Vafþrúðnismál - An Old Norse Contest of Cosmic Patriarchs

[Lokasenna]

Another one of my annotated Old Norse translations, and the last one I'm likely to do for a while - it's been sitting on my hard drive for over two months, waiting for me to have half-an-hour free to edit it up for LitNet.

Anyway, Vafþrúðnismál ('The Song of Vafþrúðnir') is, like most Old Norse eddic poetry, recorded only in one manuscript, the Codex Regius (c. 1270s). As for when it was actually composed, we don't know - Snorri Sturluson certainly had access to a written version of it when he composed his Prose Edda half a century earlier, but parts of the poem could easily predate that by several centuries. For what it's worth, I personally think this is quite a late poem (likely to be early 13th century), albeit one that draws on a great deal of actual pre-Christian information.

The quality of the poem has been the subject of some debate - scholars of the 19th and early 20th century were inclined to view it as a fairly dreadful and incoherent poem which rattled off knowledge without understanding it, and had no story worth speaking of. Indeed, the great Sigurður Nordal described it as 'a jumble of odd fragments of erudition without any proper organisation, and no attempt is made to trace the casual connection of events.' Modern scholars, however, have been kinder to Vafþrúðnismál, usually seeing it as a subtle and clever poem that isn't just about the conveyance of knowledge, but also the motives and intentions that lie behind that knowledge - some of which I have speculated on in my annotations.

The plot of the poem is a simple one. The god Óðinn (Odin) is up to his usual activity, seeking out wisdom, which he intends to do by going in disguise to the hall of Vafþrúðnir, an ancient and powerful giant who claims to know everything. Frigg, Óðinn's wife, cautions him against this, but Óðinn goes away. Arriving in disguise, he goads Vafþrúðnir into setting up a wisdom-contest (there are several of these in ON literature) in which the loser will be decapitated. Óðinn initally answers all the giant's questions, then turns the tables and cross-questions Vafþrúðnir. Eventually, Óðinn asks a question to which only he can know the answer - at which point Vafþrúðnir realises the identity of his interlocutor, and concedes defeat.

As ever, I'm happy to answer any questions anybody might have. Also, following feedback from other pieces I've posted up here, whenever a proper noun has a specific meaning I have given its translated meaning, though the usual scholarly practice is to leave proper nouns in their ON form.

Óðinn kvað:
1.
"Ráð þú mér nú, Frigg,
alls mik fara tíðir
at vitja Vafþrúðnis;
forvitni mikla
kveð ek mér á fornum stöfum
við þann inn alsvinna jötun."

Óðinn said:
1.
'Advise me now, Frigg,
since I long to go
to visit Vafþrúðnir;
I say that I have great curiosity
to contest the ancient wisdom
of that all-wise giant.'

Frigg kvað:
2.
"Heima letja
ek mynda Herjaföðr
í görðum goða;
því at engi jötun
ek hugða jafnramman
sem Vafþrúðni vera."

Frigg said:
2.
'I would rather have
the Father-of-Armies kept home
in the courts of the gods,
because I think no giant
is as equally strong
as Vafþrúðnir is.'

Óðinn kvað:
3.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaða,
fjölð ek reynda regin;
hitt vil ek vita,
hvé Vafþrúðnis
salakynni sé."

Óðinn said:
3.
'Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
what I want to know
is what Vafþrúðnir's
dwelling is like.'

Frigg kvað:
4.
"Heill þú farir!
heill þú aftr komir!
heill þú á sinnum sér!
æði þér dugi,
hvars þú skalt, Aldaföðr,
orðum mæla jötun."

Frigg said:
4.
'Fare you safely!
Come back safely!
Be safe in company!
May your mind be strong,
Father-of-Generation, wherever
you must battle the giant with words.'

5.
Fór þá Óðinn
at freista orðspeki
þess ins alsvinna jötuns;
at höllu hann kom,
ok átti Íms faðir;
inn gekk Yggr þegar.

5.
Then Óðinn went
to test the word-wisdom
of the all-wise giant;
he came to the hall
that Ímr's father owned,
in went The-Terrible-One at once.

Óðinn kvað:
6.
"Heill þú nú, Vafþrúðnir,
nú em ek í höll kominn
á þik sjalfan sjá;
hitt vil ek fyrst vita,
ef þú fróðr sér
eða alsviðr jötunn."

Óðinn said:
6.
'Hail to you now, Vafþrúðnir,
now I have come in the hall
to see yourself;
first I want to know
if you are a learned
or an all-wise giant?'

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
7.
"Hvat er þat manna
er í mínum sal
verpumk orði á?
Út þú né komir
órum höllum frá,
nema þú inn snotrari sér."

Vafþrúðnir said:
7.
'What manner of man is this
who in my hall
bandies words with me?
You will not come out
from this hall
unless you are the wiser one.'

Óðinn kvað:
8.
"Gagnráðr ek heiti,
nú emk af göngu kominn,
þyrstr til þinna sala;
laðar þurfi -
hef ek lengi farit -
ok þinna andfanga, jötunn."

Óðinn said:
8.
'I am called Gagnráðr,
now I am come from a journey,
thirsty, to your hall;
I have travelled long,
lacking hospitality
and your welcome, giant.'

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
9.
"Hví þú þá, Gagnráðr,
mælisk af golfi fyr?
Far þú í sess í sal!
Þá skal freista,
hvárr fleira viti,
gestr eða inn gamli þulr."

