THE COMPARATIVe VǪLUSPÁ
Stanzas 55-57
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 55:
Ðá kømr inn
x. Neckel’s Old Norse edition, 1914:
Ðá kømr inn mikli mǫgr Sigfǫður,
Víðarr, vega at valdýri;
lætr hann megi Hveðrungs mund um standa
hiǫr til hiarta: þá er hefnt fǫður.
Strides forth Vithar, Val-father's son,
the fearless fighter, Fenrir to slay;
to the heart he hews the Hvethrung's son;
avenged is then Víthar's father.
Then comes Sigfather's mighty son,
Vithar, to fight with the foaming wolf;
In the giant's son does he thrust his sword
Full to the heart: his father is avenged.
Comes forth the stalwart son of the War-father,
Vidar, to strive with the deadly beast;
lets he the sword from his right hand leap
into Fenrir’s heart, and avenged is the father.
c. Guðbrandur Vigfússon & York Powell, 1883:
Then shall Widar, mighty son of the Father of Hosts,
go forth to fight the Beast. He shall thrust his sword
down the Monster’s jaws right to the heart.
Then is his father avenged.
Then comes the great victor-sire's son,
Vidar, to fight with the deadly beast.
He with his hands will make his sword pierce
to the heart of the giant's son:*
then avenges he his father.
a. Turner, 1836:
Then will come Sigfodr
The greater son of Odin:
Vida; to fight with the fatal animal,
Who with her broad hand,
In the middle of her jaws,
Pierces his heart with a sword.
Thus avenging the death of her father.
STANZA 56:
Ðá kømr inn
x. Neckel’s Old Norse edition, 1914:
Ðá kømr inn mæri mǫgr Hlóðyniar,
gengr Óðins sonr við úlf vega,
drepr hann af móði miðgarz véor
— muno halir allir heimstǫð ryðia —,
gengr fet nío Fiǫrgyniar burr
neppr frá naðri, níðs ókvíðinn.
Come Hlóthyn's son, the hammer-wielder;
gaps the grisly earth-girdling Serpent
when strides forth Thór to stay the Worm.
Mightily mauls Mithgarth's warder—
shall all wights in the world wander from home—;
back falls nine steps Fiorgyn's offspring—
nor fears for his fame— from the frightful worm.
Hither there comes the son of Hlothyn,
The bright snake gapes to heaven above;
***
Against the serpent goes Othin's son.
In anger smites the warder of earth, —
Forth from their homes must all men flee; —
Nine paces fares the son of Fjorgyn,
And, slain by the serpent, fearless he sinks.
d. Bray, 1908:
Comes forth the glorious offspring of Earth,
Thor, to strive with the glistening Serpent.
Strikes in his wrath the Warder of Midgard,
while mortals all their homes forsake;
nine feet recoils he, the son of Odin,
bowed, from the dragon who fears not shame.
c. Guðbrandur Vigfússon & York Powell, 1883:
Then shall Hlodyn’s glorious child, Woden’s son [Thor],
go forth to fight with the Dragon.
Earth’s Holy Warder shall slay him in his might.
Nine paces back from the accursed serpent reels
the Son of Earth [Thor].
Then comes the mighty son of Hlôdyn:
(Odin's son goes with the monster to fight);
Midgârd's Veor in his rage will slay the worm.
Nine feet will go Fiörgyn's son,
bowed by the serpent, who feared no foe.
All men will their homes forsake.
Then comes
The beautiful son of Hlodynia.
The son of Odin combated the Wolf.
He slew in wrath the serpent Midgard.
Men state the prop of the world.
The offspring of Fiorgunar
Stepped nine steps.
Weakened by the black and hungry snake,
STANZA 57:
Sól tér sortna
x. Neckel’s Old Norse edition, 1914:
Sól tér sortna, sígr fold í mar,
hverfa af himni heiðar stiǫrnor;
geisar eimi við aldrnara,
leikr hár hiti við himin siálfan.
The sun turns black, earth sinks in the sea,
The hot stars down from heaven are whirled;
Fierce grows the steam and the life-feeding flame,
Till fire leaps high about heaven itself.
'Neath sea the land sinketh, the sun dimmeth,
from the heavens fall the fair bright stars;
gushes forth steam and gutting fire,
to very heaven soar the hurtling flames.
d. Bray, 1908:
The sun is darkened, Earth sinks in the sea,
from heaven turn the bright stars away.
Rages smoke with fire, the life-feeder,
high flame plays against heaven itself.
c. Guðbrandur Vigfússon & York Powell, 1883:
The sun turns to darkness, Earth sinks into the deep,
the bright stars vanish from out the heavens,
fume and flame rage together,
the lofty blaze plays against the heavens.
The sun darkens, earth in ocean sinks,
fall from heaven the bright stars,
fire's breath assails the all-nourishing tree,
towering fire plays against heaven itself.
The sun darkens;
The earth is immerged in the sea;
The serene stars are withdrawn from the heaven:
Fire rages in the ancient world:
The lofty colour reaches to heaven itself.