Völuspá

by Unknown, Henry Adams Bellows (Translator), Haraldur Berharðsson (Editor)

The first and best-known poem of the Poetic Edda. This edition has been created using the open source LARA tool. It integrates audio recordings, translations at the level of words and verses, and a hyperlinked concordance. It is freely available online at https://www.issco.unige.ch/en/researc...

Genres: Poetry, Medieval, Mythology, Classics, Fantasy, Scandinavian Literature

23 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Unknown" when the author or editor (as applicable) is not known and cannot be discovered. If at all possible, list at least one actual author or editor for a book instead of using "Unknown".

Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you appreciate poetry in a language you don't know?

Well, the brief answer is that we aren't sure yet, but we're trying to find out. Using LARA, an open source tool that several Goodreaders are already contributing to, we've started putting together interactive online versions of poems, enhanced to assist people who don't know the languages in question. You can open the poem text in Chrome or Firefox and click around; LARA lets you listen to audio recorded at the level of verses, lines and individual words, and look at both literal and non-literal translations. I posted a warming-up exercise a couple of weeks ago, Tove Jansson's wonderful Swedish nonsense poem Hur gick det sen? Now, working together with Branislav Bédi of the Arni Magnusson Institute, Reykjavik, we've produced something more substantial: a LARA version of the Völuspá. You can see it here.

Völuspá ("The Norn's Prophecy") is the first poem in the Edda, a poem cycle in Old Norse that was first written down in the late 13th century but probably composed a few hundred years earlier. It's basically a creation-and-destruction myth; comparing with the Bible, it would roughly correspond to the beginning of Genesis and the end of Revelations. It's fantastic poetry. It was one of Tolkien's favourite pieces, and Tolkienists will know that he used it as the source for the Dwarves' names in The Hobbit:

12
Veigr ok Gandálfr,
Vindálfr, Þráinn,
Þekkr ok Þorinn,
Þrór, Vitr ok Litr,
Nár ok Nýráðr,
nú hefi ek dverga,
Reginn ok Ráðsviðr,
rétt um talða.

13
Fíli, Kíli,
Fundinn, Náli,
Hefti, Víli,
Hanarr, Sví,
Frár, Hornbori,
Frægr ok Lóni,
Aurvangr, Jari,
Eikins.

14
Mál er dverga
í Dvalins liði
ljóna kindum
til Lofa telja,
þeir er sóttu
frá salar steini
aurvanga sjöt
til Jöruvalla.

So... given that most of us, alas, do not know Old Norse, does the LARA-enhanced version let us make contact with the genius of the unknown skalds who composed it? I have been listening to it over the last week, and for me personally the answer is: almost, but not quite. I get flashes of what feels like the genuine experience, and then it fades out again.

Something's still missing, and I'm not sure what. There are two obvious possibilities to investigate. One is that I just haven't done enough work yet. Maybe all I need to do is carry on patiently listening and comparing the Old Norse words with the English translations, and the whole thing will gradually come into focus. I'm wondering if other people are also curious. If there are a few of us, perhaps we could put together a little reading group and discuss the less obvious points of grammar and phrasing together?

The second possibility is that it's not being read well enough. Branislav, who has provided the voice, offers his humble apologies. He's lived in Iceland for over a dozen years, his Icelandic is at a level where he's successfully taught an Icelandic for foreigners course, but he's not a native speaker, and being an Icelandic native speaker anyway doesn't make you an expert on declaiming Old Norse poetry. He knows there are people who will do this much better than he can. If you're one of those lucky people, would you like to rerecord it? We have a nice online recording tool, the Völuspá is short (about 1500 words), and it shouldn't take you more than an evening. You will of course be officially credited.

Help us, Goodreads Hive Mind! We're so irritatingly close to cracking this!
_________________________
[Update, Feb 27 2020]

Success!!

