The Binding of Fenrir, Part 1

The Binding of Fenrir is another of the famous stories from Snorri’s Edda that does not have a corresponding form in verse in the Poetic Edda. Today I present the first half of my poetic retelling of this story, in seven stanzas of ljóðaháttr. Next week, I’ll post the remaining seven stanzas.

The ale of Ygg
I eagerly brewed,
and here I pour a poem.
Of Fenrir’s binding
and famous Týr,
that spell I speak to all.

Loki and Angrboda,
they lay together
and a special three they spawned.
A half-corpse woman,
a wolf, and a serpent:
these offspring were destined for doom.

The wolf alone
waxed in Asgard,
fed by trusty Týr.
But fast he grew,
and greatly was feared;
the Æsir sought an answer.

Fenrir they chose
to fetter and bind,
to save their home from harm.
They bid him try,
and test his strength
against the chains they chose.

With a great thrash,
he threw off Leyðing,
that fetter failed to hold!
With a great strain
he struck off Drómi,
that fetter failed to hold!

Freyr’s friend,
fair Skírnir,
from dwarves he fetched a fetter.
Subtle runes,
six in all,
were blended to form that fetter:

woman’s beard,
bear’s sinews,
mighty mountain’s roots,
fish’s breath,
bird’s spittle,
and falling of cat’s feet.

Copyright © 2013 Eirik Westcoat.
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