Early of ages
When nothing was
There was neither sand nor sea
Nor cold waves

The earth was not found
Nor the sky above
Ginnungagap was there
But grass, nowhere...

Bright burning land
Realm of fire
Impassable flames

Dark World, home of Hvergelmir
Source of eleven rivers strong
Frozen ice reaching the south
Too meet with warming winds
From the depths comes the likeness of man
Father of fell deeds..

Ymir his name to be, first of the Jotun
Nourished by four great rivers
From the Primeval Cow...

Fell fate awaits
He who soon will shape the Earth

Countless winters,
Ere Earth was formed
Bergelmir was born
That I first remember
When that wise Jotun
In an ark was laid...

Of Ymir's flesh
Was Earth created,
Of his blood the sea
Of his bones the hills,
Of his hair the trees and plants
Of his skull the heaven

And of his brows
The gentle powers
Formed Midgard for men
But of his brain
The heavy clouds are all
Created...

By the shore, two trees of life
Three breaths from the mighty ones
Arise in flesh, Ask and Embla,
The first of mankind...

Come the Golden Age
Two great halls under the Sun
Most wondrous of all things
Twelve great thrones to be with the One
Mighty seats of judgement
In the gilded hall

Build now great forges of fire
Hammer, tong and anvil
To forge all other tools
Work with metal, stone and wood
Vast hoards of gold
Golden houses rise

Upon their thrones of judgement,
Above the living earth,
Maggots finding life in flesh,
Will be granted their birth
Gaining the likeness of men
Knowledge and understanding
Dwelling deep inside the ground
Modsognir and Durin's kin

I know a mighty ash
That spreads all over earth
The greatest of all trees
Standing over the sky

Thee roots it has
Over three wells
Yggdrasil is its name
And many creatures dwell within

The first I know is with the gods
In heavens up high
The second I know reaches to
where emptiness once was
The third is far below
In the darkened realm
One creature is a burden here
Gnawing at the roots

Eagle of great knowledge
Dwelling in the branches
Hawk between its eyes
In Yggdrasil's mighty heights
Ratatosk, a beast of slander
Spreading vicious lies
And four slags running in the tree
Devouring the leaves

I know an ash standing
Yggdrasil height
A lofty tree, laved
With limpid water
Thence come the dews
Into the dales that fall
Ever stands it green
Over Urd's fountain

The mighty ash, Yggdrasil....

Evil, the blood that flows in thy veins
Mischief deep within
Dark is thy future, you will come to see
Great destruction then

Cast in the deep is your serpent blood,
Hel is sent far below
You shall remain in the heavens above, Fenriswolf

"Here he is a danger
Evil fate will be."
"Let us then test his strength
Against this mighty fetter."

"Nay, your bound is weak, by my legs 'twas shattered
Bring to me what you may, you cannot so easily quell me
Laeding was weak and Dromi is strong yet still it is torn asunder
Is there no cast in all the world which may keep me at bay?"

Truly you are a beast of strength great and fell
But see here is a new bound to try
Our hands cannot break the craft of Dwarves
Now shall you face your third challenge, great wolf

"If you were to bind me in such a way that I was unable to free myself, then you would betray and abandon me, and it would be a long time before I received any help from you. I am unwilling to allow that band to be put on me. Rather than questioning my courage, why not let one of you place his hand in my mouth as a pledge that there is no treachery in this offer?"

As you wish, one brave of us will show to you our truth
His hand he will place in your mouth as you are bound
Now struggle, wolf, and see how indeed you were deceived
Although Tyr lost his hand, we have prevented ill fate

This is your fate, bane of All-Father,
Driven into the great barren earth
This sword marks the silence of death
Thy terror is ended

Hall of great warriors
Who fell with sword in hand
Strong and brave Einherjar
All-Father will greet there
Feast on the finest meat
Drink the mead of Heidrun
Glorious are all who dwell
Within those mighty walls

Valhalla

Sol rise and give a new day
So that he may learn
All that happens in the world
Whether good or ill
Victorious feasts and tales of the past
Waiting for the day when
All are called and none shall remain
Within those mighty walls

Valhalla

Five hundred doors
and still forty more
I believe, are at Valhalla
Eight hundred Einherjar
Will go together out each door
When they go to fight the wolf

All prepare for the final day
When all fates are met
Such is their sport

All the Einherjar
In Odin's home fields
Fight among themselves each day
The fallen they choose
Then ride from the battlefield,
Reconciled, they sit again

...And thus they were come to a great fortress standing on an open plain. A fell yet mighty air was about this place. They had at least reached Utgard, a stronghold of giants. Entering they beheld a great hall. Inside, many large men sat in feast.