Vafþrúðnir said:
9.
'Then why do you, Gagnráðr,
speak from the floor?
Go to a seat in the hall!
Then we shall test
who knows more,
the stranger or the old sage.'

Óðinn kvað:
10.
"Óauðigr maðr,
er til auðigs kemr,
mæli þarft eða þegi;
ofrmælgi mikil,
hygg ek, at illa geti
hveim er við kaldrifjaðan kemr."

Óðinn said:
10.
'A poor man,
when he comes to a rich man,
should say what is necessary or be silent;
great talkativeness,
I think, works badly,
when one comes against a cold-ribbed one.'

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
11.
"Seg þú mér, Gagnráðr,
alls þú á golfi vill
þíns of freista frama,
hvé sá hestr heitir,
er hverjan dregr
dag of dróttmögu."

Vafþrúðnir said:
11.
'Tell me, Gagnráðr,
since from the floor of the hall
you want to test your fame,
how that horse is named
who draws each
day over men.'

Óðinn kvað:
12.
"Skinfaxi heitir,
er inn skíra dregr
dag of dróttmögu;
hesta beztr
þykkir hann með Hreiðgotum;
ey lýsir mön af mari."

Óðinn said:
12.
'He is called Shining-Mane,
who draws the bright
day over men;
the best of horses
he is thought to be by the glorious Goths;
the mane of that steed always shines.'

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
13.
"Seg þú þat, Gagnráðr,
alls þú á golfi vill
þíns of freista frama,
hvé sá jór heitir,
er austan dregr
nótt of nýt regin."

Vafþrúðnir said:
13.
Say this, Gagnráðr,
since from the floor of the hall
you want to test your fame,
how that charger is named
who from the east draws
night over the worthy divinities.'

Óðinn kvað:
14.
"Hrímfaxi heitir,
er hverja dregr
nótt of nýt regin;
méldropa fellir hann
morgin hvern;
þaðan kemr dögg um dala."

Óðinn said:
14.
'He is called Frost-Mane,
who draws each
night over the worthy divinities;
drops of foam from his bit fall from him
every morning:
from there comes the dew in valleys.'

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
15.
Seg þú þat, Gagnráðr,
alls þú á golfi vill
þíns of freista frama,
hvé sú á heitir,
er deilir með jötna sonum
grund ok með goðum."

Vafþrúðnir said:
15.
Say this, Gagnráðr,
since from the floor of the hall
you want to test your fame,
what that river is called
which divides the ground between the giants' sons
and the gods.'

Óðinn kvað:
16.
"Ífing heitir á,
er deilir með jötna sonum
grund ok með goðum;
opin renna
hon skal of aldrdaga;
verðr-at íss á á."

Óðinn said:
16.
'The river is called Violent-one
which divides the ground between the giants' sons
and the gods;
it must run
freely forever:
there will never be ice on that river.'

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
17.
Seg þú þat, Gagnráðr,
alls þú á golfi vill
þíns of freista frama,
hvé sá völlr heitir,
er finnask vígi at
Surtr ok in svásu goð."

Vafþrúðnir said:
17.
'Say this, Gagnráðr,
since from the floor of the hall
you want to test your fame,
what that field is called
where Surtr and the beloved gods
will meet in battle.'

Óðinn kvað:
18.
"Vígriðr heitir völlr,
er finnask vígi at
Surtr ok in svásu goð;
hundrað rasta
hann er á hverjan veg;
sá er þeim völlr vitaðr."

Óðinn said:
18.
‘The field is called Slaying-Ride
where Surtr and the beloved gods
will meet in battle;
a hundred leagues
it is in every direction;
that field is destined for them.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
19.
"Fróðr ertu nú, gestr,
far þú á bekk jötuns,
ok mælumk í sessi saman;
höfði veðja
vit skulum höllu í,
gestr, of geðspeki."

Vafþrúðnir said:
19.
‘Now you are wise, stranger,
come to the giant’s bench
and we shall speak on the seat together;
our heads we shall wager
in the hall,
stranger, on our wisdom.’

Óðinn kvað:
20.
"Seg þú þat it eina,
ef þitt æði dugir
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan jörð of kom
eða upphiminn
fyrst, inn fróði jötunn."

Óðinn said:
20.
‘Say this first thing,
if your mind suffices
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from whence first came the earth
or the sky above,
wise giant.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
21.
"Ór Ymis holdi
var jörð of sköpuð,
en ór beinum björg,
himinn ór hausi
ins hrímkalda jötuns,
en ór sveita sær."

Vafþrúðnir said:
21.
‘From Ymir’s flesh
the earth was formed,
and from his bones the rock,
the sky from the skull
of the frost-cold giant,
and from his blood the sea.’

Óðinn kvað:
22.
"Seg þú þat annat,
ef þitt æði dugir
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan máni kom,
sá er ferr menn yfir,
eða sól it sama."

Óðinn said:
22.
‘Say this second thing,
if your mind suffices
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from whence came the moon,
so that it passes over men,
or the sun in the same way.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
23.
"Mundilfari heitir,
hann er mána faðir
ok svá Sólar it sama;
himin hverfa
þau skulu hverjan dag
öldum at ártali."

Vafþrúðnir said:
23.
‘He is called One-Who-Carries-Time,
the father of the moon,
and also of the sun in the same way;
he must circle the heavens
each day
as a count of years for mankind.’

