An Old Norse Witch Story (for Anne Hathaway)

Grógaldr (Gróa's Magic Spells) is a little-known Old Norse poem in which a dead witch casts spells of protection on her living son before his difficult journey.
Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, free of both ivory tower elitism and the agendas of self-appointed gurus. Visit jacksonwcrawford.com/ (includes bio and linked list of all videos).
Jackson Crawford’s Patreon page: / norsebysw
Visit Grimfrost at www.grimfrost.com?aff=183
Latest FAQs: vimeo.com/375149287 (updated Nov. 2019).
Jackson Crawford’s translation of Hávamál, with complete Old Norse text: www.hackettpublishing.com/the... or www.amazon.com/Wanderers-Hava...
Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Poetic Edda: www.hackettpublishing.com/the... or www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-St...
Audiobook: www.audible.com/pd/The-Poetic...
Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Saga of the Volsungs: www.hackettpublishing.com/the... or www.amazon.com/Saga-Volsungs-...
Audiobook: www.audible.com/pd/The-Saga-o...
Music © I See Hawks in L.A., courtesy of the artist. Visit www.iseehawks.com/
Logos by Elizabeth Porter (snowbringer at gmail).

[@metro6567]

The internet really is amazing. I'm sat in my house, living my boring life, and I can just watch a cowboy reading Old Norse poems in front of some mountains in the late-day sun. Dr. Crawford, never stop being you!

[@boschblue]

Sometimes good to remember that these wholesome parts of the internet still do exist!

[@gardener5857]

Okay let's not take that cowboy thing too seriously. Standing near buffalo in the mountains does not a cowboy make. My cowboy relatives might take offense after a long day in the saddle. He's a professor. Not a cowboy.

[@Dynja-kaiR]

Anne Hathaway starring in a witch movie is pretty vital context for this one

[@Tomas-Odebrant]

And how she found her accent: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn-8qH6Hqqlrmq8

[@rayganrambles]

I hope she sees this.

[@delanebredvik]

"Watch out for those dead Christian women." Awesome Old Norse advice. And Awesome light.

[@kniter]

A man stands in front of a mountain reading old norse poems...

[@user-ze3tq9hf9i]

A cowboy*

[@mandodelorian4668]

This is The Way. He has spoken.

[@drengrviking3405]

Anne Hathaway was here...

[@kellybraille]

It was not the first time (or the last) that the animals would gather to listen to the traveling mountain man. This time it was the woodpecker who got there first, and later he would carry the man's words far and wide. For many years now, the man had traveled from mountaintop to mountaintop to speak the old words. The animals could not agree on just who it was that the man was speaking to. The mountains? The trees? Or perhaps, the wind.

[@aaronpearson1744]

Good prose, good premise, good hook. That's a pretty decent piece of writing. You should turn it into a short story :)

[@kellybraille]

@@aaronpearson1744 Thank you!

[@alaskabornheathen8902]

Holy crap I know this poem. It’s the one Heilung recites in Traust! Thanks for doing this video, now I know more about the poem and the story behind it!

[@SaszaDerRoyt]

I recognised it in the same way too! I also just watched his video on the Merseburg Charms and recognised them in Heilung's lyrics

[@lara4life656]

How cool she used you as her inspiration!

[@NH-mr6px]

We are watching the beginning of Dr. Crawford’s rise to the top of the Hollywood elite. Hopefully Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks as a big budget badass movie will come soon after. Dr. Crawford is so persuasive hahaha! Skål!

[@faramund9865]

I surely hope not given the amount of issues that community has with pedos and other forms of sexual abuse.

[@katmorris4392]

Thank you Dr Crawford for sharing this beautiful poem from that beautiful place. As someone who has been basically locked in a 1 bed flat in northern England for the last 8 months this has really lifted my spirits.

[@JagerLange]

Funny, I got into the channel while doing the same thing, but for a month less and a different part of England :)

[@RobinBaggett]

Love a story about a dead mom witch casting spells to protect her son. I swear Old Norse poetry is so creative and inspiring.

