Vár-dagar (Spring-days)

From Persephone to Brigit to Iðunn, every culture has a Spring goddess and a Spring myth. In Old Norse, the tale of the god of poetry Bragi's wife Iðunn and her kidnapping by the giant Þjazi, which causes the gods (and the world) to grow old, is the tale of Winter and its defeat by the renewing powers of Spring. Although her silver apples do not make an appearance in this verse of Spring, Iðunn and her healing powers are the controlling images.

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Old Norse Verse	Word-by-Word Translation	Prose-Order Translation
Bragis kona brǫgðrotts brað-sól drif-fastu lífgað; undir bragð sœt engjar af nýju hennar eflask. Brún ok dal ís brandar bræða Iðuns bæði ok forða blóm fagr-vaxinn faðm-lag ísa dauð-ligt.	Bragi's wife crafty sun-bright the drift-bound revives under countenance sweet meadows a-new her grow strong. Ridge and dale ice brands melt Iðun's both and escape blossoms fair-standing embrace of ice deadly	Crafty Bragi's sun-bright wife revives the drift-bound. Under her sweet countenance meadows grow strong again. Iðunn's brands melt both ice-ridge and ice-dale and fair blossoms escape deadly ice-embrace.

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Kennings Used

Bragis kona > Iðunn

Iðuns brandar > Iðun's brands/swords > Sun-beams

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