Sigrdrífumál

Hvat beit brynju?
Hví brá ek svefni?
Hverr felldi af mér
fölvar nauðir?
Sigmundar burr,
hjörr Sigurðar!

What bit through the byrnie? how was broken my sleep?
Who made me free of the fetters pale?
Sigmund's son, with Sigurth's sword,
That late with flesh hath fed the ravens. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Sigurðr cuts Brynhild free on Hindarfjall; she wakes and asks who broke her sleep and pale fetters. He names himself by sword and father — Sigmund's son, Gram in hand. Inferred: this is not a rescue scene dressed as romance; it is a warrior waking a battle-maid who was armored asleep inside a shield-bower. Modern: the poem opens with a question about constraint, not beauty. Who freed you, and with what blade, is the first thing worth knowing.

Heill dagr!
Heilir dags synir!
Heil nótt ok nift!
Óreiðum augum
lítið okkr þinig
ok gefið sitjöndum sigr!

Hail, day! Hail, sons of day!
And night and her daughter now!
Look on us here with loving eyes,
That waiting we victory win. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Brynhild hails day, sons of day, night and her daughter — a waking charm before wisdom is traded. Inferred: Snorri reads the daughter of night as Jörð; the stanza sets light and lineage as witnesses to what follows. Modern: before runes or counsel, she calls the cosmos to look on them with unwroth eyes and grant victory to those who wait. Begin with orientation, not instruction.

Heilir æsir!
Heilar ásynjur!
Heil sjá in fjölnýta fold!
Mál ok mannvit
gefið okkr mærum tveim
ok læknishendr, meðan lifum.

Hail to the gods! Ye goddesses, hail,
And all the generous earth!
Give to us wisdom and goodly speech,
And healing hands, life-long. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: hail æsir, ásynjur, and the all-teeming earth; ask for speech, mind, and healing hands while life lasts. Inferred: the pair on the mountain — Sigurðr and Brynhild — request the same gifts a hall would want at a feast: words that hold, wit that serves, hands that mend. Modern: wisdom here is not abstract. It is practical capacity for two people about to bind their fates.

Lengi ek svaf,
lengi ek sofnuð var,
löng eru lýða læ;
Óðinn því veldr,
er ek eigi máttak
bregða blundstöfum.

Long did I sleep, my slumber was long,
And long are the griefs of life;
Othin decreed that I could not break
The heavy spells of sleep. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: long sleep, long sorrows of men; Odin decreed she could not break the slumber-spells. Inferred: this is the Valkyrie punished for siding against Odin's chosen king — sleep-thorn, marriage, loss of victory in battle. Modern: her stillness was not gentle rest. It was sentence. The grief she names is both hers and the human condition she is about to counsel.

Bjór færi ek þér,
brynþings apaldr,
magni blandinn
ok megintíri;
fullr er hann ljóða
ok líknstafa,
góðra galdra
ok gamanrúna.

Beer I bring thee, tree of battle,
Mingled of strength and mighty fame;
Charms it holds and healing signs,
Spells full good, and gladness-runes. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: she offers beer mixed with strength and fame, full of songs, healing staves, good spells, and joy-runes — a minnisveig, memory-draught. Inferred: the drink precedes the teaching; hospitality law holds even on a fire-lit mountain. Modern: before rune-lore, she feeds him. Strength and reputation are in the cup. Memory is the price of what comes next.

Sigrúnar skaltu kunna,
ef þú vilt sigr hafa,
ok rísta á hjalti hjörs,
sumar á véttrimum,
sumar á valböstum,
ok nefna tysvar Tý.

Winning-runes learn, if thou longest to win,
And the runes on thy sword-hilt write;
Some on the furrow, and some on the flat,
And twice shalt thou call on Tyr. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: victory-runes on sword-hilt — some on the grip, some on the ridge, and name Tyr twice. Inferred: this is field craft, not alphabet trivia; the sword-god's name doubles as a rune. Modern: if you want to win, mark the tool you trust and invoke the god of the blade with repetition. Victory is prepared before the strike.

