'Atlakviða' in Old Norse (intro., st. 1-4)

[@JarlTryggve]

Dr. Crawford needs his own Indiana Jones spin-off series. A cowboy archeologist who finds ancient norse artifacts (like Tyrfing) throughout Scandinavia.

[@frostfyre8841]

Delivered in saga format.

[@beepboop204]

💯

[@craigarooney]

Plot Twist: Dr Crawford discovers an unknown Edda, written in invisible ink, on the back of the Declaration of Independence

[@JarlTryggve]

@craigarooney Second plot twist: The founding fathers were actually just more of Odins alternative names.

[@tovarishchfeixiao]

@@JarlTryggve 3rd plot twist: Dr Crawford's real name is Nicolas Cage.

[@Sindraug25]

I just noticed while watching your intro that I normally hate intros and skip them, but I always like watching yours. Tough to pull off, but you did it! I do miss the shot of your drawing and pointing your pistol though.

[@GeoffSayre]

I too miss the classic pistol draw. But youtube is gonna youtube, so its safest for it to be gone sadly

[@gordonkennygordon]

Agreed! My favorite part of the intro is the part where the woodchuck (marmot?) jumps off the stump in the meadow right when the jaw harp goes "BOIOIOING!"

[@GeoffSayre]

@gordonkennygordon the woodcuck jaw harp moment is my absolute favorite too!

[@Zakiriel]

Hi Doc! Love your videos and bought your books too. Look forward to catching your next ones.

[@EFO841]

the leaves are changing, so pretty! thanks so much for the great views and all your hard work ❤

[@plumpuddingproductions9141]

Atlakviða is one of my favourite poems from the Poetic Edda. I'm glad to se you cover it now

[@karencarlson1693]

This is a good length chunk for me, to not lose focus.

[@tylerbrubaker6642]

Oh yeah, this is a great day. Thank you so much Dr. Crawford 🙏

[@PaxEuropae]

It's very interesting to see the pattern change between the old norse version and the Nibelugenlied. The former still an old heroic tale, where Gudrun is most loyal to her blood, the latter a courteous work, where Krimhilde is loyal to the bonds of mariage. I also love how the norse saw Atli as a greedy man, preying on Fafnir's gold, whereas the continental tradition portrays him more as a good and generous patron, while Gunther and Hagen are the greedy ones, jealous of Siegfried's success and determined not to let the gold slip away in a stranger's treasury, brother in law or not. Same premises, very different points of view.

[@jeanettewu2537]

Gunther and Hagen are still portrayed marginally better in the Nibelung tradition than the Volsung one. In the Norse story, they and their mother set up a plan to brainwash Sigurd and steal his wife Brynhild, while in the Continental story, Siegfried just marries their sister right off the bat, and the only thing he's guilty of is helping Gunther tie down Brunhild on her wedding night. Hagen/Hogni is also more ominous in the Norse tradition, because his father is actually an elf, and he tricked Gutthorm/Gernot into actually killing SIgurd/Siegfried. Both Atli/Etzel and Hagen/Hogni are rather neutral figures in both Norse and Continental traditions, mixing episodes of villainy and heroism. In this, both the betrayal of Sigurd/Siegfried and the betrayal of the Nibelungs can be see as the tragic mistake or fatal flaw that results in the downfall of an otherwise heroic figure (and with their deaths, Odin gets more soldiers for Valhalla). Sigurd/Siegfried's downfall was his (not entirely willing) betrayal of Brynhild/Brunhild, the Nibelungs' downfall was their betrayal of Sigurd/Siegfried, and Atli/Etzel's downfall was his betrayal of the Nibelungs.

[@PaxEuropae]

@@jeanettewu2537 I disagree about Etzel. He is shown , by far, in a much better light than Atli. He helps Krimhilde in her revenge out of love, more than greed, he gives asylum to Dietrich von Bern when Dietrich is forced into exile by his murderous uncle, and then offers financial and military assistance to Dietrich in his attempts to reconquer Ravenna (losing a son in the process, yet forgiving Dietrich). When the court of Etzel is described, it's always a welcoming place where heroes flock, and his overall portrayal is of someone generous. In the Waltharius he is quoted saying "I prefer to offer people alliances rather than battles" and acts accordingly. Compared to how Atli is described, as you said more neutrally, Etzel shines, despite his faults. Gunther and Hagen may be slightly better portrayed indeed, but they are greedy and manipulative in both. In the Nibelungenlied, when they sail back from Iceland, Hagen basically explains to Gunther that whatever he wants Siegfried to to for him, he just needs to push the right buttons (i.e. play on his hyper sensitive sense of honour and duty). That may not be as flashy as a forgetfulness potion to brainwash him, but it is equally scummy and manipulative. They only marry their sister to Siegfried for the prestige and gold he brings, yet complain when he distributes that gold too generously after their campaign against the Saxons. They are greedy and definitely after his gold as much as their norse counterpart. Their methods are just slightly different. I agree with the rest ! Especially the over-the-top evilness of Högni with his alf or wolf father. Though Hagen's way of tricking Krimhilde into giving away Siegfried's weak spot in trusting confidence and the cowardly stratagem to get Siegfried defenseless and unready so he can stab him in the back... that's extremely vile, and described as such. I love that the Thidreksaga has him and Dietrich's final fight starting with a promise from both to not attack each other on their questionable lignage... a promise that Dietrich breaks in the anger of combat. Very dramatic, just as we like it.

