View source for Völuspá

{{Short description|Poem from the Poetic Edda}}
{{Redirect|Voluspa|the album by The Golden Filter|Voluspa (album)}}
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{{Infobox poem
| name              = Völuspá
| image             = Odin og Völven by Frølich.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = "[[Odin]] and the [[Völva]]" (1895) by [[Lorenz Frølich]]
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| original_title    = ''Vǫluspǫ́''
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| language          = [[Old Norse]]
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| meter             = [[Fornyrðislag]]
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| wikisource        = Völuspá
}}

'''''Völuspá''''' (also '''''Vǫluspá''''', '''''Vǫlospá''''', or '''''Vǫluspǫ́'''''; [[Old Norse]]: 'Prophecy of the [[völva]], a seeress') is the best known poem of the ''[[Poetic Edda]]''. It dates back to the tenth century and tells the story from [[Norse Mythology]] of the creation of the world, its [[Ragnarök|coming end]], and its subsequent rebirth that is related to the audience by a [[völva]] addressing [[Odin]]. Her name is given twice as [[Heiðr]].<ref>Price, Neil (2019). The Viking Way, Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia (2 ed.) Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia. ISBN 9781842172605.</ref> The poem is one of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse mythology. Parts of the poem appear in the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', but the earliest known wholly preserved version of the poem is in the [[Codex Regius]] and [[Hauksbók]] manuscripts.

== Preservation ==
Many of stanzas of ''Völuspá'' appear first in the [[Prose Edda]] (composed {{circa|1220}}, of which the oldest extant manuscript dates from the beginning of the fourteenth century, {{circa|1300}}), in which the stanzas are quoted or paraphrased. The full poem is found in the Icelandic [[Codex Regius]] manuscript ({{circa|1270}}) and in the [[Haukr Erlendsson]] ''[[Hauksbók]]'' Codex ({{circa|1334}}); the Codex Regius version is usually taken as a base for editions of the poem.

The order and number of the stanzas varies in the existing sources. Some editors and translators have further rearranged the material.

== Synopsis ==
The poem starts with the [[völva]] requesting silence from "the sons of [[Heimdallr]]" (human beings) and she then asks [[Odin]] whether he wants her to recite ancient lore based on her memory. She says she remembers [[jötnar]] born in antiquity who reared her, nine worlds, and the "famous tree" (''mjǫtviðr mærr'', perhaps [[Yggdrasill]]).

The völva proceeds to recite a [[creation myth]], mentioning [[Ymir]] and that the world was nothing but the magical void, [[Ginnungagap]],<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Polomé |first1=Edgar Charles |author-link1=Edgar C. Polomé |last2=Turville-Petre |first2=E.O.G. |author-link2=Gabriel Turville-Petre |last3=Tikkanen |first3=Amy |date=2023-03-08 |title=Germanic religion and mythology |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Germanic-religion-and-mythology/Mythology |access-date=2023-04-30 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en}}</ref> until the sons of [[Borr|Burr]] lifted the earth out of the sea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ginnungagap |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ginnungagap |access-date=2023-04-30 |publisher=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en}}</ref> The [[Æsir]] then established order in the cosmos by finding places for the sun, the moon, and the stars, thereby starting the cycle of day and night. A golden age ensued in which the Æsir had plenty of gold and they happily constructed temples and made tools. But then three mighty maidens came from [[Jötunheimar]] and the golden age came to an end. The Æsir then created the [[Dwarf (folklore)|dwarfs]], of whom [[Mótsognir]] and [[Durinn]] are the mightiest.

{{anchor|Dvergatal}}
At this point ten of the poem's stanzas are considered complete. A section then appears in some versions that usually is considered an interpolation. It is entitled the "'''Dvergatal'''" ("Catalogue of Dwarfs") and it contains six stanzas with names of dwarves. The antiquity and role of this section in the poem is not clear and sometimes is omitted by editors and translators. 

The poem continues with the creations of the [[Ask and Embla|first humans]] that are recounted along with a description of the world-tree, [[Yggdrasil]]. The völva recalls the burning of [[Gullveig]] that led to the first "folk" war, where [[Heiðr]] is a name assumed by Gullveig in connection with the war of the deities,<ref>Price, Neil (2019). The Viking Way, Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia (2 ed.) Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia. ISBN 9781842172605.</ref> and what occurred in the struggle between the Æsir and [[Vanir]]. She then recalls the time the goddess [[Freyja]] was given to the jötnar, which is commonly interpreted as a reference to the [[Svaðilfari|myth of the jötunn builder]], as told in [[Gylfaginning]] 42.

