THE COMPARATIVe VǪLUSPÁ
Stanzas 16-18
Joseph S. Hopkins for Mimisbrunnr.info, August 2022
The present page consists of an entry of Mimisbrunnr.info’s The Comparative Vǫluspá. The Mimisbrunnr.info team designed The Comparative Vǫluspá as a resource to assist in the study of both the poem and its English language translations. You can read about the project’s approach and goals here.
The Comparative Vǫluspá features six public domain English editions of Vǫluspá presented in reverse chronological order, specifically those of Lee M. Hollander (first edition, 1928), Henry Adams Bellows (1923), Olive Bray (1908), Guðbrandur Vigfússon and York Powell (1883), Benjamin Thorpe (1866), and Sharon Turner (1836). We precede these with Gustav Neckel’s 1914 Old Norse edition of the poem, which is also in the public domain in the United States, and which we’ve used as a basis for the project’s stanza order.
Please note that if this is your first encounter with the poem, The Comparative Vǫluspá can serve as an introduction, but you stand to benefit from Carolyne Larrington’s revised edition (2014) as your foundation. Not only do Larrington’s notes reflect contemporary scholarship but her revised edition contains two separate translations of the poem from two notably different manuscripts of the poem. Translators often combine these manuscripts and this can lead to significant confusion for non-specialists.
STANZA 16:
Álfr ok Yngvi
x. Neckel’s Old Norse edition, 1914:
Álfr ok Yngvi, Eikinskaialdi.
Fialarr ok Frosti, Finnr ok Ginnar –
þat mun uppi, meðan ǫld lifir,
langniðia tal Lofars hafat.
Alf and Yngvi, Eikinskialdi,
Fialar and Frosti, With and Ginnar;
will ever be know, with earth doth last,
the line of dwarfs to Lofar down.
Alf and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalar and Frosti, Fith and Ginnar;
So for all time shall the tale be known,
The list of all the forbears of Lofar.
Elf and Yngvi, Oaken-shield,
Fjalar and Frost, Fin and Ginar.
Thus shall be told throughout ail time
the line who were born of Lofar’s race.
c. Guðbrandur Vigfússon & York Powell, 1883:
Not included in translation. See Guðbrandur & York Powell 1883: 192.
Fialar and Frosti, Finn and Ginnar
Heri, Höggstari, Hliôdôlf, Môin:
that above shall, while mortals live,
the progeny of Lofar, accounted be.
a. Turner, 1836:
Alfur; Ingve of Eikinskialldr;
Falur; Frosti; Fidur; Sinnar;
Dore; Ore; Dufar; Andvere;
Heph; Fili; Haar; Siviar;
This will be manifest while people live;
The number of their descendants will value it.
STANZA 17:
Unz þrír kvómo
x. Neckel’s Old Norse edition, 1914:
Unz þrír kvómo ór því liði,
ǫflgir ok ástgir, æsir, at húsi:
fundo á landi, lítt megandi,
Ask ok Emblo, ørlǫglausa.
To the coast then came, kind and mighty,
three great æsir from that meeting;
on the land they found, of little strength,
Ask and Embla, unfated yet.
Then from the throng did three come forth,
From the home of the gods, the mighty and gracious;
Two without fate on the land they found,
Ask and Embla, empty of might.
d. Bray, 1908:
Then came three gods of the Æsir kindred,
mighty and blessed, towards their home.
They found on the seashore, wanting power,
with fate unwoven, an Ash and Elm.
c. Guðbrandur Vigfússon & York Powell, 1883:
Till out of this host there came to the house three Anses,
mighty and blessed.
They found Ask and Embla
helpless and futureless on the ground
Until there came three mighty and benevolent
Æsir to the world from their assembly.
They found on earth, nearly powerless,
Ask and Embla, void of destiny.
Until three came from the troop,
The powerful and rich Asæ, to their home,
They found in the land weak and unwarlike ones,
ASK AND EMBLA, without a destiny.
STANZA 18:
Ǫnd þau ne
x. Neckel’s Old Norse edition, 1914:
Ǫnd þau ne átto, óð þau ne hǫfðo,
lá né læti né lito góða:
ǫnd gaf Óðinn, óð gaf Hœnir,
lá gaf Lóðurr ok lito góða.
Sense they possessed not, soul they had not,
being nor bearing, nor blooming hue;
soul gave Óthin, sense gave Hœnir,
being, Lóthur, and blooming hue.
Soul they had not, sense they had not,
Heat nor motion, nor goodly hue;
Soul gave Othin, sense gave Hönir,
Heat gave Lothur and goodly hue.
d. Bray, 1908:
Spirit they had not, and mind they owned not,—
blood, nor voice nor fair appearance.
Spirit gave Odin, and mind gave Hönir,
blood gave Lodur, and aspect fair.
c. Guðbrandur Vigfússon & York Powell, 1883:
The breath of life was not in them,
they had neither feeling nor motion, not utterance,
nor comely hues.
Woden gave the breath of life, Hœnir feeling,
Lodur utterance and comely hues.
Spirit they possessed not, sense they had not,
blood nor motive powers, nor goodly colour.
Spirit gave Odin, sense gave Hœnir,
blood gave Lodur, and goodly colour.
These had then no soul; they had no reason;
No blood; no sense; no good colour.
Odin gave them a soul. Hænir gave reason;
Lodur gave them blood and a good complexion.