CANTO XXX.

THE VALA’S PROPHECY.

As Thor sat silent, and the fight was o’er, Slow from the giants’ blood a smoke arose, And white and thick the vapour spread itself! Trembling with guilt and fear Lok veil’d his face. At length the smoke, dissolving by degrees, Develop’d a gigantic female form: Silent she stood; her eyelids were half-closed; Her visage pale as death: through all the caves Glimmer’d a lurid flame. Upon the brow Of Lok glared visibly the stamp of crime.

The mountain dame long contemplated Thor With look serene, though stern: the god remain’d Mournful and mute. At length a sigh exhaled Of deep compassion from her lab’ring breast: Grave was her aspect; in each feature reign’d The calm of peace: peculiar tenderness, Mix’d with severity, restrain’d her wrath.

“Sad tidings have I to announce to thee, O Thor!” thus she began; “for thou hast soil’d Thy honour: Lok hath taught thee how to sin. But for a short time longer shalt thou bear Thy Miölner: sore it grieves me to announce Thy fall, O Thor! for thou art good and brave, And dear to me for aye will be thy name. But the whole Ocean cannot wash away The rust that stains thy shield; then listen now Calmly to what I shall unfold, and learn From me thy future fate! Though all creation To ashes burn, yet that which is eternal No flame consumes; ’tis only the foul mask That bursts, and falls to dust.

I sing to thee A song of heavy import, “the World’s End.” Into Valhalla’s realm shall find its way Corruption leagued with pain: with splendour false Dazzled your eyes become, like those of man: This deeply moves the pious Balder’s heart; He warns, but warns in vain; unheeded still Remains his counsel sage: the heavenly Frigga Now to a mere terrestrial Hertha sinks: In Freya’s look voluptuousness alone Predominates and burns: ferocious Thor Becomes, and Odin weak: then Lok shall weave His woof of treach’ry and deceit: all things Forebode the fall of the degen’rate world: Frivolity with vice reigns close allied; Then bursts thy roof of pearl, O Breidablik! Lok in the dark the fatal arrow guides; Drown’d in fraternal blood affection lies: The corpse of Balder decks the pyre: the race Of Alfer disappear from Valaskialf: Peace is compell’d to abdicate her reign, While war and pestilence rage uncontroll’d. Now every day still more and more corrupt Becomes the race of Askur; no respect Is paid to oaths: i’ th’ hand of brutal force The glaive tyrannic crushes and dethrones Truth, piety, and justice: idols grim Of stone, or wood, or brass, alone are worshipp’d, Where whilom burnt a pure and holy flame. Now men are sacrificed at Odin’s shrine Like cattle: many a gentle maiden drown’d In Hertha’s honour in the mystic grove. Where then shall innocence protection find? The probity so famed of th’ olden time Hath vanish’d from the earth: but Lok! thy joy Shall be of short duration; thou shall fall A victim to thy own insidious arts; Thou first didst cruelty to th’ Asar teach, And cruel shall thy expiation be. In a deep subterranean cave shall thou Be captive held, and rage and foam in vain: The Asar in their wrath shall seize and fasten Thy body to a rock: one peak shall bear Thy shoulder, one thy loins, and one thy knees. No one for thee the smallest pity feels: Thy sons each other shall, like wolves, devour, And their intestines bind their guilty sire. Yet true and faithful shall remain thy spouse, And she alone; and though the serpents huge Hang venom-breathing o’er thee, pair by pair, Dropping their foam on thee but half alive, Yet Sigyn’s gentle nature shall not fail; Assiduous she will stretch a vessel forth To shelter from the dropping venom him, Who once was dearly lov’d: the vase, when fill’d, She carries out; then on thy fester’d wounds And lips the poison falls; writhing with pain Thou tremblest; at the shock earth trembles too. Then Odin hurls his javelin wide around, Slaying the wretched denizens of earth To gorge himself with plunder: blood doth cleave E’en to the robe of peace: where then repose Can find the weary wand’rer? lo! Guldveige Advances, goddess like! her shrine of gold Is worshipp’d fervently o’er hill and vale. She can the wildest wolf with fetters bind, Yet she capricious to the worst of men Accords her favours, and is prodigal Of treasure to the vile and base alone.

Then is good counsel in Valhalla scarce, For Mimer hath long since the sacred grove Abandon’d in despair, and in a well Dwells like a reptile. Odin, true, his eye Has given in pledge to him, that he may see More clear athwart the murkiness, but vain The gift; more dim doth Mimer’s sight become. The vaults wide gaping of the rocks present The aspect of a coffin! Nastrond’s gulf Opes its tremendous jaws, where serpents foul Hiss and exhale their poison all around, Mix’d with the flame of sulphur burning blue! Into that gulf fall headlong down the men Who never felt repentance; round their limbs The speckled serpents coil, intent to bite: Huge as an ox, with formidable spring Conscience, the giant scorpion, tears the heart Of th’ vicious with its fangs: deep in their flesh Fell Nidhög revels with insatiate tooth: Flames crackle loud in the abyss profound, And Bragur’s harp divine is heard no more. Down in Hvergelmer Elivagor roars; On every coast by shipwreck lives are lost: The ancient firs and oaks with branches bare Uprooted lie: the moon is swallow’d up By Maanegarm: the sun, like out-burnt coal, Grows dark, while loud the giants’ laugh resounds To mock the Asar with insulting gibe. Deep in the bosom of the mountain now Shall Utgard-Lok his progeny excite With eloquence indignant to avenge The death of their forefathers. Fialar now, The blood-red cock, is heard to crow! the dog Yells loud and oft before the cave of Gnypa! Then Hela opes her gates with frightful clang! With golden helms, and yellow tresses bright Wide streaming through the air, to battle ride The proud Valkyrior: the decrees of fate The Nornor now no longer can conceal. Then days of tempest, war, and pestilence And foul revolt arise: his brother’s life The brother spareth not: no mercy shows Man, flush’d with battle, to his fellow man. Shakes with affright Yggdrassil’s top, and straight Becomes the prey of flames! the Asar tremble, And terror reigns upon their brows divine. Sighs from the rack and groans re-echo loud The miseries of the earth: upon the bridge Heimdaller perch’d blows fearfully his horn To rouse all nature to th’ eternal strife; While Jormundgardur lifts his head and hisses. With vapours dark the rainbow, once so bright, Becomes obscured: down ride the Asar: Bifrost Breaks down with frightful crash: the sky sucks up The vapour like a swamp: the heavens thus lose Their brightest ornament; while Naglefare, With giants fill’d, through noisome weed-choked marsh Forces its way; the black flag at the mast Triumphant waves; Lok, prince of Utgard, stands Himself exulting at the prow, and calls Aloud for battle! All the giant band With clash of shields re-echo loud the cry! Now Fenris breaks his chain; he howls aloud, And hails the giants with applauding yell. His foam covers the ocean; with affright The stars fall headlong down from heav’n, and sink With hissing noise, extinguish’d, in the sea. Upon the waters all the fish lie dead: Now slowly rising from the south advances A column thick of vapour! joy pervades The giants’ hearts, when they behold the flame Athwart the sultry vapour burning blue. ’Tis Surtur, whom the vast abyss sends forth, Of the most frightful darkness puissant chief, Grasping in both black hands his steel-blue glaive. Now towards Valhalla’s realm he seems to move; Now towards the earth: he rolls along the sky, And vapours foul, and howlings horrible Conglomerate around his dusky brow. But who ’gainst Surtur rushes to the fight? ’Tis Frey; but he turns pale, for now his sword He hath not: hark! a trampling loud is heard Of horses’ hoofs: ’tis Odin; see! he hastes To join the combat, boldly piercing through The thickest of the fight: upon his front The scars of Geirsodd bleed afresh: his steed Is white; a golden crest gleams on his helm: With Gugner[103] arm’d he rushes on the wolf! Alas! by Fenris’ jaws Valhalla’s lord Is seiz’d and swallow’d up!--a morning ray Of purple shines afar with glimm’ring light-- ’Tis Odin’s blood.--Now Frigga in the sky Is seen wringing her hands, with aspect pale: She strives grave Vidar’s courage to excite: Like whirlwind in the midst of vapour forth She sends her son. Vidar no longer now Keeps silence; fearfully he groans and sighs: His eyes flash fire, but with extended jaws Fenris, the wolf, rushes to meet his foe, Gnashing his frightful teeth: but Vidar soon O’ercomes the wolf, as were he but a whelp: He throws him on his back, tears out his tongue, And tramples him to death beneath his feet. At length arrives a great important hour, For now to vapour by the power of fire The waters all dissolve, and the white sand Of ocean’s depth extreme is bared to view. Now Jormundgardur feels the burning heat, And writhes impatient with sensation strange, Unused on land to fold himself in coils. See with uplifted hammer Thor approach! So fierce a combat ne’er was seen before: The snake with cunning strives around the limbs Of Thor, in brazen armour cased, to wind His dark blue rings, while on the monster’s scales The hero’s hammer deals repeated blows. Long and uncertain lasts the awful fight; At length is heard a hideous scream; for now Victorious Thor hath given the mortal blow, And tramples with his heel the monster’s head. But in the agonies of death around The hero’s feet the serpent winds his folds Still closer, and with venom-spreading foam Bedews the conqueror’s front, and groans and dies. Thor stands victorious; but too soon grows pale; He staggers; now he rallies; now again Staggers nine paces; and sinks down in death! So heart-appalling is thy dying look, O Thor! th’ Asynior all expire of grief: They feel it like a dagger in their heart. Garm destroys Tyr; but Tyr in dying pierces The monster’s heart: now from his lurking-place, Like cat, springs Lok, and brandishes on high A sulfurous torch from Nastrond; on his brow Glitters a brazen helm: Heimdaller moves ’Gainst him with sword uplifted, one blow strikes, And down to Nastrond sinks th’ eternal foe. Then vanishes like colours in the night Heimdaller’s self: the dwarfs are heard to sigh Deep in the rocks; they die of fright; yet shines Awhile the golden car of Thor; but soon It disappears: the two white goats expire. But lately gleam’d a feeble light, but now ’Tis utterly extinguish’d: all creation Sinks overwhelm’d in one vast shower of blood. Alfader reigns once more sole lord of all.

