Sigrdrifumol

      Sigurth rode up on Hindarfjoll and turned southward toward the land of
the Franks. On the mountain he saw a great light, as if fire were burning, and
the glow reached up to haven. And when he came thither, there stood a tower of
shields, and above it was a banner. Sigurth went into the shield-tower, and saw
that a man lay there sleeping with all his war-weapons. First he took the helm
from his head, and then he saw that it was a woman. The mail-coat was as fast
as if it had grown to the flesh. Then he cut the mail-coat from the head-
opening downward, and out to both the arm-holes. Then he took the mail-coat
from her, and she awoke, and sat up and saw Sigurth, and said:

  1. “What bit through the byrnie?	how was broken my sleep?
  Who made me free	of the fetters pale?”

  He answered:
  2. “Sigmund’s son, 	with Sigurth’s sword,
  That late with flesh	hath fed the ravens.”


      Sigurth sat beside her and asked her name. She took a horn full of mead
and gave him a memory-draught.

  3. “Hail, day!  Hail, sons of day!
  And night and her daughter now!
  Look on us here	with loving eyes,
  that waiting we victory win.

  4. “Hail to the gods!   	Ye goddesses, hail,
  And all the generous earth!
  Give to us wisdom	and goodly speech,
  And healing hands, life-long.

  5. “Long did I sleep, 	my slumber was long,
  And long are the griefs of life;
  Othin decreed		that I could not break
  The heavy spells of sleep.”

  Her name was Sigrdrifa, and she was a Valkyrie.
  She said that two kings fought in battle; one was called
  Hjalmgunnar, an old man but a mighty warrior, and Othin
  had promised him the victory, and
  The other was Agnar, 	brother of Autha,
  None he found	who fain would shield him.
  (Or: “Hjalmgunnar was one, the hoary king,
  and triumph to him   had Heerfather promised.”)
  (Ed. ‘Sigrdrifa’ means ‘Victory-Bringer’ and is
  more epithet than proper name.)


     Sigrdrifa slew Hjalmgunnar in the battle, and Othin pricked her with the
sleep-thorn in punishment for this, and said that she should never thereafter
win victory in battle, but that she should be wedded. “And I said to him that I
had made a vow in my turn, that I would never marry a man who knew the meaning
of fear.” Sigurth answered and asked her to teach him wisdom, if she knew of
what took place in all the worlds. Sigrdrifa said:

  6. “Beer I bring thee,	tree of battle,
  Mingled of strength	and mighty fame;
  Charms it holds	and healing signs,
  Spells full good,	and gladness-runes.”

  7. Winning-runes learn,	if thou longest to win,
  And the runes on thy sword-hilt write;
  Some on the furrow, 	and some on the flat,
  And twice shalt thou call on Tyr.
  (Ed. Risting tivaz twice is common practice for weapon runes.)

  8. Ale-runes learn,	that with lies the wife
  Of another betray not thy trust;
  On the horn thou shalt write,		and the backs of thy hands,
  And Need shalt thou mark on thy nails.
  Thou shalt bless the draught,	and danger escape,
  And cast a leek in the cup;
  (For so I know	thou never shalt see
  Thy mead with evil mixed.)
  (Ed. Need here stands for nauthiz, and ‘leek’, laguz.)

  9. Birth-runes learn,	if help thou wilt lend,
  The babe from the mother to bring;
  On thy palms shalt write them,	and round thy joints,
  And ask the fates to aid.
  (Ed. ‘Fates’ here is ‘Norns’.)

  10. Wave-runes learn,	if well thou wouldst shelter
  The sail-steeds out on the sea;
  On the stem shalt thou write,	and the steering-blade,
  And burn them into the oars;
  Thou high be the breakers,	and black the waves,
  Thou shalt safe the harbour seek.

  11. Branch-runes learn,	if a healer wouldst be,
  And cure for wounds wouldst work;
  On the bark shalt thou write,	and on trees that be
  With boughs to the eastward bent.

  (Ed. In some texts the word ‘limrunar’ or branch-runes is in error
  ‘lifrunar’ or life-runes, which would be inappropriate to context.)

  12. Speech-runes learn,	that none may seek
  To answer harm with hate;
  Well he winds	and weaves them all,
  And sets them side by side,
  At the judgement-place,	when justice there
  The folk shall fairly win.

  13. Thought-runes learn,	if all shall think
  Thou art keenest minded of men.

  14. Them Hropt arranged,	and them he wrote,
  And them in thought he made,
  Out of the draught	that down had dropped
  From the head of Heithdraupnir,
  And the horn of Hoddrofnir.

