The Poetic Edda
Henry Adams Bellows (translator)
3,671 passages indexed from The Poetic Edda (Henry Adams Bellows (translator)) — Page 15 of 74
License: Public Domain
The Poetic Edda, passage 620
38. Svalin (“The Cooling”): the only other reference to this shield is
in Sigrdrifumol, 15.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1188
14. Forward went Rig, | his road was straight,
To a hall he came, | and a door there hung;
In did he fare, | on the floor was a fire:
Afi and Amma | owned the house.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2016
8. “Worse is this | that methinks I see,
For a maid shall kinsmen clash;
Heroes unborn | thereby shall be,
I deem, to hatred doomed.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 1034
13. Then were the gods | together met,
And the goddesses came | and council held,
And the far-famed ones | a plan would find,
How they might Hlorrithi’s | hammer win.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1907
The annotator or compiler of the collection of poems preserved in the
Codex Regius, having finished with the Helgi lays, had before him the
task of setting down the fifteen complete or fragmentary poems dealing
with the Sigurth story. Before doing this, however, he felt it
incumbent on him to dispose of both Sigmund and Sinfjotli, the sole
links with the two other sets of stories. He apparently knew of no poem
or poems concerning the deaths of these two; perhaps there were none,
though this is unlikely. Certainly the story of how Sinfjotli and
Sigmund died was current in oral prose tradition, and this story the
compiler set forth in the short prose passage entitled Of Sinfjotli’s
Death which, in Regius, immediately follows the second lay of Helgi
Hundingsbane. The relation of this passage to the prose of the
Reginsmol is discussed in the introductory note to that poem.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2878
87. “Not glad went I hence | thy hand to seek, Guthrun,
In thy widowhood famed, | but haughty men found thee;
My belief did not lie, | as now we have learned;
I brought thee home hither, | and a host of men with us.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1234
10. A line may well have dropped out, but the manuscript is too
uncertain as to the stanza-divisions to make any guess safe. Crooked:
the word in the original is obscure. Stained: literally, “water was on
her soles.” Thir: “Serving-Woman.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 1338
20. Nanna: the manuscript has “Manna.” Of Nanna and her father, Nokkvi,
we know nothing, but apparently Nanna’s son married a sister of
Instein, Ottar’s father.
The Poetic Edda, passage 184
64. This stanza is quoted by Snorri. Gimle: Snorri makes this the name
of the hall itself, while here it appears to refer to a mountain on
which the hall stands. It is the home of the happy, as opposed to
another hall, not here mentioned, for the dead. Snorri’s description of
this second hall is based on Voluspo, 38, which he quotes, and perhaps
that stanza properly belongs after 64.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1562
43. The manuscript does not name the speaker. Different editors have
rejected one or another of the last three lines, and as the manuscript
indicates line 4 as the beginning of a new stanza, the loss of two or
three lines has likewise been suggested. According to the
Thithrekssaga, the son of Völund and Bothvild was Vithga, or Witege,
one of the heroes of Dietrich of Bern.
The Poetic Edda, passage 682
42. “Barri there is, | which we both know well,
A forest fair and still;
And nine nights hence | to the son of Njorth
Will Gerth there grant delight.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 2677
24. In the manuscript lines 3 and 4 stand in reversed order.
The Poetic Edda, passage 457
27. “Vindsval he was | who was winter’s father,
And Svosuth summer begat;”
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Poetic Edda, passage 1830
28. “Sad am I, sister, | sorrow to tell thee,
Woe to my kin | unwilling I worked;
In the morn there fell | at Fjoturlund
The noblest prince | the world has known,
(And his heel he set | on the heroes’ necks.)”
The Poetic Edda, passage 3433
Knē′-fröth, Atli’s messenger, 448, 482, 483, 502.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2377
30. Then Brynhild, daughter | of Buthli, laughed,
Only once, | with all her heart,
When as she lay | full loud she heard
The grievous wail | of Gjuki’s daughter.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2507
With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of
the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few
subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative
cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and
Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of
Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are
told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun
lays, the Oddrunargratr, the Guthrunarhvot, and the Hamthesmol. Had the
compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after the Helreith
Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to
make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the
next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of
Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly
needed.
The Poetic Edda, passage 115
59. Now do I see | the earth anew
Rise all green | from the waves again;
The cataracts fall, | and the eagle flies,
And fish he catches | beneath the cliffs.
