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The Saga of Vanadís, Völva and Valkyrja

The Saga of Vanadís, Völva and Valkyrja

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Tefldu í túni<br />

teitir váru<br />

var þeim vettergis<br />

vant úr gulli<br />

unz þríár kvámu<br />

þursameyjar<br />

ámáttkar mjök<br />

úr Jötunheimum<br />

Völuspá st. 8<br />

On peaceful plains<br />

they played with tablets<br />

games <strong>of</strong> gods<br />

gold was plenty<br />

till three came<br />

towering maidens<br />

mighty women<br />

from the mountains.<br />

After this stanza, there comes the story <strong>of</strong> how the dwarfs were first created <strong>and</strong><br />

then a long list <strong>of</strong> their names, put into nine stanzas 59 . It seems that the dwarfs were<br />

created before humans. <strong>The</strong>y came alive in the body <strong>of</strong> Ymir, i.e. the earth (Snorra Edda,<br />

Gylfaginning, ch.14) <strong>and</strong> then the dwarfs started molding humans from this same earth<br />

(Völuspá, st. 10). Those seem to have been without real life. When we get to the next<br />

stanza we have different versions in the Codex Regius <strong>and</strong> Hauksbók manuscripts, <strong>and</strong><br />

still another in the printed version <strong>of</strong> the text, which the scholars <strong>of</strong> our time have taken<br />

the liberty to “correct”.<br />

Unz þrír komu<br />

úr því liði<br />

öflgir og ástkir<br />

Æsir að húsi,<br />

fundu á l<strong>and</strong>i<br />

lítt meg<strong>and</strong>i<br />

Ask og Emblu<br />

örlöglausa.<br />

Völuspá, st. 17<br />

Corrected<br />

Till three came<br />

from that team<br />

strong <strong>and</strong> loving<br />

Æsir to a house,<br />

saw on the shore<br />

short <strong>of</strong> life force<br />

Askur <strong>and</strong> Embla<br />

lacking örlög.<br />

Unz þríar komu<br />

úr því liði þussa meyjar<br />

ástkir og öflgir<br />

Æsir að húsi,<br />

fundu á l<strong>and</strong>i<br />

lítt meg<strong>and</strong>i<br />

Ask og Emblu<br />

örlöglausa.<br />

Völuspá,<br />

Hauksbók<br />

Original<br />

Till three came<br />

from the group <strong>of</strong><br />

giant maidens<br />

adoring <strong>and</strong> able<br />

Æsir to a house,<br />

saw on the shore<br />

short <strong>of</strong> life force<br />

Askur <strong>and</strong> Embla<br />

lacking örlög.<br />

55

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