posted
It's a famous poem, at least in Norway.I thought I'd try my hand at translating it.
quote: Broad the sails across North Sea go High on the cliff-top, the dawn-lights show Erling Skjalgsson of Sola Watching south to sea. What stays the Long Serpent? Comes not Olav Tryggvason?
Six and fifty the dragons lay fell the sails then; towards Denmark play the eyes of men. What stays the Long Serpent? Comes not Olav Tryggvason?
But when sun in the second light rose from a sea without mast in sight 'twas as a storm to hear : What stays the Long Serpent? Comes not Olav Tryggvason?
Still-struck then, all quiet stood the warrior-meet; for from the deep water below whispered a sigh to the fleet : Taken is the Long Serpent. Fallen is Olav Tryggvason.
After this, for a hundred years at Norwegian ships the sea-draug sneers (though mainly on moonlit nights) : Taken is the Long Serpent. Fallen is Olav Tryggvason.
I'm not quite happy with that last stanza; the original makes no mention of the draug (the water-troll who makes ships go down; he rides half a boat, and sighting him is really terrible luck.) I just couldn't think of anything else that even halfway rhymes with 'years'. The original reads literally "Later after, a hundred years / Norwegian ships for follower have / (though mainly on moonlit nights / Taken... " Suggestions?
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Is the water troll an accepted icon in Norwegian tales? If so, maybe just a footnote explaining the sudden presence?
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Oh yes, everybody knows the draug, or at least they did a generation ago when people really lived off the sea. I think even these days he'd be covered in school. And certainly anyone familiar with the original poem would know what I'm talking about.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Thinking on it, I believe we actually had a pretty good grounding in folk tales in third or fourth grade. I recall there was a series on the Norse pantheon that was very popular with the boys because of the depiction of Freya, the fertility goddess. Then there was the hulder, the forest spirit that lures men to their doom; trolls, of course, in all their variety - much degraded remnants of the jotner, the giants, that fought against the gods; but hey, they lasted longer in the collective consciousness; the nøkk that sits in waterfalls and plays so sadly that maidens throw themselves in; the house-nisse who does small tasks in exchange for some porridge every so often... The draug is really the least of it. The curriculum's been reformed at least twice since then, though, so it might not be in there now.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Waldorf system? Never heard of it. Anyway, considering the amount of Christian indoctrination we got, a bit of the real cultural history of Norway was only sensible. This was the days when you got two hours of Christianity a week, and could only get out of it if at least one parent was not a member of the state church. They've renamed it 'Knowledge of Christianity, with religions and orientation on world-views' now (it's a bit less of a mouthful in Norwegian), but I udnerstand there are still complaints by immigrants who feel it's the same old stuff in a new coat. Wouldn't surprise me in the least, actually.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
I wish we'd had a solid grouding in folktales and mythology. I especially wish we'd had a solid grounding in Norse folktales and Mythology.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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