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Early Viking History: Voluspa

Early Viking History: Voluspa. Voluspa is the first poem contained in the Codex Regius manuscript of the Poetic Edda , written down around 1270 A.D. The book was discovered in Iceland in the Renaissance and presented to the Danish king in 1643, and only returned to Iceland in the 1960s.

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Early Viking History: Voluspa

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  1. Early Viking History: Voluspa Voluspa is the first poem contained in the Codex Regius manuscript of the Poetic Edda, written down around 1270 A.D. The book was discovered 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.

  2. Brief 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 chieftain Arminius (Hermann) defeats Roman legions commanded by Quintilius Varus, end of Roman attempts to conquer Germanic territory • 100 AD Tacitus writes Germania, describing the lands and tribes of Germany

  3. Dates of Völkerwanderung I • 375 Migration Period begins with invasion of the Huns • Old-High-German language period (500 until about 1000 AD) • c. 300 AD earliest runic inscriptions in Denmark, runic inscriptions on weapons in Germany • 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 Jormunrek of the Volsungasaga. Beginning of dissolution of Roman Empire.

  4. Dates 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 (from the 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 Nibelungenlied

  5. Dates 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 Theoderic’s most famous retainers • c. 550 Migration Period ends • Beginning of medieval societies and states in Europe

  6. Migration Routes of Germanic Tribes

  7. Early 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 east coast of England. • 795 Viking attacks on Ireland and Scotland become almost annual events in next century.

  8. Anglo-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…”

  9. Early Viking History II • 800 Earliest Skaldic poetry.Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor, controls most of European continent. • 839 Swedish Vikings reach Constantinople. • 841Viking base of Dublin established in Ireland. • 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.

  10. Early 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. Gokstad ship from Museum in Oslo, Norway

  12. Voluspa“The Seeress’s Prophesy” • Possibly a “sacred text” alluding in shorthand to the central elements of Norse cosmology – a cosmogonic or aetiological poem. • An ancient text, original probably dates to the 10th century AD, 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.

  13. Voluspa • 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.

  14. Voluspa • 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.

  15. The Norse Cosmos-Yggdrasil The great ash tree and the three worlds of the Norse cosmos.

  16. Creation of the Earth Yggdrasil Ymir The Æsir and the golden age of the gods List of dwarfs Creation of man and woman Gullveig, a woman well versed in magic. War with Vanir Death of Baldr Fimbulvetr Ragnarok Death of Odin and Thor Rebirth after the Fire Themes in Voluspa

  17. Norse 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, licks Buri from the frost. • Buri, his son Bur, 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 Ymir’s body

  18. Images of the three Norns at the Well of Urd -- Urd, Verdandi, Skuld (Fated, Becoming, Must-be)

  19. I. Asgard Yggdrasil–the mighty ash at the center of the world • Asgard is the home of the gods, world of the Æsir • Well of Urd. Three Norns have a hall beside the well (Urd, Verdandi, Skuld) • Vanaheim – original home of the Vanir, now at peace with the Æsir. • Alfheim – home of the elves, or bright elves. • Valhalla – hall of the slain warriors (Einheriar), half chosen by Odin, others to Freja (Volkfangr). Vigrid – a vast plain, stretching 120 leagues in every direction, site of Ragnarok.

  20. The First Cow, Audhumla Asgard

  21. Bifrost and the Norse Gods

  22. II. Midgard • Midgard is thehome 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 – underground land of the dwarves, 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.

  23. III. 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

  24. Voluspa 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 Odin’s hall • (31) Death of Baldr foretold • (34) Binding of Loki, punishment for Baldr’s 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.

  25. Images of Ragnarok

  26. List of Rig / Rigsthula • Final Poem in the Codex Regius, but is concerned with the beginnings of human society. • An aetiological myth, explaining origins. • 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.”

  27. Home 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 (248). • Thrall and Slavegirl and their family work hard in the fields and look after animals. • From these two come the race of slaves.

  28. Home 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 (249). • From these descend the race of farmers—the vast majority of freemen belonged to this class.

  29. Home 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.

  30. Lord 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 Chieftain, who gives birth to sons and daughters with noble names (251). • 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.

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