We've been thinking about something else to translate while we're
waiting to resume Njáls saga. My suggestion is that we have a go at
one of the shorter Eddic poems. The language of these is often not so
contorted and riddling as that of the skaldic occasional verses we
usually meet embedded in the sagas. Here are some possibilities that
occur to me. Any preferences?
Gróttasöngr, 24 strophes. A song sung by two giantesses as they work
a magic mill.
Hjálmarskviða, 8 strophes. Death-song of a warrior mortally wounded
in a duel. From the legendary Hervarar saga.
Þrymskviða, 32 strophes. Fairly simple and self-contained, humorous
narrative poem from the Elder Edda about the theft of Thor's hammer.
(One of the reading pieces in Gordon's An Introduction to Old Norse).
Hervararkviða, 30 strophes. Hervör, currently captain of a band of
vikings, lands on the haunted island of Sámsey (Denmark) to reclaim a
cursed sword belonging to her (un)dead father. From Hervarar saga.
Völundarkviða, 41 strophes. A tale of love and revenge, told in
powerfully simple language. One of the fiercest and best.