Just this weekend, I was working on my drawings of Idunna, and got faced with some questions.
So, I started exploring YE OLDE CATACOMBES OF KNOWLEDGE, i.e. the internet.
I always thought only 2 surviving myths had Idunna in it, the classical myth of the theft of Idunna’s apples and the lokasenna, wherein she defends her husband in the face of loki’s insults, before being insulted herself. Loki accused her of having slept with the killer of her brother. The rest of this myth is forgotten and no other trace of it remains.
Apart from some other poetical references here and there I always thought those were the limits of our knowledge on Idunna.
To my surprise stumbled upon a thrith text, the Hafra Galdur Othins Forspialls liod, an old Icelandic poem shrouded in kennings and written in the Eddic style.
The orgins of this text are clouded in darkness. Some claim it is a relativaly recent text, dating it to the 17th centuriy, others base themselves on linguistic arguments in order to support a more ancient origins, going back to the 14th century.
Whatever the case, the text offers an insight into Idunna, which I believe to be based upon ancient sources.
So, I started exploring YE OLDE CATACOMBES OF KNOWLEDGE, i.e. the internet.
I always thought only 2 surviving myths had Idunna in it, the classical myth of the theft of Idunna’s apples and the lokasenna, wherein she defends her husband in the face of loki’s insults, before being insulted herself. Loki accused her of having slept with the killer of her brother. The rest of this myth is forgotten and no other trace of it remains.
Apart from some other poetical references here and there I always thought those were the limits of our knowledge on Idunna.
To my surprise stumbled upon a thrith text, the Hafra Galdur Othins Forspialls liod, an old Icelandic poem shrouded in kennings and written in the Eddic style.
The orgins of this text are clouded in darkness. Some claim it is a relativaly recent text, dating it to the 17th centuriy, others base themselves on linguistic arguments in order to support a more ancient origins, going back to the 14th century.
Whatever the case, the text offers an insight into Idunna, which I believe to be based upon ancient sources.
The text claimes Idunna is of Elvish descent, thus related to the Disir and Vanir.
In the dales dwells, the prescient Dís, from Yggdrasil’s ash sunk down, of alfen race, Idun by name, the youngest of Ivaldi’s elder children.
In the dales dwells, the prescient Dís, from Yggdrasil’s ash sunk down, of alfen race, Idun by name, the youngest of Ivaldi’s elder children.
Strangely, Ivaldi is a dwarf… . Perhaps she is one of the dark elves, or, was the writer mistaken? If so, this would argue for a quite recent origins of the text. Were the original myths already that far forgotten? I don’t believe she was of dwarfish descent, because that would certainly have been mentioned in the 2 other surviving saga’s.
The poem consists of 26 eight-line stanzas. It involves several known figures from mythology but does not appear to describe a myth known from other sources.
The poem begins with an introduction of 5 rather unclear stanza’s, the narrative proper setting in in stanza 6. Idunn falls from the world-tree and is given a wolfskin to wear. Alarmed, Odin sends a trio of messengers led by Heimdall to get news from a certain woman designated as “the doorpost of Gjöll’s sun” The identity of the woman that Heimdall and his companions visit in the lower world is not explicitely revealed. She has been variously identified as Idunn, Hela, and as Urd. Personaly I think we are dealing with a myth on Idunna’s coming to the Aesir. The messengers ask her the beginning, duration and end of heaven, the world, and hel. Tears are her only response.
As with the professy of the seereress, it would seem she knows the future and the faith of the gods. Her tears prove she knows of the endtimes, and the bad things that will happen at that time. Idunna as godess of eternal life and as a being related to the Vanir, must have known the art of Seidr and thus can very well have posessed the art of fortunetelling. Her refusal to speak means the envoys have nothing to report. The failed messengers return to Asgard, joining a feast in progress. The festivities conclude and night settles in. Everybody goes home and at daybreak Heimdallr sounds his horn.
As with the professy of the seereress, it would seem she knows the future and the faith of the gods. Her tears prove she knows of the endtimes, and the bad things that will happen at that time. Idunna as godess of eternal life and as a being related to the Vanir, must have known the art of Seidr and thus can very well have posessed the art of fortunetelling. Her refusal to speak means the envoys have nothing to report. The failed messengers return to Asgard, joining a feast in progress. The festivities conclude and night settles in. Everybody goes home and at daybreak Heimdallr sounds his horn.
I took the liberty of sharing the poem herunder.
Hrafna Galdur Oþins Forspialls Liod
1.
Alföður orkar, álfar skilja, Vanir vitu, vísa nornir, elur Íviðja, aldir bera,
þreyja þursar, þjá valkyrjur.
