Grímnismál: Odin Reveals His Names

Grímnismál is a poem from the Poetic Edda in which Odin speaks of the other realms and reveals his names. Links to other videos in this series on the Poetic Edda:
Vǫluspá: • Vǫluspá: The Norse Poe...
Hávamál: • Video
Hárbarðsljóð: • Hárbarðsljóð: Thor and...
Lokasenna: • Lokasenna: The Norse P...
Links to videos about pronunciation:
Reconstructed Medieval Pronunciation of Old Norse • Video
Pronunciation of Modern Icelandic: • Video
Old Norse vs. Modern Icelandic: • Video
How do we know what a dead language sounded like? • Video
Dr. Jackson Crawford is a historical linguist and an experienced teacher of both Old Norse and Modern Icelandic. He currently teaches in the Department of Scandinavian at the University of California, Berkeley (formerly at UCLA). As of August 2017 he will be teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder. More about his KZbin channel: • Video
Jackson Crawford’s translation of the Poetic Edda: www.amazon.com/gp/product/162...
Jackson Crawford's Patreon page: / norsebysw

[@williameichmann3037]

It's always interesting that you preface your pronunciation with saying that you're well qualified and have a great understanding of Old Norse and modern Icelandic. I completely understand why you would reiterate your education; to prevent naysayers and negative comments, but I honestly don't see how anyone could be negative towards your videos. Your videos are all extremely informative, well sourced and I don't think there would be many people as qualified as your self to be making them. Thank you for continuing to make them!

[@MrJethroha]

William Eichmann he's probably making these so for educational purposes, so each introduction is there so that a teacher could show this video in class with little introduction.

[@gnetkuji]

I imagine it's more to do with the possibility that anyone could stumble on to any of his videos as their first video by him. If he only did the intro, say, once and never came back to it, then it would only be a matter of time before some reasonably educated viewer finds the channel, notices he's not speaking modern Icelandic, and makes a big thing about it in the comment section or starts firing emails off to him. Easier just to end any confusion before it begins and helpfully point people to more resources (i.e. his other videos) on the subject.

[@hotspurre]

Most likely he is making this comment to make a sharp distinction between himself and those who perform the poetry in Modern Icelandic and claim it is the same.

[@JacksonCrawford]

I appreciate your kind words. I restate it so often because most people who watch any given video are not subscribers, and Modern Icelandic pronunciation for Old Norse is so common today that many viewers feel compelled to "correct" me. KaiGonGinn and Gnet Kuji sum it up pretty well in their replies.

[@brandonwinstead7137]

I find the preamble/disclaimer comforting and professional, and is a sure way to keep trolls away.

[@brandonwinstead7137]

Seeing that mug on my sub feed just brings a smile to my face. Always a pleasure Dr. Crawford. Never stop doing what you are doing, your work is incredible. I will keep an eye out for your book when I can afford it. I'm obsessed (your fault) with learning how I might compose my own narratives using "eddic" methods. I'd die to see some videos on the structure of the poetry itself. I understand the methods can be a little complex for English, and I've found a few clues, but I'd like to hear it from the horses mouth as it were. :-)

[@JacksonCrawford]

Thanks for the kind words. I did make a very simple video on eddic and skaldic poetry a while ago ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4bFpmWee8t4bLc ) and a more detailed one on skaldic poetry ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooHIpWNjiNN4oMk ). A video on the details of the eddic meters is a possible future topic.

[@brandonwinstead7137]

Thank you for the link, and for the work you are doing.

[@asaholcombe3595]

Thanks for the videos!

[@jacksonhoerster3966]

Is that a raven tie? Classy Norse teacher

[@JacksonCrawford]

It is.

[@sunshinesilverarrow5292]

Thank you! 🌞

[@mountainman3046]

Jackson I love your videos! I was wondering if you could do a video on Hnefatafl?

[@JacksonCrawford]

I might possibly include that in a future video about entertainments and sports in the Viking Age.

[@oldwest517]

I'm curious -- is the use of reconstructed Old Norse now a minority position in the academic world of Old Norse studies? Back when I was studying German and really got into the Old High German epics, I of course read about Old Norse sagas. My impression back then was that reconstructed Old Norse was standard academic use. (Although it was pointed out that Icelandic speakers were the ones who could most easily read Old Norse.) Of course that is now some 30 years ago now...

[@JacksonCrawford]

It varies from country to country. In the English-speaking world, and in Iceland, Modern Icelandic pronunciation is the norm. In continental Scandinavia (especially Norway), there are more people who use reconstructed pronunciation.