Óðinn kvað:
24.
"Seg þú þat it þriðja,
alls þik svinnan kveða
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan dagr of kom,
sá er ferr drótt yfir,
eða nótt með niðum."

Óðinn said:
24.
‘Say this third thing,
since everyone calls you wise,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from when comes day,
he who goes over people,
or night with his waning moon.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
25.
"Dellingr heitir,
hann er Dags faðir,
en Nótt var Nörvi borin;
ný ok nið
skópu nýt regin
öldum at ártali."

Vafþrúðnir said:
25.
‘He is called Dellingr,
who is the father of Day,
and Night was born of Narrow;
new and waning moon
the capable gods shaped
as a count of years for mankind.’

Óðinn kvað:
26.
"Seg þú þat it fjórða,
alls þik fróðan kveða,
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan vetr of kom
eða varmt sumar
fyrst með fróð regin."

Óðinn said:
26.
‘Say this fourth thing,
since everyone says you are learned,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from whence came winter
or the warm summer
first amongst the gods.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
27.
"Vindsvalr heitir,
hann er Vetrar faðir,
en Svásuðr sumars."

Vafþrúðnir said:
27.
‘He is called Wind-Cold,
who is the father of winter,
and Delightful-South of summer.’

Óðinn kvað:
28.
"Seg þú þat it fimmta,
alls þik fróðan kveða,
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hverr ása ellztr
eða Ymis niðja
yrði í árdaga."

Óðinn said:
28.
‘Say this fifth thing,
since everyone says you are learned,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
who was the eldest of the Æsir
or the family of Ymir
in ancient days.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
29.
"Örófi vetra
áðr væri jörð of sköpuð,
þá var Bergelmir borinn,
Þrúðgelmir
var þess faðir,
en Aurgelmir afi."

Vafþrúðnir said:
29.
‘Numerous winters
before the earth was shaped,
then Rock-Roarer was born,
Mighty-Roarer
was his father,
and Mud-Roarer his grandfather.’

Óðinn kvað:
30.
"Seg þú þat it sétta,
alls þik svinnan kveða,
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan Aurgelmir kom
með jötna sonum
fyrst, inn fróði jötunn."

Óðinn said:
30.
‘Say this sixth thing,
since everyone calls you wise,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from whence came Mud-Roarer
first amongst the sons of giants,
wise giant.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
31.
"Ór Élivágum
stukku eitrdropar,
svá óx, unz varð jötunn;
þar eru órar ættir
komnar allar saman;
því er þat æ allt til atalt."

Vafþrúðnir said:
31.
‘From Freezing-Cold-Waves
drops of yeast were sprinkled,
thus it grew, until a giant appeared
from that
is derived all our tribe;
and so are always all too fearsome.’

Óðinn kvað:
32.
"Seg þú þat it sjaunda,
alls þik svinnan kveða,
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvé sá börn gat,
inn baldni jötunn,
er hann hafði-t gýgjar gaman."

Óðinn said:
32.
‘Say this seventh thing,
since everyone calls you wise,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
how he begot children,
the bold giant,
when he had no sport with a hag.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
33.
"Undir hendi vaxa
kváðu hrímþursi
mey ok mög saman;
fótr við fæti
gat ins fróða jötuns
sexhöfðaðan son."

Vafþrúðnir said:
33.
‘Under his armpit,
it is said of the frost-giant,
he brought forth a girl and a youth;
a leg with the other leg,
of the wise giant, begot
a six-headed son.’

Óðinn kvað:
34.
"Seg þú þat it átta,
alls þik svinnan kveða,
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvat þú fyrst of mant
eða fremst of veizt,
þú ert alsviðr, jötunn."

Óðinn said:
34.
‘Say this eight thing,
since everyone calls you wise,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
what the first thing you remember is,
or know furthest back,
you are all-wise, giant.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
35.
“Örófi vetra
áðr væri jörð of sköpuð,
þá var Bergelmir borinn;
þat ek fyrst of man,
er sá inn fróði jötunn
á var lúðr of lagiðr."

Vafþrúðnir said:
35.
‘Numberless winters
before the earth was shaped,
then Rock-Roarer was born;
the first thing I recall
was when that wise giant
was laid in the cradle.’

Óðinn kvað:
36.
"Seg þú þat it níunda,
alls þik svinnan kveða,
ok þú, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan vindr of kemr,
svá at ferr vág yfir;
æ menn han sjalfan of sjá."

Óðinn said:
36.
‘Say this ninth thing,
since everyone calls you wise,
and you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from whence comes the wind,
so that it passes over waves,
but men never see it itself.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
37.
"Hræsvelgr heitir,
er sitr á himins enda,
jötunn í arnar ham;
af hans vængjum
kvæða vind koma
alla menn yfir."

Vafþrúðnir said:
37.
‘He is called Corpse-Swallower,
who sits at the end of the sky,
a giant in an eagle’s shape;
from his wings,
it is said the wind comes
over all men.’

Óðinn kvað:
38.
"Seg þú þat it tíunda,
alls þú tíva rök
öll, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
hvaðan Njörðr of kom
með ása sonum -
hofum ok hörgum
hann ræðr hundmörgum -
ok varð-at hann ásum alinn."

Óðinn said:
38.
‘Say this tenth thing,
since the whole fall of the gods
you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
from whence came Njörðr
to the sons of the Æsir -
halls and shrines
he rules by the hundreds -
but he was not brought up amongst the Æsir.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
39.
"Í Vanaheimi
skópu hann vís regin
ok seldu at gíslingu goðum,
í aldar rök
hann mun aftr koma
heim með vísum vönum."

