1. |
Filling the Ginnungagap
02:39
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At the start was a mighty void,
Ginnungagap and nothing more.
Ice was melted by a flame
And made the first with a name.
Ymir the giant drank the milk
Of the cow named Audhumla
Who liked the ice to release Buri,
Father of the Æsir.
Buri and his giant wife
Then made Odin, Vili, and Ve
Who killed Ymir and spread his parts
All around the void.
His blood became the oceans.
Earth was made from his flesh.
Bones became the mountains.
Boulders were made from his teeth.
His eyelashes fenced Midgard.
Clouds were made from his brain.
His skull, held up by four dwarves,
Covered all as sky.
At the start was a mighty void,
Ginnungagap and nothing more.
Ice was melted by a flame
And made the first with a name.
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2. |
Yggdrasil
03:02
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The world tree is Yggdrasil,
The spine of all nine worlds.
Three roots are fed by three deep wells.
The gods and the goddesses,
They gather there each day
Beneath its ever-reaching boughs.
It drops dew upon the valleys,
This noblest of trees.
Its ashen sides are rotting
And stags consume its boughs
And serpents gnaw upon its roots.
So the Norns gather water
And mud from Urdr’s well
And pour it on Yggdrasil’s sides.
It suffers such agony,
This noblest of trees.
Odin hung himself
On Yggdrasil.
There he stayed for nine long nights.
And just before he fell
From that sacred tree,
He learned the secrets of the runes.
Odin rode that horse to knowledge,
This noblest of trees.
It drops dew upon the valleys,
This noblest of trees.
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3. |
Mimir's Well
03:03
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Mimir taught Odin nine magic spells
As Odin hung from Yggdrasil.
Odin drank the mead of poetry
And turned those nine into eighteen.
Mimir the wise
Drinks from his well
With the Gjallarhorn.
Odin traveled to Mimir’s well
Among the roots of Yggdrasil.
He asked for a drink, Mimir asked for an eye,
Which Odin cut out to trade for insight.
Then Odin drank
From Mimir’s well
With the Gjallarhorn.
Mimir was hostage of the Vanir,
Who cut off his head and gave to the Æsir.
Odin rubbed herbs upon the head
And chanted a spell ‘till it was not dead.
Odin kept
Mimir’s head
Around to council him.
When Heimdallr blew the Gjallarhorn
And Ragnarök came as it was foretold,
Odin asked Mimir for advice
Before his final sacrifice.
Odin’s eye
Still sits
Deep in Mimir’s well.
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4. |
The Halls of Hel
02:28
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Down and to the North there lies
The ninth of all nine worlds.
Just beyond the river Gjoll
You’ll find the Halls of Hel.
Beneath a root of Ygdrassil
And past a chained-up dog,
A serpent drinks the blood of dead
Heading to the Halls of Hel.
Once beyond the towering walls,
Beyond the giant gate,
Loki’s daughter waits for them
Within the Halls of Hell.
The sister of the monstrous wolf
And the Midgard Serpent, too,
She’s half blue, looking sad and cruel
Within her Halls of Hel.
Her name is Hel like the place she rules
And death does bring her joy
And with a dish called Hunger
Serves a feast in the Halls of Hel.
Down and to the North there lies
The ninth of all nine worlds.
Just beyond the river Gjoll
You’ll find the Halls of Hel.
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5. |
Thor and Jörmungandr
03:11
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These are the tales of
The Jörmungandr and the God of Thunder.
Destiny made them enemies:
The side-rowed ship’s road’s serpent string
And the troll-thumping killer of Thrivaldi.
When Utgard-Loki was testing Thor,
A large grey cat came in the hall.
Thor lifted that cat with all his might
And only got one paw off the floor.
But the cat wasn’t what it appeared to be.
It was a great serpent of the sea.
Thor went fishing with Hymir.
They rowed far out into the sea.
They caught two whales, but Thor wanted more
So used as bait the head of a steer.
Jörmungandr bit at the end of the line
And Thor pulled up with all his might.
He drew up that poison, glistening worm
And brought his hammer to its head.
The wolves then howled, the earth then quaked.
Hymir cut the line to release the beast.
