Lord and Kin

People say in old stories that one of the Æsir, the one called Heimdall, went on a journey, and as he went along the sea-shore somewhere he came to a household and he called himself Rig.* This poem is about that story.

1 Long ago they say that along the green paths
a powerful, mature, and knowledgeable god went walking,
mighty and vigorous, Rig stepping along.

[...]

26 Rig went on along the straight paths;
he came to a hall, the doors looked south,
the door was half-open, the door-ring in the mortice.

27 In he stepped, the floor was strewn with straw;
a couple sat, gazing into one another’s eyes,
Father and Mother, playing with their fingers.

28 There sat the householder and twisted bow-strings,
strung the elm-bow, put shafts on arrows,
and the lady of the house was admiring her arms,
stroking the linen, smoothing the sleeves.

29 She straightened her head-dress, there was a coin-pendant on her breast,
a trailing dress and a blue-coloured blouse;
her brow was brighter, her breast more shining,
her neck was whiter than pure fresh-fallen snow.

30 Rig was able to give them some advice;
then he sat in the middle of the bench,
with the couple of the household on either side.

31 Then Mother took a patterned cloth,
a white one, of linen, covered the table,
then she brought fine loaves
white ones, of wheat-flour, and laid them on the cloth.

32 She brought in full dishes,
chased with silver, put them on the table,
dark and light pork-meat and roasted birds;
wine was in the flagon, ornamented the goblets;
they drank and they conversed, the day drew to a close.

33 Rig was able to give them some advice;
up he rose, made ready the bed;
there he was for three nights together;
then away he went in the middle of the path
nine months passed after that.

34 Mother gave birth to a boy, wrapped him in silk,
they sprinkled him with water, had him named Lord;
blond was his hair, bright his cheeks,
piercing were his eyes like a young snake’s.

35 Lord grew up there on the benches;
he began to swing linden shields, fit bow-strings,
bend the elm-bow, put shafts on arrows,
hurl a javelin, brandish Frankish spears,
ride horses, urge on hounds,
wield swords, practise swimming.

36 Then out of the thicket came Rig walking,
Rig came walking, taught him runes;
gave him his own name, said he had a son;
he told him to take possession of ancestral plains,
ancestral plains, long-established settlements.

37 Then he rode from there through the dark wood,
over frost-covered mountains, until he came to a hall,
he brandished the shafted spear, swung his linden shield,
made his horse gallop, wielded his sword;
he wakened a war, began to redden the plain,
began to fell dead men, he fought to gain lands.

38 Then he alone ruled eighteen settlements;
he started to share his wealth, offered to everyone
treasures and precious things, slim-ribbed horses;
he scattered rings, hacked up arm-rings.

39 Messengers travelled over the dewy roads,
came to the hall where Chieftain lived;
he met there a slender-fingered girl,
radiant and wise, they called her Erna.

40 They asked for her hand and home they drove her,
married her to Lord, she walked under a bridal veil,
they lived together, and were happy,
increased the family and enjoyed their life.

41 Boy was the eldest and Child the second,
Baby and Noble, Heir and Offspring,
Descendant and Relative—they learned games—
Sonny and Lad—swimming and chequers—
Kinsman one was called, Kin was the youngest.

42 Those born to Lord grew up there,
tamed horses, bound rims to shields,
smoothed arrow-shafts, brandished ash spears.

43 But young Kin knew runes,*
life-runes and lifespan-runes;
and he knew how to help people,
to deaden sword-blades, quiet the ocean.

44 He learned birds’ speech, to quench fires,
to pacify waters, to make sorrows disappear,
he had the strength and vigour of eight men.

45 He contended in rune-wisdom with Lord Rig,
he played more tricks, knew more than he did;
then he gained and got the right
to be called Rig and to deploy runes.*

46 Young Kin rode through woods and thickets,
he let fly a bird-bolt, charmed the birds.

47 Then a crow said—it sat alone on a branch—
‘Why, young Kin, are you charming birds?*
Rather you could be riding horses,
laying low an army.

48 ‘Dan and Danp own splendid halls,
a better patrimony than you possess;
they know very well how to sail ships,
to test a sword blade, to rip open wounds.’


- Poetic Edda, Rigsthula


("young Kin: in Norse, Kin’s name is Kon. When modified by ungr (‘young’) it becomes konungr or ‘king’, emphasizing the young man’s future role." - from the Explanatory Notes section included with the translation)

("called Rig: Kin establishes a claim to kingly status through his superior knowledge and relationship with the founder of the dynasty." - from the Explanatory Notes section included with the translation)

("Why … charming birds: the crow, like the nuthatches of the Lay of Fafnir and the helpful bird in the Poem of Helgi Hiorvardsson, offers good advice to the young man. It is not entirely certain whether Kin is charming the birds, or shooting at them with his bird-bolts." - from the Explanatory Notes section included with the translation)