Poetic Edda Voluspá Discussion I:XVII-XVIII

Voluspá Discussion I:XVII-XVIII

XVII

To the coast then came,          kind and mighty,

from the gathered gods          three great Æsir;

on the land they found,          of little strength,

Ask and Embla,          unfated yet.

The three gods encounter Ask and Embla. Ask, the Ash tree, became the first man, and Embla becomes the first woman. Modern culture seems to accept Embla as an Elm tree, but according to Hollander, Embla is, or rather may be, a vine. While the idea of the two trees becoming the first man and woman does have a somewhat more romantic feel than a tree and a vine, the Ash and the Vine does make a little more sense in that the tree does spread its seed, and the vine, grape vine, bears fruit. 

XVIII

Sense they possessed not,          soul they had not,

being nor bearing,          nor blooming hue;

soul gave Othin,          sense gave Hœnir,

being, Lothur,          and blooming hue.

Ask and Embla existed, but without sense or soul. The Gods, or possibly triple aspect of the one creator God Odin, gave life, existence, and self awareness to them. Odin gave them that which is immortal, or "other" than this world. That which is beyond good and evil and the need for the concepts of right and wrong. I say this because we will see that the Allfather is not a being to be trusted, while at the same time there is much to admire and emulate. One might see Odin's gift as a kind of self centeredness, or selfishness. This is far from the case. Odin's gift here is more a need for growth and knowledge beyond the human realm. A drive for growth that is beyond the self or others. A drive that will simply destroy the self or others if they should get in the way of this quest for knowledge. This is a dangerous, but powerful gift. Hœnir gave them the ability to temper Odin's gift. Hœnir's gift allows them to know their place in relation to the world around them, and the ability to empathize with others. Considering Odin's gift, this is very important. It creates in one the ability to temper Odin's gift so that one's inner growth does not do harm to the self or others...or at least that any harm does not occur outside of conscious choice. Lothur's gift is the gift of identity and physical appearance. This is not so superficial as it may appear. In the world view of the Norse people there was a sense of reincarnation. Part of this is actually quite evident in one's physical appearance. We do physically reflect our ancestors, as we reflect them in our emotional and intellectual attitudes. 

Now, to step back and look at this from the perspective of spiritual and intellectual evolution, we've reached a point of self reliance and almost a feeling of immortality. The individual is created on their own needs, the pursuit of personal enjoyment and growth, the world is ours for the taking. We can guess at what happens in the lost stanzas, but what we do know is that in the end the individual has been confronted with his mortality. He realizes that eventually he will come to an end, so he sets out to produce offspring. The gifts given to the offspring come in the form of knowledge, morals, personality, appearance, and a touch of immortality in the sense that something of the self that is bigger than the self is propigated. This begins  to reveal something fo the complex Nordic soul in which our ancestors are very much a part of us, we are an extension of them, and at the same time we are still individuals. We are a part of the continuation of our people in an unbroken line back to the Gods themselves, and continuing that line on in to the future. This closes a section of the Voluspá. The next section could almost be seen to describe the events in the missing stanzas, but as we will see, it takes on a distinctly different style. 

Read more ...

Poetic Edda Voluspá Discussion I:VI-IIX

Voluspá Discussion I:VI-IIX

VI

Then Gathered together          the gods for counsel,

to holy hosts,          and held converse;

to night and new moon          their names they gave,

the morning named,          and midday also,

forenoon and evening,          to order the year.

The Gods & Goddesses, who at this point have not yet been discussed, come together and create order in the sense of linear time. The world already exists, created as we've already seen, by The Allfather, Odin, and his two brothers who may actually be additional aspects of the same individual. Later we'll get details of the rather gruesome details of the actual creation. As we progress through this discussion we will see actions that will likely make one wonder why Odin holds his position in Asgard. He is often a quite dangerous and untrustworthy figure. This stanza has a hint of an explanation. We've seen, and repeated, that Odin is the creator of the nine worlds. We'll see it and repeat it again. Here, in this stanza, we see quite clearly that he is the only creator. While the other Gods and Goddesses bring order to the universe, bring their influence to the lives of mankind, they are not creators. They are Gods and Goddesses of order. In a sense this stanza also gives us one of the aspects of Odin's power. He is a God of creation, but also unordered chaos, but not a random chaos. More, a chaos with purpose, one that if studied, and the purpose understood, can be ordered.