  (Ed. ‘Heithdraupnir’ is ‘Light-Dropper’ and ‘Hoddrofnir’ is
  ‘Treasure-Opener’, both names for Mimir’s energy function.)

  15. On the mountain he stood	with Brimir’s sword,
  On his head the helm he bore;
  Then first the head	of Mim spoke forth,
  And words of truth it told.
  (Ed. Brimir was a Jotun.)

  16. He bade write on the shield	before the shining goddess,
  On Arvak’s ear,	and on Alsvith’s hoof,
  On the wheel of the car	of Hrungnir’s killer
  On Sleipnir’s teeth, 	and the straps of the sledge.
  (Ed. Hrungnir’s killer is Thorr.)

  17. On the paws of the bear,	and on Bragi’s tongue,
  On the wolf’s claws bared,	and the eagle’s beak,
  On bloody wings,	and bridge’s end,
  On freeing hands	and helping foot-prints.

  18. On glass and on gold,		and on goodly charms,
  In wine and in beer,	and on well-loved seats,
  On Gungnir’s point,	and on Grani’s breast,
  On the nails of the Norns,	and the night-owl’s beak.
  Shaved off were the runes	that of old were written,
  And mixed with the holy mead,
  And sent on ways so wide;
  So the gods had them,	so the elves got them,
  And some for the Wanes so wise,
  And some for mortal men.

  19. Beech-runes are there, 	birth-runes are there
  And all the runes of ale,
  And the magic runes of might;
  Who knows them rightly	and reads them true,
  Has them himself to help;
  Ever they aid,
  Till the gods are gone.
  (Ed. ‘Ale’ is not only ‘beer’ but also word for ‘inspiration’.)

  Brynhild spake:
  21. “Now shalt thou choose,	for the choice is given,
  Thou tree of the biting blade;
  Speech or silence,	‘tis thine to say,
  Our evil is destined all.”

  Sigurth spake:
  22. “I shall not flee,	though my fate be near,
  I was born not a coward to be;
  Thy loving word	for mine will I win,
  As long as I shall live.”

  23. Then first I rede thee,		that free of guilt
  Toward kinsmen ever thou art;
  No vengeance have,	though they work thee harm,
  Reward after death thou shalt win.

  24. Then second I rede thee,	to swear no oath
  If true thou knowest it not;
  Bitter the fate	of the breaker of troth,
  And poor is the wolf of his word.

  25. Then third I rede thee,	that thou at the Thing
  Shalt fight not in words with fools;
  For the man unwise	a worser word
  Than he thinks doth utter oft.
  Seldom safe is fame,
  Unless wide renown be won;
  On the day thereafter		send him to death,
  Let him pay the price of his lies.

  26. Then forth I rede thee,	if thou shalt find
  A wily witch on the road,
  It is better to go	than her guest to be,
  Though night enfold thee fast.

  27. Eyes that see	need the sons of men
  Who fight in battle fierce;
  Oft witches evil	sit by the way,
  Who blade and courage blunt.

  28. Then fifth I rede thee,		though maidens fair
  Thou seest on benches sitting,
  Let the silver of kinship	not robe thee of sleep,
  And the kissing of women beware.

  29. Then sixth I rede thee,	if men shall wrangle,
  And ale-talk rise to wrath,
  No words with a drunken	warrior have,
  For wine steals many men’s wits.

  30. Brawls and ale	full oft have been
  An ill to many a man,
  Death for some,	and sorrow for some;
  Full many the woes of men.

  31. Then seventh I rede thee,	if battle thou seekest
  With a foe that is full of might;
  It is better to fight	than to burn alive
  In the hall of the hero rich.

  32. Then eighth I rede thee,	that evil thou shun,
  And beware of lying words;
  Take not a maid,	nor the wife of a man,
  Nor lure them on to lust.

  33. The ninth I rede thee;		burial render
  If thou findest a fallen corpse,
  Of sickness dead,	or dead in the sea,
  Or dead of weapons’ wounds.
  A bath shalt thou give them	who corpses be,
  And hands and head shalt wash;
  Wipe them and comb,	ere they go in the coffin,
  And pray that they sleep in peace.

  34. Then tenth I rede thee,	that never thou trust
  The word of the race of wolves,
  (If his brother thou broughtest to death,
  Or his father thou didst fell;)
  Often a wolf	in a son there is,
  Though gold he gladly takes.

  35. Battle and hate	and harm, methinks,
  Full seldom fall asleep;
  Wits and weapons	the warrior needs
  If boldest of men he would be.

  36. Then eleventh I rede thee,	that wrath thou shun,
  And treachery false with thy friends;
  Not long the leader’s 		life shall be,
  For great are the foes he faces.




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