Ölrúnar skaltu kunna,
ef þú vill annars kvæn
véli-t þik í tryggð, ef þú trúir;
á horni skal þær rísta
ok á handar baki
ok merkja á nagli Nauð.
Full skal signa
ok við fári sjá
ok verpa lauki í lög;
þá ek þat veit,
at þér verðr aldri
meinblandinn mjöðr.

Ale-runes learn, that with lies the wife
Of another betray not thy trust;
On the horn thou shalt write, and the backs of thy hands,
And Need shalt mark on thy nails.
Thou shalt bless the draught, and danger escape,
And cast a leek in the cup;
For so I know thou never shalt see
Thy mead with evil mixed. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: ale-runes against another man's wife deceiving your trust; carve on horn, hand-backs, and Need on the nail; bless the full, watch the liquid, cast leek in the drink. Inferred: guest-right at a hall meant a wife's cup — witchcraft could ride in the mead. Modern: trust is defended at the threshold of hospitality. Mark yourself, bless what you drink, and test the cup. Paranoia with protocol.

Bjargrúnar skaltu kunna,
ef þú bjarga vilt
ok leysa kind frá konum;
á lófum þær skal rísta
ok of liðu spenna
ok biðja þá dísir duga.

Birth-runes learn, if help thou wilt lend,
The babe from the mother to bring;
On thy palms shalt write them, and round thy joints,
And ask the fates to aid. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: birth-runes to help free a child from the mother; write on palms and joints, ask the dísir for aid. Inferred: midwife magic in verse form — the poem catalogs survival skills, not battle alone. Modern: some victories are a living infant and a living mother. The runes go on the hands that catch life.

Brimrúnar skaltu rísta,
ef þú vilt borgit hafa
á sundi seglmörum;
á stafni skal rísta
ok á stjórnarblaði
ok leggja eld í ár,
er-a svá brattr breki
né svá bláar unnir,
þó kemstu heill af hafi.

Wave-runes learn, if well thou wouldst shelter
The sail-steeds out on the sea;
On the stem shalt thou write, and the steering blade,
And burn them into the oars;
Though high be the breakers, and black the waves,
Thou shalt safe the harbor seek. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: wave-runes on stem, rudder-blade, and burned into oars; though breakers tower and waves darken, seek harbor whole. Inferred: sailors needed the same symbolic technology as swordsmen. Modern: mark the ship at every point that touches water and fire. The sea does not care about your courage if your oars are unmarked.

Limrúnar skaltu kunna,
af þú vilt læknir vera,
ok kunna sár at sjá;
á berki skal þær rísta
ok á baðmi viðar,
þeim er lúta austr limar.

Branch-runes learn, if a healer wouldst be,
And cure for wounds wouldst work;
On the bark shalt thou write, and on trees that be
With boughs to the eastward bent. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: branch-runes for the healer who would know wounds; carve on bark and on trees with limbs bent east. Inferred: sickness transferred to tree was a known folk practice; eastward boughs mark the right specimen. Modern: healing here is hands-on craft. Find the tree, cut the sign, do the work.

Málrúnar skaltu kunna,
ef þú vilt, at manngi þér
heiftum gjaldi harm:
þær of vindr,
þær of vefr,
þær of setr allar saman
á því þingi,
er þjóðir skulu
í fulla dóma fara.

Speech-runes learn, that none may seek
To answer harm with hate;
Well he winds and weaves them all,
And sets them side by side,
At the judgment-place, when justice there
The folk shall fairly win. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: speech-runes so no one pays harm with hatred; wind, weave, set them together at the Thing where folk seek fair judgment. Inferred: courtroom rhetoric as rune-work — the stanza may have grown extra lines in transmission. Modern: how you speak at the assembly is a technology. Arrange words like strands before you answer injury with injury.

Hugrúnar skaltu kunna,
ef þú vilt hverjum vera
geðsvinnari guma;

Thought-runes learn, if all shall think
Thou art keenest minded of men. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: thought-runes so all will think you keenest of men. Inferred: reputation for mind is itself a weapon in a culture that wagers on wisdom. Modern: one line, one aim — be read as the person who sees furthest. The poem will immediately pivot to where such runes came from.