[@Eyrenni]

It's so interesting to see the original text and hear it spoken, especially in an older pronunciation, and then the translation, because being Swedish, I recognise or understand in part some of the lines and then the translation comes and half of the original text is suddenly an "oh I can see it now, I definitely can" moment. Some lines have barely changed and can almost be spoken even without changing the grammar or word order. The way the spells are counted is one of those. The word order is amusingly archaic and sweet, at least to me, but still understandable. Sort of "I cast a spell the ninth". It sounds weird to a modern ear but is definitely legible. Just... we want to swap the order, like you did, to make it sound more logical. One that's barely changed in modern Swedish would be the line: meira en menn viti mera än män vet Some letters change but the pronunciation is scarily close to the one you use. The development of languages are extremely fascinating. Thank you for sharing!

[@mc230mc]

Grógaldr is my favorite nordic poem the first time I heard about it was from a song called traust by heilung where they use her spell and I have been in love with it ever since

[@alasdairtaylor4441]

You have and are such a unique insight into old Norse. We really don't deserve the exquisite filming and country.

[@beornenmannr3218]

What a strange thing to say. It all does it justice.

[@ewoksalot]

Five dislikes from people expecting to see Anne Hathaway in the video LOL.

[@lindabloom6666]

Such a treat! Thank you and stay well

[@maggiejackson8661]

Love it!!!!! Keep rockin Dr.Crawford

[@Dybo87]

Love the content. So much knowledge to obtain! Thank you sir

[@Tina06019]

Thank you, Dr Crawford.

[@sharongolden197]

About time you covered this poem! It's a welcome addition, thank you so very much.

[@Khimaeras]

I have never been this early to any video ever! I just knew I had to click on the video out of instinct alone since my brain loves quality content like this.

[@janetchennault4385]

This was a fascinating presentation; I immediately looked up Culhwch and Olwen but I could not find an English translation of Ungen Sveidal. I am curious as to whether that tale has a journey as its midpart or a list of labors the hero must complete. Do you think that the missing Norse middle poem is a travel poem or a 'tasks' poem? Could you please consider give us a sequel of Fjolsvinnsmal.

[@Cuban20]

I love these

[@markadams7597]

Spooky Prince Charming's Halloween journey for Cinderella! Happy All Hallowd's Eve!!

[@theundead1600]

Happy Halloween!

[@klausolekristiansen2960]

All the best to you too.

[@davidkellett4794]

yay, my favorite ON poem

[@nopenope3164]

My sister bought me the poetic edda and it gives SO much insight into the old ways, and mindset of the people who lived in that time!. Amazing reading and i would suggest everyone, who have intrest in that time and enviroment to get it!!!

[@nopenope3164]

Also, once i opened and started to read, i couldn't put it down.. read it over 2 days before sleeping !

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

Wow! I would never have made that connection to Culhwch and Olwen. Great video! Be sure to check out Icelandic composer Jón Leifs' musical setting of Grógaldr, for alto, tenor and small orchestra (1965).

[@tudors_down]

Great, inspiring post! Dr. Crawford do you know if the campfire dialogue from the 13th Warrior is actual old norse or who consulted on it? This reminded me of those actors speaking parts.

[@Starday723y]

See if you can get havamal to make printings of that, I would totally buy that for Halloween, we sorta missed out on this year, but there is always next year.

[@knight907]

You switched between runic and Latin characters a few times, and I wanted to say that given a choice, I’d much rather see the runes, even though I know they’re only your interpretation, since the original texts were usually written in mostly Latin characters. I really enjoy reading along in the runes while hearing you speak the words in Old Norse. It’s probably a lot more work for you, but if you’re trying to decide, that’s my $0.02. Thank you.

[@smalrgrima]

"Their minds will go into your hands, their thoughts will turn to peace." Modern day equivalent: "These aren't the droids you're looking for ..."

[@raebrooks5317]

❤️!

[@MarkhamShawPyle]

I almost wonder whether this IS a retelling of Culhwch ac Olwen, or from a common Welsh source. There were a right smart of Vikings about in Wales in C 8-9, from Anglesey / Ynys Môn to Abertawe / Swansea, and Wales has long been gwlad y gân, the Land of Song … with a right smart of Christian women who’d died cursing the Norse.

