Norwegian Rune Poem

The Old Norse version is Wimmer’s normalized one. Consult http://www.nordic-life.org/nmh/wd.htm (explanations in German) ou http://www.nordic-life.org/nmh/we.htm (explanations in English) to check the variations among the manuscripts.

vældr fræ'nda róge; stirs strife in the household [or family, kindred].

fóðesk ulfr í skóge. the wolf feeds in the forest.

er af illu jarne; comes from brittle iron.

opt loypr ræinn á hjarne. often runs [or glides] the elk on hard-frozen snow.

vældr kvenna kvillu; brings to women torture.

kátr værðr fár af illu Few will be merry of ill [or difficulty]

er flestra færða Classical translation: river mouth is the way of most journeys

Personal translation: one of the Æsir is the travel of the most earnest of the travels.

fōr, en skalpr er sværða. but a scabbard [is] of swords.

kvæða rossom væsta; they agree, is the worse for the horses.

Reginn sló sværðet bæzta. Reginn forged the best of the swords.

er barna blvan; is a child’s curse. (bölvan does not mean ‘misfortune, bale’ but ‘curse’)

bl gorver mann flvan Usual translation: death makes a corpse pale.

Wimmer’s correct translation: bale makes a man pale (böl means ‘bale’ and not ‘death’. Mannr = maðr means ‘human’)

er kaldastr korna; is the coldest seed.

Kristr skóp hæimenn forna Christ gave shape to the ancient dwelling.

gerer næppa koste; leaves scant choice.

noktan kælr í froste. Classical translation: Naked, he is cold in the frost.

Personal translation:() cooled the naked one during frost.

k_öllum brú bræiða; we call a broad bridge.

blindan þarf at læiða. Classical translation: the blind one needs to be guide.

Personal translation: [it is] useful to shake the blind one towards banishment.

er gumna góðe; is a profit [góðe] for the humans.

get ek at _örr var Fróðe I acknowledge that Fródhi has been generous [or fast, or full of energy].

(sl) er landa ljóme; is the shining flash of the world.

lúti ek helgum dome Wimmer’s translation : I bow in front of the divine judgement.

Personal translation: I pay tribute to the judgements [or sentencing] of the sacred day [or during the sacred day].

er æinendr ása; is the one-handed Áss.

opt værðr smiðr at blása. Often the smith has to blow.

er lavfgrǿnstr líma; is the greenest foliage of the wood bundles [ou of the foliages, ou of the branches]; [Wimmer’s translation: Birch branch is the foliage-greenest shoot.]

Loki bar flæ’rðar tima. Loki carried the times [or the appropriate times] of frauds [ou of falcities]. [Classical translations, something like: Loki well succeeded in cheating everyone.]

er moldar auki; is still more earths [or clays or molds].

mikil er græip á hauki The hawk grasps much [w. for w.: ‘much it grasps in hawk’].

er, er fællr ór fjalle is what falls from the cliffs,

foss ; en gull ero nosser cascade [furious strength of the water]; but as well, costly things are made of gold.

er vetrgrǿnstr víða; is the greenest tree during winter;

vant er, er brennr, at svíða. Wimmer’s translation: it is in the habit of singeing, where (when) it burns.

Personal translation: it has greed for burning and (entirely) burns out.