Reykjavík Grapevine - 17.07.2015, Page 28

Scholars disagree about when the poems
were first composed, but generally agree
that they preserve elements of the oral
tradition pre-existing Iceland’s conversion
to Christianity in 1000 AD. After an Icelan-
dic bishop presented the manuscript as a
gift to the Danish king in 1662, it became
known as the “King’s Book.” Iceland’s
great collection of mythological poems re-
mained in Denmark for over three hundred
years. Icelanders didn’t trust the safety of
air travel for the return of the irreplaceable
manuscript, so a military escort guarded
its journey via ship to Reykjavík, where a
large crowd joyfully awaited its arrival on
April 21, 1971.
Today, the poems are known and loved
around the world as the core of the ‘Poetic
Edda’, a book that has been repeatedly
translated into many languages in various
forms over the last few centuries. The col-
lection of poems tells tales of the prophe-
cy of Ragnarök, the wise sayings of Óðinn,
the adventures of Þór, the slanderous ac-
cusations by Loki, the tragedy of Sigurðr
the dragon-slayer, and much more.
An insight into a life that was
Pagan poems written down in thirteenth-
century Iceland have a vibrant life in to-
day’s Ásatrú, a modern iteration of Old
Norse religion. In the twenty-first century,
the ‘Poetic Edda’ is treasured by Heathens
around the world as a vital connection to
voices from the pagan past.
“The poems of the ‘Eddas’ are a source
of wisdom of humanity,” says Jóhanna G.
Harðardóttir, goði (“priest”) of Ásatrúarfé-
lagið, the religious organization that began
the revival of pre-Christian Heathen faith
in Iceland in 1972. According to Jóhanna,
‘Hávamál’ (“Sayings of the High One”), a
poem narrated by the Norse god Óðinn,
contains “the best lessons you can learn
about getting along with other people in
life. The world has changed, but people
are still the same.”
Haukur Bragason, another goði, sees
the poems as sources of both knowledge
and entertainment. “They are a treasure,
an insight into a life that was,” he says.
“They are man-made fantasy explanations
to questions that could not be answered.
They contain serious philosophical ques-
tions and teachings, as well as being the
TV series of that time.”
Worldwide Heathens
Although it may be impossible to truly
translate poetry, the ‘Poetic Edda’ is
known and loved in many languages.
Since its founding in Iceland, the modern
iteration of Norse religion known as Hea-
thenry or Ásatrú (“Æsir faith”) has spread
widely. The Worldwide Heathen Census
2013 found followers in 98 countries. Ice-
land has the largest number of Heathens
per capita, while America has the greatest
total number.
The poems resonate with Heathens in
many lands, and the myths they contain
have an influence that transcends national
borders. “In Germany, we have a long and
very rich tradition in translating the ‘Po-
etic Edda,’” says Andreas Zautner of the
Eldaring. “There are more than a dozen
translations highlighting different aspects.
The ‘Poetic Edda’ is still influencing our
daily culture. For example, if you visit Thale
in the Harz Mountains, you find wooden
statues of Eddic figures all over the town.”
Other Heathens were lured to Ice-
land by the ‘Poetic Edda’. “I knew the po-
ems before I came to Iceland because I
came mainly to learn more about them,”
says Lenka Kovárová, a member of the
Ásatrúarfélagið’s lögretta, who came to
Reykjavík from the Czech Republic to earn
a Master’s degree in Old Norse religion
at the University of Iceland. “I see them in
wider context as a part of European heri-
tage, as a sort of pattern of wisdom.”
For others, like Eric Scott, an American
Heathen who writes for The Wild Hunt and
who came to Reykjavík to study Icelandic
language, the ‘Edda’ is no less important.
“The ‘Edda’ is like an heirloom—a reminder
of where I, as a Heathen, have come from,
and an inspiration for the future,” he says.
“The voice of the poems is a grandfather's
voice, describing a foreign world in a for-
eign time, but a world less different from
my own than it would seem at first. The
poetry isn't a set of fixed laws or inargu-
able truths, but rather a store of tales and
maxims to meditate on.”
Poetry as ritual
Throughout the international Ásatrú com-
munity, the Icelandic poems are used in
spiritual contexts. “I use the poems to re-
mind me of who I am,” says Jóhanna, “and
to teach children who they are and what
they can become if they want to.”
For Steven T. Abell, Steersman (Execu-
tive Director) of The Troth, an American
Heathen organization, the poems have
deep personal meaning that transcends
their literary value. “I feel an obligation to
honour what is in the ‘Eddas’ in their own
terms,” he says. “Just calling them great
literature is not enough for me.”
The poems are spoken or sung in
Ásatrú celebrations around the world.
“Ásatrúarfélagið uses the poems in all
their rituals and ceremonies,” says Haukur.
“You can always find something relevant
to the occasion at hand or the milestone
in people's lives. We use verses from
‘Hávamál’, ‘Völuspá’ and ‘Sigurdrífumál’,
for example, in everything from a name-
giving ceremony to a wedding and funeral,
and also in common rituals.”
‘Sigurdrífumál’ (“Sayings of Sigrdrífa”)
is one of the poems most widely used in
modern religious contexts. Two verses
used by the Ásatrúarfélagið in ceremo-
nies and celebrations are also used by
the Troth to begin weddings in America.
In Henry Adams Bellows’s classic transla-
tion, they read:
Hail, day! Hail, sons of day!
And night and her daughter now!
Look on us here with loving eyes,
That waiting we victory win.
Hail to the gods! Ye goddesses, hail,
And all the generous earth!
Give to us wisdom and goodly speech,
And healing hands, life-long.
Other poems are often recited or chanted
on special occasions. In Germany, a verse
spoken by the god Óðinn is used for fu-
nerals and the remembrance of lost loved
ones:
Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
One thing now that never dies,
The fame of a dead man's deeds.
The poems are sometimes given dramatic
performance as part of religious rituals.
Eric has performed ‘Völuspá’ (“Prophecy
of the Seeress”) as part of a midwinter
Yule ceremony. “We walked our group
through the mythic history of the poem,”
he says, “reenacting its events, especially
the tale of Baldr's death. Stepping into the
poem, and embodying it, gave ‘Völuspá’
even greater depth for me. I had not only
read the text, but—in a sense—I had lived
it, as well.”
In many ways, in many lands, these
ancient Icelandic poems continue to reso-
nate deeply in hearts and minds. Eight
centuries after they were first written
down, and four decades after the Codex
Regius manuscript was returned to Ice-
land, the poems of the ‘Poetic Edda’ have
a vibrant life as part of the worldwide reli-
gious tradition of Ásatrú.
Forty-four years ago, one of the most important sources for Norse mythology returned to its
home in Iceland. The 13th century Icelandic manuscript, the Codex Regius (“King’s Book”),
contains poems about gods, heroes, dragons, dwarves and giants from Iceland’s pagan past.
Photo
Ásdís Pálsdóttir
28 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10 — 2015LITERATURE
Modern Heathens
And The ‘Poetic Edda’
Words
Karl E. H. Seigfried
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