Ragnarok Poetic Edda

39 In the east sat the old woman in Iron-wood
and gave birth there to Fenrir’s offspring;
one of them in trollish shape
shall be snatcher of the moon.

40 It gluts itself on doomed men’s lives,
reddens the gods’ dwellings with crimson blood;
sunshine becomes black all the next summers,
weather all vicious—do you want to know more: and what?

41 He sat on the mound and struck his harp,
the giantess’s herdsman, cheerful Eggther;
near him crowed in Gallows-wood,
that bright-red rooster who is called Fialar.

42 Golden-comb crowed near the Æsir,
he wakens the warriors at Father of Hosts’ hall;
and another crows below the earth,
a sooty-red cock in the halls of Hel.

43 Garm bays loudly before Gnipa-cave,
the fetter will break and the ravener run free,
much wisdom she knows, I see further ahead
to the mighty Doom of the Gods, of the victory-gods.

44 Brother will fight brother and be his slayer,
sister’s sons will violate the kinship-bond;
hard it is in the world, whoredom abounds,
axe-age, sword-age, shields are cleft asunder,
wind-age, wolf-age, before the world plunges headlong;
no man will spare another.

45 The sons of Mim are at play and the Measuring-Tree is kindled
at the resounding Giallar-horn;
Heimdall blows loudly, his horn is in the air.
Odin speaks with Mim’s head.
The ancient tree groans and the giant gets loose,
Yggdrasill shudders, the tree standing upright.

46 Now Garm bays loudly before Gnipa-cave,
the fetter will break and the ravener run free,
much wisdom she knows, I see further ahead
to the mighty Doom of the Gods, of the victory-gods.


- Poetic Edda, Völuspá