With mind reluctant hitherto have I A strain interpreted of presage dire, The world’s destruction, and the Asar’s fall. But listen now to a more pleasing theme, The hope and consolation that ensue! From ocean’s depth a new-form’d earth shall spring! The azure wave reflect the new-spun grass! Again adown the rock the cataract fall, O’er which clouds fleeting pass, and eagles soar! On Ida’s plain the Asar all assembled Again awake to new-framed life and joy! All recollection of the ancient strife Is banish’d from their minds; a new-born child, A graceful daughter hath the sun produced, Who shall upon her mother’s well-known path All glorious move, but far more beautiful Than her, by all so dearly loved and prized. The human race shall likewise be restored To life from their long slumber: now awake Lif and Liftrasir, by the morning dew Refresh’d and nourish’d: then shall every grief Seem but remembrance of a painful dream. The Asar all shall to the grove repair, Where amidst flowers the crystal fountain streams: In all his glory will Alfader then Reveal himself to man; his buckler hold On high, glitt’ring with runes, whose sense sublime Shall shield his children from all future harm. Tablets of gold, with golden counters deck’d, Shall in the grass be found, where violets Give fragrant odour: on each counter shines Each thought and action of a human life. The facts of old shall mere illusion prove, And med’cine, what was whilom poison held. The corn shall not the sower’s toil require, But spring spontaneous from the womb of earth: No serpent lurk beneath the flower; all evil Shall vanish: order, justice, truth and love Eternally triumphant now shall reign. Then high above Valhalla’s roof extends The dwelling of the blest, the glorious Gimle, Pavilion of the Good; an edifice Which naught can shake, naught injure or destroy. There shall the tender heart of Balder find True consolation; there shall he again Embrace his brother Hædur: Bragur too Shall press Iduna to his breast once more: Freya again her long lost Odur meet: Frey fold his faithful Gerda in his arms: Thor Sif embrace. All hearts shall cease to bleed. But Miölner is not to be found in Gimle: Behold! with smile of love ineffable Alfader gives to Thor a glaive, whose hilt Shines forth in form of cross with lilies graced. “Now,” said the Vala, “have my lips reveal’d All that time yet conceals: my solemn words Ponder, O Thor! for I must now depart, Recall’d by him, at whose behest I came.”

Thus said, she sank into the yawning ground! A fearful gust of wind howl’d through the rocks, And in the cave Thor found himself alone: His hammer in his bosom lay; at once He recognized the fatal weapon. Tialfe Lay slumb’ring by his side: in heaps around The giants’ bodies strew’d, all drench’d with gore; Bore witness to the prowess he display’d. Thor now again ascends to Valaskialf: The Vala’s revelation he imparts To Odin: Odin and the Asar all Silent remain, immers’d in thought profound! Here ends my song about the Gods on high.

NOTES AND ELUCIDATIONS.

NOTES TO THE FIRST CANTO.

Specimen of the metre in the original.

Et Sagn fuld vaerd at höre Med gamle Runer staaer; Laaner mig Eders Oere! Mens jeg Guldharpen slaaer. Hvad i de mörke Skrifter Er sat med sindrig Hu Om Asernes Bedrifter, Det vil jeg tolke nu.

The eight first Cantos, in the original, are written in the same metre. In my translation, as will be seen, I have indulged in greater variety.

[13] In the heathen time there was a magnificent temple at Upsala. The poet here probably alludes to some earthquake, or convulsion of nature, which damaged or destroyed it, and which was therefore supposed to be occasioned by Utgard-Lok, the chief of the giants.

[14] This Ash is the ash-tree Yggdrassil. See the Catalogue of proper names.

[15] The Valkyrior.

[16] By the _seven virgins_ are no doubt personified the _seven colours_ of the rainbow.

[17] By the mythe of the death and resuscitation of Thor’s goats, is meant probably the death of nature in winter, and her resuscitation in spring. By the marrow eaten by Tialfe, and the lameness of the goat occasioned thereby, it is meant, that if the seed or germ of reproduction in animals or plants be damaged or destroyed, the reproduction becomes imperfect, or impossible.

[18] The pact between Niord and Ægir means, that when the sea is frozen by the north wind, the weather is perfectly calm, and the sea itself passable as dry land.

[19] What this hut turns out to be, is explained in the second Canto.

NOTES TO THE SECOND CANTO.

Specimen of the metre in the original.

Com Thor med vaagent Oere Ru tröstig sad i̱ Mag, Da fik han snart at höre Et svart og vaeldigt Brag, etc.

[20] Goblin-land: in the original _Troldkæmpeland_, from _trold_ (goblin) _kæmpe_ (warrior) and _land_ (land). The giants are often called Troldkæmper. Who Skrymur turns out to be, is explained in the sixth Canto.

