Honoratum Fratrem illùc. Is Baldero Necem inferet, Et Odini Filium Vitâ privabit. Invita hæc dixi, Jamque tacebo. O. Noli tacere, Fatidica, Adhuc te interrogare volo, Donec omnia novero. Adhuc scire volo, Quisnam Hodo Odium rependet, Aut Balderi Interfectorem Occidendo rogo adaptet? F. Rinda Filium pariet In Habitaculis occidentalibus: Hic Odini Filius, Unam noctem natus, armis utetur; Manum non lavabit, Nec Caput pectet, Antequam Rogo imponet Balderi inimicum. Invita hæc dixi, Jamque tacebo. VOL. I. O. Noli tacere, Fatidica, Adhuc te interrogare volo. Quænam sint Virgines, Quæ præ Cogitationibus lachrymantur, Et in Cœlum jaciunt Cervicum pepla? Hoc solum mihi dicas, Nam prius non dormies. F. Non tu Viator es, Sed potiùs Odinus, Virorum summus. O. Tu non es Fatidica, Nec sapiens Fœmina, Sed potius trium Gigantum Mater. F. Equita domum, Odine, Ac in his gloriare: Nemo tali modo veniet Ad sciscitandum, Usque dum Lokus Vinculis solvatur, Et Deorum Crepusculum Dissolventes aderint. 2. Hela's drear abode. L. 4. Hela, in the Edda, is described with a dreadful countenance, and her body half flesh-colour and half blue. G. 3. Him the Dog of Darkness spied. L. 5. The Edda gives this dog the name of Managarmar; he fed upou the lives of those that were to die. 4. The thrilling verse that wakes the Dead. L. 24. The original word is Vallgaldr; from Valr mortuus, & Galdr incantatio. G. Thrilling is surely in this place a peculiarly-fine epithet. 5. Tell me what is done below. L. 40. Odin, we find both from this Ode and the Edda, was solicitous about the fate of his son Balder, who had dreamed he was soon to die. The Edda mentions the manner of his death when killed by Odin's other són Hoder; and also that Hoder was himself slain afterwards by Vali the son of Odin and Rinda, consonant with this prophecy. 6. Once again my call obey. Prophetess, &c. L. 51. Women were looked upon by the Gothic nations as having a peculiar insight into futurity; and some there were that made profession of magic arts and divination. These travelled round the country, and were received in every house with great respect and honour. Such a woman bore the name of Volva Seidkona or Spakona. The dress of Thorbiorga, one of these prophetesses, is described at large in Eirick's Rauda Sogu, (apud Bartholin. lib. i. cap. iv. p. 688). She had on a blue vest, spangled all over with stones, a necklace of glass beads, and a cap made of the skin of a black lamb lined with white cat-skin. She leaned on a staff adorned with brass, with a round head set with stones; and was girt with an Hunlandish belt, at which hung her pouch full of magical instruments. Her buskins were of rough calf-skin, bound on with thongs studded with knobs of brass, and her gloves of white cat-skin, the fur turned inwards, &c. G. They were also called Fiolkyngi, or Fiol-kunnug; i. e. Multiscia: and Visindakona; i. e. Oraculorum Mulier, Nornir; i. e. Parcæ. G. 7. What Virgins these. L. 75. These were probably the Nornir or Parcæ, just now mentioned; their names were Urda, Verdandi, and Skulda; they were the dispensers of good destinies. As their names signify Time past, present, and future, it is probable they were always invisible to mortals: therefore when Odin asks this question on seeing them, he betrays himself to be a God; which eluci dates the next speech of the Prophetess. 8. Mother of the giant-brood. L. 86. He means, therefore, In the Latin" Mater trium Gigantum." probably, Angerbode, who, from her name, seems to be " no Prophetess of good," and who bore to Loke, as the Edda says, three children; the Wolf Fenris, the great Serpent of Midgard, and Hela, all of them called Giants in that wild but curious system of mythology; with which, if the reader wishes to be acquainted, he had better consult the translation of M. Mallet's Introduction to the History of Denmark, than the original itself, as some mistakes of consequence are corrected by the translator. The book is entitled, "Northern Antiquities." Printed for Carnan, 1770, 2 vols. 8vo. ODE X. Mr. Gray entitles this Ode, in his own edition, a FRAGMENT; but from the prose version of Mr. Evans, which I shall here insert, it will appear that nothing is omitted, except a single hyperbole at the end, which I print in italics. Panegyric upon Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North-Wales, by Gwalchmai, the son of Melir, in the year 1157. * 1. I will extol the generous Hero, descended from the race of Roderic, the bulwark of his country; a prince eminent for his good qualities, the glory of Britain, Owen the brave and expert in arms, a Prince that neither hoardeth nor coveteth riches. 2. Three fleets arrived, vessels of the main; three powerful fleets of the first rate, furiously to attack him on the sudden: one from Jwerddont, the other full of well-armed Lochlynians †, making a grand appearance on the floods, the third from the transmarine Normans, which was attended with an immense, though successless toil. 3. The Dragon of Mona's Sons was so brave in action, that there was a great tumult on their furious attack; and before the Prince himself there was vast confusion, havoc, conflict, honourable death, bloody battle, horrible consternation, and upon Tal Malvre a thousand banners; there was an outrageous carnage, and the rage of spears and hasty signs of See Evans's Specimen of Welch Poetry, p. 25, and for the original Welch, p. 127. |