Title: Early Viking History Voluspa
1Early Viking History Voluspa
- Voluspa is the first poem contained in theCodex
Regius manuscript of the Poetic Edda, written
down around 1270 A.D. The book was rediscovered
in Iceland in the Renaissance and presented to
the Danish king in 1643, and only returned to
Iceland in the 1960s. - It is the only source for most of the poems it
contains.
2Brief Review of Dates
- 2000 BC Proto-Germans settle in southern
Scandinavia
- 500 BC Proto-Germans displace Celts in northern
Germany
- 120 BC Cimbri and Teutoni, Germanic tribes,
invade Roman Empire
- 9 AD Cheruscan chieftan Arminius (Hermann)
defeats Roman legions commanded by Quinctilius
Varus, end of Roman attempts to conquer Germanic
territory - 100 AD Tacitus writes Germania, describing the
lands and tribes of Germany
3Dates of Völkerwanderung I
- 250 Migration Period begins (sometimes dated from
375 with invasion of the Huns)
- Old-High-German language period (until about
1100)
- 300 Earliest runic inscriptions in Denmarkrunic
inscriptions on weapons in Germany earlier
- 341 Bishop Ulfilas converts Visigoths to Aryan
sect of Christianity, translates bible to Gothic
- 375 Huns appear in Europe, overrun the
Ostrogothic King Ermenrichus. He is the basis for
Jormunrekof the Volsungasaga. Beginning of
dissolution of Roman Empire
4Dates of Völkerwanderung II
- 436 Romans and their allies the Huns battle
Burgundians in the Rheinland
- 437 Burgundian King Gundaharius dies. He is the
basis for Gunnar of the Volsungasaga
- 449 Angles, Saxons, and Jutes migrate to Britain,
conquer the Celts (date in Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle)
- 453 Attila the Hun dies (possibly) at the hands
of his new wife, the Germanic Ildico, a
diminuitive form of Hild. Attila is the basis for
the fictional Atli of the Volsungasaga, or Etzel
of the Niebelungenlied
5Dates of Völkerwanderung III
- 476 Scirian chieftain Odovacar deposes last Roman
Emperor, Romulus Augustulus end of Roman Empire
- 489 Theoderic (Dietrich von Bern) deposes
Odovacar, establishes Ostrogothic kingdom in
Italy. Hildebrand is one of Theoderics most
famous retainers - 550 Migration Period ends
- Beginning of medieval societies and states in
Europe
6Migration Routes of Germanic Tribes
7Early Viking History I
- 700 Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf composed. It
contains references to the Volsung legend
- 715 Willibrord leads first (unsuccessful)
Christian mission to Scandinavia (Denmark)
- 750 Swedish Vikings establish Staraja Ladoga, a
Viking colony in Russia
- 783 First Viking raid recorded in the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle
- 793 Vikings loot monastery on Lindisfarne, the
holy island off the coast of England.
- 795 Viking attacks on Ireland and Scotland,
become almost annual events in next century.
8Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- A.D. 793 This year came dreadful forewarnings
over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying
the people most woefully these were immense
sheets of light rushing through the air, and
whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the
firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon
followed by a great famine, and not long after,
on the sixth day before the ides of January in
the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen
men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in
Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter
9Early Viking History II
- 800 Earliest Skaldic poetry.Charlemage crowned
Holy Roman Emperor, controls most of European
continent
- 839 Swedish Vikings reach Constantinople 841.
Viking base of Dublin in Ireland established.
- 844 First Viking raid on Spain.
- 860 Swedish Vikings, the Rus, attack
Constantinople.
- 862 Rurik, a Swedish Viking, becomes ruler of
Novgorod, establishes Rus dynasty (Russia).
- 862 Finns and Slavs invite Rurik and the Rus to
rule over them, origin of Russian state.
10Early Viking History III
- 870 Vikings begin settlement of Iceland
- 1000 Conversion of Iceland to Christianity
- 1066 Battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings End
of the Viking Age.
- 1125 Icelandic Landnamabok, Book of Settlements,
written, chronicles the Age of Settlement in
Iceland.
- 1210 Oldest Icelandic family sagas written.
- 1220 Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson written.
- 1270 Codex Regius manuscript of the Poetic Edda
written down.
11(No Transcript)
12Gokstad ship from Museum in Oslo, Norway
13(No Transcript)
14VoluspaThe Seeresss Prophesy
- Possibly a sacred text alluding in shorthand to
the central elements of Norse cosmology
- An ancient text, original probably dates to the
10th century A.D., when belief in the old gods
was being supplanted by Christianity.
- Unclear if the author of the poems still believes
in the gods.
- Two versions of text preserved Snorri quotes
from the poem in his own Edda.
15Voluspa
- Written in fornyrdislag meter, typical for
narrative poems, especially heroic poems.
- x x x x
- Her ma Hodbroddr Helga kenna
- x x x x
- Flotta traudan i flota midiom
- x x x x
- hann hefir edli ættar thinnar
- x x x x
- arf Fiorsunga und sic thrungit.
- Here Hodbrodd may recognize Helgi,
- The fighter who does not flee in the midst of
the fleet
- The homeland of your kin,
- The inheritance of the Fiorsungs he has
conquered.
16Voluspa
- Odin interrogates a Volva, or shamaness /
seeress, about the doom of the gods.
- Odin is a magician himself and is able to compel
her to speak, though she appears to do so
reluctantly.
- She is able to see back to the beginning of time
and forward to the end of time.
- She recounts aspects of several Norse myths known
(at least partially) from other sources.