The völva then reveals to [[Odin]] that she knows some of his own secrets and that he sacrificed an eye in pursuit of knowledge. She tells him that she knows [[Mímisbrunnr|where his eye is hidden]] and how he gave it up in exchange for knowledge. In several refrains she asks him whether he understands or whether he would like to hear more.

In the Codex Regius version, the völva goes on to describe the slaying of [[Baldr]], best and fairest of the deities and the enmity of [[Loki]], and of others. Then the völva prophesies the destruction of the deities where fire and flood overwhelm heaven and earth as the deities fight their final battles with their enemies. This is the "fate of the gods", [[Ragnarök]]. She describes the summons to battle, the deaths of many of the deities, including the death of Odin, who is slain by [[Fenrir]], the great wolf. The god of thunder and sworn protector of the earth, [[Thor]], faces the world serpent [[Jörmungandr]] and wins, but Thor is only able to take nine steps afterward before collapsing due to the serpent's venom. Víðarr faces Fenrir and kicks his jaw open before stabbing the wolf in the heart with his spear. The god [[Freyr]] fights the giant [[Surtr]], who wields a fiery sword that shines brighter than the sun, and Freyr falls. 

[[File:After Ragnarök by Doepler.jpg|thumb|The new world that rises after Ragnarök (depiction by [[Emil Doepler]])]]

Finally, the völva prophesies that a beautiful reborn world will rise from the ashes of death and destruction where [[Baldr]] and [[Höðr]] will live again in a new world and where the earth sprouts abundance without sowing seed. The surviving Æsir reunite with [[Hœnir]] and meet together at the field of [[Iðavöllr]], discussing Jörmungandr, great events of the past, and the runic alphabet. A final stanza describes the sudden appearance of the [[Germanic dragon|dragon]] [[Nidhogg]], bearing corpses in his wings, after which the völva emerges from her trance.

== Reception ==
''Völuspá'' is one of the most discussed poems of the ''Poetic Edda'' and dates to the tenth century, the century before the [[Christianization of Iceland]].<ref name="auto1">Den poetiska Eddan, övers. Björn Collinder (tryckt 1972) s.296</ref> In March 2018, a team of medieval historians and scientists from the University of Cambridge suggested that the Icelandic poem, Vǫluspá, that is estimated to date from 961 was a roughly contemporary chronicle of the eruption of the volcano [[Eldgjá]] in 939.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dockrill |first=Peter |date=2018-03-20 |title=A Volcanic Explosion 1,000 Years Ago Was So Brutal, It Slayed Icelandic Gods |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/how-a-volcanic-outburst-1-000-years-ago-was-so-brutal-it-slayed-gods-ragnarok-norse-voluspa-eldgja |website=ScienceAlert |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216013109/https://www.sciencealert.com/how-a-volcanic-outburst-1-000-years-ago-was-so-brutal-it-slayed-gods-ragnarok-norse-voluspa-eldgja |archive-date= Dec 16, 2023 }}</ref> These researchers suggested that the dramatic imagery of the Eldgjá eruption was purposefully invoked in order to accelerate the Christianization of Iceland.

Some scholars hold that there are Christian influences in the text, emphasizing parallels with the [[Sibylline Oracles|Sibylline Prophecies]].<ref>on Christian influences, see the following articles: "The Background and Scope of Vǫluspá" by Kees Samplonius, "Vǫluspá and the Sibylline Oracles with a Focus on the ‘Myth of the Future’" by Gro Steinsland, "Vǫluspá, the Tiburtine Sibyl, and the Apocalypse in the North" by Karl G. Johansson, and "Manifest and Latent Biblical Themes in Vǫluspá" by Pétur Pétursson, all articles in ''The Nordic Apocalypse: Approaches to Völuspa and Nordic Days of Judgement.'' Edited by Terry Gunnell  and Annette Lassen, eds. 2013. Brepols Publishers.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jfr.sitehost.iu.edu/review.php?id=1785|title= Review for The Nordic Apocalypse: Approaches to Völuspa and Nordic Days of Judgement |first1=David |last1=Elton Gay |date= February 11, 2015 |website=Journal of Folklore Research |access-date=2020-04-14|archive-date=2020-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425184253/https://jfr.sitehost.iu.edu/review.php?id=1785|url-status=dead}}</ref> Henry Adams Bellows stated in 1936 that the author of ''Völuspá'' would have had knowledge of Christianity and infused it into the poem. Bellows dates the poem to the tenth century that was a transitional period between paganism and Christianity and the two religions would have co-existed before Christianity was declared the official religion of Iceland and after which the old paganism was tolerated if practiced in private. He suggests that this infusion allowed the pagan traditions to survive to an extent in Iceland, unlike in mainland [[Scandinavia]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm|title=The Poetic Edda: Voluspo|website=Internet Sacred Text Archive |date=1936 |translator-first1=Henry Adams |translator-last1=Bellows |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119055801/https://sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm |archive-date= Jan 19, 2024 }}</ref> Several researchers have suggested that the entire ''Dvergatal'' section and references to the "mighty one who rules over all" are later insertions.<ref name="auto1"/> Although some have identified the latter figure with Jesus, Bellows thought this was not necessarily the case.<ref name="auto"/>