At Ragnarök they met once more:
The mighty serpent and the mighty Thor.
Jörmungandr died from hammer blows
And poison left Thor nine steps from death.
They killed each other that fateful day:
The mighty serpent and the mighty Thor.
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6. |
Berserkers
01:11
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7. |
Lost Goddesses
03:53
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Eir and Lofn and Sjofn and Vor,
Their stories are lost, only names are still there.
Their names were not written by creed-biased hands
So were lost unto time and buried in sand.
Eir is a healer on a hill
Known for her therapeutic skills.
And should you find yourself ill,
Go to see Eir. She’ll give you good care.
But that’s all that we know.
Lofn is a comforter so kind
With a calm and gentle mind.
And should you want to find a bride,
She can approve a marriage for you.
But that’s all that we know
Sjofn is the goddess of affection
And can generate attraction.
So should you need some lovin’ action,
Sjofin is here to make it appear.
But that’s all that we know.
Vor is wise and inquiring.
From her, nothing’s kept in hiding.
And should a secret need finding,
Ask Vor for the sooth and she’ll tell the truth.
But that’s all that we know.
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8. |
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I dreamed a dream last night.
I dreamed of silk and of fair furs,
Of a pillow deep and soft.
My peace was not disturbed.
And in the dream I saw as though
Through a dirty windowpane
The whole ill-fated human race,
A fear upon each face.
The number of their worries grew
And with them answers fair,
But the answer’s heavier
When the question hurts to bear.
As I could sleep just as well,
I thought it would be best
To rest myself here on fine fur
And forget all the rest.
Peace, if found, is where one is
Furthest from human noise
And with a wall around oneself
Can dream of silk and furs.
I dreamed a dream last night.
I dreamed of silk and of fair furs.
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9. |
Eighteen Magic Spells
02:29
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Odin knows eighteen magic spells.
The first is to help, and the second is to heal.
The third can dull the weapons of his enemies.
The fourth can break a chain, and the fifth can move a spear.
The sixth reverses curses on the ones who cast the charm.
The seventh saves from fire. The eighth from tempers flared.
The ninth can save a ship from the violent wind and waves.
The tenth makes witches lost, and the eleventh shields his friends.
The twelfth restores a corpse’s voice and limbs.
The thirteenth guards for life. The fourteenth knows all names.
The fifteenth gives gods power and courage to the elves.
The sixteenth, it charms women. The seventeenth keeps them near.
The eighteenth is the one that we shall never hear.
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10. |
The Vǫlva’s Visit
02:05
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The visit of the vǫlva,
The seeress and seidkona.
Her divination was a revelation,
So it says in Eirik’s Saga.
She arrived in a cloak that was all set in stones
With beads on her neck and a hood on her head
And a staff lined with brass and embedded with gems
And a bag on her belt that held her talismans.
The vǫlva then sat down upon a raised chair
And with a brass spoon and an ivory knife
She ate goat’s milk porridge and animal hearts
And then took her leave so to sleep through the night.
The next day she sat down upon that raised chair
And a poem was spoken and a drum rang a beat.
The spirits came eager to help the vǫlva see
And she answered questions most true and complete.
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11. |
Huginn and Muninn
02:23
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There were two ravens at Odin’s ear,
Huginn and Muninn.
They flew each day around the world on black wings.
Each evening they’d return to he,
All Father over all to see,
And whisper into Odin’s ear.
Odin’s thought and memory,
Huginn and Muninn,
They made him wise about his lore and all things.
He used these tasters of corpse sea
To be his second eye to see
And inform him with human speech.
There were two ravens at Odin’s throne,
Huginn and Muninn.
They whispered all they saw and heard into his ears.
Each morning they’d take leave of him
And they’d come back despite his fears
Of losing thought and memory.
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12. |
Lacuna
02:24
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13. |
The Norns
02:39
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In Moon’s Hall next to Urdr’s Well
At the base of Yggdrasil,
The Norns carve wood into the shape
Of laws they make to set the fates.
East and West, they hid the ends
Determining the wyrds of men.
They have no claim to common kin.
The well turns drinking swans to white
While the Norns give length to life
And give men an excuse to fight.