[21] Respecting this glove, the following is Finn Magnussen’s idea of the mythe. Skrymur is the frost-giant, personification of winter. Thor reposing in the glove denotes the beginning of winter, when the thunder or thunderer may be said to rest therein, allegorically (there being no thunder in winter). This hieroglyph is very ancient, inasmuch as Icelandic word _vöttr_ (glove) proceeds probably from _vetr_ (winter); the glove being the part of dress particularly appropriate to and only used in winter in those times, as the muff is still, in northern Europe.

[22] Respecting Skrymur’s wallet, which Thor is unable to untie or open, Finn Magnussen says: “I think this mythe is enigmatical, and alludes to winter (the frost-giant), which may be said to prevent man from getting his food from the earth, by envelopping it in ice.” In the prosaic Edda, Utgard-Lok says, in explaining to Thor his magic spells, “The wallet I gave to you, was made fast with an iron girdle;” now there is a close analogy between the words denoting _ice_ and _iron_ in many of the Gothic languages. Ex: in Icelandic, _is_ (ice) _isarn_ (iron); in German, _eis_ (ice) _eisen_ (iron); in Dutch, _ijs_ (ice) _ijzer_ (iron); in Anglo-Saxon, _is_ (ice) _isen_ (iron).

[23] The ancient northmen, who oriented themselves with the help of the mountains, figured to themselves the north as lying towards our east or north-east. This will serve to explain the phrase, “mountains vast which towards the north appear.” The mountains lie really towards the east. Towards the north, on the contrary, the land becomes less and less elevated, as you draw near the pole.

NOTES TO THE THIRD CANTO.

Specimen of the metre in the original.

En Saga fast utroli̱g Jeg nu kundgi̱öre maa; Mod Utgards fierne Boli̱g Vilde de Kaemper gaae.

[24] The name of this giantess is Angurbod: see the Catalogue of proper Names.

[25] _Midgard’s snake_ is the serpent Jormundgard, type of the ocean, which surrounds the earth (Midgard). According to Ling, a Swedish poet, the mythe of Lok and his three offspring, Fenris, Hela and Jormundgard, may be thus explained. Fenris denotes what is destructive or prejudicial in _Fire_: Hela denotes the deleterious qualities of the _Earth_, in decomposing substances and causing rottenness: Jormundgard denotes the destructive qualities of _Water_: all these are caused by the action of _Air_ (Lok or Loptur) mixing with _Angurbod_ (impurity). The amour of Asa-Lok and Angurbod has some resemblance to the amour of the giant Typhon with Echidna, which produced the Chimera, Cerberus and Hydra of the Greek mythology.

[26] The Hell of the Christians is always represented by theologians as a place of _eternal fire_; yet in the country where the religion of Odin prevailed, the inhabitants, from ancient custom, could not refrain from considering it sometimes as a place of _eternal cold_. At least, the idea sometimes breaks out in the ballads composed long after the introduction of Christianity. In a Scottish ballad, for instance, inserted by Walter Scott in his “Minstrelsey of the Scottish Border,” there is the following stanza:

O whaten a mountain is yon, she said, All so dreary wi’ frost and snow? O yon is the mountain of Hell, he cried, Where you and I must go.

NOTES TO THE FOURTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Da laa ret for hans Oeje Den store Utgardstad; Det kunde vel fornöie, Han blev i Hu saa glad.

For this Canto, I have adopted a metre something similar to that used in Bürger’s Leonora.

[27] This vast and empty space is Ginnungagap.

[28] The giantess Betsla. The Author, in his cosmogony, has adhered closely to the Edda.

NOTES TO THE FIFTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Da ved de brede Borde De Kaemper rundt nu sad, Tog Loke snilt ti̱l Orde, Den muntre Usa glad, etc.

[29] Who this Goblin turns out to be, is explained in the next Canto.

[30] Little Thumb; so I translate _Tommeliden_, the name of Utgard-Lok’s racer; who he, the drinking-horn presented to Thor, the cat, and the old woman turn out be, all this is explained in the next Canto.

[31] I do not find in the Edda any mention of this feat; it is probably the poet’s own invention, and meant as a pendant to the episode of Mars and Venus.

[32] Let no one be astonished, that the car of the goddess of love should be drawn by cats. Cats are the most ardent and persevering of lovers. The celebrated Spanish poet Lope de Vega has said of them,

Los gatos en efeto Son del amor el indice perfeto.

and in another place,

Que cosa puede haber con que se iguale La paciencia de un gato enamorado?

[33] This combat between Thor and the giantesses on the rocky isle is alluded to in the elder or poetic Edda, in the chapter called “Harbard’s song.” Harbard makes Thor the following reproach, when the latter tells him that he had beaten and put to flight the giantesses on the isle of Hlesey:

Shamefully didst thou act, O Thor! When thou didst beat women.

Thor answers:

They were not women; They were she-wolves; They attacked me with iron clubs.

The meaning of this, according to Finn Magnussen, is, that the noxious vapours and tempest on Hlesey were dispersed by a thunderstorm; and the _iron clubs_ denote _hailstones_.

[34] The apple of Iduna. See the Catalogue.

NOTES TO THE SIXTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Da nu den Helt hi̱n svare Midt udi Marken stod, Alt under Himlen klare, Med Blomster ved sin Fod, etc.

[35] The circumstance of the dwarf’s face being veiled, means, that the _thought_ of Utgard-Lok could not be divined by Thor.

[36] It was a saying in the pagan time, when the ebb began, “Thor drinks.”

The Author has adhered closely to the prosaic Edda in his narration of Thor’s adventure in Utgard.

With respect to the two Loks, and the difference between them, it is not a little curious to find that in the gospel of Nicodemus (one of those rejected by the council of Nice, chap. xx, verses 2 and following), Satan and the prince of hell are described as two distinct persons; and when Satan informs the latter, that he has achieved for him a great conquest, by bringing captive to his realm no less a personage than Jesus Christ, the prince of hell, instead of thanking Satan for that service, loads him with reproaches for his unpardonable thoughtlessness, in bringing into his dominions a person by whom he (the prince of hell) had sustained a serious detriment, in the loss of sundry souls, whom Jesus Christ, in escaping from hell, had carried off with him, and who, but for that visit, would still have remained there.

It is singular that this comparison should have escaped the notice, not only of Finn Magnussen, but that of all the other commentators of the Edda, when discussing the subject of the two Loks. I stumbled by mere chance three years ago on a copy of the apocryphal New Testament in German, and on reading the chapter above quoted, the idea of this analogy immediately and forcibly struck me.

NOTES TO THE SEVENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Thor monne sig omgiorde, Og kasted vidt sit Blik; De rige, fede Hiorde Saa stadigt rundt ham gik.

[37] In amplifying this stanza, I could not avoid borrowing something from Mason, in that beautiful chorus of Elfrida, beginning,

“Say! will no white-robed son of light,”

and the words

“Whose cheek but emulates the peach’s bloom, “Whose breath the hyacinth’s perfume,”

occurring to my memory, I made no scruple of adopting them, and I am sure my readers will view with an indulgent eye this plagiarism.

[38] The classical reader will be reminded in this passage of the speech of Jupiter to Venus, when she is wounded by Diomed:

Ου τοι, τεκνον εμον, δεδοται πολεμηια εργα, etc.

NOTES TO THE EIGHTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Gud Thor, den Understaerke, Var ti̱t i̱ Hu saa gram; Han lod sig i̱ntet maerke, Dog tyktes det ham Skam, At Jetter ham turde giaekke, etc.

By way of variety, I have adopted a trochaic metre for my translation of this Canto.

[39] The serpent Jormundgard, type of humidity and its dangerous effects; it is a happy idea of the poet to imagine all the serpent kind engendered by him.

In every mythology the serpent seems to be the emblem of humidity and its noxious qualities. The fable of Jormundgard has evidently given rise to the supposed existence of the kraken, or monstrous sea-serpent.

