Freyer, the son of Niorder, as he sat on (1) Hlid-
skialfa, beholding the regions of the world; cast
his eyes on the nation of the Jötunheimi, where he
beheld a fair virgin as she passed through her
father's house to a solitary apartment. He became
suddenly very sad. Skirner was the servant of
Freyer. Niorder called him and bid him enquire
into the cause of his master's grief. While (2) Skada
the wife of Niorder petulently said ----
Go Skirner! speedily enquire,
Consum'd by what untam'd desire
Of hidden lore, my son retreats
Into his mansion's inmost seats?
Ask him if wisdom will reside,
With passion, envy, love, or pride?
SKIRNER.
My rashness will I fear bring down,
Th' indignant eye, the scornful frown;
Yet will I tempt his solitude,
And sooth him if he think me rude.
Chief of lineage divine!
Long may thy princely virtues shine---
Tell me, for I wish to know,
The story of thy bitter woe:
Say why you shun the field and grove,
And lonely thus your chambers rove.
Should you my boldness disapprove,
Forgive me --- 'tis the crime of love.
FREYER. (3)
Why gentle youth thus seek to know
The hist'ry of my secret woe?
The cheerful sun illumes the day,
But leaves to gloom, my soul a prey.
SKIRNER.
Thy sorrows cannot be so great,
But friendship may participate.
In youth we wander'd gay compeers;
Our sports the same --- the same our years:
Then why the secret shun to tell
To one who ever lov'd thee well.
FREYER.
(4) In Gimer's halls with stately pace,
A virgin, deck'd by ev'ry Grace,
Walking lone in beauty's pride,
From Hlidskialfa I have spied.
Her arms in marble lustre shone,
And lucid glories danced along;
A brighter day o'er ether spread,
And ocean smil'd upon his bed.
A stronger flame inspires my breast
Than ever earth-born youth possest.
Would that I were of mortal mould,
Her charms unenvy'd to infold!
But Gods malignant disapprove
Immortals join'd to mortal love.
SKIRNER.
Grant from thy stalls with quickest speed
A courser of etherial breed;
That thro' the dun obscure of night
May bear me clad in spectre light.
Let me too the sword display,
Round which the beamy lightnings play ---
That sword portentous, gleaming far,
Which scatters all the files of war.
FREYER.
Take from my stalls with quickest speed,
A courser of etherial breed;
That thro' the dun obscure of night
May bear thee clad in spectre light.
(5) Take too the sword which they who know
Wisely to use, will on each foe
Unsufferable splendors pour.
SKIRNER,
Addressing his Horse.
(6) Midnight rules the fateful hour!
Bright unnumber'd stars appear:
The time of our departure's near.
Let us the arduous toil pursue,
And dip our feet in mountain dew.
Together we will danger try,
Together live, together die.
Skirner was carried among the Jötunheimi, to the house of Gimer, where were a number of fierce dogs. He rides up to a Shepherd keeping sheep on a hill, and thus addresses him ---
SKIRNER.
Shepherd! art thou seated there
To guard from wolves thy fleecy care?
Or doom'd to spend thy lonesome days
Guardian of these desert ways?
(7) Gimer's dwelling lo! I seek,
With lovely Gerda with to speak:
Instruct me how it may be done,
And teach me too those dogs to shun.
SHEPHERD.
Art thou to death foredoom'd a prey?
Or dead, revisit'st thus the day?
The dogs will never be beguil'd ---
Thou can'st not speak with Gimer's child.
SKIRNER.
Good shepherd listen to the tale ---
Death and life are in the scale!
Worn with many an anguish'd sigh,
One there is prepar'd to die:
Already is the day decreed ---
If I succeed not, he must bleed.
GERDA.
What noise is that assails my ear?
Sounds of coming steps I hear!
Earth a strange commotion feels!
Gimer's tower terrific reels!
MAID.
A trav'ller to the gate draws nigh,
With manly port and daring eye:
Now healights from off his steed,
And turns him forth at large to feed.
GERDA.
(8) Bid him welcome --- Maiden! haste ---
Let him our metheglin taste:
(9) Yet still I feel a secret fear,
Some murderer approaches near.
GERDA.
Dost thou from th' Alsori come?
Or 'mong the Asori is thy home?
Or of the Vani? haply then,
Wisest of the sons of men.
Why alone --- no succour near---
Didst thou the (10) hostile fires dare?
Whence could a worthy cause proceed
To prompt thee to so mad a deed?
SKIRNER.
Not from th' Alsori do I come;
Nor 'mong the Asori is my home;
Nor me, the Vani honors grace,
Deem'd wisest of the human race:
Yet still the firey ways I trod
Alone, that lead to thy abode.
