Prose Edda — Old Norse facing a living language
Enn átti Loki fleiri börn. Angrboða hét gýgr í Jötunheimum. Við henni gat Loki þrjú börn. Eitt var Fenrisúlfr, annat Jörmungandr, þat er Miðgarðsormr, þriðja er Hel.
Loki had more children still. A giantess in Jotunheim was named Angrboda. With her Loki fathered three children: one was Fenris-Wolf, the second Jormungand — that is, the Midgard Serpent — the third is Hel.
En er goðin vissu til, at þessi þrjú systkin fæddust upp í Jötunheimum, ok goðin rökðu til spádóma, at af systkinum þessum myndi þeim mikit mein ok óhapp standa, ok þótti öllum mikils ills af væni, fyrst af móðerni ok enn verra af faðerni, þá sendi Alföðr til goðin at taka börnin ok færa sér.
And when the gods learned that these three siblings were being raised in Jotunheim, and read in the prophecies that great harm and misfortune would come to them from this brood — and it seemed to everyone that no good could come of them, first from the mother's side, and worse still from the father's — Allfather sent gods to seize the children and bring them to him.
Ok er þau kómu til hans, þá kastaði hann orminum í inn djúpa sæ, er liggr um öll lönd, ok óx sá ormr svá, at hann liggr í miðju hafinu of öll lönd ok bítr í sporð sér. Hel kastaði hann í Niflheim ok gaf henni vald yfir níu heimum, at hon skyldi skipta öllum vistum með þeim, er til hennar váru sendir, en þat eru sóttdauðir menn ok ellidauðir.
When they arrived, he threw the serpent into the deep sea that girds every land, and that serpent grew so huge that it now lies in the middle of the ocean around all lands, biting its own tail. Hel he threw into Niflheim, and gave her power over nine worlds, so that she would divide lodging among all who were sent to her — that is, those who die of sickness or old age.
Hon á þar mikla bólstaði, ok eru garðar hennar forkunnarhávir ok grindr stórar. Éljúðnir heitir salr hennar, Hungr diskr hennar, Sultr knífr hennar, Ganglati þrællinn, Ganglöt ambátt, Fallandaforað þresköldr hennar, er inn gengr, Kör sæing, Blíkjandaböl ársali hennar. Hon er blá hálf, en hálf með hörundarlit. Því er hon auðkennd ok heldr gnúpleit ok grimmlig.
She holds vast estates there; her walls are tremendously high, her gates enormous. Her hall is called Sleet-Cold; her dish, Hunger; her knife, Famine; her manservant, Lazy; her maidservant, Sluggish; her threshold, Stumbling-Block, at the entrance; her bed, Sickbed; her bed-hangings, Gleaming-Bale.
Úlfinn fæddu æsir heima, ok hafði Týr einn djarfleik at ganga til at ok gefa honum mat.
She's half blue-black, half flesh-colored, which makes her easy to recognize, and she looks grim and forbidding.
En er goðin sá, hversu mikit hann óx hvern dag, ok allar spár sögðu, at hann myndi vera lagðr til skaða þeim, þá fengu æsirnir þat ráð, at þeir gerðu fjötur allsterkan, er þeir kölluðu Læðing, ok báru hann til úlfsins ok báðu hann reyna afl sitt við fjöturinn, en úlfinum þótti sér þat ekki ofrefli ok lét þá fara með sem þeir vildu. En it fyrsta sinn, er úlfrinn spyrnði við, brotnaði sá fjöturr.
The Aesir raised the Wolf at home, and only Tyr was bold enough to go feed him. But when the gods saw how much he grew every day, and every prophecy said he was destined to bring them harm, they decided to make a very strong fetter, which they called Laeding, and brought it to the Wolf and asked him to test his strength against it. The Wolf thought it no great challenge, and let them do as they liked.
Svá leystist hann ór Læðingi. Því næst gerðu æsirnar annan fjötr hálfu sterkara, er þeir kölluðu Dróma, ok báðu enn úlfinn reyna þann fjötur ok tölðu hann verða mundu ágætan mjök at afli, ef slík stórsmíði mætti eigi halda honum.
But the first time the Wolf lashed out, the fetter snapped — so he broke free of Laeding. Next the Aesir made a second fetter, twice as strong, called Dromi, and asked the Wolf to test that one too, telling him he'd win great fame for strength if such a mighty piece of work couldn't hold him.
