The Comparative Völuspá

The Comparative Völuspá: The Viking Age Prophecy of Birth, Death, & Rebirth Originating in Viking Age Scandinavia but containing elements of much earlier origin, no poem in the Old Norse corpus is more celebrated than the harrowing masterpiece Völuspá, the 'prophecy of the völva', a type of seeress esteemed in the pagan period comparable to contemporary notions of a witch. In the poem, the wise warleader and healing god Odin questions an undead völva about the foretold death of his beloved son, Baldr. The völva tells us about the deep past and along with it a horrific future followed by green rebirth. This unique and beautiful edition features the work of three translators beside an Old Icelandic edition, as well as numerous additional supplemental items and original commentary.