Voluspá Discussion XXVII - IXXX

The next several stanzas seem to be another shift in the story. Stanza 27 seems, to me, to be a somewhat awkward transition from the seeress telling the story of the first war to a one on one conversation between her and Odin.

XXVII

Where Heimdall's horn          is hid, she knows,

under heaven-touching,          holy world-tree;

on it are shed          showery falls

from Fjolnir's pledge:          know ye further, or how?

In stanza 27 the seeress is boasting a bit about her knowledge. She states, in the third person, that she knows the location of Odin's eye by stating that it lies under the root of Yggdrasil that points towards Niflheim, in Mirmir's well. This story from chapter 15 of the Prose Edda, Gilfiginning, tells how Fjolnir("The Concealor" one of Odin's kennings) desires a drink from Mimir's well because he realizes that drinking from the well will grant him wisdom and wit. Mimir, however, demands a sacrifice before allowing Odin to drink. Odin plucks out his own eye and casts it in to the well. Here we touch back on a previously discussed theme, that of the quest for, or evolution to, enlightenment. While I know nothing of what ritual may or may not be referenced here, we do seem to have a mention of some sort of ritual in which the seeker must give something of himself in order to achieve a higher state of learning. I doubt that there was an abundance of shaman running around plucking out their own eyes, but one can almost see this as being symbolic of the so-called third eye once the initiate has gained the ability to intentionally interact with higher levels of consciousness...the eye is immersed in the well of knowledge. 

XXVIII

Alone she sat out          when the lord of gods,

Othin the old,          her eye did seek:

"What seekest to know,          why summon me?

Well know I, Ygg,          where they eye is hidden:

in the wondrous          well of Mimir;

each morn Mimir          his mead doth drink

out of Fjolnir's pledge:          know ye further, or how?

In stanza 28 we begin with the seeress "sitting out," or performing a form of magic in which the magician is able to interact with the dead. Odin has gone out and is actively seeking her attention, in that he wants her to share her knowledge. When he finally catches her eye she again shows her visionary prowess by mentioning the previous story and telling him that she knows how Odin came to lose his eye. After sharing an example of the extent of her knowledge she asks if he would like to hear more. We also have another interesting bit to consider. In the above stanza she explicitly states that each morning Mimir drinks the mead of knowledge from the well out of Fjolnir's pledge. We'll remember that Fjolnir is Odin, and the pledge is his eye. As we'll see later, Mimir becomes the source of advice and knowledge for Odin. At the same time Mimir expands his knowledge each day by drinking from the well using Fjolnir's gift, Odin's eye. We can almost imagine a self feeding process in which the seeker of knowledge gives of himself in to the larger and growing sea of knowledge while those who have progressed further on the path of enlightenment gain from the knowledge added by those who seek while at the same time teaching and sharing newly gained knowledge with those seekers. In essence, explaining that knowledge, when shared, is far more than the sum of its individual components.   

IXXX

Gave Ygg to her          arm rings and gems

for her seeress' sight          and soothsaying:

(the fates I fathom,          yet farther I see,)

see far and wide          the worlds about.

In stanza 29 we see Odin giving payment to the seeress for the service he is requesting. We can see this as a continuation of the previous stanza in that she first offers a sample of the knowledge she has to share. Once Odin is satisfied he offers payment for the services. While there is nothing particularly profound in this act, we can take something of value from this. There is a fairly practical lesson here. For the first part, the seeress provides a sample of her skills before receiving payment. For the second part, Odin receives proof of the value of the goods before offering payment. We would do well to take this to heart.  

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Voluspá Discussion XXIV - XXVI

XXIV

His spear had Othin          sped o'er the host:

the first of feuds          was thus fought in the world;

was broken in battle          the breastwork of Asgarth,

fighting Vanir          trod the field of battle.

