The Lay of Creation

The Skergard Lay of Creation explains how the universe was created; notes follow each stanza. For more extensive notes please see Fjallabok Issue#1.

1. Before the beginning, before the creation,
before both the Aesir and Van;
before woe-ful workings, of woe-wishing wights,
before all that is, there was Wyrd. (1)

2. Time begat time, space begat space,
within the Ginnungagap;*
gaping nothing, seeming emptiness,
when from Wyrd formed fire and ice.(2)

3. Fire repelled ice, ice repelled fire,
within the Ginnungagap;
between them the seed, of what would become;
yeast to venom, venom to rime.(3)

4. Licker of rime, hornless bovine,
pregnant with life, loving and kind;
a giant was there, much to the liking,
of ill willed, woe-wishing wights.

5. The Great Mother, hornless bovine,
embodiment of Wyrd;
Audhumla hight, loving and kind,
pregnant with life, licker of rime.

6. Father of Giants, and all of the like,
embodying matter;
Ymir hight he, seed of all ill,
all giants praise their father.(4)

7. Audhumla then licked, while Ymir did sleep,
for three days she labored;
a good man was there, etin´s ill bringer,
trusting and good, Ymir´s waker. (5)

8. Búri came forth bravely, waging war from the ice,
etin´s ill, thurse´s spite;
battling evil Ymir, and son, Thrudgelmir hight,
all woe-wishers kin to these.(6)

9. Thrudgelmir then had, first husband and wife,
Bergelmir and Laufey hight they;
many brood had they, and all of the like,
giant kin owe honor to them.(7)

10. Father of the God´s, was Buri´s son hight,
giants fear him, etins hate him;
brave Borr hight he, seed of all right,
all God´s praise their father.(8)

ll. Time begat time, space begat space,
Búri and Borr battled on;
outcome always, ending the same,
yeast to venom, venom to rime.(9)

12. Many brood had they, first husband and wife,
not all evil, not all kind;
kind Bestla came forward, to join in the war,
all God´s praise their mother.

13. Kind Bestla came forward, forsaking her kin,
enamored by Buri´s son;
mother of Gods, handsome Borr´s wife,
Ase and Van owe honor to them.(10)

14. Kind Bestla, from Borr, was pregnant with life,
Gods, Ase and Van, both bore Bestla:
Odhinn, Hoenir, Holde, all join in the war,
all men praise them, all men hail them!(11)

l5. Borr´s children came forward, might and main, have these three,
to battle Ymir, etin kin;
all to set matter free, and bring birth to the worlds,
from Ymir´s fatal explosion.(12)

16. Holde descended, to dark depths unknown,
within Ginnungagap, she sank;
Holde sprouted, became, the dark grandmother,
universe binder, Yggdrasil.(13)

17. Odhinn ascended, with Hoenir to heights unknown,
within Ginnungagap, they rose;
Odhinn and Hoenir, on Itha plain built Asgard,
home of Aesir and Asynjur.(14)

(15)

18. Ymir´s last evil crime, although not known to him,
is known to all else, Ase and Van;
drowning his son, much to the loss,
of all ill-willed, woe-wishing wights.

19. Many brood had they, first husband and wife,
not all evil, not all kind;
Aegir, Gymir, Kari, and Muspell the bright,
Ymir was thus reborn.(16)

20. In the center of, Ginnungagap stood,
the four brothers, steadfast, and strong;
outcome always, ending the same,
all pushing each other away.(17)

(18)

21. To the West fares Aegir, away from his kin,
Vanaheim to create;
soon followed by Njord, and Nerthus as well,
to create the home of the Vans.(19)

22 To the North fares Gymir, away from his kin,
Nifleheim to create;
from the all icy, wastes of the North,
he creates the ice giants home.

23. To the east fares Kari, away from his kin,
Jotunheim to create;
soon followed by Laufey, and Bergelmir as well,
to create the home of the Jotuns.(20)

24. To the south fares Muspell, away from his kin,
Muspellheim to create;
from the fierce fiery, wastes of the South,
he creates the Fire Giants´ home.

25. Yggdrasil still grows, universe binder,
fabric of all that is;
In Helgard waits Holde, great-grandmother knowing,
for when it is her time to teach.

NOTES:

1. Æsir is plural, whereas Van is singular, see stanza 14 where Bestla gives birth to two Æsir and one Van. In this Gaping Nothing there is only Wyrd.

2. It is at this point that Wyrd polarizes and separates creating the elemental opposition, Fire and Ice. Ice is thought of as north, and Fire as South.See Voluspa 3.

3. It is at this point that the elemental opposition of Air and water is created; Air from Fire, Water from Ice. Water is thought of as west, Air as east. Between the Fire, Ice, Water, and Air is a medium ground, this then becomes the seed of all life. This allows primal energy and primal matter to become manifest; they are Audhumla and Ymir respectively.

4. Audhumla, the hornless bovine, gains sustenance from licking the rime off of the ice; rime is representative of the organism of life. Ymir, the pro-genitor of Jotunkind, gains sustenance from Audhumla. See Voluspa 3.

5. It is at this point that Audhumla licks Búri from the ice, as compared to the licking of a calf after birth.

6. While Ymir was asleep he asexually produced Thrudgelmir, another androgen. Búri begins to battle with them almost immediately after his "birth".

7. Thrudgelmir produced Bergelmir, and later, Laufey. The terms "Husband and wife" are purely symbolic.

8. It is at this point that Búri asexually produces Borr.

9. Búri and Borr battled with Ymir and the Jotunkind, but none was the more powerful than the other.

10. Bestla leaves her kin to join on the side of Búri and Borr. It is because of this that the eternal balance between Búri and Borr, and Ymir and the Jotunkind is off-set in favor of Búri, Borr, and Bestla.

11. In stanza 1 Æsir is plural and van is singular, however in this stanza they are both symbolically plural (before Hoenir is numbered among the Vans he is numbered among the Æsir, however he is neither Æsic nor Vanic). The Vanir, being Matriarchal, trace lineage through the female, Holde. The Æsir, being Patriarchal, trace their lineage through the male, Odhinn.

12. It is at this point that the "big bang" occurs, Ymir explodes, and in doing so spreads matter throughout the Universe. The following stanzas (16-19) happen simultaneously, immediately after Ymir explodes. See Voluspa 4.

13. See Voluspa 1-2, 4.

14. See Voluspa 4.

15. It is at this point that Holde "sinks" and sprouts the World Tree, Yggdrasil, to catch the debris within its "branches." As Holde sinks, she creates Helgard; Odhinn and Hoenir "rise" and create Asgard, Helgard's opposite.

16. Thrudgelmir is symbolically "drowned" in the energy produced from the explosion. Ymir is reincarnated within each of his four great-grandsons; each being opposites of the other (Fire and Ice, Water and Air.) See Voluspa 4.

17. It is at this point the four brothers´ opposition becomes too strong, so they each travel in opposite directions. See Voluspa 4.

18. The following stanzas (21-24) happen simultaneously. See Voluspa 4.

19. Njord, and his twin sister Nerthus rise from Holde´s home (at the base of the world tree).

20. Bergelmir and Laufey fallow Kari to birth the inhabitants of Jotunheim.

Glossary

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