VII

On Itha Plain met          the mighty gods;

shrines and temples          they timbered high,

they founded forges          to fashion gold,

tongs they did shape          and tools they made;

I'm not really sure what to make of the first two lines of stanza 7. The Gods and Goddesses come together and build shrines and temples, but why? There are no people yet to worship them, so I suppose we are left with three possibilities. One, we are seeing a reference to the Gods giving worship to their ancestors, or unknown higher Gods. I believe this to be unlikely. Two, we are seeing a display of arrogance and power as the Gods raise temples and shrines to themselves, again I believe this to be unlikely due to the Norse idea of gift giving and worship which will be discussed at a later point. Or three, I suppose it may simply be the way the author chose to describe the Gods creating their halls in Asgard. With the next two lines this third seems to fit, although the homes of the Gods are not generally referred to as temples. In any case, the Gods go on to create tools and forges to work things of gold. 

VIII

Payed at draughts in the garth:          right glad they were,

nor aught lacked they          of lustrous gold-

till maidens three          from the thurses came,

awful in might,          from etin-home.

For a time the Gods lived peacefully, without worry, until the Norns, three sisters (Urdhr, that which has happened, the past; Verdhandi, that which is happening, the present; Skuld, that which has yet to be, the possible future) who fill the role of the fates in Norse mythology, bringing with them the awesome and terrible power of their knowledge. Exactly what happens next is not known. The next eight stanzas have been lost at some point during the last 800 or so years. As a side note, I would like to mention that I have seen versions of the Voluspá online that fill in the next eight stanzas with stanzas that occur at a later point in the Poetic Edda. There exists a footnote in at least one version of the Edda translation that hypothesizes that this other set of stanzas, which doesn't make much sense, may possibly fit in at this point. I personally disagree due to the fact that these inserted stanzas don't actually make any sense when considered with the tale in the Voluspá. 

Based on the next known stanzas, however, it seems clear that the eventual fate of the Gods was revealed to them. They were likely shown the battle of Ragnarok in which they would battle an army comprised, in part, by Loki, kin of Gods and Etins, and his offspring. Month the army of the Gods are men. As men have not yet been created, the creator Gods, Odin, Hœnir (previously referred to as Vili) and Lothir (previously refered to as Vé), leave Asgard, the home of the Æsir, and journey to the uninhabited Midgard.

Read more ...

Poetic Edda Voluspá Discussion I:III-V

Voluspá Discussion I:III-V

In earliest times did Ymir live:

was nor sea nor land nor salty waves,

neither earth was there nor upper heaven,

but a gaping nothing, and green things nowhere.

We begin to see a reflection of the physical environment and how natural cycles play in to the mythology. In the far Northern areas of Scandinavia the winters are long, cold, and dark. One can imagine this as the inspiration for a creation myth which begins in a cold void inhabited only by a giant known as Ymir (Roarer), the first of a race of frost giants.

Was the land then lifted aloft by Bur's sons

who made Mithgarth, the matchless earth;

shone from the south the sun on dry land,

on the ground then grew the greensward soft.

As the spring progresses the land, Midgard, is created by Odin, the Alfather (inspiration), and his brothers Vili (will) and Vé (spiritual pervasiveness in the world), bringing the stirrings fo life from the long winter, and finally the sun bringing warmth from the south.

From the south the sun, by the side of the moon,

heaved his right hand over heaven's rim;

the sun knew not what seat he had,

the stars knew not what stead they held,

the moon knew not what might she had.

Finally, Julius Hoffory (1855 - 1897), has suggested that this fifth stanza might describe a point in early summer when the northern lights (the sun's right hand) are visible, and all of the lights of the sky seem confused as to their proper place in the heavens. At this point the sun and the moon, and I assume the stars as well though I've never seen it myself, can be seen in the sky at the same time.