Vafþrúðnir said:
39.
‘In Vanaheimr
wise powers made him
and gave him as a hostage to the gods;
at the fall of time
he will return
home among the wise Vanir.’

Óðinn kvað:
40.
"Seg þú þat et ellifta,
hvar ýtar túnum í
höggvask hverjan dag."

Óðinn said:
40.
‘Say this eleventh thing,
where men in meadows
strike each other every day.’


Vafþrúðnir kvað:
41.
"Allir einherjar
Óðins túnum í
höggvask hverjan dag,
val þeir kjósa
ok ríða vígi frá,
sitja meirr of sáttir saman."

Vafþrúðnir said:
41.
‘All the Einherjar
in Óðinn’s meadows
strike each other every day,
they choose the slain
and ride from the battle,
and sit all the more at peace together.’

Óðinn kvað:
42.
"Seg þú þat it tolfta,
hví þú tíva rök
öll, Vafþrúðnir, vitir,
frá jötna rúnum
ok allra goða
segir þú it sannasta,
inn alsvinni jötunn."

Óðinn said:
42.
‘Say this twelfth thing,
how the whole fall of the gods
you, Vafþrúðnir, know,
of the secrets of giants
and all gods
you speak most truly,
you all-wise giant.’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
43.
"Frá jötna rúnum
ok allra goða
ek kann segja satt,
því at hvern hef ek
heim of komit;
níu kom ek heima
fyr Niflhel neðan;
hinig deyja ór helju halir."

Vafþrúðnir said:
43.
‘Of the secrets of giants
and all gods
I know how to speak truthfully,
because I have
visited every world;
come into nine worlds
and Niflheim below;
men die to there out of Hel.’

Óðinn kvað:
44.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaðak,
fjölð ek of reynda regin:
Hvat lifir manna,
þá er inn mæra líðr
fimbulvetr með firum?"

Óðinn said:
44.
'Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
what humans will live
when among men will pass
the famous Mighty-Winter?’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
45.
"Líf ok Lifþrasir,
en þau leynask munu
í holti Hoddmímis;
morgindöggvar
þau sér at mat hafa,
en þaðan af aldir alask."

Vafþrúðnir said:
45.
‘Life and Raging-Life,
and they will hide
in Treasure-of-Memory’s wood;
morning-dew
they will have for food,
and from them generations will come.’

Óðinn kvað:
46.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaðak,
fjölð ek of reynda regin:
Hvaðan kemr sól
á inn slétta himin,
er þessa hefr fenrir farit?"

Óðinn said:
46.
'Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
how will the sun come
in the flat heaven,
when Fenrir has overtaken her?’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
47.
"Eina dóttur
berr alfröðull,
áðr hana fenrir fari;
sú skal ríða,
þá er regin deyja,
móður brautir, mær."

Vafþrúðnir said:
47.
‘One daughter
will Elf-Shine bear,
before Fenrir overtakes her:
that maiden will ride,
when the gods die,
the paths of her mother.’

Óðinn kvað:
48.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaðak,
fjölð ek of reynda regin:
Hverjar ro þær meyjar,
er líða mar yfir,
fróðgeðjaðar fara?"

Óðinn said:
48.
‘Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
who are those maiden
who will pass over the sea,
travelling wise, by nature?’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
49.
"Þríar þjóðár
falla þorp yfir
meyja Mögþrasis;
hamingjur einar
þær er í heimi eru,
þó þær með jötnum alask."

Vafþrúðnir said:
49.
‘Three of the race of maidens
will come over
Mögþrasir;
the only guardian spirits
in the world will come from them,
though they are growing up among giants.’

Óðinn kvað:
50.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaðak,
fjölð ek of reynda regin:
Hverir ráða æsir
eignum goða,
þá er sloknar Surta logi?"

Óðinn said:
50.
'Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
Which Æsir will rule
the possessions of the gods
when the flame of Surtr is extinguished?’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
51.
"Víðarr ok Váli
byggja vé goða,
þá er sloknar Surta logi,
Móði ok Magni
skulu Mjöllni hafa
Vingnis at vígþroti."

Vafþrúðnir said:
51.
‘Víðarr and Váli
will dwell in the shrines of the gods
when the flame of Surtr is extinguished,
Courage and Strength
will inherit Mjöllnir,
and work after the end of battle.’

Óðinn kvað:
52.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaðak,
fjölð ek of reynda regin;
Hvat verðr Óðni
at aldrlagi,
þá er of rjúfask regin?"

Óðinn said:
52.
'Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
what destruction will
happen to Óðinn,
when the powers are broken?’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
53.
"Ulfr gleypa
mun Aldaföðr,
þess mun Víðarr vreka;
kalda kjafta
hann klyfja mun
vitnis vígi at."

Vafþrúðnir said:
53.
‘The wolf will
swallow All-Father,
this Víðarr will avenge;
he’ll tear apart
the jaws of the wolf
in battle.’

Óðinn kvað:
54.
"Fjölð ek fór,
fjölð ek freistaðak,
fjölð ek of reynda regin;
Hvat mælti Óðinn,
áðr á bál stigi,
sjalfr í eyra syni?"

Óðinn said:
54.
'Much I have travelled,
much I have tried,
much have I tested the powers;
what did Óðinn himself,
before he stepped onto the pyre,
say into his son’s ear?’

