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Baldrs Draumar

5. "What is the man,  to me unknown,That has made me travel  the troublous road?I was snowed on with snow,  and smitten with rain,And drenched with dew;  long was I dead."
  Othin spake:6.[1] "Vegtam my name,  I am Valtam's son;Speak thou of hell,  for of heaven I know:For whom are the benches  bright with rings,And the platforms gay  bedecked with gold?"
  The Wise-Woman spake:7.[2] "Here for Baldr  the mead is brewed,The shining drink,  and a shield lies o'er it;But their hope is gone  from the mighty gods.Unwilling I spake,  and now would be still."

    manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza, and thus the editions vary in their grouping of the lines of this and the succeeding stanzas.

  1. ↑ The manuscript has no superscriptions indicating the speakers. Vegtam ("The Wanderer"): Othin, as usual, conceals his identity, calling himself the son of Valtam ("The Fighter"). In this instance he has unusual need to do so, for as the wise-woman belongs apparently to the race of the giants, she would be unwilling to answer a god's questions. Heaven: the word used includes all the upper worlds, in contrast to hell. Benches, etc.: the adornment of the benches and raised platforms, or elevated parts of the house, was a regular part of the preparation for a feast of welcome. The text of the two last lines is somewhat uncertain.
  2. ↑ Grundtvig, followed by Edzardi, thinks a line has been lost between lines 3 and 4.

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