þær of réð,
þær of reist,
þær of hugði Hroftr
af þeim legi,
er leikit hafði
ór hausi Heiðdraupnis
ok ór horni Hoddrofnis.

Them Hropt arranged, and them he wrote,
And them in thought he made,
Out of the draught that down had dropped
From the head of Heithdraupnir,
And the horn of Hoddrofnir. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Hropt — Odin — arranged, carved, and thought them from the liquid that dripped from Heiðdraupnir's head and Hoddrofnir's horn. Inferred: the thought-runes are not human invention; they enter through Mímir's mead-complex. Modern: keenness of mind has a source myth — sacrifice, dripping head, hoarded horn. You are not learning tips. You are receiving overflow from Odin's ordeal.

Á bjargi stóð
með Brimis eggjar,
hafði sér á höfði hjalm;
þá mælti Mímis höfuð
fróðligt it fyrsta orð
ok sagði sanna stafi.

On the mountain he stood with Brimir's sword,
On his head the helm he bore;
Then first the head of Mim spoke forth,
And words of truth it told. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: on the mountain with Brimir's sword and helm, Mímir's head spoke its first wise word and true staves. Inferred: the scene parallels Hávamál's acquisition lore — truth from the severed head. Modern: wisdom here is gory and specific. A head on a mountain tells the truth before you write a single rune on your own nail.

Á skildi kvað ristnar,
þeim er stendr fyr skínandi goði,
á eyra Árvakrs
ok á Alsvinns hófi,
á því hvéli, er snýsk
undir reið Hrungnis,
á Sleipnis tönnum
ok á sleða fjötrum.

He bade write on the shield before the shining goddess,
On Arvak's ear, and on Alsvith's hoof,
On the wheel of the car of Hrungnir's killer,
On Sleipnir's teeth, and the straps of the sledge. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: runes commanded on Svalin's shield before the shining goddess, on Árvakr's ear, Alsviðr's hoof, the wheel under Hrungnir's slayer's chariot, Sleipnir's teeth, sledge straps. Inferred: cosmic inventory — sun-gear, Thor's wagon, Odin's horse, winter sled. Modern: the chant lists where the world is touchable. Put marks where myth meets mechanism.

Á bjarnar hrammi
ok á Braga tungu,
á ulfs klóum
ok á arnar nefi,
á blóðgum vængjum
ok á brúar sporði,
á lausnar lófa
ok á líknar spori.

On the paws of the bear, and on Bragi's tongue,
On the wolf's claws bared, and the eagle's beak,
On bloody wings, and bridge's end,
On freeing hands and helping foot-prints. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: on bear's paw, Bragi's tongue, wolf's claw, eagle's beak, bloody wings, bridge-end, freeing palm, helping footstep. Inferred: the list mixes gods, beasts, and crossing-places — speech, violence, and passage. Modern: runes go on what bites, speaks, flies, and lets you cross. Cover the dangerous joints of the world.

Á gleri ok á gulli
ok á gumna heillum,
í víni ok í virtri
ok vilisessi,
á Gugnis oddi
ok á Grana brjósti,
á nornar nagli
ok á nefi uglu.

On glass and on gold, and on goodly charms,
In wine and in beer, and on well-loved seats,
On Gungnir's point, and on Grani's breast,
On the nails of Norns, and the night-owl's beak. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: on glass, gold, men's good luck-charms, wine, beer, beloved seats, Gungnir's point, Grani's breast, norns' nails, owl's beak. Inferred: amulets and high seats belong beside spear and horse — power is worn as much as wielded. Modern: mark what you drink from, sit on, ride, and hang at your throat. The poetry is a checklist, not a metaphor.

Allar váru af skafnar,
þær er váru á ristnar,
ok hverfðar við inn helga mjöð
ok sendar á víða vega;
þær ro með ásum,
þær ro með alfum,
sumar með vísum vönum
sumar hafa mennskir menn.

