Guðrún says that Sigurðr towered over other men like the leek over grass.
9. Sól is both the name of the goddess and the word "sun"; however, Máni is almost always the god rather than the moon itself (Cleasby-Vigfússon). I have therefore treated both as deities, and also Nótt (night) in the following verse.
10. The rest of the verse is only in the Prose Edda and Dronke regards it as interpolation by Snorri replacing something more about the cosmic mill turning the heavens.
11. The first element in ginnheilög is related to that in Ginnungagap, although it is usually taken as simply an intensifier.
12. Undorn and its cognates have shifted in meaning but appear to have originally meant mid-afternoon.
13. Iðavǫllr has been translated "Plain of Activity" or "Plain that Renews Itself"; Dronke calls it "Eddying Plain." Hollander translates it "Shining Plain."
14. The base meaning of tún is the fenced-in plot around a farmhouse; it can be used specifically as "meadow" or "home-field."
15. This is plural. Another manuscript variant has it as singular; and Finnur Jónsson suggested amending it to hvárt, "whether [they] should. . . ."
16. or "arms and legs" or the bones of them.
17. Some manuscripts have ór jörðu, which would mean "made out of earth."
18. North, South, East, and West.
19. Sjöt can mean both a dwelling and a host, a horde of people.
20. The word ǫld can also mean "world."
21. The manuscripts have a feminine form here, þriar.
22. ǫflugr is otherwise applied to none of the gods except twice to Heimdallr; ástkir is a hapax legomenon, I am using Cleasby-Vigfusson's interpretation.
23. Roughly, "breath"
24. Roughly, "spirit"
25. lá: "the line of foam that edges the shore"; in Modern Icelandic it is used of a film on liquid. In one saga it appears to be used of complexion. Since the trees did have a skin, a hard one, I have used "softness". læti: all human behaviour.
26. Plural; often used specifically for "complexion"
27. ausinn: the same verb as in the vatni ausa, the sprinkling of a baby with water at name-giving
28. aurr: wet clay or humus
29. spring-fed pool or well of Urðr.
30. Ørlǫg is always (neuter) plural, so this could be that of humans in general or of individuals. (In this word, the two mutated sounds need to be distinguished, so I have used the stricter spelling. Elsewhere I follow the Old Norse text we are using in using modern Icelandic ö)
31. Styðia can be "to stab" or "to prop up".
32. Hárr, "Hoary," is of course a name of Óðinn, but so is Hár, which can mean "High One" but is also an old word for "Blind." The metre requires two syllables on the name here. Also the word used here for "hall," hǫll, is the word that appears in Valhǫll and that it has been suggested originally referrred to an underground cavern; previously in the poem the word salr has been used.
33. This could mean either that her spá-work was good or that it always forecast nice things. vel spá is two words in the manuscript, but compound words were not usually written joined together.
34. Vitti (written vítti by Dronke) is the past tense of an otherwise unknown vitta, presumably related to vitka, "to bewitch", vitki, "sorceror," and vítt, "equipment for magic or heathenry." In the Historia Norvegiæ, gandr has the specific meaning of fylgja or fetch-form, but elsewhere it is used very generally of sorcerors' equipment. So this could also be "summoned spirits."
35. Divergent manuscript readings. In the Codex Regius this line reads seið hon kunni - "she knew seiðr."
36. Again Codex Regius varies, omitting hug: "she practised seiðr entranced."
37. angan, literally "sweet smell" since it derives from the verb anga, "to smell nice", occurs only here and in verse 53, both times as a metaphor.
38. afráð is a legal term for a tax paid to a king, but afráð gjalda can also be an idiom for "get the short end of the stick."
39. gildi here has also been interpreted as "an association," as in English "guild."
40. Borg basically means a fort. It has been translated "citadel."
41. vígspá, technically "war-spá"; knáttu . . . vǫllu sporna, as Dronke says, recalls knátti . . . moldveg sporna, "kicked the earth with their heels" of the two children born healthy in "Oddrúnargrátr," which suggests rebirth after they are cut down in battle. However, the two half-lines have also been read as "the Vanir worked war-magic, bestrode the field", with knáttu taken with vígspá.
42. Læ could be specifically "treachery" or generally "evil."
43. the simpler interpretation; Dronke points out it could also be "oaths collided".
44. The simpler reading here would be "that were between them [the gods and the giant-builder]", but there is a parallel passage cited by Dronke from a grammatical treatise, and it is fóro, "came", not vóro, "were".
45. Hljóð is a famous problem; it can be "hearing" (as in verse 1), "ear", or "voice". Folgit is past participle of fela, which can mean either "conceal, hide" or "give for safekeeping, entrust".