In the first two lines of Stanza 24 we see the first occurrence of the ritual in which Odin throws his spear, Gungnir (The Swaying One), over the battle field, or, more specifically, over the enemy host. According to Hollander, this act dedicates the fallen of the enemy to Odin, almost making the battle itself in to a holy ritual in which the fallen enemy becomes a human sacrifice to the God. This yet again highlights the aspect of Odin as a God of death, and the danger of following too closely where he leads. It also gives some further insight in to the world view of the ancient Norse. No, they weren't all Vikings or warriors, but those who were did have respect within the society...even those who were enemy warriors. There was honor in a battle well fought, even if losses were taken, as is evedenced by the fact that the wall around Asgard fell during this first battle in the world. Clearly the enemy was respected in the fact that those who fell were dedicated to the Allfather. This is a lesson from which we could well learn in this day and age. There is honor in a battle well fought, even if the battle is lost, and even the enemy should be respected as a warrior. One point that leaves me a bit confused is the name of Odin's spear...The Swaying One, Gungnir. Names weren't given without meaning, though I don't quite see what this name could mean.

XXV

Then gathered together          the gods for councel,

 the holy hosts,          and held converse:

who had filled the air          with foul treason,

and to uncouth etins          Oth's wife given.

Stanza 25 tells us how a deal was struck with an etin to rebuild the wall around Asgard. The betrayel is that one among them, probably Loki, promised Odin's wife to the giant if the wall could be built within the allotted time. Loki often makes such bargains on his own, offering or stealing things he has no right to give in exchange for a service. As the Gods defend what is theirs when the bargain fails, the Æsir often eventually benefit from these bargains. Loki is an interesting character. Not exactly evil, and therefore attempts to equate him with the Christian devil are faulty, but certainly not harmless. Like Odin, he is very dangerous, but where the danger in following Odin lies in the quest for knowledge at all costs and his association with death, the danger in Loki is that he is a creature of pure selfishness. This also highlights an interesting aspect of the Norse world view. This creature, who will eventually bring about the battle of Ragnarok and the fall of the Gods, is not a force of destruction (that role is held by the etins), but rather a force of selfishness. He acts only out of self-interest. His acts that benefit the Gods, and by extension the world of men, come about purely due to the fact that the Gods will not allow what is theirs to be taken by treachery, and in the process of defending what is theirs, gain from the spoils of war. 

XXVI

Thewy Thor then          overthrew the foe-

he seldom sits          when of such he hears:

were sworn oaths broken,          and solemn vows,

gods' plighted troth,          the pledges given.

In any case, we see Thor acting in his role as the protector of Asgard. As is often the case, Loki's actions have resulted in a danger to the Gods, and Thor moves to protect them. We'll speak more of Thor later, but for now it is enough to know that where Loki is, Thor is never far. 

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Voluspá Discussion XXI-XXIII

Voluspá Discussion XXI-XXIII

XXI

I ween the first war          in the world was this,

when the gods Gullveig          gashed with their spears,

and in the hall          of Hár burned her-

three times burned they          the thrice reborn,

ever and anon:          even now she liveth.

XXII

Heith she was hight          where to houses she came,

the wise seeress,          and witchcraft plied-

cast spells where she could,          cast spells on the mind:

to wicked women          she was welcome ever.

Here we have yet another stanza that is referenced many times on the Internet with stories of speculation repeated as fact. Well, the fact is that stanza 21 is the only reference we have to Gullveig, so anything that tells a story of what she did or said is, at best, conjecture, and, at the worst, so much fanciful drivel. Here is what is known. 

• Her name likely means something along the lines of "Gold Drink" or "Gold Might." 


• The first war in the world was when the Gods tried with all their might to destroy her, but still she lives "ever and anon: even now she liveth." 


• Taken in the context of the Voluspá, which is the story of the life cycle of the Gods even unto their deaths, this would seem to indicate that she outlives even them. 


• Stanza 22 goes so far as to call her a witch, and states that she casts spells of the mind, and that she is welcome to wicked women. 

What we have here is not, as some would have us believe, an annoying Goddess of the Vanier who the Æsir decide to kill because she can't stop talking about gold. No, there is no purpose in a story like that, and besides, if talking about gold is annoying enough to kill over, how is it that Loki possibly survived as long as he did? What we have is the spirit of greed and envy taking control of the emotions of the Æsir. They try to control their jealousy of what ever it is that they envy, and the Vanier posses, because it is the Vanier with whom this first war is fought, but the spirit of greed cannot be brought under control, and Gods go to war of that which they covet. 

XXIII

Then gathered together          the gods for council,

the holy hosts,          and held converse:

should the Æsir a truce          with tribute buy,

or should all gods          share in the feast.

