By THLaird Colyne Stewart, December AS 50 (2015)
House bound hearth-herds[1] huddled by Surt[2]-breath
To Jólner[3]
turn they julblotet[4]
offer
Asking for favour for
Fenris[5] still
captive
And Vetr[6]
fallen Vanquished by
Sumarr[7]
Written in málaháttr, an Eddic measure closely related to fornyrðislag. Each line of the 4-line stanza was divided
into two half-lines by a caesura. The half-lines had two accented and three or
four unaccented syllables. The two half-lines are linked together by alliteration,
which in case of the first line could fall on one or the other of the stressed
syllables, but in the second half-line had to fall on the first stressed
syllables.
[1]
Referring to the people and animals crowded together inside to share their
warmth.
[2] Surt (or
Surtr) is a Norse fire giant, thus this is a kenning for a fire.
[3] The god
of Jul and one of the guises of Odin.
[4] A
sacrifice.
[5] When the
great wolf was freed, it was though he would bring about Ragnarok—the end of
the world.
[6]
Personification of Winter.
[7]
Personification of Summer.