(11) Eleven apples, Maid! behold,
I offer thee of radiant gold:
That thou a favoring word would'st give,
And bid the gentle Freyer live.
GERDA.
Know at no mortal beck I stand ---
Cease thy offer --- I command.
From Freyer will I keep aloof:
He never comes beneath this roof.
SKIRNER.
Gerda! lo I offer more ---
(12) The mighty ring that (13) Hermod bore
Thro' Hela's flames; and thence retriev'd,
The strange fecundine power receiv'd:
Eight sister rings in weight and use,
Ev'ry ninth night to produce.
GERDA.
Of thy presents talk no more ---
I'll not take what Hermod bore.
Gold I have, enough to spare:
Niörder's wealth I will not share.
SKIRNER.
Maiden! see this sword divine
With finely polish'd lustre shine:
Soul of beauty! thou art dead ---
Sever'd thy devoted head ---
If resolv'd with proud disdain,
Still to slight thy lover's pain.
GERDA.
My right, my freedom, and my hand,
I yield to no proud foe's demand;
While Gimer can his faulcion rear,
I, nor thee, nor Freyer fear.
Notes:
1. Hlidskialfa, the throne in the palace of Valaskialf, not at Valhalla as some have said. This throne was so situated, that any one sitting upon it might behold all the regions of the world. It properly belonged to Odin and Frigga, and perhaps the passion of Freyer was a punishment inflicted on him for his presumption in sitting there. [Back]
2. Skada, --- a giantess, wife of Niorder, and step-mother of Freyer. [Back]
3. Freyer. --- He is the mildest of all the Gods, and presides over the rain and the sun, and all the productions of the earth. He is invoked to obtain either fine seasons, plenty, or peace; for it is he who dispences peace and riches. [Back]
4. "In Gimer's halls." --- He was one of the race of the giants of the mountains, who had by his wife Orbod, a daughter named Gerda, the most beautiful of her sex. [Back]
5. "Take too the sword."--- Freyer had occasion to repent afterwards of his having given his sword to Skirner. He had first an encounter with Bela, and having no sword, was forced to defend himself with the horn of a stag. But in the twilight of the Gods, he misses it much more; for thereby he is vanquished by Surtur. [Back]
6. "Midnight rules." --- This is not unlike Mezentius's address to his horse Rhœbus ---- Haud dejectus, equum duci jubet: hoc decus illi, Hoc solamen erat: bellis hoc victor abibat Omnibus. Alloquitur mœrentem, & talibus infit. Rhœbe! diu, res si qua diu mortalibus ulla est, Viximus. Aut hodie victor spolia illa cruenta, Et caput Æneæ referes, Lausique dolorum Ultor eris mecum: aut aperit si nulla viam vis Occumbes pariter: neque enim fortissime, credo Jussa aliena pati, & dominos dignabere Teucros. [Back]
7. "Gimer's dwelling," --- Freyer being a God was very well able to inform Skirner of the names of those he went to. [Back]
8. "Bid him welcome." - The northern nations were peculiarly remarkable for hospitality to strangers; and esteemed a breach of its laws among the greatest of crimes. [Back]
9. "Yet still." --- Gerda's brother had been formerly killed by a stranger. [Back]
10. "Hostile fires." --- Perhaps this may be a figurative expression, to describe the fury of the dogs who guarded the mansion. [Back]
11. "Eleven Apples." --- Apples seem always to have been consecrated to love; thus we find in Virgil's Eclogues the Shepherd sending some to his Mistress. ----Silvestri ex arbore lecta Aurea mala decem misi: cras altera mittam. "Aurea," Servius explains as belonging more to the colour, than the substance of the fruit: a similar explanation may be also applied perhaps to the "radiant gold" of which Skirner's apples were said to be formed. Propertius had perhaps in his eye the preceding passage in Virgil when he said in his 34th Elegy, Utque decem possint corrumpere mala puellam. And again --- Felix, qui viles pomis mercaris amores. Aristophanes also had said --- Mhlobolein gar hlegon toeij afrodisia deleazen. Epei cai to mhlon afrodithj ejin ieron. [Back]
12. "The mighty ring." --- This was a ring that Balder sent from Hela as a token of remembrance to Odin. Odin threw it on the funeral pile of his Son and endued it with the wonderful property related. [Back]
13. Hermod, --- Surnamed the nimble or active, the Son of Odin. At the request of Frigga he went on Odin's horse down to hell to search for Balder. For the space of nine days and as many nights he travelled through deep vallies, so dark that he did not begin to see where he was going till he arrived at the river of Giöll. He passed over the bridge that led to hell, which he found defended by a large grate, over which he leaped and found Balder seated in the most distinguished seat in the palace. [Back]
<< 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.
|