46. Yggr, "the terrible", is a name of Óðinn; the force of the ending -ungr is unclear here, but etymologically it is a patronymic, like -ing.
47. Both these verbs are in the plural - "you all".
48. fala again, as in 27.2.
49. Brunnr: a pool from which a river rises.
50. Fékk is an emendation; the manuscript has fe (fé, "wealth"). Two half-lines may have been lost. There is obvious punning on spaklig and spá, in the next half-line.
51. Ganda (genitive plural of gandr) is more clearly "spirits" here than in verse 22.
52. Verǫld can signify "age of mankind" but here probably means "world".
53. These last 4 halflines are usually seen as an interpolation. Note the kenning, "Nannas (females) of Herjan (Lord of Hosts, Army-Leader - another name of Óðinn, as are of course Valfather and Her (Army)father.
54. Tívur/Tívor is a unique word (hapax legomenon) in Old Norse but appears to be cognate with A-S tíber/tífer and ON tafn, both of which mean a creature that is sacrificed, and possibly Old High German ceburhaftiu, with a similar meaning. It is probably not formed from tívar, the plural of týr, "god". Folgin: same word as folgit in verse 27.
55. Vǫllum; same word as vǫllu in verse 24, but here plural.
56. This half stanza only appears in the Hauksbók version of the poem, where it replaces the first half of verse 35. The manuscript actually reads vala - which would leave the verb with no subject and is thus amended to Váli.
57. Based on literary parallels, this is often taken to mean the water is so cold it sears the flesh like poison.
58. i.e., the jótunn; Brimir is also mentioned in stanza 9. Snorri takes Sindri as the name of the first hall.
59. Eyrarúna, "woman who whsipers in your ear", is only found here and in Hávamál.
60. fæddi: either "bore," "nursed," or "reared."
61. Tungl can theoretically be any heavenly body, but had already become the word for the moon in ON prose; máni is only used in poetry. Also explicit mentions of the sun follow.
62. hamr: skin, usually referring to the form one takes on when shapeshifting.
63. fjǫr is cognate with A-S feorh, "life," and in modern Icelandic is used for "vitality," but in poetry generally refers to the body.
64. feigr, "doomed to die." Manna means people of both sexes.
65. fagrrauðr: light red as opposed to dark red.
66. The manuscript has veit hón, "she knows".
67. Rǫk is the same word as in á rǫkstóla, referring to "judgement seats." In this combination, ragna rǫk or ragnarǫk, it is usually rendered with the older word "doom," but I have kept the translation consistent to show the irony of the poet's wording.
68. Since spilla is the common verb for "defiling" a woman sexually, this is often taken as distinct from the previous 2 halflines and about incest, not kin-killing.
69. Either in pitch or in loudness.
70. Literally: Yggdrasil's ash.
71. These last 4 problematic half-lines are only in Hauksbók.
72. From here through verse 54, the manuscripts vary considerably in the order of verses.
73. Hlakka has connotations of exulting, screaming with joy
74. Niðfǫlr is the H and Prose Edda reading; nið is properly the dark of the moon. The Codex Regius has neffǫlr, "pale-beaked"; níðfǫlr, "pale in malice", has been suggested.
75. or "a ship".
76. or "monster-men".
77. Loki.
78. sviga læ: kenning for fire.
79. Angan, as in verse 22, is a metaphorical use of a word meaning "sweet smell".
80. Hveðrungr is another name for Loki, based on Ynglingatál 32, where Hel is called Hveðrungs mær.
81. or perhaps "defender of the vés"
82. Níð here refers to Jǫrmungand's intent, but also possibly connotes the actual poison. The line is difficult; despite agreeing in case with naðri, it has often been taken as "not concerned about malice", referring to Thor being fearless or having no reason to worry about not being remembered well.
83. In Faroese, eimi means "hot ash"; aldrnari, "saving of mankind, nourisher of life", is found only here and in the list of kennings for fire in the þulur, but the cognate and related words occur in Anglo-Saxon.
84. A rare poetic word that is the same as Ægir's name.
85. Compare the opening of verse 7; Hauksbók has the same verb, hittaz.
86. máttkan moldþinur: i.e. Jǫrmungandr. Dæma can also mean "discuss, converse" in poetry.
87. These two halflines are in Hauksbók but not in the main Codex Regius manuscript.
88. The manuscript reads vel valtivar, so an alternative amendment is vés valtívar, "slaughter-gods of the vé".
89. Kná is sometimes just an intensifying "does".
90. In hlautvið, hlautr presumably has its primary meaning, denoting use to draw lots or in divination, rather than the meaning given to it in Heimskringla, the blood from the blót (used in divination).
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