It was indeed a question of finding the right person to read it. We now have a new version available here, with audio recorded by Branislav's talented colleague Ingibjörg Þórisdóttir. Ingibjörg, who at one time was considering a career in acting, has a fantastic voice, and she makes the poem come alive: even if you don't understand a word she's saying, it's a pleasure to listen to her. But I, at least, immediately decided that I did want to understand, and I started diligently examining the translations attached to words and verses. (Hover the mouse over a word to hear it on its own and see a translation; hover over a ᚠ rune to see the translation of a verse). After some study, I found that the meaning had also arrived, and I was able to make my mind connect it to the sound. I finally get why this is considered one of the great poems of the second millennium. It is simply amazing.

We are still tidying up rough edges in the recordings and annotations, but we are nearly done and we can commit to starting the reading group next Friday, Mar 6. If you'd like to join us, I promise you a unique experience.
___________________
[Update, Jul 2 2022]

We are carrying out a pre-study to examine the possibility of using this kind of technology in museums. If you have a few minutes to spare, you might like to visit this page and answer the short questionnaire it links to. Results will be reported in a paper we're presenting at the EUROCALL 2022 conference next month.

[Manny]

11
Nýi ok Niði,
Norðri ok Suðri,
Austri ok Vestri,
Alþjófr, Dvalinn,
Bíf, Báfurr,
Bömburr, Nóri,
Án ok Ánarr,
Ái, Mjöðvitnir.

12
Veigr ok Gandálfr,
Vindálfr, Þráinn,
Þekkr ok Þorinn,
Þrór, Vitr ok Litr,
Nár ok Nýráðr,
nú hefi ek dverga,
Reginn ok Ráðsviðr,
rétt um talða.

13
Fíli, Kíli,
Fundinn, Náli,
Hefti, Víli,
Hanarr, Sví,
Frár, Hornbori,
Frægr ok Lóni,
Aurvangr, Jari,
Eikins.

14
Mál er dverga
í Dvalins liði
ljóna kindum
til Lofa telja,
þeir er sóttu
frá salar steini
aurvanga sjöt
til Jöruvalla.

[William Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second read of the year, and another text on my reading list for Epic and Legend of Literature! This is an Old Norse poem going through the history of the Norse Gods all the up to to the prophecy of Ragnarök.

A great, quick read. The footnotes of the version I read were brilliant, as they swiftly kept you filled in on who the individuals are in the many allusions throughout.

4/5 STARS

[Arndis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Þetta er auðvitað bara mest töff rit sem er out there

[Samuel Gage]

What is man? How do you make sense of this wonderful and terrible world? How should one act? Like medieval times, the old Icelandic tribes shared a collective cosmology. The word “religion” comes from the Latin word for “oneness.” The Norse myths that shaped Icelandic cosmology is what brought everyone together to the same understanding. Even while very few of us actually believe in Frost Giants and the Nine Realms, we are still human. As Jordon Peterson said when talking about reading old, influential books, “…those books are about you. Those patterns in those books are the patterns in your perseptions and your actions, and without understanding them, you can’t know who you are.”
The Valuspa helped me understand further who man really is. From the very first lines, we can read that out of the yawning void (Ginnungagap) a primordial scream (Ymir) comes into being and through it all things are made. We then read that chaos (jotenheim) rules. We read about how wisdom and life settles the chaos and builds structure.
Jordon Peterson was right. The human Psyche is rooted so deeply in mythology that every aspect can be used to understand the human subconscious. Like infants who are born screaming, the first being is born as a primordial scream against a backdrop of nothingness. Like humans who are the only living things that have a sense of permanence and self-awareness, the jotenheim are held back only by creative initiative. This is all from the first few lines. There is simply not enough space to talk about the Norse perspective of the universe being cyclic in relation to farming. The entirety of Norse mythology is so pertinent.
Besides the human soul on display so clearly in the Valuspa, it also forces you to consider an interesting aspect of language. If you track everything down far enough, laguage operates on metaphors. The English word for “soul” originated from the old word for “breath.” A soul is so intangible, but we can name it using metaphors. Every language does this, but it is so blunt in old Norse poems. In the same way that children can so accurately define complex situations with only a few words, the Valuspa can so clearly describe fundamental ideas by giving them metaphorical names. The great tragedy is that the etymology is lost for many names and we cannot know the full deepness of their meanings.
I love love Norse mythology.

