Prose Edda — Old Norse facing a living language
Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hvar er höfuðstaðrinn eða helgistaðrinn goðanna?" Hárr svarar: "Þat er at aski Yggdrasils. Þar skulu goðin eiga dóma sína hvern dag." Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hvat er at segja frá þeim stað?" Þá segir Jafnhárr: "Askrinn er allra trjá mestr ok beztr. Limar hans dreifast um heim allan ok standa yfir himni. Þrjár rætr trésins halda því upp ok standa afarbreitt.
Then Gangleri asked: "Where is the chief seat, the holy place of the gods?" High answered: "That is at the Ash Yggdrasil. There the gods hold their court every day." Then Gangleri asked: "What more can you tell about that place?" Just-as-High said: "The Ash is the greatest and best of all trees. Its branches spread out over the whole world and rise above the sky.
Ein er með ásum, en önnur með hrímþursum, þar sem forðum var Ginnungagap. In þriðja stendr yfir Niflheimi, ok undir þeiri rót er Hvergelmir, en Níðhöggr gnagar neðan rótina. En undir þeiri rót, er til hrímþursa horfir, þar er Mímisbrunnr, er spekð ok mannvit er í fólgit, ok heitir sá Mímir, er á brunninn. Hann er fullr af vísendum, fyrir því at hann drekkr ór brunninum af horninu Gjallarhorni.
Three roots hold the tree up and reach out immensely wide: one is among the Aesir, another among the rime-giants, where Ginnungagap once was; the third stands over Niflheim, and under it lies Hvergelmir, where Nidhogg gnaws at the root from below. But under the root that reaches toward the rime-giants lies Mimir's Well, where wisdom and understanding are kept hidden. The one who owns the well is called Mimir, and he is full of knowledge because he drinks from the well with the horn Gjallarhorn.
Þar kom Alföðr ok beiddist eins drykkjar af brunninum, en hann fekk eigi, fyrr en hann lagði auga sitt at veði. Svá segir í Völuspá: 21. Allt veit ek, Óðinn, hvar þú auga falt, í þeim inum mæra Mímisbrunni. Drekkr mjöð Mímir morgin hverjan af veði Valföðrs. Vituð ér enn - eða hvat? Þriðja rót asksins stendr á himni, ok undir þeiri rót er brunnr sá, er mjök er heilagr, er heitir Urðarbrunnr.
Allfather once came there and asked for a single drink from the well, but he got none until he had pledged his own eye. So it says in Voluspa: I know it all, Odin — / where you hid your eye, / deep in the famous well of Mimir. / Mimir drinks mead every morning / from the pledge that the Father of the Slain paid. / Do you know more, or what? The third root of the Ash stands in the sky, and beneath it lies the well that is deeply holy, called Urd's Well. There the gods hold their tribunal.
Þar eiga goðin dómstað sinn. Hvern dag ríða æsir þangat upp um Bifröst. Hon heitir ok ásbrú. Hestar ásanna heita svá: Sleipnir er baztr, hann á Óðinn. Hann hefir átta fætr. Annar er Glaðr, þriði Gyllir, fjórði Glenr, fimmti Skeiðbrimir, sétti Silfrintoppr, sjaundi Sinir, átti Gísl, níundi Falhófnir, tíundi Gulltoppr, ellifti Léttfeti.
Every day the Aesir ride up there over Bifrost, which is also called the Aesir's Bridge. The Aesir's horses are named as follows: Sleipnir is the best — Odin owns him, and he has eight legs. The second is Glad, the third Gyllir, the fourth Glen, the fifth Skeidbrimir, the sixth Silfrintopp, the seventh Sinir, the eighth Gisl, the ninth Falhofnir, the tenth Gulltopp, the eleventh Lettfeti.
Baldrs hestr var brenndr með honum, en Þórr gengr til dómsins ok veðr ár þær, er svá heita: 22. Körmt ok Örmt ok Kerlaugar tvær, þær skal Þórr vaða dag hvern, er hann dæma ferr at aski Yggdrasils, því at ásbrú brenn öll loga, heilög vötn hlóa." Þá mælti Gangleri: "Brenn eldr yfir Bifröst?" Hárr segir: "Þat, er þú sér rautt í boganum, er eldr brennandi.
Baldr's horse was burned with him. Thor goes to the tribunal on foot and wades these rivers: Kormt and Ormt and the two Kerlaugar — those Thor must wade every day when he goes to sit in judgment at the Ash Yggdrasil, because the Aesir's Bridge burns with flame from end to end; the holy waters blaze." Then Gangleri asked: "Does fire burn over Bifrost?" High said: "What you see as red in the arc is burning fire.
Upp á himin mundu ganga hrímþursar ok bergrisar, ef öllum væri fært á Bifröst, þeim er fara vilja. Margir staðir eru á himni fagrir, ok er þar allt guðlig vörn fyrir. Þar stendr salr einn fagr undir askinum við brunninn, ok ór þeim sal koma þrjár meyjar, þær er svá heita: Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld. Þessar meyjar skapa mönnum aldr. Þær köllum vér nornir.
The rime-giants and mountain-giants would climb up into the sky if Bifrost were open to everyone who wanted to cross it. There are many fair places in the sky, all guarded by the gods' own power. There stands a beautiful hall under the Ash, by the well, and out of that hall come three maidens named Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld. These maidens shape the length of men's lives — we call them the Norns.
Enn eru fleiri nornir, þær er koma til hvers barns, er borit er, at skapa aldr, ok eru þessar goðkunnigar, en aðrar álfa ættar, en inar þriðju dverga ættar, svá sem hér segir: 23. Sundrbornar mjök segi ek nornir vera, eigu-t þær ætt saman; sumar eru áskunngar, sumar eru alfkunngar, sumar dætr Dvalins."
But there are more norns than these: the ones who come to every child that is born, to shape its span of life. Some of these are of the gods' own kin, some of elf-kind, and some of dwarf-kind, as it says here: I say the Norns are of very mixed birth — / they share no common kin. / Some belong to the gods, some to the elves, / some are Dvalin's daughters."
Þá mælti Gangleri: "Ef nornir ráða örlögum manna, þá skipta þær geysi ójafnt, er sumir hafa gott líf ok ríkuligt, en sumir hafa lítit lén eða lof, sumir langt líf, sumir skammt." Hárr segir: "Góðar nornir ok vel ættaðar skapa góðan aldr, en þeir menn, er fyrir ósköpum verða, þá valda því illar nornir."
Then Gangleri said: "If the Norns decide men's fates, they hand them out very unevenly — some live rich, good lives, and some get little wealth or honor, some a long life, some a short one." High said: "Good norns, of good stock, shape a good life; but for the men who suffer misfortune, it's bad norns who are to blame."