Poetic EddaNorse MythologyAncient Myth / ComparativeOld NorseSharePoetic Edda 29Bellows - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableBellowsLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Poetic Edda 1Poetic Edda 2Poetic Edda 3Poetic Edda 4Poetic Edda 5Poetic Edda 6Poetic Edda 7Poetic Edda 8Poetic Edda 9Poetic Edda 10Poetic Edda 11Poetic Edda 12Poetic Edda 13Poetic Edda 14Poetic Edda 15Poetic Edda 16Poetic Edda 17Poetic Edda 18Poetic Edda 19Poetic Edda 20Poetic Edda 21Poetic Edda 22Poetic Edda 23Poetic Edda 24Poetic Edda 25Poetic Edda 26Poetic Edda 27Poetic Edda 28Poetic Edda 29Poetic Edda 30Poetic Edda 31Poetic Edda 32Poetic Edda 33Poetic Edda 34Poetic Edda 35Poetic Edda 36Poetic Edda 37Poetic Edda 38Poetic Edda 39Poetic Edda 40Poetic Edda 41Poetic Edda 42Poetic Edda 43Poetic Edda 44Poetic Edda 45Poetic Edda 46Poetic Edda 47Poetic Edda 48Poetic Edda 49Poetic Edda 50Poetic Edda 51Poetic Edda 52Poetic Edda 53Poetic Edda 54Poetic Edda 55Poetic Edda 56Poetic Edda 57Poetic Edda 58Poetic Edda 59Poetic Edda 60Poetic Edda 61Poetic Edda 62Poetic Edda 63Poetic Edda 64Poetic Edda 65Poetic Edda 66Poetic Edda 67Poetic Edda 68Poetic Edda 69Poetic Edda 70Poetic Edda 71Poetic Edda 72Poetic Edda 73Poetic Edda 74Poetic Edda 75Poetic Edda 76Poetic Edda 77Poetic Edda 78Poetic Edda 79Poetic Edda 80Poetic Edda 81Poetic Edda 82Poetic Edda 83Poetic Edda 84Poetic Edda 85Poetic Edda 86›Groa’S SpellPoetic Edda 29ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter11. “Wake thee, Groa! | wake, mother good! At the doors of the dead I call thee; Thy son, bethink thee, | thou badst to seek Thy help at the hill of death.” 22. “What evil vexes | mine only son, What baleful fate hast thou found, That thou callest thy mother, | who lies in the mould, And the world of the living has left?” 33. “The woman false | whom my father embraced Has brought me a baleful game; For she bade me go forth | where none may fare, And Mengloth the maid to seek.” 44. “Long is the way, | long must thou wander, But long is love as well; Thou mayst find, perchance, | what thou fain wouldst have, If the fates their favor will give.” 55. “Charms full good | then chant to me, mother, And seek thy son to guard; For death do I fear | on the way I shall fare, And in years am I young, methinks.” 66. “Then first I will chant thee | the charm oft-tried, That Rani taught to Rind; From the shoulder whate’er | mislikes thee shake, For helper thyself shalt thou have. 77. “Then next I will chant thee, | if needs thou must travel, And wander a purposeless way: The bolts of Urth | shall on every side Be thy guards on the road thou goest. 88. “Then third I will chant thee, | if threatening streams The danger of death shall bring: Yet to Hel shall turn | both Horn and Ruth, And before thee the waters shall fail. 99. “Then fourth I will chant thee, | if come thy foes On the gallows-way against thee: Into thine hands | shall their hearts be given, And peace shall the warriors wish. 1010. “Then fifth I will chant thee, | if fetters perchance Shall bind thy bending limbs: O’er thy thighs do I chant | a loosening-charm, And the lock is burst from the limbs, And the fetters fall from the feet. 1111. “Then sixth I will chant thee, | if storms on the sea Have might unknown to man: Yet never shall wind | or wave do harm, And calm is the course of thy boat. 1212. “Then seventh I chant thee, | if frost shall seek To kill thee on lofty crags: The fatal cold | shall not grip thy flesh, And whole thy body shall be. 1313. “Then eighth will I chant thee, | if ever by night Thou shalt wander on murky ways: Yet never the curse | of a Christian woman From the dead shall do thee harm. 1414. “Then ninth will I chant thee, | if needs thou must strive With a warlike giant in words: Thy heart good store | of wit shall have, And thy mouth of words full wise. 1515. “Now fare on the way | where danger waits, Let evils not lessen thy love! I have stood at the door | of the earth-fixed stones, The while I chanted thee charms. 1616. “Bear hence, my son, | what thy mother hath said, And let it live in thy breast; Thine ever shall be | the best of fortune, So long as my words shall last.” ‹Previous chapterPoetic Edda 28Next chapterPoetic Edda 30›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain in the United States via Project Gutenberg