En úlfrinn hugsaði, at þessi fjöturr var sterkr mjök, ok þat með, at honum hafði afl vaxit, síðan er hann braut Læðing - kom þat í hug, at hann myndi verða at leggja sik í hættu, ef hann skyldi frægr verða, ok lét leggja á sik fjöturinn. Ok er æsir tölðust búnir, þá hristi úlfrinn sik ok laust fjötrinum á jörðina ok knúðist fast at, spyrnði við, braut fjöturinn, svá at fjarri flugu brotin.
The Wolf considered that this fetter was very strong indeed, and that his strength had grown since he broke Laeding — it occurred to him that he'd have to risk something if he wanted to become famous, so he let them lay the fetter on him. And when the Aesir declared themselves ready, the Wolf shook himself, dashed the fetter against the ground, strained hard against it, kicked out, and snapped it — the fragments flew far.
Svá drap hann sik ór Dróma. Þat er síðan haft fyrir orðtak, at leysi ór Læðingi eða drepi ór Dróma, þá er einhver hlutr er ákafliga sóttr. Eftir þat óttuðust æsirnar, at þeir myndi eigi fá bundit úlfinn. Þá sendi Alföðr þann, er Skírnir er nefndr, sendimaðr Freys, ofan í Svartálfaheim til dverga nökkurra ok lét gera fjötur þann, er Gleipnir heitir.
That's how he broke free of Dromi. Ever since, it's been a saying — 'to loose out of Laeding' or 'to break out of Dromi' — for anything pursued with all one's might. After that the Aesir feared they'd never manage to bind the Wolf. So Allfather sent the one called Skirnir, Freyr's messenger, down into the land of the Black Elves, to certain dwarves, and had them make the fetter called Gleipnir.
Hann var gerr af sex hlutum: af dyn kattarins ok af skeggi konunnar ok af rótum bjargsins ok af sinum bjarnarins ok af anda fisksins ok af fugls hráka. Ok þóttú vitir eigi áðr þessi tíðendi, þá máttu nú finna skjótt hér sönn dæmi, at eigi er logit at þér. Sét munt þú hafa, at konan hefir ekki skegg ok engi dynr verðr af hlaupi kattarins ok eigi eru rætr undir bjarginu.
It was made from six things: a cat's footstep, a woman's beard, a mountain's roots, a bear's sinews, a fish's breath, and a bird's spit. And even if you didn't know these things before, you can now see quick proof that I'm not lying to you: you must have noticed that a woman has no beard, that a cat makes no sound when it runs, and that there are no roots under a mountain — and, on my word, everything else I've told you is just as true, even the parts you can't test for yourself."
Ok þat veit trúa mín, at jafnsatt er þat allt, er ek hef sagt þér, þótt þeir sé sumir hlutir, er þú mátt eigi reyna." Þá mælti Gangleri: "Þetta má ek at vísu skilja, at satt er. Þessa hluti má ek sjá, er þú hefir nú til dæma tekit. En hvernig varð fjöturrinn smíðaðr?" Hárr segir: "Þat kann ek þér vel segja.
Then Gangleri said: "I can certainly see that this much is true — I can see these things for myself, the ones you've just given as examples. But how was the fetter made?"
Fjöturrinn varð sléttr ok blautr sem silkiræma, en svá traustr ok sterkr sem nú skaltu heyra. Þá er fjöturrinn var færðr ásunum, þökkuðu þeir vel sendimanni sitt erindi.
High said: "That I can tell you well. The fetter came out smooth and soft as a silk ribbon, but as sure and strong as you're about to hear. When the fetter was brought to the Aesir, they thanked the messenger warmly for his errand.
Þá fóru æsirnir út í vatn þat, er Ámsvartnir heitir, í hólm þann, er Lyngvi er kallaðr, ok kölluðu með sér úlfinn, sýndu honum silkibandit ok báðu hann slíta ok kváðu vera nökkuru traustara en líkendi þætti á fyrir digrleiks sakir, ok seldi hverr öðrum ok treysti með handafli, ok slitnaði eigi, en þó kváðu þeir úlfinn slíta mundu.
Then the Aesir went out onto the lake called Amsvartnir, to the island called Lyngvi, and called the Wolf to them, showed him the silk ribbon, and asked him to snap it, saying it was somewhat tougher than its thinness suggested. They passed it hand to hand and tested it with their strength, and it wouldn't break — yet they claimed the Wolf could break it.