One could also look at these stanzas in a somewhat more esoteric form as a progression of consciousness and enlightenment. The un-evolved mind lives in an instinctual state. There is no concept of good or evil, just instinct. An intellectual and spiritual void. Take a few minutes to look around you throughout the day, and you'll see that there are a surprising number of people who have not grown much beyond this point. As one grows and learns and becomes more aware a new world and a new reality becomes known. Rather than living and interacting with the world in purely reactive terms, one begins to learn to interact with, and influence, the world and their reality. At the same time, however, one also becomes confused and unsure of one's place in this new world. Order and reason are there, but the indisciplined mind is unable, or at best, barely able, to comprehend.
It is also interesting to note some little bits of trivia. In Norse mythology the sun, who gives us the name for Sunday, is male. The moon, after whom Monday is named, is female.

Read more ...

Poetic Edda Voluspá Discussion I:I-II

Voluspá Discussion I:I-II

Hear me, all ye hallowed beings,

both high and low of Heimdall's children:

thou wilt, Valfather, that I well set forth

the fates of the world which as first I recall.

First, a quick explanation. Odin, the king of the Gods has called forth a "Seeress" to tell the tale of the cycle of the world from before the creation to after the battle of Ragnarok. One could see this as the story teller almost acting in the place of Odin setting the stage for the story that is about to be told. This is a very simple stanza, calling out to the gods and goddesses of Asgard, the children of Heimdall (the guardian of the Bifrost bridge which is the link between Midgard, this world, and Asgard, the world of the Æsir, the gods.)

Now for a little game of conjecture and entertaining random wandering thoughts.

Heimdall, known by, among others, the kenning "The White God" or "The Bright God." He is the guardian of Asgard by way of either (or both) the rainbow bridge Bifrost and/or the world tree Yggdrasil. Heimdall is linked with the God Rig who is known for coming to Midgard, and creating, with three different human women, the classes of mankind. The thrall, the freeman, and the lord, hence the idea that the children of Heimdall are mankind. Now, to Yggdrasil. It is an Ash tree, the link between the nine worlds (mentioned later). What variety? I don't know, but I suppose it is possible that Yggdrasil is a White Ash. If not, there are other descriptions of the tree which state that it is an Ash tree covered with white mud, thereby making it a white ash tree even if it isn't of the White Ash variety. A link. The White God, the White Tree. In later stanzas, the Gods Odin, Vili, and Ve create the first man and first woman out of Ask and Embla. Ask is an ash tree, and some believe Embla to be an Elm. A link. The children of Heimdall, mankind, The world tree Yggdrasil an ash, the first man created from an ash. Now, let's draw some patterns out of the random ideas. Heimdall, the White God, guardian of the link between the worlds, the progenitor of the classes of men. Yggdrasil, the white tree, the entity that links the Nine Worlds. The tree that is of the same species as the tree from which the first man was created.

With this in mind is it unreasonable to think that in this aspect, Heimdall is Yggdrasil itself? If so, then it would follow that to understand aspects of Heimdall would begin one on the path to gaining the knowledge that Odin himself sought. Further, as mankind, being descended from The tree, one could then begin to see the idea that we hold within ourselves the key to the runes. One might even say that though we, ourselves, are not the runes, we are the source. I will expand on this idea later in discussions about Odin's discovery of the runes.

One more thing that caught my eye, consider the following:

Hør mig alle hellige Slægter,

Heimdals Sønner store og smaa!

Valfader vil det, vel skal jeg nævne

Slægters Skjæbner, jeg skued først.

To the point, this is a Danish translation of the above stanza, a language that is arguably closer to the original Old Norse than modern English. Note the second line, Heimdals Sønner...Heimdal's Sons. Now here's while I think this is interesting. My understanding is that the seeress was raised from the dead by Odin. My further understanding is that necromancy is a form of magic called seidh, and is a primarily feminine form of magic taught to Odin by his wife, Frigga. So far, we're fine. I get it. The part that makes me wonder is the part where we're calling forth Heimdal's sons. Why, if Odin is working a primarily feminine magic, is the seeress specifically calling out Heimdal's sons? Of course, the Danish translation is from 1895, so it may just be a reflection of the times.

