16. On the paws of the bear, | and on Bragi's tongue,
On the wolf's claws bared, | and the eagle's beak,
On bloody wings, | and bridge's end,
On freeing hands | and helping foot-prints.
17. On glass and on gold, | and on goodly charms,
In wine and in beer, | and on well-loved seats,
On Gungnir's point, | and on Grani's breast,
On the nails of Norns, | and the night-owl's beak.
* * * * * *
18. Shaved off were the runes | that of old were written,
And mixed with the holy mead,
And sent on ways so wide;
So the gods had them, | so the elves got them,
And some for the Wanes so wise,
And some for mortal men.
19. Beech-runes are there, | birth-runes are there,
And all the runes of ale,
And the magic runes of might;
Who knows them rightly | and reads them true,
Has them himself to help;
Ever they aid,
Till the gods are gone.
* * * * * *
Brynhild spake:
20. "Now shalt thou choose, | for the choice is given,
Thou tree of the biting blade;
Speech or silence, | 'tis thine to say,
Our evil is destined all."
[17. Charms: the wearing of amulets was very common. Gungnir: Othin's spear, made by the dwarfs, which he occasionally lent to heroes to whom he
granted victory. Grani: Sigurth's horse; the Volsungasaga has "giantesses'."
19. Stanzas 18-19, which editors have freely rearranged, apparently come from another source than any of the rest. Shaved off: the runes were shaved
off by Othin from the wood on which they were carved, and the shavings bearing them were put into the magic mead. Wanes: cf. Voluspo, 21, note.
19. Lines 3, 6, and 7 look like spurious additions, but the whole stanza is chaotic. Beech-runes: runes carved on beech trees.
20. Stanzas 20-21 are all that remains of the dialogue between Brynhild and Sigurth from the poem to which stanzas 2-4 belong; cf. Introductory Note.
In the intervening lost stanzas Brynhild has evidently warned Sigurth of the perils that will follow if he swears loyalty to her; hence the choice to
which she here refers. Tree, etc.: warrior. The manuscript does not indicate the speaker of either this or the following stanza; the Volsungasaga names
Sigurth before stanza 21.]
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16. Á bjarnar hrammi ok á Braga tungu,
á ulfs klóum ok á arnar nefi,
á blóđgum vćngjum ok á brúar sporđi,
á lausnar lófa ok á líknar spori.
17. Á gleri ok á gulli ok á gumna heillum,
í víni ok í virtri ok vilisessi,
á Gugnis oddi ok á Grana brjósti,
á nornar nagli ok á nefi uglu.
18. Allar váru af skafnar, ţćr er váru á ristnar,
ok hverfđar viđ inn helga mjöđ
ok sendar á víđa vega;
ţćr ro međ ásum, ţćr ro međ alfum,
sumar međ vísum vönum sumar hafa mennskir menn.
19. Ţat eru bókrúnar, ţat eru bjargrúnar
ok allar ölrúnar ok mćtar meginrúnar,
hveim er ţćr kná óvilltar
ok óspilltar sér at heillum hafa;
njóttu, ef ţú namst, unz rjúfask regin.
20. Nú skaltu kjósa, alls ţér er kostr of bođinn,
hvassa vápna hlynr;
sögn eđa ţögn hafđu ţér sjalfr í hug;
öll eru mein of metin."
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