Upon
the Birth of Emma, daughter of Bjarn and Orlaith
By
Maister Colyne Stewart, May AS 52 (2017)
Listen
carl | skald come and thane
Of
Emma hear | of Ēostre’s get
Eagle-feeder
| ancient ageless
Fenrir’s
pack mate | proud hound of blood
Bearman’s
daughter | Berzerker seed
Maiden
mother | maker of weavings
Both
iron wrought | bless’d well by Freyja
Within
her hall | hale Emma slept
Loath
the babe was | leaving naught her bed
Iðunn guardian
| implored action
wound-sea
born her | Bjarnsdottir
Orlaith’s
belov’d | bold northern youth
Tremble
Norðri | tales will be sung
Of
Emma’s deeds | as ages pass on
Odin
written | Jarl’s wyrd one
What
force can stand | before bear’s daughter?
Written in fornyrðislag,
an Eddic verse form consisting of a 4-line stanza, each line divided by a
caesura into two half-lines, which in turn have two accented syllables and two
or three unaccented ones. There are six variations of half-lines that could be
used. The 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. The alliteration of the first half-line was called
stuðlar (props), the one in the second half-line höfuðstafr (head-stave). The
alliteration is actually an initial rhyme consisting of consonants alliterating
with the same consonants, except sk, sp and st, which could be alliterated with
themselves, and of a vowel alliterating with any other vowel, as well as with
j.
Annotated
version follows:
Listen
carl[1]
| skald[2]
come and thegn[3]
Of
Emma hear | of Ēostre’s[4]
get[5]
Eagle-feeder[6]
| ancient ageless
Fenrir’s
pack mate[7]
| proud hound of blood[8]
Bearman’s
daughter[9]
| Berzerker[10]
seed
Maiden
mother[11]
| maker of weavings[12]
Both
iron wrought[13] |
bless’d well by Freyja[14]
Within
her hall[15] |
hale Emma slept[16]
Loath
she was | leaving naught her bed
Iðunn[17] guardian[18]
| implored action[19]
wound-sea[20]
born her | Bjarnsdottir
Orlaith’s
belov’d | bold northern youth
Tremble
Norðri[21]
| tales will be sung
Of
Emma’s deeds | as ages pass on
Odin
written | Jarl’s[22]
wyrd[23]
one[24]
What
force can stand | Before bear’s daughter?
[1] A
servant or housetroop.
[2] A
bard.
[3] A
retainer to a king.
[4]
Goddess of fertility.
[5]
Get as in offspring, brood.
[6]
Warrior. Emma was a fighter from the get go.
[7] A
wolf. Emma is of Ealdormere, sybmolized by the wolf.
[8]
Also a kenning for wolf.
[9] Bjarn,
Emma’s father, whose name means ‘bear’.
[10]
Norse warriors who wore bearskins. Bjorn is a fighter.
[11]
Orlaith, Emma’s mother.
[12]
Orlaith is a skilled fabric artist.
[13]
Bjarn and Orlath are two of the toughest people I know.
[14]
Goddess of Fertility.
[15]
Orlaith’s womb.
[16]
Emma seemed quite content to stay inside and her birth had to be induced.
[17]
Goddess of the young.
[18] “Iðunn
guardian” kenning for the doctor.
[19]
The birth is induced.
[20]
Blood.
[21]
Old Norse for the North.
[22] A
chief.
[23]
Fate.
[24] I’m
implying there is much to come for young Emma.