All-father exerts power, elves understand, Vanir know, norns show, Íviðja
(a trollwife) strives, humans bear, giants endure, valkyries are distressed.
2.
Æsir gátu alla ætlun, verpir villtu vættar rúnum. Óðhrærir skyldi Urðar
geyma, máttkat verja mestum þorra.
[But] the Æsir divined the whole plan, the unpredictable ones caused
muddle with the god’s runes (or secrets). Óðhrærir had to look after Urður
(fate), he could not protect [her] from the greater part [of the plan].
3.
Hverfur því hugur, leitar hinna, guma grunar grand, ef [hann] dvelur;
Þráins þótti er þungadraumur, þótti Dáins duludraumur.
Therefore his courage fails, he looks for the others, the people (dwarves?)
suspect harm if he delays; Þráinn’s thought is [filled with] a weighty dream,
Dáinn’s thought [with] a deceitful dream.
4.
Dugir með dvergum. Heimar dvína, sökkva niður að Ginnungs niði; oft
Alsviður fellir ofan, [og hann] oft aftur föllnum of safnar.
That’s enough of the dwarves. Worlds dwindle away, they sink down to
the darkness of Ginnungur. Alsviður (Óðinn?) often fells from above and
often gathers up the fallen again.
5.
Strind né röðull æva stendur, lofti með lævi linnir ei straumi; vissa vera
dylst í mærum brunni Mímis; vitið enn eða hvað?
Neither earth nor sun stand for ever, air with its poison does not cease [to
flow] in a stream; the wise being hides itself in Mímir’s renowned spring;
do you understand yet, or what?
6.
Forvitin dís, álfa ættar, hnigin frá aski Yggdrasils, dvelur í dölum; eldri
barna Ivalds hétu yngsta Iðunni.
The enquiring goddess, descended from Elves, sunk down from the ash
Yggdrasill, stays in the valleys. The elder ones of the children of Ívaldur
called the youngest Iðunn
7.
Haldin undir meiði harðbaðms, eirði [hún] illa ofankomu; vön að værri
vistum heima, kunni [hún] síst að kundar Nörva (= Nótt).
Held beneath the hard tree’s branch, she was unhappy with her coming
down; accustomed to pleasanter lodging at home, she was least of all
pleased at Nörvi’s son’s (night’s) dwelling.
8.
Sigtívar sjá nönnu syrgja að véum viggjar (= Yggdrasill); [þeir] seldu
[henni] vargsbelg, [hún] lét í færast, breytti lyndi, lék að lævísi, skipti litum.
The victory-gods (or battle-gods) see the lady grieve by the horse’s
dwelling/sanctuary (= Yggdrasill); they gave her a wolf’s hide, she let
herself be clothed in it, changed her nature, played with mischief, changed
her shape.
9.
Viðrir valdi vörð Bifrastar að frétta gátt sunnu Gjallar hvort er vissi
hvívetna heims; Bragi og Loftur báru kvíðu.
Viðrir (Óðinn) chose Bifröst’s guardian (Heimdallur) to ask the doorpost
of the sun of Gjöll (= woman) whether she knew anything at all about the
world; Bragi and Loftur (Loki) were filled with apprehension.
10.
Rögnir og regin gólu galdur, riðu göndum að rann heimis; Óðinn hlustar
í Hliðskjálfi, lét braut vera langa vegu.
Rögnir (Óðinn) and the gods chanted spells, rode on magic poles to the
dwelling place (or roof) of the world; Óðinn listens in Hliðskjálf, he said
the route was a long journey
11.
Hinn vitri frá selju veiga burða banda og brauta sinna, ef [hún] vissi ártíð,
ævi, aldurtila Hlýrnis, Heljar, heims.
The wise one asked the server of drinks (woman) about the gods’ ancestry/
offspring and their own paths, if she knew heaven’s, Hel’s, the world’s
date of death, life, end.
12.
Ne mælti [hún] mun, ne knátti greiða gífum mál, ne hjaldi glaum; tár
tíndust af törgum hjarnar, endurrjóða eljunfeldinn.
She spoke not her mind, she did not grant the greedy(?) ones words, she
did not chat about merrymaking; tears dripped from her skull-shields
(eyes), they make the energy-cloaks (eyelids) red again.
13.
Eins kemur austan úr Élivogum þorn af akri þurs hrímkalda, með hveim
Dáinn drepur dróttir allar nótt hverja of mæran Miðgarð.
In the same way there comes from the east out of Élivogar a thorn from
the rime-cold giant’s cornfield with which Dáinn pricks all people every
night over all Miðgarður.
14.
Þá dofna dáðir, hendur detta, svimi svífur of sverð Áss hvíta; örvit rennir
glyggvi rýgjar, [þau] sefa sveiflum sókn gjörvallri.
