The First Lay of Vanaheim
by Ember Cooke
Freyja speaks:
This is the way it was before the Aesir brought us to war:
1.
Mother Nerthus, Njordh's companion
Great with children, chosen queen
Sacred twins the two before us
Lady of Earth and Lord of Sea.
2.
Deep within her womb we waited.
Darkness ruled our resting Land.
Sundered, sought we silver lightning,
Mani's mane on mere and strand.
3.
Sunna's song! The silence broken.
Sunlight streaming seared the darkness
"Welcome! Join us wee-ones joyous."
Wise-one, Help-maid Heide called us.
4.
Erce bore then, Brother-Sister
Mardoll, Ingvi, Mare and Boar
Freyr and Freyja, Fairest twins
The Vana-Dis and Ljosalf-Lord.
5.
From the first we fared together,
two-as-one with none between us,
He the green and I the golden,
'till our parents planned to wean us.
6
Salt-beard claimed me Sea-Bright lady.
On mist and wave I matched his mastery.
Pearls for gold and gold for cattle
hearts for pearls he plied his people.
7.
Harvest-god, the son of Hertha,
learned of sowing seeds in loam.
Stone from clay clay from blood
all life from death his death alone.
8.
We met as salt and stone allowed us
where thirsty roots receive their succour.
No greater love than for each other
had we together, had they before us.
9.
All was then as now should be.
The wisdom of wains our ancient ways
as day with night swirls and dances
so the seasons spin so wyrd is woven
so the patient win so peace is proven.
10.
They crowned me first though only barely.
When Mani was black I began to bleed.
The women washed me from head to toe
and dressed me in fur and finest linen.
They gave me amber and gold to wear
and brought me before the people.
11.
"Hail your queen," our Heide cried,
"Fairest daughter of Njordh and Nerthus!"
"Hail Vanadis!" the Vanir replied
and all was then as now should be.
12.
A fortnight later my brother came
as a foreign suitor from the far-off Alfar .
The men had washed him from head to toe
and dressed him in fur and finest linen.
They gave him a torc of gold to wear
and brought him before me.
13.
The most beautiful man I had ever beheld
in Mani's gaze shining silver and golden,
with eyes like emeralds glowing with pleasure.
The pride of the Vanir to me beholden.
14.
I needed no wiles to woo my Lord.
United before in womb, now wedded,
always two together the sacred twins.
At dawn we emerged to embrace our duty.
15.
"Hail your king," our Heide cried
"Brightest son of Nerthus and Njordh!"
"Hail Veraldr-god!" the Vanir replied
and all was then as now should be.
16.
Together we ruled two generations,
Nerthus and Njordh, Freyr and Freyja.
In Vanaheim frith and fertility reigned.
The land was fruitful the people fair.
17
Then Hertha taught me earthy ways:
the quickening of wombs the quieting of animals.
And surge-father gave Ingvi gifts of the sea:
the command of sailors the kenning of weather.
18.
When we two were trained and ready,
eldest Heide, wisest witch,
tutored us in útiseta
the sacred spells of Vanic seidh:
19.
beguiling in battle and ordering ørlög ,
stirring storms and fanning flames,
marring minds and healing hearts,
above all walking between the worlds
to ween the ways of wyrd.
20.
Her daughter, Gullveig, our golden cousin,
was nearing her time of initiation
when the first peace was finally broken.
The Aesir provoked the primal war.