I call to mind the kin of etins

which long ago did give me life.

Nine worlds I know, the nine abodes

of the glorious world-tree the ground beneath.

Etin, giant. I see these creatures as somewhat complex beings. On the one hand, these guys tend to be known as the enemies of Thor, and with Thor being the protector of the Gods and mankind, the enemies of the Gods and mankind. At the same time the first two lines of the second stanza clearly show that the seeress herself is of etin blood. As we'll later see, the Gods themselves are of etin blood. Further, if we are to accept that mankind are the descendants of the Gods, mankind, we, are of the blood of etins. We, ourselves, share blood with our mortal enemies. It is through these creatures that the seeress has gained the knowledge that she is about to share.

Nine worlds she knows...

• Asgard, the home of the Æsir, the Gods and Goddesses. I tend to see these as having reign over knowledge, emotion, creativity, and generally those things that we see as "human," I suppose.
• Alfheim, the home of the Light Elves. I'll learn more about these as time goes on.
• Vanaheim, the home of the Vanier. I tend to see these as the Gods and Goddesses of nature.
• Midgard, the place where we live. Incedentially, if you've ever read (or seen) The Lord of the Rings you know of this term. "Middle Earth." You'll find that these stories and these people have a surprising influence on the lives of those of us who live in the Western world.
• Jotunheim/Etinheim, the home of the giants.
• Muspellheim, the home of the fire giants.
• Niflheim, the world of primal ice.
• SvartAlfheim, the home of the dark elves, or dwarves.
• Hel, the land of the dead. Another impact on our world. Yes, this is the origin of the place known as Hell. No, it is not necessarily a place of torment. It would be better understood as a land of the dead.

The world tree, the ash. Yggdrasil. The tree itself has a rich mythology, but for now it is enough to know that this is the link between the Nine worlds.

In essence what we're seeing here is the seeress making a statement about the extent of her knowledge. Through her etin lineage she has gained a great deal of knowledge, and this knowledge includes the secrets of the Tree, the worlds that it connects, and the reference to the ground beneath hints at the fact that she knows of the secrets that are hidden around the roots of that tree. She is bragging of her heritage and her knowledge. At the same time, this is a bit of insight in to the mentality of the people of the time. She first tells of her lineage. A blood line that is not always loved, but respected for various things including their ability to see and know. If this were not the case, it would not be mentioned. Once establishing herself as a knowledgeable being, she then goes on to describe the extent of her knowledge.

That's enough for now, more later.

Read more ...

Edda Discussions Intro

First, to be clear, this is not intended to be a scholarly discussion. It is simply my desire to read and attempt to understand the topic of discussion. It is opinion and personal interpretation that could change from day to day. As such, both supporting and opposing ideas are welcome.

Second, the subject of this discussion is a collection of works referred to as "The Poetic Edda." Others much better informed than I have written on this subject. They have described the history of these documents, and their importance to our understanding of the ancient Nordic people. I will leave the explanation of these documents to them. You may start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetic_Edda#Original_text

Third, there is no set format for these discussions. I hope to find the time to read and write frequently, weekly, I suppose. I will try to break off the reading in manageable chunks that are consistent in subject and theme. I will then mount my personal digital global soapbox and share my fairly meaningless opinions. Feel free to jump in and discuss.

Finally, one should keep in mind that these poems were written down for a reason. They are the written form of an oral tradition that passed the ideas of religion, mysticism, and cultural values from generation to generation. They are intended to convey information beyond that which is simply in the words themselves. With that in mind, one cannot really over analyze what the words might mean. That analysis may be wrong, but the fact that there was intended to be something behind the words is probable.

My own personal copy of The Poetic Edda is the 2nd edition translation by Lee M. Hollander, available from the University of Texas press. Not knowing the Old Norse language, I have no idea how true this version is to the original, but the reading seems fairly accurate, and I tend to believe that it is closer to the original than many of the other translations that are available. Should you decide you're interested in having your own version, but not interested in buying it, search on google. There are several translations available in the public domain. With that said, I've got some reading to do.

Read more ...