A Shovel Song for the Gods and Vaettir of Nifelheim
Inspired by the songs I learned as a child that miners and lumberjacks used to sing out here, I made one up for the Gods and vaettir of Nifelheim as I helped shovel the drive. While the shoveling proved rather fruitless to the whims of these Gods and vaettir, it did seem to please Them. In terms of how I sang it, think of an old song, with the beat on every two to four heartbeats.
Did the song sound exactly this way? No. A lot of it was made up on the fly, and so, what I am writing here is what I remembered and what makes sense. These aren’t set in stone, and a good, made-up song can be the perfect offering for a God, Goddess, and/or vaettir. Anyhow, here is the shovel song for the Gods and vaettir of Nifelheim:
Hail to the Sons and Daughters of Nifelheim!
Hail to Ice Itself!
Hail to the Sons of Nifelheim!
Hail to Ice Itself!
Hail to the Daughters of Nifelheim!
Hail to Ice Itself!
Oh hail hail hail!
Oh icy, frosty ones!
Hail to You who blow all around
Ice and snow has come!
Hail ol’ Jökull
icy bearded Jotun!
Whose frost hangs low and drips to snow
Hail you old cold Jotun!
Oh hail the frosted cold
Hail the elder Jotun!
Who come in with cold
and freeze our bones
and make our Great Lakes rise!
Hail to the big ol’ snowy one!
Hail to You, O Snaer!
Who freezes flesh and chills the blood
and freezes up our hair!
Hail to You oh frozen one,
Who blows all around!
From in the air and on our homes
and crunch beneath the ground!
Hail hail hail!
Hail the mighty Jotun!
Who comes from far off colder North
and visit us here at home!
Hail to the ground beneath my feet
The ancient one, Ymir!
Who forms the mountains and the clouds
The world that I hold dear!
Hail Auðumla’s adopted Son
Old frosty Ymir!
From Your blood the lakes and oceans flow
and bones the mountains speared!
Hail to You oh slain One
Who fell and made the world!
Whose body rose and made our home
All covered in the snow!
Whose body brought forth Goddesses,
good Jörð, Jarnsaxa, Nerth-us
Who gave our Ancestors form and flesh and
brought us to our birth!
Hail O hail to the icy gail, the Kari Northern wind!
Who cuts us with His coldest breath
and brings the snows again!
Hail to You who blows about
the frost and ice and snow
Who makes us glad for heat and home
and the feeling of our skin!
Hail hail hail!
To the Sons and Daughters of Nifelheim!
Hail hail hai!
To Ice Itself, Ancestor old!
Hail hail hail!
Be gentle with us, for we are cold!
Refrain placed wherever it feels right:
Hail hail hail!
Hail to the Icy Jotun!
Hail hail hail
to the frosted [frozen, icy, snowy] ones!
Hail hail hail!
You old cold Jotun!
[alternately]
Hail hail hail!
O Elder coldest Jotun!