Urdr is the Norn of all the things that have been done before.
Verdandi has specialty in all the things now happening.
Skuld has keen ability to see what things should come to be.
More powerful than any gods
And knowledge brighter than the stars,
They make the stakes and erase the odds.
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14. |
Freyja
02:19
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Freyja rides a carriage pulled by forest cats.
When warriors die in battle, Freyja chooses half
To stay with her in Sessrumnir, and Odin gets the rest.
Freyja teaches seiðr to the one that hanged.
Freyja, just like Odin, goes by many names:
Gefn, Horn, and Vanadis, and maybe even Frigg.
Priestess of Sacrifice and Lady of the Slain.
Pray unto Freyja to ask for love and birth
And the mother of treasures can increase your worth.
Freyja wears a feathered cloak and cries her red-gold tears.
Priestess of Sacrifice and Lady of the Slain.
Freyja rides a carriage pulled by forest cats.
When warriors die in battle, Freyja chooses half.
Priestess of Sacrifice and Lady of the Slain.
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15. |
Iðunn and Bragi
02:05
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Iðunn keeps in a box of ashwood
Magic apples that’ll keep you young.
Bragi speaks in a stream of wide words,
Crafting phrases that tickle your tongue
And verses to be sung.
They dwell within the dale
And live in tales regaled.
Iðunn’s apples are a source of youth
For the gods and the goddesses of Asgard.
Bragi’s beard is great and frames the
Mouth of the god of all the skalds
And harpist of all halls.
They dwell within the dale
And live in tales regaled.
Bragi is the son of Odin
And the giantess called Gunnlod.
Iðunn is of elfin race,
Sister of the songs of Ivaldi,
Who gives long life to gods.
They dwell within the dale
And live in tales regaled.
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16. |
Sigurd the Dragon Slayer
01:48
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Brave Sigurd, whose father died before he had been born,
Was raised by Regin, a metalsmith who made a mighty sword
Which Sigurd used well to avenge his father’s tragic death
Before he acted on the wishes of the metalsmith.
The smith knew of the golden hoard of the dragon called Fafnir
Who Sigurd stabbed clean through his heart. Then Regin reappeared
And asked Sigurd to cook the heart of the dragon he had slain.
The heart, when cooked, burnt Sigurd’s hand, which he licked to ease the pain.
When Sigurd tasted dragon heart, he understood the birds
Who warned him of the plan the Regin hadn’t given words:
To kill Sigurd so he could have all of the dragon’s hoard,
A plan that Sigurd ended when he swung his mighty sword.
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17. |
The Mead of Poetry
03:47
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Drink the Mead of Poetry
Called Óðrerir.
Become a skald or a scholar.
Consume dwarf’s drink.
The gods they spat into a vat
To end the war between Æsir and Vanir.
And not to misuse this sign of their truce,
They turned the spit into the man Kvasir.
Kvasir was wise, but he was killed by
Wicked dwarves named Fjalar and Galar.
They added honey to his blood to make mead,
But they told the gods that he choked on his knowledge.
Drink the Mead of Poetry
Called Óðrerir.
Become a skald or a scholar.
Consume dwarf’s drink.
The dwarves took the life of a giant and wife.
The giant’s son came determined to kill them.
They offered the mead to pay for their deed,
Which the giant took and hid in his mountain.
Drink the Mead of Poetry
Called Óðrerir.
Become a skald or a scholar.
Consume dwarf’s drink.
Odin found the rock tough, but used Rati’s tusk
To drill a hole in the side of the mountain.
Then Odin did take the form of a snake
And slithered through that hole in the mountain.
Once in, he seduced the girl guarding juice
And stayed with her for three nights in her chamber.
He then drank the mead in gulps numbered three
And became an eagle and flew from the chamber.
Drink the Mead of Poetry
Called Óðrerir.
Become a skald or a scholar.
Consume dwarf’s drink.
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18. |
Ragnarök
02:15
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Jeremiah Walter Colorado Springs, Colorado
In addition to performing his own compositions as a solo act, this multi-instrumentalist has sung and performed in multiple bands over the years, including The Rogue Spirits, Intake, Buster's Tangent, and Groove Medicine.
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