[40] According to the Scandinavian belief, the half of those who fell in battle fell to the share of Odin, and the other half to Freya. Finn Magnussen thinks this to be a mistake, and that by Freya is meant Frigga, the wife of Odin. The allegory then becomes more clear: Odin typifies the heavens, Frigga the earth; the spirits of the slain ascend to Odin, their bodies remain with Frigga.

Another very ingenious allegory lies in the nature of the nourishment used by Odin at the banquet of Valhalla. In the younger or prosaic Edda it is written, “The food that comes to his (Odin’s) share, he gives to his two wolves, Gere and Freke. He himself requires no solid food, for wine is to him both meat and drink.” In the elder or poetic Edda it is thus written in the chapter called Grimnismal:

“The warlike highly honoured Father of heroes gives his food To Gere and to Freke; For by wine alone Is the glorious Odin nourish’d.”

By this is meant, that in battle the spirits of the slain mount to heaven (Odin), while their bodies remain a prey to wolves, and other beasts of prey. Spirits are typified by wine, the most spirituous of all fermented liquors.

The above quotations from the two Eddas afford, perhaps, the best illustration of the difference of their respective styles.

NOTES TO THE NINTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Ormen laa paa salten Bund i̱ Havet, Straengt i Dybets Faengsel avet, Bag Steenplanterne begravet. Over ham flöd fri og dristig Hvalen, Men i mörke Bölgedalen Beed han slugen sig i Halen, etc.

and so on in tercets. I have preferred the heroic couplet for my translation.

[41] By Loptur’s daughter is no doubt meant the queen of death, Hela.

This adventure of Thor with the serpent and giant Hymir is recounted in the prosaic Edda.

The story of Thor losing his hammer Miölner in the scales of the body of the serpent Jormundgard has a resemblance to the story of Jupiter losing his thunderbolts, and their falling into the hands of the giant Typhon, often represented as a dragon. Typhon, in Greek, means either the giant of that name, or a whirlpool: now Jormundgard typifies the ocean, and Miölner, the thunderbolt. The Grecian mythe is to be found in the first and second Cantos of the Dionysiacs, or triumphs of Bacchus, in the celebrated Greek poem of Nonnus. These two mythes have a still closer resemblance in their denouement, as will be seen by a reference to the Notes of the 29th Canto of this work.

NOTES TO THE TENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

I Valaskialf sad Loke laenge, Han kieded sig, lod Hovdet haenge, Ei Valhals Glaeder meer ham smage.

Man seer ham selv Saehrimner vrage; Han bittert leer og spotter Guder;

and so on in tercets and couplets. I have adopted a free but rhymed metre for my translation.

NOTES TO THE ELEVENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Tilgiv tvungne Trael af Elskov! At han dig atter Astsael finder: Bil du ei̱ vorde Billiens Frister, Bri̱nge du Brand i Blodet aldrig.

I have given two translations of this Canto, one of which is an attempt to imitate the metre of the original, in which Œhlenschläger has successfully imitated the alliterative metre of the Icelandic poetry.

[42] Lassie; the liberty of using a Scottish word may well be allowed in a translation from the Danish, since there is so much affinity between the Danish and the Lowland Scotch languages.

NOTES TO THE TWELFTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Han sad i Hallen og taenkte derpaa, Hans Haevn ham glaedte saa saare: Naar Sif sig nu speiler i blanken Aa, Da faelder hun modige Taare.

[43] _By leek and by crout_: a common method of swearing among the Scandinavians to this day.

[44] _Bauta-sten_ means a tombstone, or funeral monument.

[45] Odin’s eye, i.e. the sun.

[46] By this description, the poet has probably meant to designate the fossil formations of the earth.

[47] The new hair made for Sif may possibly represent a meteor, comet, or shooting star, or perhaps _lightning_, as connected with thunder (Thor). Finn Magnussen thinks that, in this mythe, _Sif_ typifies the _earth_, and her hair the _corn_, which is cut down by Lok (time), and reproduced and gilded by him at the instigation of Thor; i.e. the electrical heat of summer ripening the corn.

I have adopted a similar metre to the original in my translation of this Canto, but with greater prodigality of rhyme, the middle rhymes being only used by the author in the nine last stanzas.

NOTES TO THE THIRTEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

As-Odin ud med Hænir drog, Og med Loke, den Svend i Ophav staerk; De Menneskeskikkelser dem paatog. (Vil du kiaende di̱n Mand, pröv selv hans Vaerk.) Af at sidde paa Stol i Hlidskialfs Slot Var Odin traet, den opmaerksomme Drot; Som Vandringsmand, i Skyggernes Löv Han aander, og föler selv sig Stöv, etc.

In my translation of this Canto, I have adopted as a metre a stanza of eight lines, generally of ten syllables each, but admitting occasionally lines of eight or twelve syllables; the arrangement of the rhymes is varied. It is in fact exactly the same metre as that adopted by Schiller, in his translation of the second and fourth Books of the Æneid, and by Wieland, in his poem of Idris and Zenide.

[48] Jarl: a title of nobility in Norway, corresponding to that of count; the English title, earl, is derived therefrom.

[49] This eagle is the giant Thiasse, who took that form, in order to get Asa-Lok into his power, and compel him to carry off Iduna, the guardian of the apples of immortality, from Asagard.

[50] _Alla lumaca_; so the Italians term that style of wreathing the hair.

NOTES TO THE FOURTEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Som Vinden blaeser hen den lette Sky, Saa svinder hver Bedrift i Evigheden; Sen Bölge sank, een reiser sig paa ny, Og Kampen leger leflende med Freden; Snart blinke Svaerd, snart ruste de i Skeden. Hvad er det alt? Et flygtigt Giöglemöde, En Sommerfugl, som parred sig--og döde.

I much wished to adopt, as a metre for the translation of this Canto, the Spenserian stanza, but I found it too difficult. I therefore adopted a metre of my own invention, viz., a stanza of nine lines, eight of which have ten syllables, and the ninth, which rhymes with the sixth and eighth, has twelve. The arrangement of the rhyme is regular throughout, and it appears to me that this metre has something of the march and harmony of the Spenserian stanza.

[51] In this stanza the poet means probably to convey the idea, that whoever wishes to succeed in his profession, whatever it be, must aim at excellence and immortality.

[52] Kattegat means _Passage of the Cat_, so called from its danger, arising from the frequency of tempests. The poet begins here to trace the calamities and deterioration caused to the world by the absence of Iduna.

[53] Yggdrassil; see this name in the Alphabetical Catalogue. Yggdrassil, the mythological ash-tree, is called by the Scalds “the _tree of life_.” There is a Christmas ceremony at this day in Germany, wherein an artificial tree, generally made of fir, bears on its branches various little presents for children, for which they draw lots. May not this tree trace its origin from Yggdrassil, the tree of life, which distributes to the human race their different lots?

The human race has often been compared by poets to a tree, and the generations of mankind to its leaves. Homer has,

Ὁιη τῶν φυλλῶν γενεη τοιηδε και ανδρῶν.

[54] Odin’s ravens; their names are _Hugin_ (thought), and _Munin_ (memory). Finn Magnussen thus explains the mythe of the rape of Iduna by the giant Thiasse:

Iduna represents the mild air of spring, which gives renovated life and animation to all nature. Thiasse represents winter, and the carrying off of Iduna typifies the disappearance of all genial warmth at the approach of winter; her deliverance from the prison of Thiasse denotes the return of spring; Thiasse being burnt to death in the bale-fire of Breidablik, denotes the melting and disappearance of ice by the heat of the sun at the approach of summer. The rape and the deliverance of Iduna are both effectuated through the agency of Asa-Lok, who typifies time and its vacillating nature, now impelled to good, and now to evil.