Stanza 23 sheds further light on that which is the source of the greed. The Æsir hold council to determine whether they should "buy" a truce with the Vanier, essentially give the Vanier some item in order to end the war, or should the Æsir give in and allow the Vanier to "share in the feast," the feast which is, as stated by Hollander, the sacrificial feast that is offered up to the Gods by mankind...Share the worship with this other pantheon of gods... 

As we can see here, if stanza 21 is to be taken in the context of the following stanzas the mention of Gullveig most likely has nothing to do with some silly tale of gold lust. It is far more likely that after the creation of Ask and Embla, mankind began incorporating worship of the Vanier in to their rituals. Naturally this does make the Æsir jealous because they have already seen their future to an extent, and know that humans are very important to their battle during Ragnarok. 

Now, I do have one point that confuses me a little here. It has been my understanding through reading, as well as descriptions of the Gods and Goddesses of the Vanier, that the Vanier tend to be Gods and Goddesses that are more in the domain of nature...For example, Njord, a God of the sea, Frey, a God of, among other things, the harvest and fertility, and his sister Freyja, a Goddess of love and fertility. My question is, can anyone shed light on why the Hollander translation would refer, in the footnotes, to the Vanier as Gods of commerce? I may have missed something.

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Voluspá Discussion IXX:XX

Don't mind the naming and formatting changes. I'll get something I like worked out eventually. 

IXX

An ash I know,          hight Yggdrasil,

the mighty tree          moist with white dews;

thence come the floods          that fall adown;

evergreen o'ertops          Urth's well this tree.

Yggdrasil - Ygg's (Odin's) horse. We will get to the meaning of this later in the Havamal, but I would like to pause here for just a minute. Here we have a statement that identifies the name of the tree literally as Odin's horse. We know from other stories that the more common name for his horse is Sleipnir, an eight legged grey horse. We can now draw certain comparisons between the tree and the horse. The tree is the link between the nine worlds, which could possibly equate to the eight legs and head (I have a reason for considering the head the ninth link...ask if you care to know), the white dew of the tree, the white foam from the running horse, and the grey hide of the horse, and the fact that both entities are known to have carried Odin in to death. The tree when Odin discovered the runes, and the horse when Odin rode to Hel when trying to understand the reason for Baldur's nightmares. We also have more reinforcement of the possible connection between Heimdal and Yggdrasil in the white dew of the tree, and the white armor of Heimdal. In this we also can't ignore Sleipnir's grey hide. We can also make another loose link between Odin and the possible Heimdal/Yggdrasil/Sleipnir connection. Odin is known as a god of death. Both Sleipnir and Yggdrasil confirm Odin's mastery over death. Heimdal, hoever, is the god who will, with his sounding of Gjallerhorn, announce that Odin is about to succumb to death. 

    Finally, it is interesting to note that Yggdrasil stands above Urth's (the sister of the Norns having dominion over the past) well, and seems to indicate that the dew from the tree that links the nine worlds, fills the well that shows the past. This seems to show the importance of the past to things as they are now. The cyclic nature of the universe. That which is happening is reflected in our past, and therefore our future can be known by understanding the past.

XX

Thence wise maidens          three betake them-

under spreading boughs          their bower stands-

[Urth one is hight,          the other, Verthandi,

Skuld the third:          they scores did cut,]

they laws did make,          they lives did choose:

for the children of men          they marked their fates.

The third and fourth lines are bracketed as they are in the Hollander translation. They expand and give detail regarding the subjects of the stanza, and were very likely a later addition after the original was written down. This is clear from not only the fact do they reiterate the information conveyed by the rest of the stanza, but their very existence changes the form of the stanza itself. 

    This stanza again confirms that the Norns live below the nine worlds. The dew of the tree fills the well of the past, the sisters mark the fates of mankind. Again highlighting the link to the past and its influence on the present and future.

    For me these two stanzas convey a very clear message. Although our time is linear, we live in a cyclic reality. We establish patterns, and live within those patterns. Our family lines do the same thing as we pass down traditions and behaviors, as do our societies. If we can set aside our ego we can easily recognize these patterns. Once the patterns are recognized one can make fairly accurate predictions of the future, understand what is likely to happen, and if necessary, change behavior to alter the future.

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