Shaved off were the runes that of old were written,
And mixed with the holy mead,
And sent on ways so wide;
So the gods had them, so the elves got them,
And some for the Wanes so wise,
And some for mortal men. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: all were shaved off where carved, stirred into holy mead, sent on wide ways — some with æsir, some with alfar, some with wise Vanir, some with mortal men. Inferred: runes distribute through mead like culture through gift-exchange. Modern: knowledge is shaved, mixed, and travels. Gods, elves, Vanir, and humans hold different shares of the same original carving.

Þat eru bókrúnar,
þat eru bjargrúnar
ok allar ölrúnar
ok mætar meginrúna,
hveim er þær kná óvilltar
ok óspilltar
sér at heillum hafa;
njóttu, ef þú namst,
unz rjúfask regin.

Beech-runes are there, birth-runes are there,
And all the runes of ale,
And the magic runes of might;
Who knows them rightly and reads them true,
Has them himself to help;
Ever they aid,
Till the gods are gone. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: book-runes, birth-runes, ale-runes, mighty megin-runes — keep them unspoiled as help; enjoy them until gods are torn apart. Inferred: Bellows adds lines not in Guðni Jónsson's stanza; the manuscript tradition is uneven here. Modern: the catalogue closes with possession and duration — use what you learned while the world still holds. No promise that lore outlives Ragnarök.

Nú skaltu kjósa,
alls þér er kostr of boðinn,
hvassa vápna hlynr;
sögn eða þögn
hafðu þér sjalfr í hug;
öll eru mein of metin.

Now shalt thou choose, for the choice is given,
Thou tree of the biting blade;
Speech or silence, 'tis thine to say,
Our evil is destined all. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: now choose — choice is offered, tree of sharp weapons; speech or silence, hold it yourself in mind; all evils are measured out. Inferred: Brynhild returns to the Sigurðr story after rune patches; she warns that fate is already weighed. Modern: you are not being asked a riddle. You are being told that what follows is chosen in full knowledge of harm.

Munk-a ek flæja,
þótt mik feigan vitir,
emk-a ek með bleyði borinn;
ástráð þín
ek vil öll hafa;
svá lengi sem ek lifi.

I shall not flee, though my fate be near,
I was born not a coward to be;
Thy loving word for mine will I win,
As long as I shall live. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: Sigurðr will not flee though she knows him fey; not born with cowardice; he wants all her love while he lives. Inferred: the lost original likely continued with oaths of marriage — Volsunga saga preserves that shape. Modern: he chooses speech and loyalty over silence and safety. The hero accepts measured evil rather than run.

Þat ræð ek þér it fyrsta,
at þú við frændr þína
vammalaust verir;
síðr þú hefnir,
þótt þeir sakar geri;
þat kveða dauðum duga.

Then first I rede thee, that free of guilt
Toward kinsmen ever thou art;
No vengeance have, though they work thee harm,
Reward after death thou shalt win. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: first counsel — be blameless toward kin; do not revenge though they wrong you; it is said to help the dead. Inferred: this block resembles Loddfáfnismál and may not belong to Brynhild's oldest layer — the compiler attributed it to her. Modern: whether Brynhild or Loddfáfnir, the advice stands: family feud is a debt you can refuse to collect.

Þat ræð ek þér annat,
at þú eið né sverir,
nema þann er saðr sé;
grimmar limar
ganga at tryggðrofi;
armr er vára vargr.

Then second I rede thee, to swear no oath
If true thou knowest it not;
Bitter the fate of the breaker of troth,
And poor is the wolf of his word. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: second — swear no oath unless you know it true; grim limbs pursue the troth-breaker; poor is the wolf of his word. Inferred: oath-breakers are named wolves — the same metaphor stack as elsewhere in the corpus. Modern: do not bind yourself in words you cannot keep. The consequence is not shame alone; it is being hunted as a breaker.

Þat ræð ek þér þriðja,
at þú þingi á
deili-t við heimska hali,
því að ósviðr maðr
lætur oft kveðin
verri orð en viti.