[@jeanettewu2537]

@@PaxEuropae I agree with a lot of what you said, but in the Continental tradition, Hagen is still beholden to a vow he made to Brunhilde, the wife of his lord. In the Norse tradition, Hogni decides to go along with the betrayal more or less at random, even though he does caution against it. Afterwards, he also takes no steps to keep Brynhild from killing herself and Sigurd's son with Gudrun on Sigurd's pyre. Can we agree, though, the only pure evil individuals of the Volsung-Nibelung-Dietrich-Ragnar cycle are Ermanaric/Jormenrekkr and Sifka/Bikki? Ermanaric usurps his nephew's throne, and rewards his loyal co-conspirator Sifka by seducing his wife. Even at the end of his life, his wolfish mind works evil deeds, when he executes his son and has his wife, Sigurd/Siegfried's daughter trampled by horses because of a perceived affair. And Sifka is pretty much the Iago of this cycle, always urging his lord to commit worse and worse crimes, until Dietrich returns to retake his throne and execute both villains. And I too love all the dramatic and sometimes silly episodes found in the cycle, either from ancient sources or later medieval add-ons. Dietrich and Hagen's stand-off was epic: dragon man vs half elf. There's also stuff like Volsung Saga describes Sigurd's grief of not being able to just elope with Brynhild and leave their pains and their honor behind as him flexing so hard he bursts apart his armor. Or Walter of Aquitaine, in any tradition, being the sole survivor among Huns and Nibelungs because he had the foresight to get the heck out of dodge before all the action begins.

[@AmyDanley-White]

I just finished reading The Prose Edda. I was suprised to read references to areas and people outside of the Norse world. Atilla the Hun that you mention in this video, is another example of this. I guess it does make sense as they were a traveling people.

[@sagenheim]

Most of the poems from the poetic Edda play in today's Westphalia in Germany and the Frankish areas around it. Many researchers have worked on it since the late 1800. Attila is not Attila of the Huns from the East, but Atano/Atalo of Hunaland. There is just a similarity in their names and territorial name that they ruled over, but they are not the same people. Atilla in the Norse poems was a Frisian king ruling over today's Westphalia/formerly Hunaland.

[@jeanettewu2537]

Atli of the Norse and Germanic myths is actually the composite of two people whose names sounded similar to Germanic-speaking peoples: Attila the Hun and Aetius, the Roman general who fought against him. Aetius brokered treaties between Rome and the Huns, and led an army of Roman and Huns in a war against the Kingdom of the Burgundians. The king, Gundahar, and his brothers Giselher and Gundomar were killed and their kingdom was destroyed. In mythology, the three Burgundian royals become the Nibelung brothers Gunther/Gunnar, Gisleher, and Gernot/Gutthorm. Also in mythology, Atli/Etzel has a follower named Dietrich Von Bern, based mostly on Theodoric the Great, Ostrogothic king of Verona. Theodoric the Great lived years after Attila and never encountered him, but another Theodoric, Theodoric of the Visigoths, was a follower of Aetius. This Theodoric was killed in battle when the relationship between Huns and Romans soured. From Attila, we get Atli/Etzel being a powerful king of the Huns killed by or because of his wife, and from Aetius we get him being Theodoric's boss and destroyer of the Burgundian Nibelungs.

[@jeanettewu2537]

@@sagenheim The basis of the second half of the legend happened during the late Western Roman Empire era, after Alaric's Sack of Rome. Attila's father was active at that time, and actually sent an army to help Rome destroy the Kingdom of the Burgundians. Atli is definitely based on Attila, but he's also based on Aetius, who actually killed the Burgundian kings. It's possible there's a third guy with a similar name providing a basis though.

[@AmyDanley-White]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[@AmyDanley-White]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

"silfrgyllt" sounds very much like modern Norwegian word "sølvforgylt", which is a composite word cognate with silver and gilded.

[@user-B_8]

Du kom meg i forkjøpet med denne kommentaren, jeg tenkte nøyaktig det samme da jeg hørte det 👍

[@magistergreen]

This is a great way to experience Old Norse and I'm curious about some words and potential links to Latin/Greek. Bravo, Dr!

[@Zakiriel]

It sure is!

[@OBXDewey]

It's amazing how much the language has influenced English.

[@DGKED-td7mf]

Love all your content .unfortunately I'm taking a break from KZbin because of too many commercials

[@dancekeb1308]

Attila is Gothic for "little father," the Goths having hired themselves out as mercenaries for Attila the Hun. Since Gothic is an East Germanic language, I would expect the same/related word to exist in other Germanic languages.

[@brettmeldahl4456]

Thanks!

[@trabantdelux]

Awesome!

[@barbararatky1304]

Hello Jackson Crawford, I want to ask if your book translations of the poetic Edda and the other books also includes the original texts from the Edda and so on ?

[@orinthiamartin1189]

I tried to find out and I believe that his books only include the English translation

[@PRKLGaming]

Is it possible that valrauða means tyrian purple?

[@beepboop204]

[@oneukum]

Why is it gullrodhna but valraudha in the fourth stanza?

[@moritzm6470]

First is from the participle "roðinn" - "made red" while the second is from the adjective "rauðr" - "red". Though it could also stand for original "*gull-hroðinn" where the second part corresponds to Old English "hroden" meaning "decorated, adorned".