== In popular culture ==
*[[J. R. R. Tolkien]], a philologist familiar with the ''Völuspá'', used names from the ''Dvergatal'' for the [[List of The Hobbit characters#Dwarves|Dwarves]] and for the Wizard [[Gandalf]] in his 1937 fantasy novel ''[[The Hobbit]]''.<ref>[[John D. Rateliff]] (2007), ''[[The History of The Hobbit]]'', volume 2 ''Return to Bag-End'', HarperCollins, Appendix III; {{ISBN|0-00-725066-5}}.</ref>
*Stanzas from ''Völuspá'' are performed in song in the Television series ''[[Vikings (2013 TV series)|Vikings]]'' and used as battle chants.
*The 2012 atmospheric black metal album ''[[Umskiptar]]'' by [[Burzum]] takes lyrics from ''Völuspá''.
*Various stanzas from ''Völuspá'' are used in the song “Twilight of the Gods” in the 2020 video game [[Assassin's Creed Valhalla]].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Relevant literature ==
* [[Sophus Bugge|Bugge, Sophus]] (1867). ''Norræn fornkvæði''. Christiania: Malling. [http://etext.old.no/Bugge/ Available online]
* [[Ursula Dronke|Dronke, Ursula]] (1997). ''The Poetic Edda'' Volume II ''Mythological Poems''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
* Eysteinn Björnsson (ed.). ''Völuspá''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090413124631/http://www3.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/vsp3.html Available online]
*Gunnell, Terry and Annette Lassen, eds. 2013. ''The Nordic Apocalypse: Approaches to Völuspa and Nordic Days of Judgement.'' Brepols Publishers. 240 pages. {{ISBN|978-2-503-54182-2}} 
* McKinnell, John (2008). "''Völuspá'' and the Feast of Easter," ''Alvíssmál'' 12:3–28. ([http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~alvismal/12vsp.pdf PDF]) 
* [[Sigurður Nordal]] (1952). ''Völuspá''. Reykjavík: Helgafell.
* Ólason, Vésteinn. "Vǫluspá and time." In ''The Nordic Apocalypse: Approaches to Vǫluspá and Nordic Days of Judgement'', pp.&nbsp;25–44. 2013.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Völuspá}}
{{wikisource|Vǫluspá}}
* [https://myndir.uvic.ca/VlSp.html MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)] Illustrations of Völuspá from manuscripts and early print books

=== English translations ===
* {{wikisource-inline|list=
** ''[[s:History of the Anglo-Saxons/Book 2/Appendix/Chapter 4|The Voluspa]]'', translated by Sharon Turner (1836)
** [[s:The Elder Edda and the Younger Edda/Elder Edda/The Vala's Prophecy|''Völuspâ:'' The Vala's Prophecy]], translation by [[Benjamin Thorpe]] (1866)
** ''[[s:The Poetic Edda (tr. Bellows)/Voluspo|Voluspo]]'', translation and commentary by [[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] (1936)
}}
* ''[https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0308/ch1.xhtml Vǫluspá]'' with original Old Norse and English translation by Edward Pettit (2023)

=== Old Norse editions ===
*[http://etext.old.no/Bugge/voluspa/ Völuspá] [[Sophus Bugge]] edition and commentary with manuscript texts
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090413124631/http://www3.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/vsp3.html Völuspá] Eysteinn Björnsson edition with manuscript texts
*[http://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/Völuspá Völuspá] [[Guðni Jónsson]] edition
* [https://eae.ku.dk/q?p=eae/vols/struct/361400 Völuspá] EAE edition with manuscript images (2024)

{{Poetic Edda}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Voluspa}}
[[Category:13th-century poems]]
[[Category:Eschatology in Norse mythology]]
[[Category:Eddic poetry]]
[[Category:Old Norse philosophy]]
[[Category:Creation myths]]
[[Category:Ymir]]