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Groa's Chanta

  which She the Dead Sang to her Son

 

The son said: b
  1 Wake up, Groa,
Wake up, good woman,
I rouse you at the doors of the dead,
Hoping you remember
That you bid your son
Come to the burial mound.
Said Groa:
2 What now troubles my only son,
What misfortune ails you,
That you would call upon that mother,
Who is dead and buried,
Passed away from the world of men?
Said the son:
3 A dangerous task
Was given me by the crafty woman,
The one who embraced my father;
She bid me go to there,
That no one knows here,
To meet up with Mengloð.c
Said Groa:
4 Long is the journey,
Long are the roads,
Long last the yearnings of men,
And if it happens so
That your life is good
Then Skuld has smiled at you
The son said:
5 Sing me the magic spells,
The good song's of old,
Mother, help your son.
I fear my own end 
At the end of the road,
I feel I'm too young to go
The Mother:
6 I sing you the first spell,
Which is most useful,
The one Rind sang to Ran:
That you throw off all
Which you b
Be your own master.
7

I sing you the second spell,
In case you must travel
Roads against your will,
Then may Urd's bonds
Hold you on all sides, 
While you are on the way.

8

I sing you the third spell,
In case mighty rivers
Threaten you with death,
Then may Horn and Rud
meanwhile revert to Hel,
And ever dwindle for you.

9

I sing you the fourth spell,
In case battle-ready foes
Meet you on the gallow-way,
Then may they change their minds,
Become friends with you,
Intent on making peace.

10

I sing you the fifth spell, 
In case fetters will
Restrain your arms and legs:
Then shall Leifnir's flames
Be sung over your leg,
And your limbs be liberated,
Your feet unfettered

11

I sing you the sixth spell,
In case you must travel an ocean 
Greater than men have known:
Then may the calm and the sea
Join together in the quern,
And ever grant you a peaceful journey.

12

I sing you the seventh spell,
In case you meet with
Frost on a high mountain:
Then may not the corpse-cold
Destroy your flesh, 
And may your body keep its limbs.

13

I sing you the eighth spell,
In case you are caught outside
by night on a gloomy road:
That you may avoid
Being harmed by 
A Christian dead woman.

14

I sing you the ninth spell,
In case you must exchange words
With the spear-noble giant:
May you then be given,
From the heart of Mímir,
Sufficient words and wit.

15

May you never go
Where calamity awaits you,
May no harm obstruct your desires.
On an earth-fixed stone
I stood within the doors, 
While I chanted spells for you.

16

Your mother's words
May you carry hence, my son,
And let them dwell in your breast;
For abundant good fortune
You will have throughout life, 
While you remember my words.

       a Svipdag, thrown out from his natal home by his father's new wife, goes to the dolmen of his dead mother to wake her and get help before departing into the unknown. Mother Groa gives him 9 sound pieces of advice.

       b Svipdag? (Thøger Larsen's question. The Poet thinks 'the son' means Svipdag) Groa's Chant comes as the first of the two lays of Svipdag, so why not?


     c Menglåd: the one happy with 'mén' or jewellery, the jewellery-happy, Freya or metaphorical: the woman that a man loves and wants to make a wife by giving her presents.


     e Rind af Rani: The earth, goddess of Earth: Rind the one that Rani, or Odin chants for. Another Rani married Aegir the deep sea, ocean. Late December Rind mothers Vali, the Heavenly Infant.


     f Urds værn: Urds beskyttelse, den dragt som hun syr. Urd: en af de tre norner, hovednornen, som repræsenterer fortiden. Verdani; nutid og Skuld fremtid. Urd kaldes også den fortid der varer ved, nutid og fremtid som et produkt af fortid.


      g  Horn og Rud: helvedsfloder, som flyder af horn: nymånen og ruder, den røde, fuldmåne.
     h Her som tidligere angiver en parentes at de ord som den omslutter kun findes i de senere papirafskrifter.