Northvegr
Search the Northvegr™ Site



Powered by   Google.com
 
Baman - Iceland - Aboriginal Australia - CD and Concert
  Home | Site Index | Heithinn Idea Contest |
Prose Edda - Brodeur Trans.


Skáldskaparmál


217
Thrust the Forecastle-Adder
And the skiff out on the Ocean.
In the following verse it is called Lake as well: thus sang Einarr:
The Lake doth bathe the vessel,
Where the sea 'gainst each side beateth,
And the bright wind-vanes rattle;
The surf washes the Flood-Steeds.
Here it is called Flood also. Thus sang Refr, as was said before:
Wintry One's (1) wet-cold Spae-Wife
Wiles the Bear of Twisted Cables
Oft into Ægir's wide jaws,
Where the angry billow breaketh. (2)
Deep, as Hallvardr sang:
The Sword-Shaker bids be pointed
The prow of the hardy ship-steed
Westward in the girdle
Of all lands, the Watery Deep.
Way, as here:
On our course from land we glided,
On the Way to the coast of Finland:
I see from the Ship's Road, eastward,
The fells with radiance gleaming.
Weir, as Egill sang:

1. Gymir. See Gering, Die Edda, p. 53, note 2.
2. See page 138.


218
I sailed o'er the Weir
To the West: I bear
Òdin's Heart-Sea.
So it stands with me.
Ocean, as Einarr sang:
Many a day the cold Ocean
Washes the swarthy deck-planks
'Neath the gracious Prince; and Snow-Storm
Furrows Mona's Girdle.
Salt, as Arnórr sang:
The hardy King the Salt plowed
From the east with hull ice-laden:
Brown tempests tossed the Lessener
Of Surf-Gold toward Sígtún.
Furtherer, as Bölverkr sang:
Thou didst summon from fair Norway
A levy the next season,
With Din-Surf's ships the Furtherer
Didst shear; o'er decks the sea poured.
Here the sea is called Din-Surf also.
Wide One, as Refr sang:
To its breast the Stay's steed taketh
The Home of Planks, beak-furrowed,
And tosses the Wide One over
The hard side; the wood suffers.

219

Dusky One, as Njáll of the Burning sang:
We sixteen pumped, my Lady,
In four oar-rooms, but the surge waxed:
The Dusky One beat over
The hull of the driven sea-ship.
These are other names for the Sea, such as it is proper to use in periphrasing ships or gold.
"Rán, it is said, was Ægir's wife, even as is written here:
To the sky shot up the Deep's Gledes,
With fearful might the sea surged:
Methinks our stems the clouds cut,-
Rán's Road to the moon soared upward.
The daughters of Ægir and Rán are nine, and their names arc recorded before: Himinglæva, (1) Dúfa, (2) Blódughadda, (3) Hefring, (4) Udr, (5) Hrönn, (6) Bylgja, (7) Dröfn, (8) Kólga. (9) Einarr Skúlason recorded the names of six of them in this stanza, beginning:
Himinglæva sternly stirreth,
And fiercely, the sea's wailing.

Welling Wave, (10) as Valgardr sang:

Foam rested in the Sea's bed:
Swollen with wind, the deep played,
1. That through which one can see the heaven (Jónsson).
2. The Pitching One (Jónsson).
3. Bloody-Hair.
4. Riser.
5. Frothing Wave.
6. Welling Wave.
7. Billow.
8. Foam-Fleck.
9. Poetical term for Wave. "The Cool One" (Jónsson).
10. In the following stanzas, for the sake of consistency, I have been obliged to
translate the names, since they are employed in the stanzas as common nouns, rather than as proper names. It is beyond my ability to translate Himinglæva briefly.


220
And the Welling Waves were washing
The awful heads of the war-ships.
Billow, as Óttarr the Swarthy sang:
Ye shear with shaven rudder
Billows moisty-deep; the broad sheet,
Which girls spun, on the mast-head
With the Roller's Reindeer sported.
Foam-Fleck, as Ormr sang:
The hawk-like, heedful Lady
Has every virtue: Lofn
Of the Foam-Fleck's flame-gold, faithful
As a friend, all faults renounceth.
Wave-Borne, as Thorleikr the Fair sang:
The sea wails, and the Wave-Borne
Bears bright froth o'er the red wood,
Where gapes the Roller's Brown Ox,
With mouth gold-ornamented.
Shoal, as Einarr sang:
Nor met the Forward-Minded,
Where the fierce sea on our friends falls;
I think the Shoal becalmed not
The Ship, Wood of the Waters.
Fullness, as Refr sang:



<< Previous Page        Next Page >>





© 2004-2007 Northvegr.
Most of the material on this site is in the public domain. However, many people have worked very hard to bring these texts to you so if you do use the work, we would appreciate it if you could give credit to both the Northvegr site and to the individuals who worked to bring you these texts. A small number of texts are copyrighted and cannot be used without the author's permission. Any text that is copyrighted will have a clear notation of such on the main index page for that text. Inquiries can be sent to info@northvegr.org. Northvegr™ and the Northvegr symbol are trademarks and service marks of the Northvegr Foundation.

> Northvegr™ Foundation
>> About Northvegr Foundation
>> What's New
>> Contact Info
>> Link to Us
>> E-mail Updates
>> Links
>> Mailing Lists
>> Statement of Purpose
>> Socio-Political Stance
>> Donate

> The Vík - Online Store
>> More Norse Merchandise

> Advertise With Us

> Heithni
>> Books & Articles
>> Trúlög
>> Sögumál
>> Heithinn Date Calculator
>> Recommended Reading
>> The 30 Northern Virtues

> Recommended Heithinn Faith Organizations
>> Alfaleith.org

> NESP
>> Transcribe Texts
>> Translate Texts
>> HTML Coding
>> PDF Construction

> N. European Studies
>> Texts
>> Texts in PDF Format
>> NESP Reviews
>> Germanic Sources
>> Roman Scandinavia
>> Maps

> Language Resources
>> Zoëga Old Icelandic Dict.
>> Cleasby-Vigfusson Dictionary
>> Sweet's Old Icelandic Primer
>> Old Icelandic Grammar
>> Holy Language Lexicon
>> Old English Lexicon
>> Gothic Grammar Project
>> Old English Project
>> Language Resources

> Northern Family
>> Northern Fairy Tales
>> Norse-ery Rhymes
>> Children's Books/Links
>> Tafl
>> Northern Recipes
>> Kubb

> Other Sections
>> The Holy Fylfot
>> Tradition Roots



Search Now:

Host Your Domain on Dreamhost!

Please Visit Our Sponsors




Web site design and coding by Golden Boar Creations