Þá svarar úlfrinn: "Svá lízt mér á þenna dregil sem enga frægð munak af hljóta, þótt ek slíta í sundr svá mjótt band. En ef þat er gert með list ok vél, þótt þat sýnist lítit, þá kemr þat band eigi á mína fætr." Þá sögðu æsirnir, at hann myndi skjótt sundr slíta mjótt silkiband, er hann hafði fyrr brotit stóra járnfjötra, - "en ef þú fær eigi þetta band slitit, þá muntu ekki hræða mega goðin.
Then the Wolf answered: "It seems to me I'll win no glory from this ribbon, however thin it is, if I do snap it. But if it's made with craft and cunning, then slight as it looks, that band will never come near my feet." Then the Aesir said he'd easily snap a thin silk band, since he'd already broken great iron fetters — "but if you can't manage to burst this band, then you'll pose no threat to the gods, and we'll set you free."
Skulum vér þá leysa þik." Úlfrinn segir: "Ef þér bindið mik, svá at ek fæk eigi leyst mik, þá skollið þér svá, at mér mun seint verða at taka af yðr hjálp. Ófúss em ek at láta þetta band á mik leggja, en heldr en þér frýið mér hugar, þá leggi einn hverr yðarr hönd sína í munn mér at veði, at þetta sé falslaust gert."
The Wolf said: "If you bind me so that I can't get free again, you'll be slow to come to my help when I need it. I'm reluctant to let this band be put on me — but rather than have you doubt my courage, let one of you lay his hand in my mouth as a pledge that this is done honestly."
En hverr ásanna sá til annars ok þótti nú vera tvau vandræði, ok vildi engi sína hönd fram selja, fyrr en Týr lét fram hönd sína hægri ok leggr í munn úlfinum. En er úlfrinn spyrnir, þá harðnaði bandit, ok því harðara er hann brauzt um, því skarpara var bandit. Þá hlógu allir nema Týr. Hann lét hönd sína.
Each of the Aesir looked to the next, and none wanted to give up his hand, until Tyr reached out his right hand and laid it in the Wolf's mouth. And when the Wolf strained against it, the fetter grew tighter, and the harder he fought it, the tighter it drew. Then everyone laughed except Tyr — he lost his hand.
Þá er æsirnir sá, at úlfrinn var bundinn at fullu, þá tóku þeir festina, er ór var fjötrinum, er Gelgja heitir, ok drógu hana gegnum hellu mikla, - sú heitir Gjöll, - ok festu helluna langt í jörð niðr. Þá tóku þeir mikinn stein ok skutu enn lengra í jörðina, - sá heitir Þviti, - ok höfðu þann stein fyrir festarhælinn. Úlfrinn gapði ákafliga ok fekksk um mjök ok vildi bíta þá.
When the Aesir saw that the Wolf was fully bound, they took the chain running from the fetter, called Gelgja, and threaded it through a great slab of rock — called Gjoll — and drove that slab deep into the ground. Then they took an even bigger stone, called Thviti, and drove it deeper still, and used it to anchor the chain. The Wolf gaped horribly and thrashed and tried to bite them, so they wedged a sword into his mouth — the hilt caught on his lower jaw, the point on the upper — and that's his gag.
Þeir skutu í munn honum sverði nökkuru. Nema hjöltin við neðra gómi, en efra gómi blóðrefillinn. Þat er gómsparri hans. Hann grenjar illiliga, ok slefa renn ór munni hans. Þat er á sú, er Ván heitir. Þar liggr hann til ragnarökrs." Þá mælti Gangleri: "Furðu illa barna eign gat Loki, en öll þessi systkin eru mikil fyrir sér. En fyrir hví drápu æsir eigi úlfinn, er þeim er ills ván af honum?"
He howls dreadfully, and drool runs from his mouth — that forms the river called Van. There he'll lie until the doom of the gods." Then Gangleri said: "Loki fathered a truly terrible brood of children — but all these siblings are formidable. So why didn't the Aesir just kill the Wolf, since they expected nothing but harm from him?"
Hárr svarar: "Svá mikils virðu goðin vé sín ok griðastaði, at eigi vildu þau saurga þá með blóði úlfsins, þótt svá segi spárnar, at hann myni verða at bana Óðni."
High answered: "The gods so honored their sanctuaries and places of peace that they wouldn't stain them with the Wolf's blood — even though the prophecies say he'll be the death of Odin."