The Poetic Edda, passage 607
25. The first line in the original is, as indicated in the translation,
too long, and various attempts to amend it have been made. Heithrun:
the she-goat who lives on the twigs of the tree Lærath (presumably the
ash Yggdrasil), and daily gives mead which, like the boar’s flesh,
suffices for all the heroes in Valhall. In Snorri’s Edda Gangleri
foolishly asks whether the heroes drink water, whereto Har replies, “Do
you imagine that Othin invites kings and earls and other noble men, and
then gives them water to drink?”
The Poetic Edda, passage 38
Under such circumstances it is clear that the establishment of a
satisfactory text is a matter of the utmost difficulty. As the basis
for this translation I have used the text prepared by Karl Hildebrand
(1876) and revised by Hugo Gering (1904). Textual emendation has,
however, been so extensive in every edition of the Edda, and has
depended so much on the theories of the editor, that I have also made
extensive use of many other editions, notably those by Finnur Jonsson,
Neckel, Sijmons, and Detter and Heinzel, together with numerous
commentaries. The condition of the text in both the principal codices
is such that no great reliance can be placed on the accuracy of the
copyists, and frequently two editions will differ fundamentally as to
their readings of a given passage or even of an entire poem. For this
reason, and because guesswork necessarily plays so large a part in any
edition or translation of the Eddic poems, I have risked overloading
the pages with textual notes in order to show, as nearly as possible,
the exact state of the original together with all the more significant
emendations. I have done this particularly in the case of
transpositions, many of which appear absolutely necessary, and in the
indication of passages which appear to be interpolations.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1607
26. “More thou lovest her | who scanned the harbor,
Last night among the men;
(The gold-decked maid | bore magic, methinks,
When the land from the sea she sought,
And fast she kept your fleet;)
She alone is to blame | that I may not bring
Death to the monarch’s men.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 769
49. “Thy tongue still makes thee say | what seems most ill to
me,
Thou witless man! Thou liest, I ween.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 2450
37. Most editors mark stanzas 37–39 as interpolated, but cf. note on
stanza 32. Stanza 37 has been variously emended. Lines 4 and 6 look
like interpolated repetitions, but many editors make two stanzas,
following the manuscript in beginning a new stanza with line 4. After
line 1 Grundtvig adds: “Son of Buthli, | and brother of mine.”
After line 6 Bugge adds: “Not thou was it, Gunnar, | who Grani
rode, / Though thou my brother | with rings didst buy.” Regarding
Brynhild’s wealth cf. stanza 10 and note.
The Poetic Edda, passage 609
27. The entire passage from stanza 27 through stanza 35 is confused.
The whole thing may well be an interpolation. Bugge calls stanzas 27–30
an interpolation, and editors who have accepted the passage as a whole
have rejected various lines. The spelling of the names of the rivers
varies greatly in the manuscripts and editions. It is needless here to
point out the many attempted emendations of this list. For a passage
presenting similar problems, cf. Voluspo, 10–16. Snorri virtually
quotes stanzas 27–28 in his prose, though not consecutively. The name
Rin, in line 3, is identical with that for the River Rhine which
appears frequently in the hero poems, but the similarity is doubtless
purely accidental.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2766
29. The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as the beginning of a
stanza. Rhine, etc.: the stanza shows the blending of three different
traditions with regard to the treasure: the German tradition of the
gold of the Rhine (cf. Völundarkvitha, 16, and Sigurtharkvitha en
skamma, 16), the tradition, likewise German, of the hoard of the
Nibelungen (Niflungs), early blended with the first one, and finally
the northern tradition of the theft of Andvari’s treasure by Othin,
Hönir, and Loki (cf. Reginsmol, 1–9).
The Poetic Edda, passage 3195
Drumb′-a, daughter of Thræll, 207.
The Poetic Edda, passage 179
61. The Hauksbok version of the first two lines runs:
The Poetic Edda, passage 667
28. “Fearful to see, | if thou comest forth,
Hrimnir will stand and stare,
(Men will marvel at thee;)
More famed shalt thou grow | than the watchman of the gods!
Peer forth, then, from thy prison.
The Poetic Edda, passage 251
57. A brand from a brand | is kindled and burned,
And fire from fire begotten;
And man by his speech | is known to men,
And the stupid by their stillness.
