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THE LAY OF VAFTHRÚTHNIR
VAFÞRÚÐNISMÁL
This lay is frankly didactic in purpose, offering fragments of
cosmogonic and
mythological information which is brought out in the course of a
senna or
"flyting" between the king of the gods and the wise
giant Vafthrúthnir. (1)
The narrative frame chosen is not unskillfully handled.
Óthin has heard of the wisdom of Vafthrúthnir and, against the
wishes of his
anxious spouse, fares to see him in his hall, there to match his
own lore
against the giant's. After an initial test of the
"wisdom" of his guest who
has, so far, insisted on standing on the floor, Vafthrúthnir
urges him to
occupy the high-seat, there to continue the wager, with the
loser's head as
the stake. Óthin now becomes the interrogator and finally
propounds the
unanswerable question. Through it, but too late, the doomed
giant recognizes
his opponent.
The measure is ljóðaháttr, the typical vehicle of gnomic
poetry. The regular
dialogic form has, in this as in other cases, favored the
preservation of the
text, which is handed down complete in the Codex Regius, and in
part in the
Hauksbók. In addition, some nine stanzas of it occur in
various connections
in Snorri's paraphrase in the "Gylfaginning."
There are no clues as to place
of origin. The purely heathen tone has led scholars to
assign the poems to
the tenth century; but we may suspect it to be a later,
perhaps skaldic,
effort.
Óthin said:
1. "Give rede now, Frigg (2)
as to fare
me listeth
to wise Vafthrúthnir.
Much I wonder if
in wisdom my like
the all-wise etin be."
Frigg said:
2. "At home had I
Herjafather (3) rather,
in the garth of the gods;
there's no match in might
among thurses
to that all-wise etin."
Óthin said:
3. "Far have I fared,
much afield have I been,
and have striven in strength with gods;
to view me listeth
how Vafthrúthnir
lives in his high-timbered hall."
Frigg said:
4. "All hail to thy going! all hail to thy
coming!
all hail to thee, hence and hither!
May thy wit not fail thee,
Father of
Men, (4)
when with words ye war."
5. (5) [Went then Óthin his wisdom to match
with the all-wise etin:
fared to the hall
of Ím's
father. (6)
In went Ygg (7) forthwith.]
Óthin said:
6. "Hail, Vafthrúthnir! to thy hall I am come
to see thee, etin, myself;
to know me listeth if lore thou hast,
or art all-wise, etin."
Vafthrúthnir said:
7. "What wayfaring wight such
words dareth
hurl at me in my hall?
Alive shalt thou
never
leave this hall
if thou showest thee lesser in lore."
Óthin said:
8. Gagnráth (8) my name; as guest I
come
to thy threshold thirsty, oh thurs!
Needful of welcome I wandered long;
to thy hearth hither I fared."
Vafthrúthnir said:
9. "Why then, Gagnráth,
greet me from floor?
In the hall seat thee on settle!
Moot then may we who most knoweth,
whether guest or grizzled thul." (9)
Óthin said:
10. (10) "In want who comes
to a
wealthy man,
let him say what is needful, or naught!
Too much babbling is bad for him
to cold-hearted host who comes."
Vafthrúthnir said:
11. "Say then, Gagnráth, since unseated thou
wilt
match thy lore with mine:
how the horse is hight on
high which draws
every day at dawn to mankind?"
Óthin said:
12. "He is Skínfaxi (11) hight
which skyward brings
every day at dawn to mankind;
of horses best he
to heroes seems,
his mane glisters like gold."
Vafthrúthnir said:
13. "Say then, Gagnáth, since unseated thou wilt
match thy lore with mine:
how the horse is hight which
the hallowed night
brings to the blessed gods?"
Óthin said:
14. "He is Hrímfaxi (12) hight
which the hallowed night
brings to the blessed gods.
As he fares, foam doth
fall from
his bit;
thence cometh the dew in the dales."
Vafthrúthnir said:
15. "Say then, Gagnráth, since unseated thou wilt
match thy lore with mine:
how the flood is hight which flows
between
the garth of the gods and the etins?"
Óthin said:
16. "Is hight Ifing the flood
which flows between
the garth of the gods and the etins;
will it ever and ay
open
remain:
on it never is ice."
Vafthrúthnir said:
17. "Say then, Gagnráth, since unseated thou wilt
match thy lore with mine:
how the field is hight where as foes will meet
Surt (13) and the sacred gods?"
Óthin said:
18. "Is hight Vígríth (14) the field where as foes will
meet
Surt and the sacred gods;
a hundred leagues in length it is;
was that plain appointed to them."
Vafthrúthnir said:
19. "Wise art, wayfarer! welcome to bench!
let us sitting on settle hold converse.
Our heads be stakes, my hall within,
and wins he whose wisdom is greater."