Vafþrúðnir kvað:
55.
"Ey manni þat veit,
hvat þú í árdaga
sagðir í eyra syni;
feigum munni
mælta ek mína forna stafi
ok of ragnarök.
Nú ek við Óðin
deildak mína orðspeki;
þú ert æ vísastr vera."

Vafþrúðnir said:
55.
‘It is known to no man
what you in old days
said into your son’s ear;
from a doomed mouth
I spoke of my ancient wisdom
and of Ragnarök.
Now I with Óðinn
have shared my wisdom in words;
you are always the wisest of beings.’

[Lokasenna]

...and here is the stanza-by-stanza commentary, hopefully giving some perspective on the poem.

1.Óðinn is shown with his characteristic obsession concerning the acquisition of knowledge. Vafþrúðnir is not known from other myths, and is likely an invention of the poet.

2. Frigg, Óðinn's wife, is showing her usual restraint. She herself has substantial knowledge of the future, a skill which her husband for whatever reason does not take advantage of. Herjaföðr is one of Óðinn's many names.

3. Óðinn's response seems to take no notice of his wife's concerns, a factor which I think hints at the less-than-perfect state of their marriage.

4. These lines can be interpreted as sincere or sarcastic, depending on how one reads the marital relationship. My personal opinion leans towards the latter: there is an element of resentment there, the niggling desire of a frustrated and under-valued housewife desiring to see her husband bite off more than he can chew. Aldaföðr is another name of Óðinn.

5. Vafþrúðnir is Ímr's father, a figure unknown from extant mythology but the same name is used of a disease demon in a rune charm found in Bergen. Yggr is one of Óðinn's most common names.

6. This poem tells us a lot about the expected behaviour of a guest in the hall, and Óðinn is being decidedly cheeky here. He is only interested in the best sources for knowledge, so a giant who is merely fairly learned is of little use to him.

7. Vafþrúðnir has taken Óðinn's words as an insult, and consequently begins a wisdom contest in which the loser will forfeit his life. Although Óðinn has goaded him into this, it is still quite an anti-social action on the giant's part.

8. Óðinn is reminding Vafþrúðnir of his failings as a respectable host, a tactic sure to further anger the giant and make more likely to be the first to make a mistake. The meaning of the name Gagnráðr is unclear, but possibly means 'Opponent' or 'One-who-speaks-against' - the giants and the gods are mortal enemies, so it is essential for Óðinn to be anonymous in any case, but the entire crux of the poem rests on the giant not realising who his interlocutor is until it is too late.

9. The giant has invited his guest to sit down on one of the hall benches, a traditional greeting but one that here sets the scene for the forthcoming confrontation.

10. The sense of being cold-ribbed is an attribute of being cunning. Óðinn's stanza here is subtle in meaning: it superficially suggests that it is he who is horrified at having said too much and unwittingly entered into this dangerous contest, but in fact it is Vafþrúðnir who has said too much.

11. Vafþrúðnir begins the wisdom contest, the early stages of which revolve around questions about the workings of the natural world, with an easy question concerning the nature of the sun. This stanza also introduces one of the many refrains in the poem.

12. Skinfaxi means 'Shining-mane' - compare it with Gandalf's horse Shadowfax in Tolkien's mythology - and he draws the sun through the sky.

13. An obvious companion question to the previous one - although this poem is more than merely a repository of mythological knowledge, nevertheless it does serve that purpose rather well!

14. Hrímfaxi's name makes sense, with night being the bringer of frost. Óðinn's addition of extra knowledge about dew is a way of showing off.

15. The questions now turn to more terrestrial matters, and explore the difficult relationship between the gods and the giants.

16. Óðinn is showing his verbal dexterity in the final line with a pun on the word 'á', which means both 'river' and 'on'.

17. A question that must be painful for Óðinn, though he clearly does not show his discomfort. Surtr is the fire-giant who will be the main general of the armies massed against the gods at ragnarök, in which Óðinn will die.

18. Another question that deals with eschatological matters. In term of the dimensions of the field, it is no longer known how long a ‘rast’ was, so English translators tend to substitute ‘league’ for convenience’s sake. Similarly, the ON word ‘hundrað’ is in fact a long hundred, and in numerical terms denotes 120.

19. Impressed by Óðinn’s wisdom, the giant invites him closer into the hall and makes it clear that they are now in a contest to the death. The roles now reverse, and from here on it is Óðinn who asks the questions.

20. Like Vafþrúðnir, Óðinn begins with some easy questions - though one can view it is as something of a cheeky questions, as it forces the giant to discuss the death of Ymir, the first giant, and thus reflects on the mortality of their race.

21. The exact meaning of Ymir’s name is unknown, but it may mean ‘Twin’ or ‘Roarer’ - the latter being a more usual giant name. Ymir may also be related to the Sanskrit ‘Yama’, the first man, and the Persian ‘Yima’, an early king. According to ON myth, Óðinn and his two brothers kill the giant and fashion the world from his body parts. The word ‘sveita’ can mean both sweat and blood, though the latter is a more likely reading in this case.

22. After the semi-insulting nature of Óðinn’s first question, he returns to the more general theme of the mechanisms of the heavens that Vafþrúðnir was initially interested in.