[@mtgemperor]

Grimnismal is my favorite poem of Poetic Edda! Something I would love to pass on to you and everyone who watches this video; please check out Falkenbach's "Where the Ravens Fly"! You would be surprised by the lyrics.

[@hotspurre]

Great video! I'm fairly familiar with the poem myself - I've adapted a (very) edited version for performance purposes. One item of interest - you state that Freyja gets half of the dead slain in battle, but I wonder if it simply isn't half of the dead, period. In particular, I am thinking of line from _Egil's Saga,_ where Egil has determined to starve himself to death. His daughter, Thorgerd, announces her intention to "not eat until she has supped with Freyja." Food for thought, anyway (no pun intended.) I have always thought the view that only those slain in battle get rewarded after their death was overly simplistic.

[@oldwest517]

Dan Marsh Crawford states in other video lectiures that only the warriors chosen for Odin to help him at Ragnarok go to Valhalla -- it is not the only place of the dead in Norse mythology. Thor gets the lesser sorts, for instance, perhaps reflecting why Thor was a much more popular god for the average man in Norse society.

[@hotspurre]

The classical view is that those who fall in battle go to Valhalla, while all others go to Nifelheim - Hel's land. Popular culture has run with this, I can point to numerous examples of where a Norseman deliberately seeks out battle so he may enter Valhalla. The interesting thing is I cannot think of a *single* example of this attitude from the actual sources - the poems and the Sagas (and I've read many of them.) Most warriors, at least those who have an opinion on the subject, long for peace, rather than a death on the battlefield. That, the idea that Freyja gets half the dead, and Thorgerd's line make me think that the afterlife is more nuanced than the popular view.

[@JacksonCrawford]

The parallel in Egils saga is interesting and worth noting; this certainly might represent a traditional notion of some women joining Freyja in the afterlife. We have to remember that there were probably a lot of different notions held by different people in different times and places and there certainly wasn't one single unified Norse belief system (as I discuss in regards to the afterlife here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGSxm3mBh6msn68 ). As far as the passage in Grimnismal, it very specifically states that she gets half the dead fallen in battle (not half the dead in general) and that Odin gets the other half.

[@hotspurre]

I'll have to watch that video next, then. :) Bellows translated the word as "dead," and my Hollander is on loan, so I went and had a look at the Old Norse - the actual word used is "Val" which means "slain" rather than simply "dead," right?

[@JacksonCrawford]

It means specifically "slain," i.e. "dead in battle." You might also check out my own translation of the Poetic Edda.

[@ylva571]

I have been enjoying looking at (can't say "reading"!) the Grimnismal in the Old norse at the Heimskringla website you have recommended. Also reading an older translation in much more formal and less accessible English than yours. In the stanzas you read here where Odin describes Bilskirnir and Valhalla, may I ask what is the Old Norse word that describes Fenrir? Or is it Fafnir... I am a bit confused.

[@JacksonCrawford]

It is meant to say "Fenrir," but there is a typo in older printings of my book (that is supposed to be fixed in later printings). The word that refers to him in Old Norse is "vitni" (from "vitnir"), which is a poetic word for "wolf."

[@ylva571]

Thank you. That makes perfect sense now.

[@scoutsojak8490]

Dr. Crawford, do you know in advance what classes you'll be teaching at Boulder when you transfer to Boulder next semester?

[@JacksonCrawford]

In fall 2017 I will be offering a course called simply "Vikings" (a general intro. to their culture, history, and myth) and a course on the Icelandic sagas.

[@ChrissieBear]

I always found "Just as High" to be an odd one. Just as high as who? Or what?

[@ThutonGaming]

Óðinn is threefold. He is The high, The (just) as high and The most high. These are three "forms" of Óðinn if you will. Its easy to compare it to the holy trinity, as people today are more familiar with.

[@slamm7620]

''heitir'' what does it means?

[@svartirbjorn197]

Name, it's related to German word heißt

[@spindlegrinder]

Thank you for sharing all your hard won knowledge especially to those of us that follow Asatru, when I was younger I had a vision and in it I was called the grimoire? what is the origin of this word other than a witches bible?

[@weepingscorpion8739]

Grimoire is most likely from Old French grammaire, so it's a Latin word.

[@longbow4856]

Jack Lukeman:(The Minstrel Boy)☘️KZbin ☘️☦️☕️🚬😨

[@kjellbjorge5271]

Do you know of any of the TRUE story's of Bøïïwølf? My Bestamør told me story's come from TRUE story's that time has lost the real meaning or the way of it.

[@kjellbjorge5271]

Thank you I didn't know that . But do you know any old TRUE story's? I'm not saying what you have been sharing to us all Isn't trur. I'm Just asking a weird question.