[Birta]

you go girl

[Ebster Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My experience with the Norse Myths is that they are very fragmented and difficult to make sense of. Commentary and annotations are generally aimed for an academic audience and thus aren't that great at helping the layperson understand a particular myth and how it may have changed over time.

With that mindset, I decided to approach each poem individually to see if it helped me understand it a bit more. For this reading I consulted:

http://www.voluspa.org/voluspa.htm

As well as Jackson Crawford's rendition found in his translation of The Poetic Edda.

Firstly, I'd like to say I am quite surprised that Neil Gaiman's rendition of ragnarok (from his book "Norse Mythology") is actually fairly accurate. I kind of assumed he was adapting it for a younger audience because it is significantly less tragic than versions I'd heard in the past.

In this version of the myth, the tragedy ends up being a bit more personal: Odin, ever the seeker of knowledge and wisdom, wants to know his ultimate fate. And to that end, he's apparently risen an old soothsayer from the dead to consult her.

The poem is meant to be a transcription of her words to him. In the voluspa.org edition, it almost seems like she's gloating: slowly revealing details of the origin of the world, Odin's role in it's creation, and knowledge of some of the things he's had to do to gain his status. Systematically repeating the refrain: 'would you know yet more?'

It gives off a really ominous vibe: you get the feeling she's slowly divulging Odin's secrets and proving her prophetic gifts before the final blow: which is that not only is Odin's death a certainty, but it will certainly be a good thing for the world as a whole. Like, in order for the world to transcend into an era of peace and enlightenment, the war gods have to pass away from it.


This poem isn't super long, to get the most out of it I recommend reading more than one version. I felt Professor Crawford's version was a lot more accessible, but the version on voluspa.org was quite haunting as well.

I also recommend listening to Jeremy Soule's The Northerner Diaries while reading ;)


Notes:

I am now also very interested in Gullveig. I'm pretty sure her story is lost to history but, like...

Three times burned, and three times born, Oft and again, yet ever she lives.

DAANG!

[Seline Trædal · Rating 3 out of 5]

voluspå er et gudedikt skrevet ned på 1200-tallet, og omhandler mytene alle samtidens mennesker kjente til. det utelates derfor en del detaljer som ble antatt at lytterene allerede hadde kjennskap. dette, i tillegg til skrivestilen, gjør at det å lese voluspå i dag kan være nokså krevende, spesielt om man ikke har noe forkunnskap. allikevel er det et fascinerende verk som forteller om et trossystem fra langt, langt tilbake i tid, men som enda har en plass i dagens samfunn (i film og media for eksempel).

voluspå er en kosmologi, en fremstilling av hvordan verden er skapt og ordnet. den fortelles av en volve (spåkvinne) som henvender seg til alt som lever, også til valfaderen (boss-mann odin).

før alt ble skapt fantes ikke naturen, bare tomrommet ginnungagap (for en munnfull), der is og ild omsider møttes og gjorde luften behagelig nok for at urjotnen yme kunne oppstå, i tillegg til urkuen audhumla. (de sier det ikke i voluspå, men kuen fant tydeligvis en klump med salt og klarte å slikke en en fyr, bure, ut av den - don’t ask how). bure får sønnen bore, som får sønnene (de første æsene) Vilje, Ve og Odin med jotunkvinnen bestla. de tre skaper omsider midgard, der naturen skapes, men den er kaotisk og uordnet. æsene gir navn til det skapte og tidsordnen skapes (som månefasene). noen tussemøyer (altså jotunkvinner, men herregud for et rart navn for dem) kommer og forstyrrende æsene som lekte på et tun - tilsynelatende bare for gøy. dverger skapes (de er hissige håndverkere) også. odin og to andre æser finner to trestykker og lager ask og embla ut av dem. vi får høre om yggdrasil og skjebnegudinnene som utmåler menneskers skjebner ved treet. det oppstår så strid mellom æser, jotner og mennesker, noe som fører til begynnelsen av ragnarok - verdens undergang - som er den store årsaken bak henvendelsen til volvekvinnen. og spoiler, men verden går under og volven forteller om en ny verden der alt skal oppstås på nytt, en ny gullalder med guder og nytt liv - som en sirkelkomposisjon.

