SVIPDAGSMOL

SVIPDAGSMOL

THE BALLAD OF SVIPDAG

I. GROUGALDR

GROA’S SPELL

Svipdag spake:

1. “Wake thee, Groa! | wake, mother good! At the doors of the dead I call thee; Thy son, bethink thee, | thou badst to seek Thy help at the hill of death.”

Groa spake:

2. “What evil vexes | mine only son, What baleful fate hast thou found, That thou callest thy mother, | who lies in the mould, And the world of the living has left?”

Svipdag spake:

3. “The woman false | whom my father embraced Has brought me a baleful game; For she bade me go forth | where none may fare, And Mengloth the maid to seek.”

Groa spake:

4. “Long is the way, | long must thou wander, But long is love as well; Thou mayst find, perchance, | what thou fain wouldst have, If the fates their favor will give.”

Svipdag spake:

5. “Charms full good | then chant to me, mother, And seek thy son to guard; For death do I fear | on the way I shall fare, And in years am I young, methinks.”

Groa spake:

6. “Then first I will chant thee | the charm oft-tried, That Rani taught to Rind; From the shoulder whate’er | mislikes thee shake, For helper thyself shalt thou have.

7. “Then next I will chant thee, | if needs thou must travel, And wander a purposeless way: The bolts of Urth | shall on every side Be thy guards on the road thou goest.

8. “Then third I will chant thee, | if threatening streams The danger of death shall bring: Yet to Hel shall turn | both Horn and Ruth, And before thee the waters shall fail.

9. “Then fourth I will chant thee, | if come thy foes On the gallows-way against thee: Into thine hands | shall their hearts be given, And peace shall the warriors wish.

10. “Then fifth I will chant thee, | if fetters perchance Shall bind thy bending limbs: O’er thy thighs do I chant | a loosening-charm, And the lock is burst from the limbs, And the fetters fall from the feet.

11. “Then sixth I will chant thee, | if storms on the sea Have might unknown to man: Yet never shall wind | or wave do harm, And calm is the course of thy boat.

12. “Then seventh I chant thee, | if frost shall seek To kill thee on lofty crags: The fatal cold | shall not grip thy flesh, And whole thy body shall be.

13. “Then eighth will I chant thee, | if ever by night Thou shalt wander on murky ways: Yet never the curse | of a Christian woman From the dead shall do thee harm.

14. “Then ninth will I chant thee, | if needs thou must strive With a warlike giant in words: Thy heart good store | of wit shall have, And thy mouth of words full wise.

15. “Now fare on the way | where danger waits, Let evils not lessen thy love! I have stood at the door | of the earth-fixed stones, The while I chanted thee charms.

16. “Bear hence, my son, | what thy mother hath said, And let it live in thy breast; Thine ever shall be | the best of fortune, So long as my words shall last.”

II. FJOLSVINNSMOL

THE LAY OF FJOLSVITH

17. Before the house | he beheld one coming To the home of the giants high.

Svipdag spake:

“What giant is here,   |   in front of the house,
  And around him fires are flaming?”

Fjolsvith spake:

18. “What seekest thou here? | for what is thy search? What, friendless one, fain wouldst thou know? By the ways so wet | must thou wander hence, For, weakling, no home hast thou here.”

Svipdag spake:

19. “What giant is here, | in front of the house, To the wayfarer welcome denying?”

Fjolsvith spake:

“Greeting full fair   |   thou never shalt find,
  So hence shalt thou get thee home.

20. “Fjolsvith am I, | and wise am I found, But miserly am I with meat; Thou never shalt enter | within the house,— Go forth like a wolf on thy way!”

Svipdag spake:

21. “Few from the joy | of their eyes will go forth, When the sight of their loves they seek; Full bright are the gates | of the golden hall, And a home shall I here enjoy.”

Fjolsvith spake:

22. “Tell me now, fellow, | what father thou hast, And the kindred of whom thou camst.”

Svipdag spake:

“Vindkald am I,   |   and Varkald’s son,
  And Fjolkald his father was.

23. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: Who is it that holds | and has for his own The rule of the hall so rich?”

Fjolsvith spake:

24. “Mengloth is she, | her mother bore her To the son of Svafrthorin; She is it that holds | and has for her own The rule of the hall so rich.”

Svipdag spake:

25. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What call they the gate? | for among the gods Ne’er saw man so grim a sight.”

Fjolsvith spake:

26. “Thrymgjol they call it; | ’twas made by the three, The sons of Solblindi; And fast as a fetter | the farer it holds, Whoever shall lift the latch.”

Svipdag spake:

27. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What call they the house? | for no man beheld ‘Mongst the gods so grim a sight.”

Fjolsvith spake:

28. “Gastropnir is it, | of old I made it From the limbs of Leirbrimir; I braced it so strongly | that fast it shall stand So long as the world shall last.”

Svipdag spake:

29. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What call they the tree | that casts abroad Its limbs o’er every land?”

Fjolsvith spake:

30. “Mimameith its name, | and no man knows What root beneath it runs; And few can guess | what shall fell the tree, For fire nor iron shall fell it.”

Svipdag spake:

31. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What grows from the seed | of the tree so great, That fire nor iron shall fell?”