23. Very little is known about Mundilfari, and in other sources he appears to be the moon himself.

24. A surprisingly poetic image - one of the many little gems of beautiful expression that litter this poem.

25. The meaning of Dellingr’s name is unknown, but it appears to be a dwarf name - his name is often used in a lot of poetic terms that refer to the dawn.

26. Óðinn is slowly starting to turn the topic of their discussion to the male gods.

27. A piece of this stanza is obviously missing, though the salient information is conveyed.

28. Another question that skirts around the pre-eminence of the gods and the giants.

29. All typical giant names, and all accounted amongst the first beings in existence.

30. Óðinn is gearing towards something, as you’ll see in a moment.

31. Elivágr is the river that traditionally divides the worlds of the giants and men. Vafþrúðnir is skirting the issue of the giants’ parentage, and particularly to do with the origin of life when female figures are not yet in evidence.

32. Óðinn gets straight to the point. He is potentially making a lewd comment - if the giants didn’t have access to women, what non-heterosexual shenanigans did they get up to instead?

33. Vafþrúðnir finally gets to the point, and recounts how the first giant produced the others from his own body. There is perhaps a reference to masturbation in the idea of one leg begetting children with the other, something which is perhaps mildly shameful for the giants.

34. This is arguably the first instance of Óðinn cheating, as it isn’t really a question of wisdom but rather personal experience - given that the questioner is supposed to also know the answer to the question they ask, the giant could very easily have Óðinn on the rocks with this one, but he lets it pass: perhaps the first indication that, whilst Vafþrúðnir has a lot of knowledge, he might not have much common sense.

35.The word ‘lúðr’ is rather strange - its primary meaning is ‘trumpet’, but it can also refer to both a cradle or a coffin. This means Vafþrúðnir can either be remembering Bergelmir’s birth or death.

36. The wind is actually referred to as ‘he’ - this is not personification, but a result of the noun’s masculine gender.

37. Another figure about which we have little information, though the giant’s name reflects the recurring belief that giants eat humans.

38. Notice the important change to Óðinn’s preamble - he wants to probe for information about Rangnarök (or Tívarök as it is sometimes known). Njörðr, god of the sea, is one of the Vanir, a tribe of gods who had a war with the Æsir shortly after the creation of the world - he is a hostage, albeit an honoured one, whose role is to prevent future war. He is the father of Freyr and Freyja, and possibly cognate with the goddess Nerthus mentioned by Tacitus.

39. Aldarrök is yet another name for Ragnarök. This is the only text that alludes to Njörðr’s possible survival, and indeed to the survival of the Vanir as a whole. Freyr is due to die in combat with the giant Súrtr, and Freyja is implied to perish in the general conflagration.

40. A defective half-stanza.

41. The Einherjar (‘lone-warriors’) are the chosen dead warriors who reside with Óðinn (and in some texts Freyja). Every day they have a mighty battle (apart from those who are with Freyja, who are implied to spend their days having sex with Freyja and the valkyries), and come the evening all those who have fallen during the day are resurrected to take part in a nightly great feast.

42. Another possible bit of cheating on Óðinn’s part - it’s not really a question of wisdom, but really a flattering comment. If the questioner is supposed to know the answer as well, then this is a major clue to Óðinn’s identity - which the giant, once again, fails to pick up on.

43. The universe is traditionally divided up into nine ill-defined worlds, one of which is Niflheim, the dark underworld where the goddess Hel rules a queendom (also called Hel) of the unprivileged dead. That Vafþrúðnir has visited even the world of the dead has lead some recent scholars to argue that, in fact, Óðinn’s final question to the giant is not unanswerable, as the giant would have had the opportunity to converse with the dead Baldr in Hel.

44. The Fimbulvetr is a winter that is supposed to last the length of three normal winters right before Ragnarök. In the climate of northern Europe in medieval times, it would have lead to mass starvation. Some scholars have suggested that this myth may be a cultural memory of a volcanic winter.

45. Very little is known about these figures, especially Hoddmímir who is referenced nowhere else, nor his wood. The idea of feasting on dew may have been influenced by the Christian idea of manna from heaven. The return of this refrain from the beginning marks Óðinn’s theme turning entirely to Ragnarök.

46. The wolf Fenrir is a child of Loki, who in some versions of the final battle consumes the sun, and in all versions he consumes Óðinn.

47. An answer that gives hope for the continuation of the world, but not for the continuation of the gods.

48. Who these figures are is unknown, and the giant’s answer doesn’t shed much light. Interestingly, when Óðinn asks this question of the witch in the poem Baldrs draumar, it gives away his identity - that Vafþrúðnir does not see through it might be another indication of his lack of common sense.

49. Vafþrúðnir seems to be suggesting that these women are norns, fetches, dísir, or any one of the large number of disparate supernatural female figures associated with fate. The meaning of Mögþrasis is unknown.

50. Óðinn is, presumably, hoping that he will be listed amongst the survivors, which is really what this round-about question is asking.

51. Víðarr and Váli are sons of Óðinn - that they are to inherit implicitly suggests that their father will not survive the battle. Móði and Magni are sons of Þórr, and as their names suggest are little more than aspects of him: they appear to have been a late invention, possibly as a response to Christianity, and thus might suggest this to be a late poem.

52. He’s been dancing around it for a while, but now Óðinn finally asks the question he really wants to know the answer to.

53. Óðinn is doomed, but of course so too is Vafþrúðnir - they have wagered their heads on this contest, and now Óðinn cannot die there without the giant being proven wrong. Óðinn, at this point, has won... but it’s a pyrrhic victory.

