Edda, Poetic -- Völuspá [Prophecy of the Völva; Prophecy of the Seeress], st. 57 (AD 961) [tr. Bellows (1936)]

Dave — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:24:16 +0000

The sun turns black,
earth sinks in the sea,
The hot stars down
from heaven are whirled;
Fierce grows the steam
and the life-feeding flame,
Till fire leaps high
about heaven itself.

[Sól tér sortna,
sígr fold í mar,
hverfa af himni
heiðar stjǫrnur;
geisar eimi
við aldnara,
leikr hár hiti
við himin sjálfan.]

Poetic Edda (800-1100) Old Norse anonymous collection of poems
Völuspá [Prophecy of the Völva; Prophecy of the Seeress], st. 57 (AD 961) [tr. Bellows (1936)]
(Source)

The end off the world (Ragnarok) and its rebirth. Narrated by Heiðr.

(Source (Old Norse)), Other translations:

The sun darkens;
The earth is immerged in the sea;
The serene stars are withdrawn from the heaven:
Fire rages in the ancient world:
The lofty colour reaches to heaven itself.
[tr. Turner (1836); st. 44, l. 4ff]

The sun darkens, earth in ocean sinks, fall from heaven the bright stars, fire's breath assails the all-nourishing tree, towering fire plays against heaven itself.
[tr. Thorpe (1866); st. 56]

The sun turns black, earth sinks into the sea,
the bright stars vanish from the sky;
steam rises up in the conflagration,
a high flame plays against heaven itself.
[tr. Larrington (2014); st. 57]

The sun turns black, earth sinks into the sea,
bright stars vanish from the sky;
ember-smoke rages against the life-nourisher,
high heat sports against the sky itself.
[tr. Pettit (2023); st. 55]

WIST Quotations

Edda, Poetic -- Völuspá [Prophecy of the Völva; Prophecy of the Seeress], st. 57 (AD 961) [tr. Bellows (1936)]