To know the impending evil near,
Threat’ned by the nightly fear.
Threat’ned by the nightly fear.
III.
The sacred oracles[1] declare—
Balder must for death prepare!
Asi sad the tidings hear;
Frigga drops the impassion’d tear.
Dignify’d in silent grief,
Odin seeks not such relief:
But deeply ponders in his mind,
Safety for his son to find.
The sacred oracles[1] declare—
Balder must for death prepare!
Asi sad the tidings hear;
Frigga drops the impassion’d tear.
Dignify’d in silent grief,
Odin seeks not such relief:
But deeply ponders in his mind,
Safety for his son to find.
- ↑ “Oracles,”—There were formerly many oracles in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. That at Upsal seems to have been the most famous. Saxo Grammaticus mentions a very noted one also at Delia. These differed very little from those of Greece and Asia, except in exterior splendor. Odin had the power of calling up the souls of the deceased, as appears from this Ode, to know what was transacting in distant countries. This seemed to be a kind of dernier resort in cases of great difficulty.