all uro i diktet framstilles i naturfenomener (nevner vindtid, vargtid - varg/ulv ble sett på som en stor trussel). jeg synes jo måten naturen skildres på får den til å virke veldig mektig, der ikke engang gudene kan stoppe destruksjonen. men det er kanskje ikke naturen jeg er mest interessert i å analysere, for det er spennende å prøve å finne ut hva som var det mytologiske/religiøse grunnlaget for voluspå, om det er noe som har inspirert den. er ask og embla, de første menneskene, versjoner av adam og eva fra bibelen? er jotnene og æsene som titanene/gudene i gresk mytologi? ragnarok bidrar jo tross alt til at slekt/brødre går i strid og tar livet av hverandre, noe som minner om Romulus/Remus i romersk mytologi - at noe destruktivt/brødredrap leder til ny grunnleggelse.

norrøn mytologi er nok et emne jeg kan banke litt ekstra for, og voluspå har så mye å ta tak i og å analysere. den er også vanskelig å skulle gi en rating på, men jeg setter den på en god 3-er :)

[Daughter of Paper and Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preface

One of my favorite ancient texts. I read it in 2 languages before I ever got to the English translation. Maybe one day I will be able to read it in Norwegian (glares at my beginner German) I’m sure I will get to that language…eventually. Here is a summary of my favorite parts:

In first stanza the Volva, (wise-woman), is summoned by Odin (Othin). She is of the race of the giants, and speaks to Odin unwillingly. He uses his magic power to have her speak of the things she knows will come to pass (It does well to mention Odin summoned her from the dead).

There are nine worlds:
1) The worlds of the gods Asgard (Asgarth).
2) The Wanes (Vanaheim).
3) The elves (Alfheim).
4) The men Midgard (Mithgarth).
5) The giants (Jotunheim).
6) The fire (Muspellsheim).
7) The dark elves (Svartalfaheim).
8) The dead (Niflheim).
9) and allegedly the world of the dwarfs, which is never outwardly mentioned, making this ninth world uncertain. ( there is speculation this world might me Nithavellir).

The tree: the world-ash Yggdrasil, the portal and connector of these worlds, embodying the universe.

Brimir and Blain: nothing is known of these giants. Some academics believe both are variations of the name Ymir. Brimir, however, has a direct connection with the home of the dwarfs. On the other side of linguistics Brimir can also be seen as a word not a name, meaning "the bloody moisture".

Dvalin appears have given magic runes to the dwarfs, know for their craftsmanship.

Fafnismol is mentioned as the father of some of the lesser Norns.

Valkyries are "Choosers of the Slain" bring the bravest warriors killed in battle to Valhall (also called "Wish-Maidens" for they fulfill Odin’s wishes).

————————————————————————————
RATINGS:

Knowledge: 4.5 📜📜📜📜💫 Knowledge with a capital K.

Complexity: 4 🧘🏼‍♀️🧘🏼‍♀️🧘🏼‍♀️🧘🏼‍♀️ Highly complex.

Interest: 5 🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️ An ocean of interest

Overall star rating : 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️ One of my all time favorites.
————————————————————————————

[Silje · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Edru · Rating 5 out of 5]

This shit goes hard

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this goes hard af

[Nicole Sparkles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The full text can be read on pages 2-16 at this link: https://books.google.com/books?id=Iv7...

