Hyndluljoth: The Poem of Hyndla

Henry Adams Bellows's notes to his translation (1923; Project Gutenberg #73533).

1. Stanza 1 “Maiden, awake! | wake thee, my friend, My sister Hyndla, | in thy hollow cave! Already comes darkness, | and ride must we To Valhall to seek | the sacred hall.
2. Stanza 2 “The favor of Heerfather | seek we to find, To his followers gold | he gladly gives; To Hermoth gave he | helm and mail-coat, And to Sigmund he gave | a sword as gift.
3. Stanza 3 “Triumph to some, | and treasure to others, To many wisdom | and skill in words, Fair winds to the sailor, | to the singer his art, And a manly heart | to many a hero.
4. Stanza 4 “Thor shall I honor, | and this shall I ask, That his favor true | mayst thou ever find; . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . Though little the brides | of the giants he loves.
5. Stanza 5 “From the stall now one | of thy wolves lead forth, And along with my boar | shalt thou let him run; For slow my boar goes | on the road of the gods, And I would not weary | my worthy steed.” Hyndla spake:
6. Stanza 6 “Falsely thou askest me, | Freyja, to go, For so in the glance | of thine eyes I see; On the way of the slain | thy lover goes with thee, Ottar the young, | the son of Instein.” Freyja spake:
7. Stanza 7 “Wild dreams, methinks, | are thine when thou sayest My lover is with me | on the way of the slain; There shines the boar | with bristles of gold, Hildisvini, | he who was made By Dain and Nabbi, | the cunning dwarfs.
8. Stanza 8 “Now let us down | from our saddles leap, And talk of the race | of the heroes twain; The men who were born | of the gods above, . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
9. Stanza 9 “A wager have made | in the foreign metal Ottar the young | and Angantyr; We must guard, for the hero | young to have, His father’s wealth, | the fruits of his race.
10. Stanza 10 “For me a shrine | of stones he made,— And now to glass | the rock has grown;— Oft with the blood | of beasts was it red; In the goddesses ever | did Ottar trust.
11. Stanza 11 “Tell to me now | the ancient names, And the races of all | that were born of old: Who are of the Skjoldungs, | who of the Skilfings, Who of the Othlings, | who of the Ylfings, Who are the free-born, | who are the high-born, The noblest of men | that in Mithgarth dwell?” Hyndla spake:
12. Stanza 12 “Thou art, Ottar, | the son of Instein, And Instein the son | of Alf the Old, Alf of Ulf, | Ulf of Sæfari, And Sæfari’s father | was Svan the Red.
13. Stanza 13 “Thy mother, bright | with bracelets fair, Hight, methinks, | the priestess Hledis; Frothi her father, | and Friaut her mother;— Her race of the mightiest | men must seem.
14. Stanza 14 “Of old the noblest | of all was Ali, Before him Halfdan, | foremost of Skjoldungs; Famed were the battles | the hero fought, To the corners of heaven | his deeds were carried.
15. Stanza 15 “Strengthened by Eymund, | the strongest of men, Sigtrygg he slew | with the ice-cold sword; His bride was Almveig, | the best of women, And eighteen boys | did Almveig bear him.
16. Stanza 16 “Hence come the Skjoldungs, | hence the Skilfings, Hence the Othlings, | hence the Ynglings, Hence come the free-born, | hence the high-born, The noblest of men | that in Mithgarth dwell: And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
17. Stanza 17 “Hildigun then | her mother hight, The daughter of Svava | and Sækonung; And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool! It is much to know,— | wilt thou hear yet more?
18. Stanza 18 “The mate of Dag | was a mother of heroes, Thora, who bore him | the bravest of fighters, Frathmar and Gyrth | and the Frekis twain, Am and Jofurmar, | Alf the Old; It is much to know,— | wilt thou hear yet more?
19. Stanza 19 “Her husband was Ketil, | the heir of Klypp, He was of thy mother | the mother’s-father; Before the days | of Kari was Frothi, And born of Hild | was Hoalf then.
20. Stanza 20 “Next was Nanna, | daughter of Nokkvi, Thy father’s kinsman | her son became; Old is the line, | and longer still, And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
21. Stanza 21 “Isolf and Osolf, | the sons of Olmoth, Whose wife was Skurhild, | the daughter of Skekkil, Count them among | the heroes mighty, And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
22. Stanza 22 “Gunnar the Bulwark, | Grim the Hardy, Thorir the Iron-shield, | Ulf the Gaper, Brodd and Hörvir | both did I know; In the household they were | of Hrolf the Old.
23. Stanza 23 “Hervarth, Hjorvarth, | Hrani, Angantyr, Bui and Brami, | Barri and Reifnir, Tind and Tyrfing, | the Haddings twain,— And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
24. Stanza 24 “Eastward in Bolm | were born of old The sons of Arngrim | and Eyfura; With berserk-tumult | and baleful deed Like fire o’er land | and sea they fared,— And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
25. Stanza 25 “The sons of Jormunrek | all of yore To the gods in death | were as offerings given; He was kinsman of Sigurth,— | hear well what I say,— The foe of hosts, | and Fafnir’s slayer.
26. Stanza 26 “From Volsung’s seed | was the hero sprung, And Hjordis was born | of Hrauthung’s race, And Eylimi | from the Othlings came,— And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
27. Stanza 27 “Gunnar and Hogni, | the heirs of Gjuki, And Guthrun as well, | who their sister was; But Gotthorm was not | of Gjuki’s race, Although the brother | of both he was: And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!