Then third I rede thee, that thou at the Thing
Shalt fight not in words with fools;
For the man unwise a worser word
Than he thinks doth utter oft. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: third — at the Thing do not quarrel in words with fools; the unwise often speak worse than they intend. Inferred: public assembly is a performance space; arguing with fools makes you part of the spectacle. Modern: save your breath at court. Fools damage you by dragging you into their volume.

Allt er vant,
ef þú við þegir,
þá þykkir þú með bleyði borinn
eða sönnu sagðr;
hættr er heimis kviðr,
nema sér góðan geti; -
annars dags
láttu hans öndu farit,
ok launa svá lýðum lygi.

Ill it is if silent thou art,
A coward born men call thee,
And truth mayhap they tell;
Seldom safe is fame,
Unless wide renown be won;
On the day thereafter send him to death,
Let him pay the price of his lies. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: silence can mark you coward; reputation is dangerous unless wide; next day let the liar's breath depart — pay lies back to men. Inferred: a jumbled stanza, likely interpolated — the meaning is tactical, not serene. Modern: if false cowardice is pinned on you, answer with action, not debate. The poem recommends removal, not persuasion.

Þat ræð ek þér it fjórða,
ef býr fordæða
vammafull á vegi,
ganga er betra
en giska sé,
þótt þik nótt of nemi.

Then fourth I rede thee, if thou shalt find
A wily witch on thy road,
It is better to go than her guest to be,
Though night enfold thee fast. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: fourth — if a curse-full troll-wife sits on the road, better to walk on than be her guest, though night takes you. Inferred: roadside magic is a travel hazard in saga world. Modern: do not accept shelter from what glows wrong on the path. Keep moving.

Fornjósnar augu
þurfu fira synir,
hvars skulu vreiðir vega;
oft bölvísar konur
sitja brautu nær,
þær er deyfa sverð ok sefa.

Eyes that see need the sons of men
Who fight in battle fierce;
Oft witches evil sit by the way,
Who blade and courage blunt. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: foreseeing eyes sons of men need where angry battles go; evil women often sit near the road and dull sword and courage. Inferred: probably another interpolation, but thematically consistent — seidr on the way to war. Modern: watchfulness is equipment. Some threats sit still and let you come to them.

Þat ræð ek þér it fimmta,
þóttú fagrar séir
brúðir bekkjum á,
sifja silfr
lát-a-ðu þínum svefni ráða;
teygj-at-tu þér at kossi konur.

Then fifth I rede thee, though maidens fair
Thou seest on benches sitting,
Let the silver of kinship not rob thee of sleep,
And the kissing of women beware. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: fifth — though fair brides sit on benches, do not let in-law silver rule your sleep; do not reach for women's kisses. Inferred: marriage politics and desire as destabilizers before great deeds. Modern: bridal beauty and kin-price are traps for attention. The counsel is cold: guard sleep and restraint.

Þat ræð ek þér it sétta,
þótt með seggjum fari
ölðrmál til öfug,
drukkin deila
skal-at-tu við dolgviðu;
margan stelr vín viti.

Then sixth I rede thee, if men shall wrangle,
And ale-talk rise to wrath,
No words with a drunken warrior have,
For wine steals many men's wits. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: sixth — though ale-talk among men turns backward, do not dispute with drunken warriors; wine steals wits from many. Inferred: Regius breaks here; what follows survives from paper copies. Modern: drunk argument is not contest; it is chemistry. Walk away before words become axes.

Söngr ok öl
hefr seggjum verit
mörgum at móðtrega,
sumum at bana,
sumum at bölstöfum;
fjölð er, þat er fira tregr.

Brawls and ale full oft have been
An ill to many a man,
Death for some, and sorrow for some;
Full many the woes of men. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: song and ale have brought many men grief — some to death, some to curse-staves; much is what hinders men. Inferred: likely interpolation; functions as chorus on stanza 29. Modern: feast and verse are not neutral pleasures. They have body counts.

Þat ræð ek þér it sjaunda,
ef þú sakar deilir
við hugfulla hali,
berjask er betra
en brenna sé
inni auðstöfum.