[Sindri Helgason · Rating 3 out of 5]

algjör klassík en ekki jafn góð og gylfaginning

[Jeremiah Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norse mythology provides inspiration for countless writings and tales, from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to the MCU. These two books are part of a larger work called the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse narrative poems which contain myths and legends from ancient Nordic culture and religion. While I don't hold to Norse mythology and religion as truth in any way, they contained a few insights on personal conduct and wisdom proverbs that I deeply appreciated.

"Let no man glory in the greatness of his mind,
but rather keep watch o'er his wits.
Cautious and silent let him enter a dwelling;
to the heedful comes seldom harm,
for none can find a more faithful friend
than the wealth of mother wit."
-Havamal

5.9/10

[Hildegunn Hodne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is not really possible to not like this book. The authors try their very best to bring to life this cosmic visionary poem. Through riddles and suggestions, it shares glimpses of myths, images and symbols of the Viking age and Norse mythology. The poem is perhaps a thousand years old, handed down to us in writing from verbal storytelling times. But without prior in depth knowledge of Norse mythology, the poem remains a riddle to most modern day readers, in spite of all the good comments and explanations in this book. Perhaps 121 pages is simply not enough to shed sufficient amounts of light on the text. But still, it is a nice taste of the ancient past and well worth to read.

[Mashrukh Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The literally genius of the old scandanavian people was unbound. This poem contains the story of the creation of the nine realms upto the events that lead to the impending Ragnarok. The old nordic poems are the most accurate and oldest source materials we have for the Norse myths. Highly recommended Jackson Translation.

[Alienne Laval · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://de.scribd.com/document/488590...

1.
To listen I beg the kindred
High Castes and the Low
Silence, sons of Heimdal!
As All-further wills
I tell songs of man and fire
The oldest that I know

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOw

Immensely dense. I can sense an enormous cosmos in this relatively short text.

How can you judge properly a work that isn't really fiction, that sets the foundation for an entire culture? Talk about world-building.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tolkien's source material's source material. In terms of poetic myths, the Greeks outshine the Norse. What was interesting was that the moon was personified as male and the sun, female. A departure from lunar femininity worldwide.

[The Sebbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10

Read in Swedish, ”Texter från Sapfo till Strindberg”
First and probably most famous poem from the Poetic Edda. Basically a summary of Nordic mythology, the story of creation and the coming of Ragnarök

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Världens skapelse och undergång/Ragnarök.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually DID read this whole thing hehe bc I'm not as familiar with norse mythology as I am with greek/roman mythology.
Was entertaining but tiring.
10/10 would recommend

[Isabelle Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see you Tolkien 👀

[ena]

jag älskar så myckettt

[anti patih · Rating 4 out of 5]

about ragnarok

[Hadi Atallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wars and righteous paths conduct themselves in an uncertain pattern yet break the walls and differ with enemies and experiments in every way and are ill of peace and endanger the minds of stoics. Giving up an Eye is a thought of the wise things one can do in solitary confinement. With no balance, a well-liked God and the absence of compromise be a shame if the enemies destroy the world.

From His courage, we may all profit:
Odin lost His eye for man and fiend
For the wealth of command
And darkness deep

Words always have a simple hiss in the distance. But their potency, magnitude and sheer odour expose the world and its receding tides - Hadi Atallah, author of 'Rosemary Bluebell.'

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this in English is likely a Hollow comparison to what the Old Norse poem would convey. That being said, I can only read English, and it was still interesting. This is another telling of the age-old battle between order and chaos that stretches beyond language, culture, and religion. It's also the source for many names in the LOTR and Hobbit series, as Tolkien's love of language and Philology inspired him to take on Old Norse as his special subject.

Völuspá is definitely worth reading if you enjoy learning about the creation myths from around the world, as I do.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intresting. I have to read Gylfaginning now, just to clarify a few things for myself.

[Claudia Lind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bland det finaste vi har.