NOTES TO THE FIFTEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the original.

Da de höje Valhals Guder Blomstred end i Oestens Land, Fiernt i Asien paa Bierget, Naer det skiönne Ginistan: For de hid til Norden droge, Mod den kolde Klippeblok, Hvor de sloge Jetters Haer og Dvaerges Flok.

The metre I have adopted for my translation of this Canto is of my own invention; it may be thought fantastic, but in its trochaic form it has something of the march of the original. I leave the first, third, and fifth line unrhymed, with a double close.

[55] Vaner: see the article Vaner and Vanaheim in the Alphabetical Catalogue.

[56] Ginnistan; by Ginnistan is probably meant Persia or Armenia. My friend Dr. Constancio suggests to me, that the word may be derived from Zend, the actual name of a tribe of Curds, and signifying in Persian _life_, _living_, and figuratively _vigorous_. The word Zend, with the addition of _stan_ (country, in Persian), comes very near the word Ginnistan.

[57] The circumstance of Niord being given as a hostage to the Asar pleads in favour of the hypothesis I have already given, namely, that Niord and his children Frey and Freya were Assyrian or Persian divinities, adopted by the Asar, and incorporated in their religion. Frey, the son of Niord, typifies the sun at the winter solstice, and the festivities of the new year in the pagan time were instituted to do him honour. His father Niord presides over the winds and waves; but Balder also typifies the sun (at its highest elevation), and Ægir is the god of the sea. The fact is, that in the Scandinavian mythology there are _two_ sun-gods and _two_ gods of the sea. The explanation of this seeming incongruity is not difficult. Among the Asar, Balder was the sun god, and Ægir the god of the sea; but among the Vaner, Niord was the god of the winds and waves, Frey typified the sun, and his sister Freya the moon. When the political alliance took place between the Asar and the Vaner, the former adopted some of the divinities of the latter, and in consequence of this amalgamation, Niord, Frey and Freya received suitable posts in the Gothic pantheon. It is remarkable, that among the ancient Egyptians the sun was called Phré. Among the Greeks, Bacchus often typified the sun, and by the Romans he was called Liber, which has exactly the same meaning as the word Frey, viz. _free_.

[58] By Niord’s drying up marshes and dispelling vapours may be meant the salubrious effects of the north wind.

[59] Odur; this description will remind the classical reader of Bacchus.

It seems to me that the appellation Goth was not known in Scandinavia previous to the invasion of the Asar, and that these last assumed the name of Goths (good and brave men), when they introduced their religion into that country. This idea leads me also to surmise, that as long as the Asar remained in Asia, the name Hrimthusser (frost-giant), and not Jetter or Jotun, was applied to the evil spirits of their mythology; and that it was not until after their grand immigration into Scandinavia, under the command of the historical Odin, that the term Jetter or Jotun (which was the national appellation of the aborigines of Scandinavia) was, in consequence of the long and bitter wars between the Asar and Jetter, and of the national hatred arising therefrom, applied by the Asar to those malevolent spirits, who, as they supposed, assisted their enemies, the Jetter. The self-love of all nations leads them to assume, that they are the favourites of the good gods, and that the evil spirits are the abettors, instigators, and coadjutors of their enemies; and even in our time, as has been wittily remarked by Washington Irving, a number of the _good sort of people_ in England, during the war against revolutionary France, thought that _somehow or other_ God Almighty was on the side of the English government. As a further confirmation of my conjecture that the word Goth was unknown to the Scandinavian peninsula, until introduced there by the Asar, I cite the following passage from a Saga, written in the Icelandic or ancient Scandinavian tongue:

En dha voru dhessi lönd er Asia menn bygdu köllud Godlönd, en fólkid Godjod. Odin ok hans synir voru slórum vitrir ok fjölkunnigir, fagrir at álitum, og sterkir át afli. Margir adrir i dheirra ætt voru miklir afburdbarmenn, medh ymisligum algerleik, og nokkura af dheim tóku menn til at blóta og trúa á, ok kölludhu godh sin.

_Translated thus_:

Then this land, which Asia’s people took possession of, was called Godland, and the people Godjod. Odin and his sons were very wise and skilled in many things, fair in aspect, and strong limbed. Many of their race were men of great strength and of divers perfections, and the people began to worship some of them, and call them their gods.

NOTES TO THE SIXTEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Mens Ydun var i̱ Faengsel, stod Valhal som en Grav, En frugtbar Oee var opslugt af baelmörken Hav I Borgens öde Haller hver Gud sad i sin Vraa, Og som en Marmelstötte sti̱vt hen for sig saae.

The metre I have adopted for the translation of this Canto is somewhat more regular than that of the original: mine is in lines of thirteen syllables each: a slight pause after the seventh syllable will give the rhythm required.

[60] This Canto begins with a description of the fatal consequences of the absence of Iduna: all the pleasures of Valhalla are suspended. According to Finn Magnussen, the mythe of Skada’s entry into Valhalla may be thus interpreted: Skada here typifies the violent winds and capricious temperature of the commencement of spring, which proceeds from winter, as Skada does from her father, the frost-giant Thiasse. Though she enters Valhalla with violent designs, she becomes pacified at the sight of Balder (the sun at the summer solstice). Thus doth spring, commencing with tempests, become appeased and calm, from the increasing heat of the sun at the beginning of summer. The English reader will be here reminded of the old English proverb: “Spring comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb.”

[61] Hildur’s favourite sport; i.e. war. See this name in the Catalogue.

[62] The story of the game of blind man’s buff, called by the Northmen _blind cow_, in which Skada catches Niord, and is united to him in marriage, is borrowed from the prosaic Edda. I can find no satisfactory solution of this mythe; it may mean, however, that the spring weather, after much shuffling and shifting about, settles down at last into a mild serenity and constancy (during summer). But the matrimonial bliss of Niord and his consort will not be of long duration. Towards the autumnal equinox, Skada’s capricious temper will break out, she will begin her mischievous pranks again, and set winds and waves by the ears as usual. Skada’s catching Niord by the leg in the game of blind man’s buff, may mean the force of a tempest, which sometimes lifts men off their legs.

NOTES TO THE SEVENTEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Dybt udi Fieldehallen et Kammer blev han vaer; En deilig Mö han öined paa Bolstrene, klar: I söden Sövn hun slumred med stille Pigesind, Og Morgenröden blomstred paa hendes Liliekind.

In my translation of this and of the two next Cantos, I have adopted, as a metre, the line of fourteen syllables.

[63] That the Jotuns should appear to the Asar to be giants in size, and as having the heads of wolves, bears, etc., has been accounted for in my preface to this work, which I hope the reader will consult and bear in mind.

[64] Of all the giant race, the Hrimthusser were reckoned the most ferocious, rough, and uncouth. The names of Horseleg and Goatbeard are humourously given by the poet to two of them, whom he represents as testifying their admiration of Gerda in a clownish and indelicate manner.

[65] This change was the consequence of the return of Iduna to Valhalla.

[66] In the original, _Blaamandsland_ (blue man’s land): so Africa was called by the Scandinavians.

NOTES TO THE EIGHTEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Da ilte dem imöde Freiers gode Skosvend, Vel Skirnir man ham naevner. Nu er hun her igien, Til Guderne han raabte, da han dem kunde see, Nu Ydun er i Valhal: endt er nu Asernes Vee!

The nature and attributes of all the gods and goddesses seated at the banquet of Valhalla, are so fully detailed in the text, that notes to this Canto are almost superfluous.

