Skopunargodthsognsaga - The Creation Saga

The Gods and the Eggs

In the bright morning | before men were born

Three gods gathered | greatest of their kind

At their long table | in their lofty hall

Ancient Glødendested | thatched like spun gold

The highest was Mange | an eagle's head he wore

First at the table | a cloak of many feathers

White, gold and bronze | his shoulders gird

Lord of the winds | he was chief of the gods

On his right sat Dårlig | the salmon-faced god

Chief of the waters | patron of wisdom

And bear-headed Stygg | brown-clad and strong

was master of the earth | sitting at Mange's left

The boards were laden | before each god an egg

The sun-goose laid them | afore time began

At the first dawn | at the start of days

Gleaming like fire | in the hall-lamp's glow

Three eggs lay there | from small to large

Mange's egg was gold | named Jurre the great

Culhorre was smaller | sat before Dårlig

The least of the brood | was Stygg's bronze Vørden

Now, Stygg's envy grew | the greater eggs he eyed

Towards silver Culhorre | his covetous gaze was drawn

Dårlig saw these glances | guessing Stygg's mind

And made him a scheme | to steal Vørden first

One hand Culhorre lifted | the other Vørden clutched

The bear-god diverted | Dårlig now held both

When he saw it gone | Stygg made a grab

Wrestling in fury | the great table fell

The three gods leapt | after the gleaming eggs

Flung towards the roof | the table toppling

Jurre and Culhorre | were caught in the thatch

Bronze Vørden fell hard | broken on the stone floor

To the cracked shell | came the three gods

Now looking within | shell burst by a wing

So was the dragon born | he who began all

Haennich Buirraidh was he | Mange named him

The shell was empty | the gods stared down

An empty void left | lack of life a shame

The gods did squat | Mange sent air

Dårlig sent water | Stygg did make soil

The shell empty no more | the elements did then mix

Then Haennich Buirraidh | he who began

Opened his mighty wings | flapping over all

And within was made | hills, rivers and meads

This gladdened the gods | seeing a good land

And the growing dragon | grasped Vørden as he flew

Taking the world egg | out into the wide garden

And set it in Himmelhage | an eternal home

Now Bain-neog-dhaer was made | Land of the dragon's birth