The Poetic Edda, passage 3186
Bȳ′-leist (or Bȳ′-leipt), brother of Loki, 22, 230.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1694
26. . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
“There are hundreds twelve | of trusty men,
But in Hotun lies | the host of the king,
Greater by half; | I have hope of battle.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 1768
45. A few editions give this stanza to Gothmund. Gollnir: possibly a
giant. Imth: nothing is known of him or his daughter.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2603
4. “Nor ever once | did my arms embrace
The hero brave, | the leader of hosts;
In another manner | our meeting was,
When our sorrows we | in secret told.
The Poetic Edda, passage 2090
11. “The fate of the Norns | before the headland
Thou findest, and doom of a fool;
In the water shalt drown | if thou row ’gainst the wind,
All danger is near to death.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 2219
7. Regius gives only lines 1–6; lines 7–8 are added from Volsungasaga.
Lies, etc.: a guest on his arrival received a draught of ale from the
hands of his host’s wife, and it was to prevent this draught from
bewitching him that the runes were recommended. Need: the word “nauth,”
meaning “need,” is also the name of the rune which became “N.” Leek:
leeks were long supposed to have the power of counteracting poison or
witchcraft.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1961
38. “How meanest thou? | Why make we the change
Of shape and form | as forth we fare?
There must follow | another falsehood
Grim in all ways; | speak on, Gripir!”
The Poetic Edda, passage 12
[1] For the phonetic spellings of the proper names see the Pronouncing
Index.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1157
1. Lines 1–3 are identical with Thrymskvitha, 13, 1–3. Baldr:
concerning this best and noblest of the gods, the son of Othin and
Frigg, who comes again among the survivors after the final battle, cf.
Voluspo, 32 and 62, and notes. He is almost never mentioned anywhere
except in connection with the story of his death, though Snorri has one
short passage praising his virtue and beauty. After stanza 1 two old
editions, and one later one, insert four stanzas from late paper
manuscripts.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1154
13. “Vegtam thou art not, | as erstwhile I thought;
Othin thou art, | the enchanter old.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 2545
29. “Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,
Though the blame at first | with us hath been;
Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,
Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 1751
28. The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a new stanza,
and some editions follow this arrangement, making lines 1–2 a separate
stanza.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1721
53. “Bid the horses run | to the Reginthing,
Melnir and Mylnir | to Myrkwood now,
(And Sporvitnir | to Sparinsheith;)
Let no man seek | henceforth to sit
Who the flame of wounds | knows well to wield.
The Poetic Edda, passage 632
51. Again the poem returns to the direct action, Othin addressing the
terrified Geirröth. The manuscripts show no lacuna. Some editors supply
a second line from paper manuscripts: “Greatly by me art beguiled.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 1488
15. “What men are they | who thus have laid
Ropes of bast | to bind me now?”
The Poetic Edda, passage 2828
40. Then came they to words, | and full wrathful they were:
“Long since did we plan | how soon we might slay you.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 2533
17. Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,
Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
The Poetic Edda, passage 3505
Ōth′-in, chief of the gods, 1, 3, 4, 8–15, 19–26, 28, 32, 45, 48–53,
60–63, 66, 68–84, 86, 88, 89, 91, 92, 94, 97, 98, 101–106, 108, 114,
117, 121, 122, 125, 126, 129, 131, 133, 134, 136, 139–141, 145, 149,
151, 152, 155, 157–160, 166, 167, 170, 174, 179, 182, 185, 195–200,
202, 203, 213, 218, 219, 221, 226, 228–231, 236, 274, 293–295, 302,
308, 319, 323–327, 330, 332, 335, 339, 342, 357–359, 361, 365, 366,
371, 372, 384, 390, 393–395, 416, 428, 445, 474, 483, 487, 493, 494,
553.
The Poetic Edda, passage 1046
25. Then loud spake Thrym, | the giants’ leader:
“Who ever saw bride | more keenly bite?
I ne’er saw bride | with a broader bite,
Nor a maiden who drank | more mead than this!”
The Poetic Edda, passage 945
45. “Byggvir my name, | and nimble am I,
As gods and men do grant;
And here am I proud | that the children of Hropt
Together all drink ale.”
The Poetic Edda, passage 24
It is, however, an open question whether or not Sæmund had anything to
do with making the collection, or any part of it, now known as the
Poetic Edda, for of course the seventeenth-century assignment of the
work to him is negligible. We can say only that he may have made some
such compilation, for he was a diligent student of Icelandic tradition
and history, and was famed throughout the North for his learning. But
otherwise no trace of his works survives, and as he was educated in
Paris, it is probable that he wrote rather in Latin than in the
vernacular.