Sing, O bard, of Odin the All Father,
Lord of the Aesir, enemy of the Wolf,
His flaming eye beholding all,
Shifty-eyed, he shakes the spear, and shields do tremble.
In the ancient tongue, he is Mighty Thuler,
The Ancient One who wanders wayweary,
Swift in deceit, a swift tricker,
Maddener, wise in magical spells, he is the Wand-Bearer.
Grímnir, Glapsviðr, Faðir galdrs, Fjǫlnir,
Wise One, concealer, “the One who is many”,
Upon the windy tree, he hung for nine nights full,
By his own spear wounded, an offering to himself.
No joy from loaf or horn was his,
And there below, he looked and shrieked,
Took up the runes, and forthwith back he fell,
Upon the tree that none may know its roots.
In the city of gods, on Hlidskialf he sat,
Seeing all worlds, every man’s doing,
Understanding all, he saw with wife Frigg by his side,
From them descends the Æsir race, of divine origin.
He, the All-father, father of gods and men,
Bringer of being by his power and might,
The earth, his daughter and wife,
bore him sons, Asa-Thor of thunder, and Baldr the fair.
God of wisdom, healing, death and royalty,
Of gallows, knowledge, war, victory, sorcery,
Of poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet,
Odin, the husband of goddess Frigg, father of Thor and Baldr.
A serpent came crawling, but it destroyed no one,
When Woden took nine twigs of glory,
Struck the adder, it flew into nine pieces,
Archived apple and poison, so it would never re-enter the house.
God is the origin of all language,
Wisdom’s foundation and wise man’s comfort,
And to every hero, blessing and hope,
Odin, the raven-god, sends Huginn and Muninn at dawn.
They fly all over the world, return in the evening,
Keeping Odin informed of many events,
Yet, he pricked Sigrdrífa with a sleeping-thorn,
Condemned her to marriage, for she brought down Hjalmgunnar in battle.
Sing, O bard, of Odin the All Father,
His wisdom inscribed in runes, his prophecy in all worlds,
His mystic knowledge in every heart that dares to know,
Praise be to Odin, the “One who is many”.