Óthin said:
20. "Say thou firstly,
for sage thou art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence came the earth and the heavens above,
at the outset, etin?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
21. "Of Ymir's (15) flesh the earth was
shaped,
the barren hills of his bones;
and of his skulls
the sky was shaped,
of his blood the briny sea."
Óthin said:
22. "Say thou this second,
for sage thou
art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence the moon did come who rides men above,
and the sun also?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
23. "Mundilferi (16) is hight
the Moon's
father,
and the Sun's also;
they must daily wander
the welkin about,
to tell the time for men."
Óthin said:
24. "Say thou this third, in thy thought
if it dwells
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence the day springeth,
in the dales which shines,
and eke the night and new moon?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
25. "Is one Delling (17) hight,
he is Day's father;
but Night was born to Nor;
Waxing and waning moon
the
wise gods made
to tell the time for men."
Óthin said:
26. "Say thou this fourth,
if thou fathom it,
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence winter came and warm summer,
in the beginning, for gods?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
27. "Is one Vindsval (18) hight, he is Winter's father,
and Summer is Svásuth's son;
(but Vindsval was to Vásuth born:
cold-hearted all that kin)." (19)
Óthin said:
28. "Say thou this fifth, if sage thou art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
who the oldest etin of Ymir's kin
was in the world's first days?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
29. "Ages before
the earth was made,
Bergelmir came to be;
Thrúthgelmir was that thurs' father,
but Aurgelmir (20) oldest of all."
Óthin said:
30. "Say thou this sixth, if sage thou art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence Aurgelmir and all his sib
at the outset, wise etin?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
31. "Out of Élivágar (21) spurted venom drops,
and waxed till there was an etin;
'tis thence our kin
came together;
hence frightful and fierce our ways."
Óthin said:
32. "As a seventh say, if sage thou art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
how children gat
the
grim etin,
as misshapen she-thurs none was?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
33. " 'Neath the ice-etin's arms, say they,
there grew both girl and boy;
one with the other, the wise etin's shanks
begat a six-headed son."
Óthin said:
34. "Say as an eighth, if sage thou art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
what oldest of eld
the earth above;
for all-wise, etin, thou art."
Vafthrúthnir said:
35. "Ages before the earth was made,
Bergelmir came to be;
that first I wot that
the wise etin
lifeless was laid in the coffin." (22)
Óthin said:
36. "Say as a ninth,
if
sage thou art
and thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence the wind cometh
o'er the waves which blows,
yet is never seen itself?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
37. "One Hræsvelg (23) hight
sits at heaven's end,
an etin in eagle's shape:
from his wings is wafted
the
wind which blows
over all who live."
Óthin said:
38. "Say as the tenth,
since the sacred gods' fates
thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot:
whence came wise Njorth (24) among holy gods---
[temples and fanes full many hath he---] (25)
yet was not begot among gods?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
39. "In Vanaheim (26) Vanir begat him,
and gave him as hostage to gods;
at the world's last weird he will
wend again
home to the wise Vanir."
Óthin said:
40. ´Say as eleventh
where e'erliving men
slay each other with swords;
fighting they fall,
then
fare from battle
and drain goblets together."
Vafthrúthnir said:
41. "All the einherjar (27) in Óthin's garth
slay each other with swords:
fighting they fall
then
fare from battle
and drain goblets together."
Óthin said:
42. "Say as the twelfth how the sacred gods' fates
thou, Vafthrúthnir, dost wot?
Of the etin's lore,
and of all godheads,
thou sayest but sooth,
thou all-wise etin!"
Vafthrúthnir said:
43. "Of the etins' lore, and of all godheads,
sooth, and but sooth, I say,
for I have seen all the worlds 'neath the welkin.
Niflhel (28) beneath nine worlds I saw,
to which the dead are doomed." (29)
Óthin said:
44. "Far have I fared,
much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
what wights will live when that winter is over,
to earth dwellers awful?" (30)
Vafthrúthnir said:
45. "Líf and Lífthrásir, (31)
in the leafage they
will hide of Hoddmímir; (32)
the morning dews their meat will be,
they will rear the races of men."
Óthin said:
46. "Far have I fared,
much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
how soars the sun on the smooth heavens,
when snatched by Fenrir's (33) fangs?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
47. "A daughter orb
was to Alfrothul
(34) born,
ere that snatched her Fenrir's fangs;
on her mother's path will the maiden fare,
the time of the fair gods fall."
Óthin said:
48. "Far have I fared,
much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
what wise maidens, the wide sea over,
full many swiftly fare?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
49. "Three throngs of maidens (35) over Mogthrásir's
thorp do throw themselves:
good hap they bring where to homes they fare,
though of etins' kin they are."