Fjolsvith spake:

32. “Women, sick | with child, shall seek Its fruit to the flames to bear; Then out shall come | what within was hid, And so is it mighty with men.”

Svipdag spake:

33. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What cock is he | on the highest bough, That glitters all with gold?”

Fjolsvith spake:

34. “Vithofnir his name, | and now he shines Like lightning on Mimameith’s limbs; And great is the trouble | with which he grieves Both Surt and Sinmora.”

Svipdag spake:

35. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What call they the hounds, | that before the house So fierce and angry are?”

Fjolsvith spake:

36. “Gif call they one, | and Geri the other, If now the truth thou wouldst know; Great they are, | and their might will grow, Till the gods to death are doomed.”

Svipdag spake:

37. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: May no man hope | the house to enter, While the hungry hounds are sleeping?”

Fjolsvith spake:

38. “Together they sleep not, | for so was it fixed When the guard to them was given; One sleeps by night, | the next by day, So no man may enter ever.”

Svipdag spake:

39. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: Is there no meat | that men may give them, And leap within while they eat?”

Fjolsvith spake:

40. “Two wing-joints there be | in Vithofnir’s body, If now the truth thou wouldst know; That alone is the meat | that men may give them, And leap within while they eat.”

Svipdag spake:

41. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What weapon can send | Vithofnir to seek The house of Hel below?”

Fjolsvith spake:

42. “Lævatein is there, | that Lopt with runes Once made by the doors of death; In Lægjarn’s chest | by Sinmora lies it, And nine locks fasten it firm.”

Svipdag spake:

43. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: May a man come thence | who thither goes, And tries the sword to take?”

Fjolsvith spake:

44. “Thence may he come | who thither goes, And tries the sword to take, If with him he carries | what few can win, To give to the goddess of gold.”

Svipdag spake:

45. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What treasure is there | that men may take To rejoice the giantess pale?”

Fjolsvith spake:

46. “The sickle bright | in thy wallet bear, Mid Vithofnir’s feathers found; To Sinmora give it, | and then shall she grant That the weapon by thee be won.”

Svipdag spake:

47. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What call they the hall, | encompassed here With flickering magic flames?”

Fjolsvith spake:

48. “Lyr is it called, | and long it shall On the tip of a spear-point tremble; Of the noble house | mankind has heard, But more has it never known.”

Svipdag spake:

49. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What one of the gods | has made so great The hall I behold within?”

Fjolsvith spake:

50. “Uni and Iri, | Bari and Jari, Var and Vegdrasil, Dori and Ori, | Delling, and there Was Loki, the fear of the folk.”

Svipdag spake:

51. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What call they the mountain | on which the maid Is lying so lovely to see?”

Fjolsvith spake:

52. “Lyfjaberg is it, | and long shall it be A joy to the sick and the sore; For well shall grow | each woman who climbs it, Though sick full long she has lain.”

Svipdag spake:

53. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: What maidens are they | that at Mengloth’s knees Are sitting so gladly together?”

Fjolsvith spake:

54. “Hlif is one named, | Hlifthrasa another, Thjothvara call they the third; Bjort and Bleik, | Blith and Frith, Eir and Aurbotha.”

Svipdag spake:

55. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: Aid bring they to all | who offerings give, If need be found therefor?”

Fjolsvith spake:

56. “Soon aid they all | who offerings give On the holy altars high; And if danger they see | for the sons of men, Then each from ill do they guard.”

Svipdag spake:

57. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask, For now the truth would I know: Lives there the man | who in Mengloth’s arms So fair may seek to sleep?”

Fjolsvith spake:

58. “No man there is | who in Mengloth’s arms So fair may seek to sleep, Save Svipdag alone, | for the sun-bright maid Is destined his bride to be.”

Svipdag spake:

59. “Fling back the gates! | make the gateway wide! Here mayst thou Svipdag see! Hence get thee to find | if gladness soon Mengloth to me will give.”

Fjolsvith spake:

60. “Hearken, Mengloth, | a man is come; Go thou the guest to see! The hounds are fawning, | the house bursts open,— Svipdag, methinks, is there.”

Mengloth spake:

61. “On the gallows high | shall hungry ravens Soon thine eyes pluck out, If thou liest in saying | that here at last The hero is come to my hall.

62. “Whence camest thou hither? | how camest thou here? What name do thy kinsmen call thee? Thy race and thy name | as a sign must I know, That thy bride I am destined to be.”

Svipdag spake:

63. “Svipdag am I, | and Solbjart’s son; Thence came I by wind-cold ways; With the words of Urth | shall no man war, Though unearned her gifts be given.”

Mengloth spake:

64. “Welcome thou art, | for long have I waited; The welcoming kiss shalt thou win! For two who love | is the longed-for meeting The greatest gladness of all.

65. “Long have I sat | on Lyfjaberg here, Awaiting thee day by day; And now I have | what I ever hoped, For here thou art come to my hall.

66. “Alike we yearned; | I longed for thee, And thou for my love hast longed; But now henceforth | together we know Our lives to the end we shall live.”

VOLUME II

LAYS OF THE HEROES