17The Norse Cosmos-Yggdrasil
18Themes in Voluspa
- Gullveig, a woman well versed in magic.
- War with Vanir
- Death of Baldr
- Fimbulvetr
- Ragnarok
- Death of Odin and Thor
- Rebirth after the Fire
- Creation of the Earth
- Yggdrasil
- Ymir
- The Æsir and the golden age of the gods
- List of dwarfs
- Creation of man and woman
19Norse Cosmos / Origins
- Ginnungagap, the realm between the ice of the
north (Niflheim, land of fog) and the fire of the
south (Muspellheim), the fusion of both fire and
ice engendered the first life. - Frost giant Ymir.
- Cow Audhumla.
- Buri, his son Bor, who married the daughter of a
frost giant, Bestla, and she gave birth to the
first gods, the brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve.
- The 9 Worlds fashioned from Ymirs body
20Images of the three Norns at the Well of
Urd--Weird (Urd), Verdandi, Skuld
21I. Asgard
- Yggdrasilthe mighty ash at the center of the
world
- Asgard is the home of the gods, world of the
Aesir
- Well of Urd. Three Norns have a hall beside the
well (Weird (Urd), Verdandi, Skuld)
- Vanaheim original home of the Vanir, now at
peace with the Aesir.
- Alfheim home of the elves, or bright elves.
- Valhalla hall of the slain warriors
(Einheriar), half chosen by Odin, others to
Freja.
- Vigrid a vast plain, stretching 120 leagues in
every direction, site of Ragnarok.
22The First Cow, Audhumla
Asgard
23Bifrost and the Norse Gods
24II. Midgard
- Midgard is the home of men (literally
middle-earth)
- Bifrost the rainbow bridge (flaming bridge)
connects Midgard to Asgard
- Spring of Mimir Odin sacrificed an eye to have
a single draught from it, wisdom.
- Nidavellir land of the dwarves, underground,
from maggots to magical goldsmiths
- Svartalfheim home of black elves, very
different from bright elves! Dwarves?
- Jotunheim land of the Frost-Giants, probably
located far to the east, beyond mountains.
25III. Niflheim
- Niflheim is the realm of the dead (literally home
of fog) 9 days ride north and down
- Hel the offspring of Loki, half dead and half
living, also her tower/realm
- Spring of Hvergelmir a source of 7 rivers, one
of the roots of Yggdrasil.
- Nidhogg giant dragon gnawing on the roots of
Yggdrasil, with many snakes as well
- Muspell land of fire, located to the south
- ship Naglfari, largest ever built (of dead mens
nails), is in Muspell, will appear at Ragnarok
26Voluspa Myths
- (17) Ash and Embla, Man and Woman, made from
driftwood.
- (20) Three girls, the three Norns or fates
- (21) The First War Gullveig (Bright one of the
Vanir--Freya?) arrives in Odins hall
- (31) Death of Baldr foretold
- (34) Binding of Loki, punishment for Baldrs
death. Events preceding Ragnarok.
- (43) Cock crows signals beginning of Fimbulvetr.
- (53) Æsir advance and die, Odin and Thor.
- (59) Rebirth from the ashes, Baldr, Hænir, Hod.
27Images of Ragnarok
28List of Rig / Rigsthula
- Final Poem in the Codex Regius, but is concerned
with the beginnings of human society.
- A Cosmogenic myth.
- Heimdall calls himself Rig, a Celtic name for
king (like Latin rex).
- Heimdall visits three families and engenders
three classes of society, each given symbolic
names.
- Fragmentary poem breaks off after the appearance
of the child in the highest class, king
29Home of Great-Grandparents
- They serve him a coarse loaf of bread and boiled
calf-meat.
- He sleeps between the two for three nights.
- Nine months later, Great-Grandmother has a boy
named Thrall, who grows strong but ugly and
dirty.
- Thrall marries Slavegirl and she gives birth to
many ill-named sons and daughters.
- Thrall and Slavegirl and the family work hard in
the fields and look after animals.
- From these two come the race of slaves.
30Home of Grandparents
- Their hut has more possessions and better
furnishings, with industrious owners who wear
nicer clothes.
- Heimdall sleeps between the two for the next
three nights, then leaves.
- Nine months later, Grandmother gives birth to
Farmer, who is rosy-cheeked and grows strong
and capable.
- He marries a pretty girl called daughter-in-law
and has many sons and daughters with beautiful
and happy names.
- From these descend all the race of farmersthe
vast majority of freemen belonged to this class.
31Home of Parents
- Wealthy owners of last home, man busy with
weapons and woman with fine dress.
- They serve him an elegant meal, with silver
dishes and wine, roast birds and light pork.
- Heimdall sleeps between mother and father for
three nights.
- Nine months later, Mother gives birth to Lord,
a dashing young boy, who learns to make and use
weapons, hunt, and swim.
32Lord and Kin
- Rig (Heimdall) reappears to young Lord, teaches
him runes, gives him a name, tells him that he is
his son.
- Rig tells Lord he must reclaim his ancestral
territory.
- Lord rides to a hall, begins a battle, reddens
the plain with blood as he fights for his land.
- He rules over many settlements, bestows wealth to
his followers, gains honor and prestige.
- He marries Erna, daughter of Chieftan, who gives
birth to sons and daughters with noble names.
- Youngest son, Kin, understands runes and magic,
speaks with birds and charms them. A raven tells
Kin he should be leading armies instead of
hunting. - Final line mentions Dan, legendary king of
Denmark.