[67] Alludes to Skirnir’s name, derived from _skirna_ (to clear up, to brighten).

[68] Frey is sometimes called Freyr.

[69] By this the poet means, no doubt, that the pearl and coral divers, from their being accustomed to remain for a long time under water, are less liable to be drowned than other people.

[70] By Ervin’s minster is meant the steeple of the cathedral of Strasburgh, built by Ervin of Steinbach.

[71] The nature of the message given by Odin to Hermod has been already related in the 15th Canto.

NOTES TO THE NINETEENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Fra Valaskialf gik Odin nu i den naeste Hal; Der vented ham Einheriar, de stod i tusindtal: Syn, den gode Vogterske, vidt aabned Portens Flöi̱, Da traadte mellem Kaemper Odin den Herre saa höi.

[72] Starkodder was the greatest warrior of his time, and was deified after his death. His name was ever in the greatest veneration among the Scandinavians. Though he killed Oluf, he repented it ever afterwards, and in this poem the poet puts into Oluf’s mouth the generous sentiment, that Starkodder, in killing him and making him die in blood, had perhaps saved him from dying by old age or sickness; in which case, instead of being in Valhalla, he would have risked falling into the hands of Hela. According to the author of this work, Œhlenschläger (who has made Starkodder the subject of a most interesting tragedy), Oluf’s death was revenged by his son Frode Frækne, who clove Starkodder’s scull in single combat. In the above tragedy Frode, after killing Starkodder, renders ample justice to his military talent and exploits, and anticipates, in the following manner, his reception among the heroes of Valhalla:

“Now he’s a god! at the command of Thor Five hundred forty massive gates of Trudvang, Each broad and long, and made of bronze, ope wide With fearful clang; in brilliant armour clad Five hundred forty heroes from each gate Rush forth to meet him, and with loud applause Thus do they greet the chief: All hail! Starkodder! Thou greatest after Tyr and Asa-Thor!”

[73] The purport of this message is explained in the twenty-first Canto. It was to obtain from the dwarfs a magic chain, wherewith to bind Fenris.

[74] This butting match between Asa-Lok and one of Thor’s goats was no doubt suggested to the poet (for there is no account of it in either Edda) by the painting or mosaic found in Herculaneum, I believe, or in Pompeii, and which has been made the subject of many a bas-relief, medallion, or cameo: viz. a satyr butting against a goat. To Œhlenschläger may well be applied the line of Haley respecting Ariosto:

“The bard of pathos now, and now of mirth!”

NOTES TO THE TWENTIETH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Da Asaskokke I taette Flokke Fra Oesten rede, Med Svaerd af Skede, etc.

I have chosen the octosyllabic couplet for my translation.

The mythologic formation of the island of Sealand (of which Copenhagen is the present capital), and which forms the subject of this Canto, is thus given in the poetic Edda:

“Gladly drew Gefion From the powerful Gyllfe Denmark’s annexation, So that it smoked after the springing oxen. Four heads and eight eyes Had the oxen, who drew The piece of earth after them, To form the favourite island.”

[75] The etymology of Sealand, called formerly and more properly Sœlund, is from the Danish words _sœ_ (sea) and _lund_ (grove).

[76] Œresund is the appellation for what other nations call the _Sound_ par excellence; for _sund_ means a channel or strait.

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-FIRST CANTO.

In the original, this Canto is written in the classic hexameter, which seems to suit wonderfully well the Danish and Swedish languages.

Specimen of the metre.

Men da Maane bag Field var flygtet, haeftig forfulgt af Maanegarm, den bevingede Trold, som stedse den aengster, Meest usynlig for Menneskers Bli̱k, dog stundum i Regnsky Synlig som Ulv, naar i Dunsterne brun han viser sit Hoved.

I have given my translation in the ten syllabled heroic couplet.

[77] Horseleg and Goatbeard; names of the two giants mentioned in the 17th Canto as having behaved rudely to Gerda.

[78] Quaser in the Icelandic language signifies _breath or inspiration_. The story of Quaser is probably an oriental one of some poet, who was murdered by those who were jealous of his talents, and were _dwarfs in genius_ compared to him.

[79] The story of the stone, which Odin casts among the giants to incite them to discord, resembles much a circumstance mentioned in the poem of Apollonius of Rhodes, called “The Argonauts” in the 3d Canto. “But the giants, springing from the furrows which he had traced, covered with their arms the field he had ploughed. Jason, returning, rushes toward them, and throws amongst them an enormous stone; many are crushed by it; others, disputing for its possession, slay one another.” In fact, the amour of Odin with Gunliod has some sort of resemblance in the beginning to that of Jason and Medea.

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-SECOND CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Du Ungersvend, som sukker taus med blegen Ki̱nd, Fordi ei Freya signer di̱t Bryst, Fordi du ei kan böi̱e stolten Piges Si̱nd, etc.

In stanzas of eight lines.

In my translation I have adopted the _ottava rima_.

[80] Freya’s grief for the loss of Odur is related in the 15th Canto. Freya is often termed by the Scalds the “goddess of the golden tear.”

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-THIRD CANTO.

Specimen of the metre.

Nu i̱lte Ski̱rnir, hvad han kunde, Ned ad den ski̱önne Regnbuerand, Hen over Jordens dunkle Lunde, Da kom han til Troldkaemveland. Det var som Vinden, Vei̱en over: Den i̱ngen Bom kan byde Stöv; Det var som Blaest paa Havets Vover, Der kruser Bölgens sorte Top.

In the metre I have adopted for this Canto, I have introduced occasionally anapests, for the sake of greater variety.

In this Canto the poet has diverged considerably from either Edda, and has boldly and felicitously sketched a plan of his own, into which, however, he has interwoven ideas taken from three different Cantos of the poetic Edda: viz _Harbard’s song_; _Alvismal_ (discourse of Alvis); _Skirnisfor_ (journey of Skirnir). In the first, Harbard’s song, it is Thor, and not Skirnir, who enters into a dialogue with Harbard, whom he meets at the fiord. In the second, Alvismal, the subject of the Canto is a dialogue between Thor and the dwarf Alvis (all-wise), wherein the latter makes a pompous display of his learning, by giving definitions and synonymes of _earth_, _heaven_, _wind_, _fire_, nearly in the same manner that Skirnir does in this Canto. In the third, Skirnir’s journey, wherein Skirnir is sent by Frey to propose marriage to Gerda, are mentioned the ferocious dogs which guard the dwelling of giant Gymer, the father of Gerda.

[81] Fiord means a creek or arm of the sea running inland; on the coast of Norway the fiords run for a very considerable distance inland; and thus flowing from the sea at the high tide form a contrast with the course of the rivers.

[82] The word _shoeless foot_, in the original _nœgne Fod_, seems borrowed from the speech of Harbard to Thor, in Harbard’s song in the poetic Edda, wherein he says,

Thou dost not look, as if thou Three domains possess’d; [A]Bare legged thou standest In beggar’s apparel.

[A] Probably because Thor had taken off his shoes, in order to ford the stream.

[83] The remarks on the females of the Jotun race seem likewise borrowed from the same chapter in the poetic Edda:

We had sprightly women, Were they but gentle; We had clever women, Were they but fond of us.

[84] _Drypsal_ means _Drippinghall_.

[85] _Oppheim_ means _abode above_.

[86] The original has _Svalhjelm_ (cool helmet), and means a covering to protect the head against the rays of the sun; I have therefore chosen the word _umbrella_ as the most appropriate expression.

[87] Alludes to the difference between a fiord and a river.

