Old Norse-English translation by Ioannis Stavroulakis

magical seeress, that recounts key events in the history of everything: from the beginning when there was nothing, to the apocalyptic doom of the gods, and the subsequent rebirth of the world.

She saw a prisoner lying in Cauldron-grove similar to the appearance of Loki the fraud-yearning; Sigyn sits there, apropos her man ill-gleeful. wit ye more or what?

A stream falls from the east across dales of atter, with scissors and swords: it’s called Grimness.

To the north stood, at the Nomoon flats, a hall of gold of the dynasty of Dwarfs, another at Noncoldi stood, the beer-hall of the giant, that Surfy is called.

ENGLISH WITCHSPAY (35-45)

translated by Ioannis Stavroulakis

A hall she saw stand far from the sun on Corpsebeach, the doors face north; atter-drops fell from the louver, that hall’s wound with worm-spines.

She saw there wading the heavy streams perjurers, murder-wolves one steals the girl of the other; there Hate-chop sucked corpses that’re gone, the wolf tore men. wit ye more or what?

Austr sat in aldna í Járnviði ok fœddi þar Fenris kindir; verðr af þeim öllum einna nökkurr tungls tjúgari í trolls hami.

Fyllisk fjörvi feigra manna, rýðr ragna sjöt rauðum dreyra; svört verða sólskin um sumur eptir, veðr öll válynd. Vituð ér enn eða hvat?

Sat þar á haugi ok sló hörpu gýgjar hirðir glaðr Egðir; gól um hánum í gaglviði fagrrauðr hani, sá er Fjalarr heitir. Gól um ásum Gullinkambi, sá vekr hölða at Herjaföðrs; en annarr gelr fyr jörð neðan sótrauðr hani at sölum Heljar.

Geyr Garmr mjök fyr Gnípahelli; festr man slitna, en freki renna. Fjöld veit hon frœða, fram sé ek lengra, um ragnarök römm sigtíva.

Brœðr munu berjask ok at bönum verðask, munu systrungar sifjum spilla; hart er í heimi, hórdómr mikill, skeggjöld, skálmöld, skildir ’ru klofnir, vindöld, vargöld, áðr veröld steypisk; man engi maðr öðrum þyrma.

In the east sat the old one in Iron-wood she raised there Fenrir’s brood; of all of these one becomes, with appearance of a troll, a moon-thief.

He fills himself with the life-force of near-dead men, reddens the gods’ house with wound-blood red; sunshine becomes black the summer thereafter, and dangerous all storms become. wit ye more or what?

There on the mound sat and struck the harp the Giantess-herder, glad Weapon-jack; and in the Geesewood above him the fair-reddish rooster crew, Fjalarr he’s called. Above the gods Goldencomb crew, it wakes the healths at Host-father’s; also crows under the earth the catawba-red rooster, at Hell’s halls.

Garm howls a great deal by Gnipcave; the fetters will break, and the wolf will run. plenty of lore does she know, I see longer, about the Divines’ strong doom, of the wargods.

Brothers each other will fight and become banes, the children of sisters will kinship spoil; it’s tough in this world, much harlotry; halberd-age, seax-age, asunder are shields, wind-age, wolf-age, until the world falls;

ENGLISH Mirror, Mirror

By Spike Milligan

Milligan presents two different conceptions of beauty: aesthetic and inner beauty. The author suggests that while the young girl’s own reflection is not in her own eyes aesthetically

A young spring-tender girl combed her joyous hair ‘You are very ugly’ said the mirror. But, on her lips hung a smile of dove-secret loveliness, for only that morning had not the blind boy said, ‘You are beautiful’?