[@etepeteseat7424]

While there are obviously significant contextual and cultural differences, this reminds me slightly of other heroic travel-quests, like Theseus's Labors on the road to Athens. Interesting to hear another similar archetypal myth told in such a different way. It's a pity the full journey isn't preserved.

[@luxindreams]

Thanks for this video Dr. Crawford! I've always been intrigued by this story and am actually working on a novel based on these characters. Are you going to make a video of the "sequel"? I believe I read somewhere that Groa is the same seer who Odin speaks to in Voluspa, who prophesied Ragnorak, I'm curious if you agree or if that is confirmed anywhere.

[@alysmarcus7747]

and i am sitting here - - and all of a sudden i'm thinking, hang on, i have three books in my husbands bookcase with this man's name on them !

[@AB8511]

Speaking of obscure poems what is your opinion, if any, on Hrafnagaldar Odins?

[@SethComedyFan]

In stanza 11, what sea was that you said? It sounds like Minnow.

[@lilboydafriend]

Why is josh barnett in that add lol the warmaster is a real badass

[@edwardbackman744]

Would recommend the song Traust by Heilung, which takes its lyrics from Grógaldr Also I have a question about stanza 13: I want to say I read this somewhere but I cant remember. Could it be that he needs protection from a Christian woman because there was a misunderstanding of Christian theology? Like they heard that christians don’t die (as in they get everlasting life in the Kingdom etc) but they interpreted this as they continue to exist as wraiths/ghosts? My translation does not imply Svipdag will encounter the Christian in the land of the dead which is probably why I’ve got this theory in my head.

[@loneschachwolff8506]

This is brilliant, but I have. question if anyone can answer it: The spell that Groa casts on her son is also the lyrics to the song "Traust" by the band Heilung, except in their version there is a man speaking back to a woman named "Fjon" and at the end of every spell he replies "Fjon thvae eg af mer fjanda minna ran og reidi rikra manna" What does this mean (aside from a direct translation) Is this apart of the story Mr. Crawford left out or are there different myths where this exact same 9 spells are mentioned?

[@lawnerddownunder3461]

5:45 *loose grave noises* How high was the cliff today?

[@drakovlad]

What’s that “funny” string instrument in the intro song called?

[@drakovlad]

@@MiaogisTeas The second one! Thank you so much!

[@hellentomazin6488]

Is your Poetic Edda book bilingual or English only?

[@mandymouse1879]

The internet never fails to amaze. You never know what you’ll find from one end of it to the next. Want to watch a woman glue rhinestones to her face? Or a video of a man perfectly executing the Powerline dance from A Goofy Movie? How about a lovely cowboy reading and translating Old Norse in the mountains by the light of the setting sun? All this, and more, here on the world wide web.

[@cabinfever7262]

Oh no... so much cool stuff on the grimfrost place. Christmas self pressie drinking horn time !

[@nanciandstephan269]

I hope she sees it and gives you a shoutout!

[@kevinsmith9013]

Have you done a video discussing heilung? It'd be interesting to hear your take on it all... maybe your first "reaction" video? Lol

[@hetissketis]

My goodness. A cowboy that is, not only a doctor, but a Norse mythology expert.. is it just me, or did it get really warm in here? Your voice is like warm honey in my ear. Keeeeeeep talkin' Cowboy. 😍

[@johnwallace2319]

May we know what this has to do with Anne Hathaway?

[@johnwallace2319]

@Ivor ah

[@tkarcher940]

Test

[@aidenmaclatchy3215]

Mr Crawford, what would fire mean in old norce? Because I want to change name to an old norce name and my name means flame idk how I'd make a lastname plz help!

[@senorguy3858]

Logi? If I'm not mistaken

[@Chris-pw7ov]

Grimfrost has amazing products.

[@lmartell8412]

How could anyone think this beautiful language is creepy or spooky.

[@friththecrow975]

There needs to be a rendition of this with Snoop Dogg Svippdoggr being like "lay some galdrizzle on this nizzle for my journizzle"

[@LooniJoose]

Not a great story, but I appreciate Dr. Crawford making it accessible to me for free all the same.

[@kailyjamessokame.6028]

Eww