Valkyrjars Sǫng

This poem is intended as a companion piece to a tale told by Mistress Morgana Bro Morganwg of Jarl Haakon and his skald, Haukr. In the tale, the Valkyries, led by Orðtruðr (“word-trust”), spare the Jarl and his men, while destroying their foes. This happens because of the war-song Haukr sings. I've heard and admired the tale; it is one of my favorites. Since neither Hauk´s song nor the Valkyries' song appears in the tale, I have made bold to imagine them.

The form is a variant of togmælt [journey-spoken] with four-to-five syllables per line, alliteration, half-rhymes, and full-rhymes as in dróttkvætt. The shortness of the lines makes the rhythm and rhymes work together more completely. You can find an example from Snorri here.

A careful reader will note that three verses are different from the others in their rhyme scheme. I freely admit to having borrowed them from the Eddaic poem, Darraðarljóð, a poem quoted in Njals Saga, chapter 156. It describes the Valkyries as weavers of man's fate.

Now you can hear it:

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Old Norse Verses

Poetic Translation

Ríðum stríðum strjúka á fljúgjask Sigbragnum þegna þáttu kvattú. Gengr hildr vefa ok hjǫrþrimul sangríðr svipul sverðum svipul skapt mun gnesta skjöldr mun bresta mun hjálmgagarr í hlíf koma. Orðtruð herjarn orrust hjǫrtu til Freyja borit með blóði gollin. Rǫgnis valdrǫs reið um leiðir á býskips systr skeiðbrimi fimmtandi Ríðum stríðum strjúka á fljúgjask Sigbragnum þegna þáttu kvattú. Geðum heiðrs Þungra hungrað - skalt vera berþrek blóðkorgr bǫðvar. Hjálmtrjám dómsorð hæfa hafstrandar. fara til skera framast malmrunnum Reyfarar ríða rafstráit of hafstrǫnd veiðifúss at líkar líflauss ok drífvit. Haukr heyrðr hrylling frýja hildar hjaldr hinkrask, blindandi. Ríðum stríðum strjúka á fljúgjask Sigbragnum þegna þáttu kvattú. Vindum vindum vef darraðar þar er vé vaða vígra manna látum eigi líf skalds britast eigu valkyrjur vals um kosti. Svika þær tók svartast hjartu bálfjandar til helvítis blak vatt gata! Snefga gǫfgað vítskáld Valmey - hljómr líðinn hollr ok gólligr. Ríðum stríðum strjúka á fljúgjask Sigbragnum þegna þáttu kvattú.

Ride to battle! Join the blood-song! Sing of Victory Chieftain's thegns! Go they weaving with swords drawn Hild and Hjorthrimul, Sanngrid and Svipul. Spears will shatter shields will splinter, Swords will gnaw like wolves through armor. Ortrudr warlike warriors' hearts with golden blood to Freyja carries. Slaughter goddess rides the hawks' paths on bee-ship's surf-steed summons sisters. Ride to battle! Join the blood-song! Sing of Victory Chieftain's thegns! Þungra hungers for honor's souls - shall be bear-bold battle's blood-dregs. To sea-strands helm-trees doom-words mete we; go to mow down boldest sword-trees. Above seastrand ambered Ride the rievers hunt for bodies snow white lifeless. Haukr hears she horrors cursing battle's Hildr halts, she staring. Ride to battle! Join the blood-song! Sing of Victory Chieftain's thegns! Wind we now the web of war where warrior banners are forging forward. Harvest we not bright skalds' spirit Valkyries only choose the slain. Took they then the traitors black hearts pyrefiends to Hel's black gates hurled. Blessed then Valmey wit-skald swiftest gliding song-voice true and joyful. Ride to battle! Join the blood-song! Sing of Victory Chieftain's thegns!

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Kennings:

Rǫgnis valdrǫs > Rǫgnir's [Óðin´s] slaughter woman > Valkyrie
býskips skeiðbrimi > bee-ship's surf-racer > air's horse > Valkyrie's horse
Þungra > Freyja
berþrek > bear-bold > warriors
blóðkorgr bǫðvar > blood-dregs of battle > the dead
Hjálmtrjám > helm-trees > warriors
dómsorð > doom-words > justice
malmrunnum > sword-trees > warriors
rafstráit > rievers > Valkyries
hildar hjaldr > battle's Hildr >Valkyrie
skalds britast > skald brightest > Haukr
bálfjandar > pyrefiends > traitors
vítskáld > wit-skald > Haukr

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Do you like it? Hate it? Have questions? Plase let me know by commenting below or by e-mail