[88] With respect to Gestur and his riddles, they are not to be found in the Edda; but the poet has borrowed the idea from the Hervara Saga, wherein king Heidrek, who had a great talent for divining riddles and enigmas, had a great many proposed to him by Odin, under the disguise of the blind Gestur.

Extract from the Hervara Saga in the original Icelandic, with a literal translation.

Heiman ék fór, From home I went, Heiman ék ferdadist; From home I travelled, Sá ék á veg vega: Saw I on way ways: Vegr var undir; The way was under, Vegr var yfir, The way was over, Ok ver gá alla: And the way over all; Heidrekr kongr! Heidrek king! Hyggtu at gatu? Guessest thou the riddle?

Gód er gáta dhin, Good is riddle thine, Gestr blindi! Gestur blind! Gétit er dheirrar: Guessed is it: Fugl dhar yfir fló; Bird there over flew; Fiskr dhar undir svam Fish there under swam Fórtu á brú. Thyself went on bridge.

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-FOURTH CANTO.

This Canto in the original is written in the classic hexameter.

Specimen.

Da nu Skirni̱r blev vaer den ovladtsölverne Laage, Hvor med kulsort Glands ham en Broes glatdannede Steenkul Veien viste; da gik han derind; og brat han befandt sig Atter i fri Luft. Himlen var blaa med utallige Stierner, etc.

I have chosen for my translation our heroic couplet.

[89] The poet, in this line, alludes no doubt to the unclean food often used by the inhabitants of Finmark.

[90] This part of Gerda’s speech reminds me of the discourse of the beautiful Marcela, in the XIV chapter, 2d book, part 1st of Don Quixote.

In this Canto the poet has diverged considerably from the chapter in the poetic Edda, called the Skirnisfor, which treats of the same subject. In Œhlenschläger’s poem, as has been seen, Skirnir makes use of the most gentle and insinuating means of persuasion to induce Gerda to give ear to his proposal; and the stratagem of Frey’s likeness conveyed from the brook into Gerda’s basin is entirely the poet’s own _concetto_, and it is, I think, a very ingenious one: whereas, in the Edda, Skirnir makes use of the most terrible threats and sinister predictions, in order to force Gerda to accede to his master’s wishes; and at length he succeeds in terrifying her into submission: among other threats, which are not of the most decent nature, he tells her that she shall either be wedded to a frightful three-headed Goblin of the Hrimthussar race, or pine a maid, tormented with the most violent desires, which cannot be gratified.

NOTE TO THE TWENTY-FIFTH CANTO.

In the original, the metre of this Canto is written in imitation of one much used in the ancient Danish ballads, which, admitting a _refrain_ that seems to have little or no connection with the substance of the ballad, continue it in every stanza throughout the piece. Here are _three different refrains_ used in succession throughout the whole Canto, except in the two last stanzas.

Specimen.

Da Skirnir vaagned i naeste Gry, (Solstraalen i Skyen sig bader) Da stod med Venlighed ved hans Ly Biergtrolden i̱ Pandserplader.

Som Guldbrandsdölen saa staerk og lang (De Fugle quiddre paa Grene) I Haanden bar han en sortbraendt Stang, Dog stod han der ei allene.

Ham fulgte trolig den Datter huld; (Dugdraaben glindser paa Blommen) Som Ranken omslynger den runkne Bul, Hun var med Faderen kommen.

Et Baeger hun ind for Guden bar, (Solstraalen i Skyen sig bader), etc.

I have followed exactly the same plan in my translation.

NOTE TO THE TWENTY-SIXTH CANTO.

This Canto in the original is written in the octosyllabic couplet. I have adopted the same metre for the translation.

Specimen of the metre.

Nu blev der Fryd i Valhals Gaard I fine Vadmel, blöde Maar, Den skiönne Bi̱ergets Pige foer Fra Fieldet og fra grönnen Jord. Ad Bifrost drog den unge Brud, I Luften liig, et Sti̱erneskud.

[91] Gefion’s strand is the island of Sealand.

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-SEVENTH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre in the original.

I haveṯ stander Oeen; Nu Hlesen kun er liden, Thi Bölgerne med Ti̱den Har plöieṯ den i̱ Söen; Men stor i Oldti̱ds Dage Den knei̱sed höi̱ og brat, Og ṯrodsed Nordens Drage, Deṯ sorṯe Kaṯṯegaṯ.

The subject of this Canto is taken from the celebrated chapter in the poetic Edda, called “Ægir’s feast” or “Lok’s scurrility,” to account for the origin, object and meaning of which, has puzzled all the commentators of the Edda. The most simple _éclaircissement_ thereof seems to be that of Finn Magnussen, who thinks that the author of it may have been a sort of Scandinavian Lucian, who wished to throw a sly ridicule on the gods of his country. Œhlenschläger has varied, augmented, and embellished the subject with imagery and embroidery of his own, and has omitted certain parts of somewhat too obscene a nature.

[92] Skidbladner, name of the bark given by Gerda to Frey. The following is probably the explanation of this mythe. Frey signifies the sun; Gerda, the earth. Skidbladner signifies the clouds or vapours extracted from the earth by the rays of the sun. See Skidbladner in the Alphabetical Catalogue.

[93] Hringhorn; name of Balder’s bark. The language of the ancient Scandinavians was highly poetical and metaphorical. A ship was often compared to an animal, and its masts to the horns of the said animal; the masts were made fast with iron rings round their circumference, and this I take to be the surest etymology of the word Hringhorn or Ringhorn. The ships of the Vikings were long and deep, and had usually but one mast.

[94] _Naglefare_: See the Catalogue.

[95] It seems to me as if the author has taken this idea from the account given in Cook’s voyages of the women of Otaheite swimming off from the shore to the ship, to look out for lovers among the sailors.

[96] I here acknowledge a plagiarism from Dryden, in his quaint translation of the _Novimus et qui te_ in the Third Bucolic of Virgil.

[97] Alludes to Thor and his companions’ adventure related in the Second Canto.

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-EIGHTH CANTO.

The metre in the original is in couplets as follows:

Hen Loke flöd i Havet, som Orm, sli̱meṯ blaa, Alle de faele Syner han klart paa Dybeṯ saae. Han strakte sig med Angest, han bugṯed sig med Iil. Paa Kysten fulgte Bonden med Oei̱et ham en Mi̱i̱l.

The metre I have adopted for the translation of this Canto is the couplet of lines of fourteen syllables occasionally interspersed with couplets of thirteen syllables. In reading the latter, a pause should be made after the seventh syllable. This metre resembles that of the original, and has much of its prosaic and familiar march. This Canto and the next are based on the chapter of the poetic Edda, called Thrymsqvida.

[98] King Hro founded the town of Roeskild, situate where Leire once stood. Roeskild is about twenty-five English miles distant W. from Copenhagen, and has a magnificent cathedral, which is the cemetery of the Danish kings.

[99] Kongebo, means royal residence or palace.

[100] _Giants’ bane_, in Icelandic _Jótun bani_, name given by the Scalds to Thor, on account of his constant enmity towards the giants.

NOTES TO THE TWENTY-NINTH CANTO.

Specimen of the metre in the original.

Ru Asaṯhor Med Loke foer Paa Gyldenkarm Ti̱l Fieldets Sṯeen; Og Loke sad I Hierṯeṯ glad Ved Gudens Harm, Ti̱l Jeṯṯers Meen.

Saa reiste de frem medens Klippen skialv, Med en gabende Klöfṯ Steenbierget sprak, Og den Hnle saa sort kun aabned sig halv, Og en Lue med Gni̱st gi̱ennem Mulmeṯ trak.

I have adopted for the translation of this Canto a metre, alternatively trochaic and anapestic.

