Visen Om Tærskeren

In Viking we sailed
Victorious, wild and free
The taste of salty blood
Stung our palates.

Thirst wearied us
For the need was great
So we set out for Udgaard
And drank with giants.

Nothing is free in foul Jotunheim
Not even for folk as proud as we
For manhood and courage must first be tried
Only then may we, may we go free.

We fellows were only few
But each with a skill
To solve pranks
Devised by Loke.

The smith stepped first forth
For none thirsted as he
He must empty a horn
As great as a hollow oak.

One draught had he only
The horn he seized with glee
But Loke's cunning was great
Just as the sea in which the horn lay!

But the smith, he thirsted greatly
And none could sup as he
He emptied the horn to the dregs
And thanked the host.

Nothing is free…

The next who stood forth was the bard
A slim and high man was he
He promised to lift the cat
And hold it high toward the ceiling.

‘Twas a pussy, but a worm
The one that circles Midgaard!
The bard, he pulled so hard
That the worm was fished out of the sea.

Nothing is free…
Now our herbalist would
Dare to run against Thought
That he forgot saw the watchers not
So thick was the fog.

Hungry was our fiddler
So eat he must
The flames could not consume
As quickly as he could!

Lastly was the thresher
Against Age he must take a turn
The hag wasn't too pretty
But up he came anyway!

The Thunderer watched silently on
That game he had earlier failed
With beer in hand he egged us on
For such is Thor's nature.

Nothing is free in foul Jotunheim
Not even for folk as proud as we
For manhood and courage must first be tried
Only then may we, may we go free.

We had a good time in dark Jotunheim
Where ale and food, women and mead flow free
Our manhood and courage we proved
And now we may, we may go free.