The Poetic Edda · Poem 1
The Wise-Woman’s Prophecy
1Hearing I ask from the holy races, From Heimdall’s sons, both high and low; Thou wilt, Valfather, that well I relate Old tales I remember of men long ago.
2I remember yet the giants of yore, Who gave me bread in the days gone by; Nine worlds I knew, the nine in the tree With mighty roots beneath the mold.
3Of old was the age when Ymir lived; Sea nor cool waves nor sand there were; Earth had not been, nor heaven above, But a yawning gap, and grass nowhere.
4Then Bur’s sons lifted the level land, Mithgarth the mighty there they made; The sun from the south warmed the stones of earth, And green was the ground with growing leeks.
5The sun, the sister of the moon, from the south Her right hand cast over heaven’s rim; No knowledge she had where her home should be, The moon knew not what might was his, The stars knew not where their stations were.
6Then sought the gods their assembly-seats, The holy ones, and council held; Names then gave they to noon and twilight, Morning they named, and the waning moon, Night and evening, the years to number.
7At Ithavoll met the mighty gods, Shrines and temples they timbered high; Forges they set, and they smithied ore, Tongs they wrought, and tools they fashioned.
8In their dwellings at peace they played at tables, Of gold no lack did the gods then know,— Till thither came up giant-maids three, Huge of might, out of Jotunheim.
9Then sought the gods their assembly-seats, The holy ones, and council held, To find who should raise the race of dwarfs Out of Brimir’s blood and the legs of Blain.
10There was Motsognir the mightiest made Of all the dwarfs, and Durin next; Many a likeness of men they made, The dwarfs in the earth, as Durin said.
11Nyi and Nithi, Northri and Suthri, Austri and Vestri, Althjof, Dvalin, Nar and Nain, Niping, Dain, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Nori, An and Onar, Ai, Mjothvitnir.
12Vigg and Gandalf, Vindalf, Thrain, Thekk and Thorin, Thror, Vit and Lit, Nyr and Nyrath,— now have I told— Regin and Rathsvith— the list aright.
13Fili, Kili, Fundin, Nali, Heptifili, Hannar, Sviur, Frar, Hornbori, Fræg and Loni, Aurvang, Jari, Eikinskjaldi.
14The race of the dwarfs in Dvalin’s throng Down to Lofar the list must I tell; The rocks they left, and through wet lands They sought a home in the fields of sand.
15There were Draupnir and Dolgthrasir, Hor, Haugspori, Hlevang, Gloin, Dori, Ori, Duf, Andvari, Skirfir, Virfir, Skafith, Ai.
16Alf and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi, Fjalar and Frosti, Fith and Ginnar; So for all time shall the tale be known, The list of all the forbears of Lofar.
17Then from the throng did three come forth, From the home of the gods, the mighty and gracious; Two without fate on the land they found, Ask and Embla, empty of might.
18Soul they had not, sense they had not, Heat nor motion, nor goodly hue; Soul gave Othin, sense gave Hönir, Heat gave Lothur and goodly hue.
19An ash I know, Yggdrasil its name, With water white is the great tree wet; Thence come the dews that fall in the dales, Green by Urth’s well does it ever grow.
20Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom, Three from the dwelling down ’neath the tree; Urth is one named, Verthandi the next,— On the wood they scored,— and Skuld the third. Laws they made there, and life allotted To the sons of men, and set their fates.
21The war I remember, the first in the world, When the gods with spears had smitten Gollveig, And in the hall of Hor had burned her,— Three times burned, and three times born, Oft and again, yet ever she lives.
22Heith they named her who sought their home, The wide-seeing witch, in magic wise; Minds she bewitched that were moved by her magic, To evil women a joy she was.
23On the host his spear did Othin hurl, Then in the world did war first come; The wall that girdled the gods was broken, And the field by the warlike Wanes was trodden.
24Then sought the gods their assembly-seats, The holy ones, and council held, Whether the gods should tribute give, Or to all alike should worship belong.
25Then sought the gods their assembly-seats, The holy ones, and council held, To find who with venom the air had filled, Or had given Oth’s bride to the giants’ brood.
26In swelling rage then rose up Thor,— Seldom he sits when he such things hears,— And the oaths were broken, the words and bonds, The mighty pledges between them made.
27I know of the horn of Heimdall, hidden Under the high-reaching holy tree; On it there pours from Valfather’s pledge A mighty stream: would you know yet more?
28Alone I sat when the Old One sought me, The terror of gods, and gazed in mine eyes: “What hast thou to ask? why comest thou hither? Othin, I know where thine eye is hidden.”
29I know where Othin’s eye is hidden, Deep in the wide-famed well of Mimir; Mead from the pledge of Othin each morn Does Mimir drink: would you know yet more?
30Necklaces had I and rings from Heerfather, Wise was my speech and my magic wisdom;.......... Widely I saw over all the worlds.
31On all sides saw I Valkyries assemble, Ready to ride to the ranks of the gods; Skuld bore the shield, and Skogul rode next, Guth, Hild, Gondul, and Geirskogul. Of Herjan’s maidens the list have ye heard, Valkyries ready to ride o’er the earth.
32I saw for Baldr, the bleeding god, The son of Othin, his destiny set: Famous and fair in the lofty fields, Full grown in strength the mistletoe stood.