[101] It was the custom, at the marriage ceremony of the ancient Scandinavians in the pagan time, for the betrothed to swear fidelity to each other, in touching the hammer of Thor. May not this account for the ceremony of marriage at Gretna-green being always performed by a blacksmith? The lowland Scots are of Scandinavian origin, and they have preserved many a custom and many a superstition of their ancestors.

[102] Respecting Hrugner and Mokkurcalf, please to consult the Alphabetical Catalogue.

The following explanation of the foregoing mythe is given by the Swedish poet Ling:

The loss of Thor’s hammer, and its remaining _eight miles_ under ground in the hands of Thrymur the frost giant, denotes the impotence or inactivity of the _electrical fluid_ during the eight months’ winter of the northern regions. The invitation of Thrymur to Freya typifies the struggle of nature at the approach of spring, to renew its vitality.

Stuhr’s opinion of this mythe is much the same as that of Ling. He thinks it to be a hymn in honour of spring, typified by Freya. Thor borrows Freya’s attire, i.e. in spring the electrical heat resumes its force. Thor travels with Loptur (the air) to Thrymur. They are furnished with a copious repast; i.e. at the approach of and by the influence of spring, the unfruitfulness of the earth ceases. When Asa-Lok speaks of the _eight nights_ of longing passed by the pretended Freya, it means the progressive changes undergone by the polar atmosphere during the eight winter months, before the heat finally obtains the mastery. The immense appetite and quantity of mead drank by Thor denote the absorption of the earth’s vapours by the electrical fire of summer, and the death of Thrymur denotes the total disappearance of winter. It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader, that Miölner, the hammer of Thor, typifies, almost everywhere, thunder, or the electrical fire and its effects.

In the Greek poem of Nonnus, called the Dionysiacs, or Actions of Bacchus, we find a mythe having no doubt the same signification as that of the Thrymsqvida. Jupiter at the approach of winter loses his thunderbolts, which fall into the hands of the giant Typhon. He recovers them in spring, by means of a stratagem of Cadmus, and soon after makes use of them to discomfit and slay the giant Typhon.

NOTE TO THE THIRTIETH CANTO.

In the original this Canto is written in _terza rima_ as follows.

Da Thor nu sti̱lle sad, og endt var Kampen, Da steeg en langsom Rög af Jeṯṯeblodeṯ, Og hvid og tyk oplöftede sig Dampen.

Da ski̱aelved Loke brat og tabte Modeṯ, etc.

Besides the difficulty of the _terza rima_, it is a metre not very well suited to the genius of the English language. I have, therefore, given my translation of this Canto in blank verse, following the example of Carey in his version of Dante.

The subject of this Canto seems taken partly from some strophes in the Voluspâ, and partly from the Vaftrudnismal, which are the names of two of the most important chapters of the poetic Edda.

[103] Gugner, name of Odin’s lance.

This Canto does not require notes, but as it may amuse the reader to compare the history of the destruction and reproduction of the world with the account thereof given in the Edda, I here subjoin some extracts from the two chapters above mentioned, following Finn Magnussen’s translation. I think the reader will remark some resemblance between certain parts of this Canto and certain parts of the Apocalypse. The battle between Thor and the Serpent Jormundgard is not unlike the combat between the Archangel Michael and the great dragon; and the palace of Gimle, the future abode of the blessed, presents an image of the new Jerusalem.

EXTRACTS FROM THE VAFTRUDNISMAL

(DISCOURSE OF VAFTRUDNER).

The wolf (Fenris) shall swallow up The father of time (Odin); But Vidar shall avenge him, And tear the monster’s jaws asunder.

…

A daughter shall be born Of the old sun,[104] Before Fenris swallows her up: After the fall of the gods The daughter shall travel On the same course as her mother did.

…

Lif and Liftrasir Remain conceal’d in the wood (Hoddmimer); They are nourished by the morning dew, And from them the new race shall spring.

…

When the fire (of Surtur) shall be extinguish’d, Vidar shall construct anew The dwellings of the gods.

…

Then finally shall peace Succeed to the long strife.

[104] The sun is feminine in the Gothic languages.

EXTRACTS FROM THE VOLUSPA

(VALA’S PROPHECY).

Loud howls the monster (the dog Garm) At the cavern of Gnypa; The wolf (Fenris) shall break his chain.

…

Brother shall fight with brother And slay each other: The bonds of affection and parentage Shall be rent asunder: Evil reigns in the world; Libidinous excess triumphs; The sword, the axe Shall be in constant employ: Shields shall be cloven; Times of tempest, of wolfish ferocity, Before the world finally ends; No man shall spare his neighbour.

…

Naglefar moves forward With keel gliding from the East; Lok steers it.

…

Surtur compelling flames Advances from the south!

…

The earth sinks into the deep!

The stars disappear from heaven!

Volumes of fire and smoke Consume the all-nourishing tree (Yggdrassil) Flames mounting on high Consume heaven itself.

…

And behold arises a second time The earth from the sea!

…

The Asar shall meet again On the plains of Ida; There shall again Wonderful tablets of gold Be found in the grass.

…

Fields unsown Shall produce corn; All evil vanish; Balder return; He and Hœdur shall dwell In Odin’s holy abode.

…

A palace is seen Brighter than the sun Roof’d with gold Standing on Gimle! Therein shall dwell Virtuous people, And enjoy happiness For ever and ever!

ETYMOLOGIES OMITTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Lok from _locka_ (to tempt).

Hofvarpur, name of the steed of Gna, from _hof_ (hoof), _hvarpa_ (to throw out).

CONTENTS.

Canto. Page.

1 Thor sets out on an adventure with Lok 1

2 Spells upon the heath 16

3 Thor arrives in Helheim 35

4 Thor arrives in Utgard 45

5 Magic spells in Utgard 57

6 The spells unravelled 81

7 The return home 92

8 Thor visits the giant Hymir 102

9 Thor’s fishing adventure 117

10 Lok becomes enamoured of Sif 122

11 Conversation between Lok and Sif 128

12 Lok procures things of value from the dwarfs 138

13 The rape of Iduna 147

14 The deliverance of Iduna 166

15 The Vaner 180

16 The nuptials of Skada 190

17 The amour of Frey 196

18 Joy in Valhalla 204

19 The Einherier 213

20 Bragur’s song in honour of Gefion 221

21 Conversation between Skirnir and Frey 227

22 Frey’s plaint at the fountain 242

23 The journey of Skirnir 244

24 Gerda’s love 262

25 Skirnir fulfills his errand 273

26 The wolf Fenris and Tyr 279

27 The banquet of Ægir 289

28 Lok’s treachery 313

29 The hammer of Thor recovered 330

30 The Vala’s prophecy 341

The reader, before he begins the work, is respectfully requested to correct the following

ERRATA.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: the errata have been corrected in this e-text.

Page. Line.

XXXVIII 4 _from bottom, for_ he _read_ the. XLVI 12 _from top, for_ threwherself _read_ threw herself. LXIII 12 _from top, for_ incolour _read_ in colour. 25 4 _from top, for_ hem _read_ them. 36 5 _from top, for_ t oads _read_ toads. 110 2 _from top, for_ ofthe _read_ of the. 129 4 _from bottom, for_ careerpursues _read_ career pursues. 142 11 _from top, for_ owesubmission _read_ owe submission. 194 5 _from bottom, for_ ts _read_ Its. 206 6 _from bottom, after_ bloom _insert_ all. 259 11 _from top, for_ while _read_ white. 326 2 _from bottom, for_ At housand _read_ A thousand.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Gods of the North, by Adam Oehlenschlæger