A Chicken Posting

Today, Jackson Crawford, who runs the highly entertaining and instructive Tattúínárdǿla saga, posted a message about  The Temple of Vængr the wing-god.  I encourage you all to go have a look; it's good for laugh.  In honor of Vængr the wing-god, I present to you the following flokkr of verses, discovered in a middens filled with egg-shells, burnt bread crusts, and dark brown granular particulates. The manuscript, apparently written by the Boreal Master something 1000+ years ago, seems to refer to a warrior who may well have been a congregant at The Temple of Vængr the wing-god.  The manuscript, written on a piece of parchment covered with circular stains which have been identified as having similar characteristics to the dark brown granular particulates found in the midden, was wrapped around a shard of pottery similarly stained. At the head of the manuscript was written in red letters:

Hœna flokkr eggja-gæzlumaðr (which translates very roughly as The Flokkr of Henny Egg-protector-man)

The verses run as follows (taken from a diplomatic version edited by Alowishus T. Cornpone and published in Annals of Animal-Husbandry and Other Felonies, vol. 17, number 3 [March, 1946], pp. 47-48):

Hœna flokkr eggja-gæzlumaðr

Verse 1:

Poetic Order:

Hklaka mattigs óðar hylð þu
hauka tal þelli-hringa flokkr
Heppin bóru bana hœnaar
hviti-kjöt eggjaveðr mattig.

Prose order:

Hlyð þu mattigs óðar hklaka-hauka; tal þelli-hringa flokkr.  Heppen hviti-kjöt bóru mattig  eggjaveðr bana-hœnar.  

Translation:

Hear my mighty poem, Klucking-hawk; I tell of the fir-ring of the flock (> woman > chicken).  Well-starred (> lucky, fortunate) white-meat (> chicken) brought a mighty edge-windstorm (> battle) to the bane of hens (fox).

Verse 2:

Poetic Order:

Hœna réttir estu Hœna Pœna
Hverr fuglar es þer stóru verri

Prose Order:

Réttir hœna estu Hœna Pœna; hverr fuglar es þer stóru verri.

Translation:

A  mighty hen are you, Henny Penny; every bird is below you.

Verse # 3

hana-Óðinn sunginn hagstœðr
hróstinn burja Loxsi-lósti

Prose order:

Hagstœðr sunginn hana-Óðinn burja hróstinn Loxsi-lósti.

Translation:

Fair singing cock of Óðinn (> warrior rooster) struck bragging Loxsi-lusting (> fox).

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Unfortunately (or blessedly, depending on your point of view) the script following this flokkr is utterly scrambled, giving us no further clues as to the outcome of the saga.
  

A New Lausavísr: Skáld-lofligr (Skald-Praising)

Hej!

Today's verse is in an unusual form called iðurmæltr “repeatedly said” by Snorri. You can find an original example in the Heilagra meyja drápa (‘Drápa about Holy Maidens’). This verse form uses repetition of the final word from one line to the first word of the following line, though in a different form.

My original verse was written in English:

Speak o glorious silk-Syf

Silken voices fill us -

Filled with sword din's fever

Fevered tales you're weaving.

Weaver of our wild dreams

Dreamers grasp your seemings

Seamless runs the silk-stream

Silky-smooth your speeches.

The re-crafted lausavísr, which you can hear here, is slightly different, as you would expect. It is rough, but I think it achieves my purpose of describing and praising a Skald:

Skáld-lofligr

Segðú hæra silk-smiðr

silki-raddir fyllum

fyllask sóttin sverða

sverða songar ferðir

ferða-maðr drómundr draumi

drauma-manna gripa þykkju

þykk-ligr rennr straum-silki

silki-liðka þinn sagðr

Skald-praising

Speak, highest silk-smith

Silken voices fill us

filled with the fever of swords

sword song exploits

Traveller the war-ship of dreams

Dreaming-men grasp thoughts

Thickly flows stream-silk

Silky-smooth your tellings

Prose order translation:

Speak, skald [silk-smiðr > Silk-maker > Smooth-speech-maker > skald]; (your) poetry [silki-raddir > Silken-voices > poetry] fills us. (You are) filled with thoughts of battle [sóttin sverða > fever of the sword > battle], with the battle's [sverða songar > songs of the sword > battle] exploits. Skald [ferða-maðr drómundr draumi > traveller (on) the war-ship of dreams > poet] – Listeners [drauma-manna > dreaming-men > listeners] grasp (your) thoughts. Thickly flow your words [straum-silki > silk-streams > poetry]; silky-smooth your speaking.

Please, comment on my postings. I always appreciate your remarks.

More next week.

Fridrikr