54. This is knowledge known only to Óðinn, and he has used it to win other wisdom contests, such as in ‘Gestumblindagátur’. When his son Baldr was cremated, Óðinn is said to have whispered something in his ear. Having obtained the information he needed, he brings the contest to an end.

55. The giant accepts his defeat and acknowledges both his impending death and Óðinn’s status as the wisest being. Not only has Óðinn emerged wiser and unscathed, but he has succeeded in exterminating a powerful enemy.

[desiresjab]

Pretty impressive that you can do that. Thanks. Do you know Latin also?

[Lokasenna]

Pretty impressive that you can do that. Thanks. Do you know Latin also?

My pleasure - I hope you enjoyed it. My Latin is passable - though sitting down and translating it is an arduous and rather involved process for me.

[desiresjab]

I don't speak it at all, but I wrote a long poem where about twelve skinny lines of Latin were absolutely required. The lines needed to have the right poetic cadence and they needed to translate into English I could accept.

Pretty sacreligious, but I had to use google translate. I kept jiggling back and forth from English to Latin until I had the sound I wanted from the Latin and the meaning I wanted from the English.

I would be amazed if the Latin is not pidgeon and very poorly constructed. I am going to have to find a priest.

A while back on the internet I read some old translations of what I believe were originally Nordic incantations and prayers collected into a book circa--well, I am not sure when--18th or 19th century. The fascinating thing about them was the syncretism displayed throughout, as they mentioned mother Mary and other Christian figures routinely while praying for protection from banshees, giants and trolls. I since have been unable to find them. They seemed to capture the culture right at its inflection point going from pagan to Christian.

[Lokasenna]

I don't speak it at all, but I wrote a long poem where about twelve skinny lines of Latin were absolutely required. The lines needed to have the right poetic cadence and they needed to translate into English I could accept.

Pretty sacreligious, but I had to use google translate. I kept jiggling back and forth from English to Latin until I had the sound I wanted from the Latin and the meaning I wanted from the English.

I would be amazed if the Latin is not pidgeon and very poorly constructed. I am going to have to find a priest.

A while back on the internet I read some old translations of what I believe were originally Nordic incantations and prayers collected into a book circa--well, I am not sure when--18th or 19th century. The fascinating thing about them was the syncretism displayed throughout, as they mentioned mother Mary and other Christian figures routinely while praying for protection from banshees, giants and trolls. I since have been unable to find them. They seemed to capture the culture right at its inflection point going from pagan to Christian.

Sadly, Google translate is by no means accurate. I remember whacking a passage of Old Norse into it - I had set it as a translation exercise for my students - just to see what it would do with it, and to give me some idea of which students might be using Google to give them a 'help' with the exercise. I can't off the top of my head remember the Old Norse itself, but the Google version had the hero addressing his dog Sámr by saying: 'come to me, Sámr, my imminent foetus.'

Of course, all the written texts that we have are Christian - that is to say, written down by Christian writers many generations after paganism had ceased to exist in northern Europe. That said, a belief in supernatural monsters persisted - so prayers invoking Mary or Christ to protect against trolls or giants are entirely typical. This is still possibly true today - a 2007 survey concluded that 62% of Icelanders believe in elves...

[YesNo]

Are there metrical patterns in these old Norse poems?

[Lokasenna]

Are there metrical patterns in these old Norse poems?

Yes, though there is a certain flexibility about them. Vafþrúðnismál is written in Ljóðaháttr ('ballad-metre'), a variation of the much more common Fornyrðislag ('ancient story metre') which most eddic poetry is written in.

In Fornyrðislag, each half-line has two stressed syllables surrounded by a varying number of unstressed syllables. The first stressed syllable of the second half-line usually alliterates with one or both of the stressed syllables in the first half line. In Ljóðaháttr, a whole line on the pattern of Fornyrðislag is followed by a shorter line of two or three stressed syllables that alliterate only with each other, not with those in the adjoining line. In all alliterative poetry, vowels alliterate with each other.

That said, there is a great deal of flexibility in eddic poetry, and whoever complied this material was quite happy not to let the demands of metre mess with the image he wanted to create. For formatting reasons, I've broken up the half lines of the Fornyrðislag bits of each stanza into two seperate lines; in the poem above, in non-defective stanzas you can imagine that lines 1-2 and 4-5 of each stanza are two half lines.

So, for example:

Mundilfari heitir,
hann er mána faðir
ok svá Sólar it sama;
himin hverfa
þau skulu hverjan dag
öldum at ártali."

[Poetaster]

Just a general question about your translations, Lokasenna, how much importance do you put on replicating that metre and style?

[YesNo]

That sounds similar to the alliterative meter in Beowulf. Thanks.

[Poetaster]

That sounds similar to the alliterative meter in Beowulf. Thanks.

That doesn't surprise me, the Edda and Beowulf are of the same basic tradition. European Oral poetry often has the same basic rules about metre and improvisation anyway.

[Lokasenna]

Just a general question about your translations, Lokasenna, how much importance do you put on replicating that metre and style?

None whatsoever. I've gone only for accuracy - which you always lose when you attempt to keep the original style. If you read something like, say, Lee M. Hollander's translation, which bends over backwards to keep the style of the original, it's so impenetrable as to almost unreadable.


That sounds similar to the alliterative meter in Beowulf. Thanks.

Indeed it is - Beowulf is written in a style very similar to Fornyrðislag.