Then seventh I rede thee, if battle thou seekest
With a foe that is full of might;
It is better to fight than to burn alive
In the hall of the hero rich. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: seventh — if you must dispute with a mighty-minded man, better to fight than burn inside a rich hall. Inferred: references hall-burning as death alternative — Njáls saga made this famous. Modern: when honor demands confrontation, open fight beats smoldering indoors until fire finds you.

Þat ræð ek þér it átta,
at þú skalt við illu sjá
ok firrask flærðarstafi;
mey þú teygj-at
né manns konu
né eggja ofgamans.

Then eighth I rede thee, that evil thou shun,
And beware of lying words;
Take not a maid, nor the wife of a man,
Nor lure them on to lust. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: eighth — shun evil, flee treachery-words; do not lure maid or another's wife to excess-love. Inferred: sexual ethics overlap with feud prevention — adultery kills dynasties in the sagas. Modern: the advice is plain and saga-proven. Do not borrow trouble from beds that belong to others.

Þat ræð ek þér it níunda,
at þú náum bjargir,
hvars þú á foldu finnr,
hvárts eru sóttdauðir
eða eru sædauðir
eða eru vápndauðir verar.

Then ninth I rede thee: burial render
If thou findest a fallen corpse,
Of sickness dead, or dead in the sea,
Or dead of weapons' wounds. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: ninth — give burial wherever you find the fallen on earth, whether sickness, sea, or weapons killed them. Inferred: proper treatment of the dead as moral minimum for a wanderer. Modern: you meet corpses on the road; what you do with them defines you before any battle.

Laug skal gera,
þeim er liðnir eru,
þváa hendr ok höfuð,
kemba ok þerra,
áðr í kistu fari,
ok biðja sælan sofa.

A bath shalt thou give them who corpses be,
And hands and head shalt wash;
Wipe them and comb, ere they go in the coffin,
And pray that they sleep in peace. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: bathe the dead, wash hands and head, comb and dry before coffin, pray they sleep blessed. Inferred: likely interpolation, but matches Norse funeral care practices. Modern: dignity at the end is labor — water, comb, prayer. Not glamour, but obligation.

Þat ræð ek þér it tíunda,
at þú trúir aldregi
várum vargdropa,
hvárstu ert bróður bani
eða hafir þú felldan föður;
ulfr er í ungum syni,
þó sé hann gulli gladdr.

Then tenth I rede thee, that never thou trust
The word of the race of wolves,
If his brother thou broughtest to death,
Or his father thou didst fell;
Often a wolf in a son there is,
Though gold he gladly takes. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: tenth — never trust wolf's-kin; though young sons gleam for gold, wolf hides in them if you slew brother or father. Inferred: blood-feud logic — reconciliation payments do not erase appetite for revenge. Modern: gold does not convert an enemy line into kin. Trust the genealogy of grievance.

Sakar ok heiftir
hyggja-t svefngar vera
né harm in heldr;
vits ok vápna
vant er jöfri at fá
þeim er skal fremstr með firum.

Battle and hate and harm, methinks,
Full seldom fall asleep;
Wits and weapons the warrior needs
If boldest of men he would be. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: quarrels and hatreds and harm, I think, seldom sleep; wits and weapons the prince needs who would be foremost among men. Inferred: another probable insertion — restates the warrior ethos after domestic cautions. Modern: leadership is not serenity. It is alertness plus arms.

Þat ræð ek þér it ellifta,
at þú við illu séir
hvern veg at vini;
langt líf þykkjumk-a-k
lofðungs vita;
römm eru róg of risin.

Then eleventh I rede thee, that wrath thou shun,
And treachery false with thy friends;
Not long the leader's life shall be,
For great are the foes he faces. — Bellows, 1923

Attested: eleventh — watch how you treat friends; I do not think a lord's life long; great are the nets of slander spread. Inferred: closing lines may come from the older Brynhild warning before the choice in stanza 20 — paper manuscripts end the poem here. Modern: the last counsel is friendship and brevity of power. Slander is a field you cannot outwalk. Speak carefully; reign shortly.