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== The Tale of Ísmær ==
#REDIRECT [[The Tale of Ísmær]]
''Dróttkvætt''
by [[Petronilla de Chastelerault]]
 
 
In the ancient skald-songs
 
Stories of the north-land,
 
Told by swift-tongued elders,
 
Tell of mighty giants
 
And of hero’s valor,
 
Valhalla and Asgard.
 
And the ice-born Ísmær,
 
Snow-maid, clever, fairest.
 
 
By the northern sea-gate,
 
There dwelled lovely Ísmær.
 
Daughter of no mortal,
 
Time, not woman, birthed her.
 
Lived she in the snow-lands,
 
Lonely, on an island,
 
Blissful, and not seeing
 
Sorrows of the far-world.
 
 
Ísmær sat on south-shore,
 
Summer months beginning.
 
Sky above did darken,
 
Dragon dropped from earth-ends!
 
Long as seven warships,
 
Scales like hard-forged iron.
 
Sent by death-bound Hela,
 
Dark-world’s overseer.
 
 
Hela, in her death-hall,
 
Had four carven marble
 
Seeing-stones of power.
 
Saw eye-tale inside stone,
 
Ísmær’s god-wrought beauty.
 
Sent forth dragon northward,
 
Want-rage creeping through her.
 
Hers great beauty would be!
 
 
Ísmær, fear-sense rising,
 
Snatched by dragon’s talons,
 
Thought of how to life-keep,
 
To her island return.
 
“How have I offended?
 
Have I given insult?
 
if I have, forgive me,”
 
Forth spoke to her captor.
 
 
Then did turn the dragon,
 
to its heart her words went.
 
Said it then unto her,
 
“No insult have you given.
 
Hela Death-Queen sent me,
 
That she might have beauty.
 
Now I regret greatly
 
Going to her service.”
 
 
Hela, in her death-hall,
 
Heard the conversation.
 
Anger rose within her,
 
Raged she at her servant.
 
Cried she of his falseness,
 
Sent she forth a fell-storm,
 
Sea to water-walls turned,
 
Winds to icy hammers!
 
 
Ísmær and the dragon,
 
Rising on the soft-winds,
 
From the north the storm came,
 
Thor-force wind surrounded.
 
Ísmær forth to Hela
 
Told her this, “O Lady,
 
You storm-toss the faultless.
 
This, it makes you happy?”
 
 
Hela, in her death-hall,
 
Heard the words of Ísmær.
 
Stopped she then the dark-storms,
 
Thor-force winds no longer.
 
Danger there deserted,
 
Dragon flew on freely.
 
Landed it on white-sand
 
Down it laid fair Ísmær.
 
 
In the ancient skald-songs
 
Stories of the north-land
 
Tell of maiden’s valor-
 
Lucky man can best it.
 
In the well-built mead-hall
 
Toast they the Ice-Maiden.
 
“Hail,” cry worthy warriors,
 
“Won her life with words!”
 
 
You can find the rules for writing a Dróttkvætt here: [[Svensdrapa]].

Latest revision as of 08:54, 19 June 2018