33From the branch which seemed so slender and fair Came a harmful shaft that Hoth should hurl; But the brother of Baldr was born ere long, And one night old fought Othin’s son.
34His hands he washed not, his hair he combed not, Till he bore to the bale-blaze Baldr’s foe. But in Fensalir did Frigg weep sore For Valhall’s need: would you know yet more?
35One did I see in the wet woods bound, A lover of ill, and to Loki like; By his side does Sigyn sit, nor is glad To see her mate: would you know yet more?
36From the east there pours through poisoned vales With swords and daggers the river Slith.................................
37Northward a hall in Nithavellir Of gold there rose for Sindri’s race; And in Okolnir another stood, Where the giant Brimir his beer-hall had.
38A hall I saw, far from the sun, On Nastrond it stands, and the doors face north; Venom drops through the smoke-vent down, For around the walls do serpents wind.
39I saw there wading through rivers wild Treacherous men and murderers too, And workers of ill with the wives of men; There Nithhogg sucked the blood of the slain, And the wolf tore men; would you know yet more?
40The giantess old in Ironwood sat, In the east, and bore the brood of Fenrir; Among these one in monster’s guise Was soon to steal the sun from the sky.
41There feeds he full on the flesh of the dead, And the home of the gods he reddens with gore; Dark grows the sun, and in summer soon Come mighty storms: would you know yet more?
42On a hill there sat, and smote on his harp, Eggther the joyous, the giants’ warder; Above him the cock in the bird-wood crowed, Fair and red did Fjalar stand.
43Then to the gods crowed Gollinkambi, He wakes the heroes in Othin’s hall; And beneath the earth does another crow, The rust-red bird at the bars of Hel.
44Now Garm howls loud before Gnipahellir, The fetters will burst, and the wolf run free; Much do I know, and more can see Of the fate of the gods, the mighty in fight.
45Brothers shall fight and fell each other, And sisters’ sons shall kinship stain; Hard is it on earth, with mighty whoredom; Axe-time, sword-time, shields are sundered, Wind-time, wolf-time, ere the world falls; Nor ever shall men each other spare.
46Fast move the sons of Mim, and fate Is heard in the note of the Gjallarhorn; Loud blows Heimdall, the horn is aloft, In fear quake all who on Hel-roads are.
47Yggdrasil shakes, and shiver on high The ancient limbs, and the giant is loose; To the head of Mim does Othin give heed, But the kinsman of Surt shall slay him soon.
48How fare the gods? how fare the elves? All Jotunheim groans, the gods are at council; Loud roar the dwarfs by the doors of stone, The masters of the rocks: would you know yet more?
49Now Garm howls loud before Gnipahellir, The fetters will burst, and the wolf run free; Much do I know, and more can see Of the fate of the gods, the mighty in fight.
50From the east comes Hrym with shield held high; In giant-wrath does the serpent writhe; O’er the waves he twists, and the tawny eagle Gnaws corpses screaming; Naglfar is loose.
51O’er the sea from the north there sails a ship With the people of Hel, at the helm stands Loki; After the wolf do wild men follow, And with them the brother of Byleist goes.
52Surt fares from the south with the scourge of branches, The sun of the battle-gods shone from his sword; The crags are sundered, the giant-women sink, The dead throng Hel-way, and heaven is cloven.
53Now comes to Hlin yet another hurt, When Othin fares to fight with the wolf, And Beli’s fair slayer seeks out Surt, For there must fall the joy of Frigg.
54Then comes Sigfather’s mighty son, Vithar, to fight with the foaming wolf; In the giant’s son does he thrust his sword Full to the heart: his father is avenged.
55Hither there comes the son of Hlothyn, The bright snake gapes to heaven above;.......... Against the serpent goes Othin’s son.
56In anger smites the warder of earth,— Forth from their homes must all men flee;— Nine paces fares the son of Fjorgyn, And, slain by the serpent, fearless he sinks.
57The sun turns black, earth sinks in the sea, The hot stars down from heaven are whirled; Fierce grows the steam and the life-feeding flame, Till fire leaps high about heaven itself.
58Now Garm howls loud before Gnipahellir, The fetters will burst, and the wolf run free; Much do I know, and more can see Of the fate of the gods, the mighty in fight.
59Now do I see the earth anew Rise all green from the waves again; The cataracts fall, and the eagle flies, And fish he catches beneath the cliffs.
60The gods in Ithavoll meet together, Of the terrible girdler of earth they talk, And the mighty past they call to mind, And the ancient runes of the Ruler of Gods.
61In wondrous beauty once again Shall the golden tables stand mid the grass, Which the gods had owned in the days of old,................
62Then fields unsowed bear ripened fruit, All ills grow better, and Baldr comes back; Baldr and Hoth dwell in Hropt’s battle-hall, And the mighty gods: would you know yet more?
63Then Hönir wins the prophetic wand,................ And the sons of the brothers of Tveggi abide In Vindheim now: would you know yet more?
64More fair than the sun, a hall I see, Roofed with gold, on Gimle it stands; There shall the righteous rulers dwell, And happiness ever there shall they have.
65There comes on high, all power to hold, A mighty lord, all lands he rules.....................................
66From below the dragon dark comes forth, Nithhogg flying from Nithafjoll; The bodies of men on his wings he bears, The serpent bright: but now must I sink.