[Pierre Menard]

Hey, Lokasenna, do you have a particular favourite Norse epic/work of literature?

[desiresjab]

Loka, in the cream of the crop of ON poetry, what is actually going on in terms of poetics? In their own language what were these poets doing and what were they not doing that we today might associate with poetry from the age of Johnson onward? Being a non-speaker, I cannot tell how it sounds. I see the lines are short enough for straight accentual manageability, but what were these guys actually up to besides telling a story? What were their poetic devices, and why, perhaps, were those particular devices extant?

[desiresjab]

Alliterative vowels. I was unsure what you meant by half lines. Have you broken the lines differently from the original? Do you have any links where some ON poetry might be heard? Does one see any attempts to actually rhyme, internally or otherwise, any beginnings of that?

[Poetaster]

None whatsoever. I've gone only for accuracy - which you always lose when you attempt to keep the original style. If you read something like, say, Lee M. Hollander's translation, which bends over backwards to keep the style of the original, it's so impenetrable as to almost unreadable.

Ah, good to know, especially about the Hollander translation. I did look at that when I bought my copy of the Oxford World Classics Edda.

[desiresjab]

Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit
litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto
vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram;
multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem,
inferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum,
Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.
Virgil - The Aeneid Book 1, lines 1 - 7

You are a Latin speaker?

[Lokasenna]

Hey, Lokasenna, do you have a particular favourite Norse epic/work of literature?

Sorry I missed this, hence the late reply - please accept my apologies!

If I had to pick a particular favourite, it would be Völuspá ('The Witch/Seeress's Prophecy') - it's the most famous of all the eddic poems, and deservedly so. A cantankerous witch gives the god Odin a complete history of the universe, from beginning to end - it's dark, powerful stuff, coloured with intensely evocative images. My other particular favourite, as you might reasonably guess, is the poem Lokasenna ('Loki's Insults') - in which Loki, in full evil genius mode, crashes a party of the gods and exposes all their weaknesses, failures and vulnerabilities with a mad, even desperate, glee - although there is comedy there, it is of the darkest possible kind.


Loka, in the cream of the crop of ON poetry, what is actually going on in terms of poetics? In their own language what were these poets doing and what were they not doing that we today might associate with poetry from the age of Johnson onward? Being a non-speaker, I cannot tell how it sounds. I see the lines are short enough for straight accentual manageability, but what were these guys actually up to besides telling a story? What were their poetic devices, and why, perhaps, were those particular devices extant?

Those are some very big questions, on which books have been written. The forms, styles and genres of Old Norse poetry are many, and are setting out to achieve very different things. There is a world of difference between, say, an eddic poem such as this and a skaldic praise-poem in honour of a royal patron - both in terms of style and content.

I can't pretend to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all ON poetry - I am first and foremost a mythologist, so eddic poetry is my natural habitat - but for what it's worth, in mythological poems such as this one the telling of the story, and the conveyance of knowledge, are very obviously two of the main concerns of the poem. If the poem does indeed have authentically heathen roots, and I am convinced that it does, then we are looking of course at a poem produced in a non-literate society. These poems were likely written down hundreds of years after they were composed, as a book-culture came with Christianity. Prior to this, putting stories and mythological knowledge into poetic form almost certainly made it easier to remember. This is why we have so much extant pre-Christian poetry that we can be sure of - the metrical forms of some of them are so demanding, that they in essence make it impossible to mis-remember them, so we can reasonably rely on our 13th century compilers reproducing with surprising accuracy the oral tradition of their 10th century ancestors.


Alliterative vowels. I was unsure what you meant by half lines. Have you broken the lines differently from the original? Do you have any links where some ON poetry might be heard? Does one see any attempts to actually rhyme, internally or otherwise, any beginnings of that?

I have broken the half-lines down, for ease of formatting on here. I'll try to represent one verse in its original style (I hope this works):

Ráð þú mér nú, Frigg, alls mik fara tíðir
at vitja Vafþrúðnis;
forvitni mikla kveð ek mér á fornum stöfum
við þann inn alsvinna jötun.

So here you have two half-lines (now all on one line), followed by one shorter single line - this is the Ljóðaháttr style.

In terms of live performances of poetry, I don't really know. I did encounter a CD some years ago that claimed to be a reproduction of how eddic poems would have been performed, but frankly I had my doubts. I'm sure there must be recitations out there. Quite a lot of work has been done recently by several scholars, most notably Terry Gunnell, into the performative aspects of these poems.

In terms of rhyme, it's very rare though not unheard of. Probably the most famous example is Höfuðlausn, one of three complete long poems attributed to 10th century poet Egill Skallagrímsson - sadly, however, the fact that it rhymes likely means it is a 13th century forgery, as rhyming was only really starting to come in around that time. You can find a copy of the text at http://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/H%C7%ABfu%C3%B0lausn_%28B1%29, if you like.

[desiresjab]

the metrical forms of some of them are so demanding, that they in essence make it impossible to mis-remember them,

Amazing statement! It must have been bery good to listen to.

[Poetaster]

You are a Latin speaker?

A little. I've been teaching myself it for the past two years: I can read it ok - and give me enough time I can translate it, but my knowledge and hold on Latin grammar is appalling, I'll be the first to admit that. To practice Latin I actually do translate Roman poetry too, but that mostly helps with learning a vocabulary, Latin grammar is notoriously difficult, and will require a lot of work.