"News travels slowly from distant parts, but am I wrong in thinking that this little fellow is Thor the Charioteer? Surely there is more to you than meets the eye. Tell me, companions, what skills do you think you are capable of competing? No one can stay here with us who does not have some skill or knowledge greater than other men"

I, Loki will challenge thee
I am the swiftest eather here
Bring forth a trough of meat
Now, who will face me?
Now in the middle I see
That I am defeated
Though bones remain after me
Nothing I see in front of me.

Come now, Thjalfi,
Let us race
Out on the plain
Of Utgard
Three times I won
Now turn back
And accept defeat
At Utgard.

Bring forth the feaasting horn
From which the Charioteer will drink
I know you can drain this horn i n
Three drinks and no more
Should you fail, I shall not doubt that
You will fare well in other feats.
I cannot lift your cat,
Though I try with all my might
I cannot wrestle your old nurse
So steadfast is her stance

In truth, I am the forest giant
You struck mountains with your blows
Wildfire burned and mind did run
Thus came defeat to your friends
Though you drunk you did not see
The ocean unending
The Serpent you lifted high
And old age you did fight well

Went be with neither chariot
Nor companion at his aid
Dressed as a young boy, to seek revenge
For the treachery he had faced
In the hall of many deceits
Now at daybreak he goes to sea

"Such a lad cannot bear
The cold and reach of my journeys
You speak with confidence and now
We soon will see whether tongue holds truth
And the ox you use as bait
Will lure the senses of the deep..."

It can be said in truth that Thor had tricked both Giant and Serpent, no less than he had been deceived himself.

Though the serpent took the bait
His fate was prolonged
Revenge was swift and the hammer was thrown
Now lain in the deep

In my dreams I see my fate
Life is taken from me
Thus there was an oath from all
Never to harm Baldr
But one was too young to take this oath...

Take this bow as I guide your aim,
Even the blind may honour their kin...
Thus was the bane of the beautiful God
There was much despair
That deed began the end of things..

"With such a fell time we are faced
One is to blame for what has become
Soon he will face a terrible vengeance
For all that he has done...
Grief overwhelms, the end of all things
Is now at hand as envy subsides
One must ride the road to Hel
If we are to see the fallen son again...

Odins son Hermod the Bold
Will ride as the wind
To the second son
Now prepared is a funeral pyre
To send forth all that was
Nine dark nights, the ride to Hel
Comes he to the hall at last

"O! Hel,I beg of thee,
By the tears of the Aesir
That you may let me brother ride
With me back to his home
By guile was he taken from here..."

"This I say, if all will weep
Then I shall let your brother leave".
Thus it was spoken that all things
Shed their tears in his name
But there was one that would not weep...

"Thokk will weep
dry tears at Baldr's funeral pyre
Alive or dead the old man's
son gave me no joy.
Let Hel hold what she has"

Deciever, no shape or hide
Can spare you from revenge
You tread your fatal and final path
No mercy will you be shown

In this cave your eivl is bound

Bound by your own son's
Guts you shall remain
Underneat the poison
Forever you will lie
But come will the day
When bonds will break...

Fimbulvetr now has come
None are spared through winters three
Age of Sun is gone..
Come now forth unto the end
Long have we prepared our swords
For this final day

Brothers will fight
bringing death to each other
Sons of sisters
will split their kin bonds..
Age of axes, age of swords,
shields split,
wind age, wolf age
until the world falls into ruin

No more the Sun.
No more the Moon.

Fatters shaken from the earth
Unleashing the deadly foes..

The ship of nails is come
Bane of gods unbound
Sons of Muspell ride behind
A sword as of the Sun

One hundred leagues in every path
The field of battle lies cold and still
Long foreseen the fate of all
Shall be unveiled on the final day

...And finally the mighty
Gjallarhorn resounds
With fear but strength the
fallenones go on towards the end...

Cometh now the final day
Fate awais us on the field
Glorious or fell
Come now forth unto the end
Long have we prepared our swords
For this final day

Absence of the mighty sword
Will be the bane of Frey
Slain by that which shines so bright
Hel's hound, great and fell
Challenges the bravest God
Together they fall

Thunder God and his old foe
Are each other's bane
And finally the ancient wolf
Swallows the Old Wise One..

Odin's son goes to fight with the wolf,
Vidar on the way
To the carrion beast;
He lets his sword
Hew to the heart
Of Hvedrung's son
Thus the father is avenged

The sun grows black,
The earth sinks into the sea
The bright stars
Vanis from the heavens
Steam surges up
And the fire rages.
Heat reaches high
Against heaven itself...