Völundarkviða
In Norse mythology, there are two swans that drink from the sacred
Well of Urd in the realm of Asgard, home of the
gods. According to the Prose Edda, the water of this well is so pure and holy that all things that touch it turn white, including this original pair of swans and all others descended from them. The poem
Volundarkvida, or the
Lay of Volund, part of the Poetic Edda, also features swan maidens and are said to now reside in the Swan (Omega) Nebula.
The poetic Edda (Völundarkviða) relates the story of the artisan Völundr the Smith. In the poem, he is called "prince of the elves" or "wise one among the elves" (vísi álfa) and "one of the álfar" or "leader of álfar" (álfa ljóði). He is also mentioned as one of the three sons of the king of the Finns in the poem. His wife Hervor-Alvitr, a valkyrie, abandons him after nine years, and he is later captured by Níðuðr, a petty-king of Närke (Sweden) greedy for his gold. Völundr is hamstrung and put to work on an island making artifacts for the king. Eventually he finds means of revenge and escape. He kills Niðuðr's sons, impregnates his daughter and then flies away laughing.
- In the night went men,
- in studded corslets,
- their shields glistened
- in the waning moon.
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