Then deeds become sluggish, hands fall idle, stupor hovers over the white
god’s sword (over the head); insensibility flows into the trollwife’s wind
(into the mind), these things calm in waves the whole parish
15.
Jafnt þótti jólnum Jórunn komin, sútum sollin, er ei gátu svars; sóttu því
meir að syn var fyrir; mælgi dyggði þó mun miður.
Just so seemed Jórunn to the gods to be affected, swollen with sorrows,
when they could not get a reply; they sought the more in that they were
faced with refusal; a lot of talking, however, helped much less.
16.
Frumkvöðull fregnar, hirðir að Gjallarhorni Herjans, fór brauta; nam Nálar
nefa til fylgis; greppur Grímnis varðveitti grund.
The originator of the questioning, the keeper of Herjan’s (Óðinn’s) Gjallarhorn (Heimdallur), went on his way; he took as his companion Nál’s kinsman
(Loki); Grímnir’s (Óðinn’s) poet (the god Bragi) looked after the woman
17.
Þegnar Viðars, fluttir báðir sefum Fornjóts, tóku Vingólf; ganga þar í,
kveðja Æsi þegar við ölteiti Yggjar.
Viðar’s (Óðinn’s?) men, both conveyed by Fornjótur’s kinsmen (winds),
reached Vingólf; they go in there, greet the Æsir straight away at Yggur’s
(Óðinn’s) merry drinking feast.
18.
[Þeir] báðu heilan Hangatý, heppnastan Ása, valda virt öndvegis, día sitja
sæla að sumbli, æ yndi halda með Yggjungi.
They wished Hangatýr (Óðinn), the most fortunate of gods, happiness as
he ruled over the high seat ale, [they wished] the gods good luck as they
sat at the feast, forever to enjoy pleasure with Yggjungur (Óðinn)
19.
[Þeir] létu erindisleysu orðið hafa illa, oflítilfræga; vant myndi verða að
væla svo svars of gæti af svanna.
The gods’ host, seated in accordance with Bölverkur’s orders, were
replete with Sæhrímnir (meat from the boar Sæhrímnir); Skögul meted
out Hnikar’s vat with mead onto trays in toast horns.
20.
Hágoð of frágu Heimdall, hörgar [of frágu] Loka margs yfir máltíð undorn
ofram [= umfram] uns nam húma, ef sprund kendi spár eða spakmál.
The high gods asked Heimdallur, the holy ones asked Loki many things
over the meal on after mid-afternoon until it grew dark, about whether the
woman had imparted any prophecy or wise sayings.
21.
[Þeir] létu erindisleysu orðið hafa illa, oflítilfræga; vant myndi verða að
væla svo svars of gæti af svanna.
They said their fruitless errand had turned out badly, too little glorious; it
would be hard to engineer it so that an answer would be got from the lady.
22.
Ómi ansar, allir hlýddu: ‘Nótt skal nema til nýræða, hugsi til morguns
hver sem orkar leggja ráð Ásum til rausnar.’
Ómi (Óðinn) replies, they all listened: ‘Night shall be used for new
counsels, let him ponder until morning whoever labours to propose plans
to the glory of the gods.’
23.
Móðir Rindar rann með röstum, föður Fenris varla larður, [þau] gengu frá
gildi; goðin kvöddu Hropt og Frigg, sem fór Hrímfaxa.
The mother of Rind ran with long strides, [she and] the scarcely tired father
of Fenrir (Loki) left the feast; the deities said farewell to Hroptur (Óðinn)
and Frigg, who went with Hrímfaxi (night).
24.
Mögur Dellings framkeyrði jó, settan dýrum jarknasteinum; mön mars glóar af of mannheim, drösull dró leik Dvalins í reið.
Dellingur’s son (Dagur, day) drove forward his steed, adorned with
precious jewels; the horse’s mane shines from it across the world of men,
his charger drew Dvalinn’s plaything (the sun) in a chariot.
25.
Gýgjur og þursar, náir, dvergar og dökkálfar gengu til rekkju nyrðra í jöður jörmungrundar und yztu rót aðalþollar.
Trollwives and giants, corpses, dwarves and dark-elves went to bed further
north on the edge of the mighty earth under the outermost root of the
foremost tree (Yggdrasill).
26.
Raknar risu, Alfröðull rann, Njóla sótti norður að Niflheim; ár nam upp
niður Úlfrúnar, valdur Himinbjarga, hornþyt Gjöll.
The gods rose up, Álfröðull (the sun) rose, Njóla (darkness, i.e. night) went
north to Niflheimur; early Úlfrún’s son (Heimdallur), ruler of Himinbjörg,
began the sound of the horn with Gjöll (Gjallarhorn).
Pieter, March 2015.
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