Óthin said:
50. "Far have I fared,
much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
of gods that were
who will wield the sway,
when Surt's fire is slaked?" (36)
Vafthrúthnir said:
51. "Víthar (37) and Váli (38)
will ward
the gods' fanes,
when Surt's fire is slaked;
Móthi and Magni (39) will Mjolnir have,
when Thór has thrown it last."
Óthin said:
52. "Far have I fared,
much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
what wight will end Alfather's (40) life,
when draws near the dreaded doom?"
Vafthrúthnir said:
53. "Will the Wolf swallow
Valfather (41) then;
will Víthar avenge him:
he will sunder the
savage jaws
of fearsome Fenrir."
Óthin said:
54. "Far have I wandered,
much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
what did Óthin whisper in
the ear of his son,
ere Baldr on bale was laid?" (42)
Vafthrúthnir said:
55. "No dweller on earth knows what in
days of yore
thou said'st in the ear of thy son:
with fey mouth fondly I flaunted my lore
and spoke of the day of doom.
With Óthin now
my insight I matched:
of all beings thou art born wisest."
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1. "Strong in Entangling," that is, in questions.
2. "Beloved," Óthin's wife.
3. "Father of Hosts," Óthin.
4. Óthin.
5. As the only example of a narrative stanza in ljóðaháttr,
this one looks
like an (unnecessary) interpolation. The unannounced shift
of scene is common
to Eddic poems and the ballad.
6. Nothing is known of this son of Vafthrúthnir.
7. Óthin. See "Voluspá," St. 28 and Note
30.
8. "Giving Good Counsel," that is, for victory.
9. See "Hávamál," Note 2.
10. This stanza would seem to belong with the counsels on conduct
in "Hávamál"
rather than here.
11. "Shiny-Mane," the sun horse.
12. "Rime-Mane."
13. The god of fire. See "Voluspá," St. 51
and Note 73.
14. "Field of Battle."
15. See especially "Grímnismál," Sts. 41-42;
also "Voluspá," St. 3 and Note
5.
16. According to "Gylfaginning," Chap. 10, he had named
his daughter after the
sun, and his son after the moon. In order to punish him for
his presumption
the gods set them to drive the wains of the sun and the moon.
17. "The Shining." According to
"Gylfaggining," Chap 9, a god who with Nótt,
"Night," engendered a son, Dagr, "Day."
18. "Wind-Cold," a giant, as are Vásuth, "the Wet
and Cold One," and Svásuth,
"the Mild One."
19. Supplied with Bugge, after "Gylfaginning," Chap.
18.
20. The meanings of these giant names are not certain.
21. "Stormy Rivers," imagined as "venom-cold"
rivers in the far North
("Gylfaginning," Chap 4).
22. The interpretation of this line is doubtful.
23. "Corpse-Gulper."
24. The name of this Van god corresponds exactly to that of the
goddess
Nerthus, "Terræ mater," whose rites are
described by Tacitus in the famous
40th chapter of his Germania. Originally doubtless a
fertility god, in Norse
mythology Njorth rules over the wind and the sea.
25. This line is no doubt interpolated.
26. "The Home of the Vanir." As a return hostage,
the Æsir sent Mímir
("Voluspá," St. 45, Note 65).
27. "Single Combatants." (?), the fallen warriors who
are gathered by the
valkyries into Óthin's hall, Valholl (Valhalla).
28. "Dark Hel" or Niflheim, the realm of Hel, the abode
of the dead.
29. A difficult line.
30. The so-called fimbulvetr, "Chief of Winters,"
foretold also in "Voluspá,"
St. 40, and "Voluspá him skamma," St. 14, as
preceeding the end of the world.
It consists of three winters with no summer between.
31. "Life" and "Longing for Life" (?).
32. This tree is probably identical with the world-tree,
Yggdrasil,
("Voluspá," Sts. 2 and 19) and the "Tree of
Mímir" ("Fjolsvinnsmál," St. 14
and Note 15).
33. See "Voluspá," St. 39 and Note 54.
34. "Alf-Beam," a kenning for the sun.
35. "These maidens are norns who assist at childbirth.
See 'Fáfnismál,' Sts.
12 and 13. 'Mogthrásir,' "Desirous of Sons," is
a symbolic designation for
mankind, "Mothgrásir's thorp,' for the world" [F.
Jónsson].
36. See "Voluspá," St. 51 ff.
37. See "Voluspá," St. 53 and Note 78.
38. See "Voluspá," St. 32 and Note 37.
39. "The Courageous" and "the Strong," who
both are sons of Thór and hence
inherit his hammer Mjolnir (See "Þrymskviða,"
St. 1 and Note 2). Other
divinities inhabit Itha Field according to "Voluspá,"
St. 61 ff.
40. Óthin.
41. Óthin.
42. See "Hávamál," St. 164 and Note 94.
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