The myth of Loki and the deadly mistletoe - Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Ivana Vojnić Tunić Lektor: Ivana Korom

Baldur— son of All Father Odin and Queen Frigg,

Balder - sin sveoca Odina i kraljice Frige,

husband of Nanna the Peaceful, and God of truth and light—

muž boginje mira, Nane i bog istine i svetlosti -

was the gentlest and most beloved being in all of Asgard.

beše najnežnije i najvoljenije biće u celom Asgardu.

In his great hall of Breidablik,

U svom dvoru Breidabliku,

Baldur’s soothing presence eased his subject’s woes.

Balder je otklanjao muke svih stanovnika.

But lately, he was plagued by troubles of his own.

Međutim, u poslednje vreme morile su ga grdne brige.

Every night, Baldur had gruesome visions foretelling his own imminent death.

Svake noći, Balder je sanjao strašne snove koji su mu predviđali neposrednu smrt.

Determined to protect her son from these grim prophecies,

Odlučna da zaštiti sina od mračnih predskazanja,

Queen Frigg travelled across the nine realms,

kraljica Friga proputovala je širom devet kraljevstva,

begging all living things not to harm Baldur.

preklinjući sve žive stvorove da ne naude Balderu.

Her grace moved each being she encountered.

Njena milost ganula je svako biće na koje je naišla.

Every animal and element, every plague and plant, every blade and bug

Svaka životinja i materija, svaka pošast i biljka, svaka travka i buba

gladly gave their word.

zaklela joj se da neće povrediti Baldera.

Frigg returned to Breidablik, and threw a great feast to celebrate.

Vrativši se u Breidablik, Friga priredi veliku gozbu.

Wine flowed freely, and soon the gods took turns testing Baldur’s immunity.

Vino je teklo u izobilju, te bogovi ubrzo počeše testirati Balderovu besmrtnost.

Lurking in the corner, Loki rolled his eyes.

Vrebajući u ćošku, Loki prevrnu očima.

The trickster god had never cared for Baldur the Bright,

Vragolasti bog nikada nije mario za velikog Baldera

and found his new gift profoundly irritating.

i njegova nova moć išla mu je na živce.

Surely there was a flaw in Frigg’s plan.

Frigin plan sigurno ima neku manu.

Taking the form of an old woman,

Pretvorivši se u staricu,

Loki crept to Frigg’s side and feigned confusion.

Loki se prikrade Frigi i odglumi zbunjenost.

Why were the gods attacking sweet Baldur, whom they all loved so dearly?

Zašto bogovi napadaju dobrog Baldera, koga toliko obožavaju?

Frigg told her of the oaths, but the old woman pressed on.

Friga pomene zakletve koje je dobila, ali starica beše uporna.

Surely you didn’t receive a vow from everything, she asked.

Zasigurno nisi dobila obećanje od svih, upitala je.

Frigg shrugged.

Friga sleže ramenima.

The only being she hadn’t visited was mistletoe.

Jedino biće koje nije posetila bilo je imela.

After all, what god could fear a trifling weed?

Na kraju krajeva, koji bog bi se plašio beznačajnog korova?

At this, Loki dashed outside to find a sprig of mistletoe.

Čuvši to, Loki izjuri napolje da pronađe izdanak imele.

When he returned, the festivities had grown even rowdier.

Kada se vratio, proslava beše još glasnija.

But not every god was enjoying the party.

Ali nisu svi bogovi uživali u slavlju.

Baldur’s brother Hodur, who was blind and weapon-less, sat dejected.

Balderov brat Hodur, koji je bio slep i nenaoružan, sedeo je utučen.

Seeing his opportunity,

Uvidevši zgodnu priliku,

the trickster slyly offered Hodur a chance to participate.

vragolan podmuklo ponudi Hoduru šansu da učestvuje.

Loki armed him with mistletoe, guided his aim towards his brother,

Loki ga naoruža imelom, usmeri je ka njegovom bratu

and told Hodur to hurl with all his might.

i reče Hoduru da zabaci svom snagom.

The mistletoe pierced Baldur’s chest with deadly force.

Imela probode Balderove grudi smrtonosnom jačinom.

The god’s light quickly flickered out, and despair swept over the crowd.

Svetlo boga brzo se ugasi i očaj preplavi sve okupljene.

Within moments, the impact of Baldur’s death could be felt

Za samo nekoliko trenutaka, uticaj Balderove smrti mogao se osetiti

across the nine realms.

širom devet kraljevstva.

But from the weeping masses, Hermod the Brave stepped forward.

Iz uplakanog mnoštva, istupi hrabri Hermod.

The warrior god believed that with the help of Odin’s mighty steed,

Bog ratnik verovao je da uz pomoć Odinovog moćnog pastuva

there was no plane he could not reach.

ne postoji ništa što ne bi mogao postići.

He would travel to halls of Hel herself, and bring Baldur home.

Otputovaće do dvori boginje Hel i vratiće Baldera kući.

The god rode for nine days and nine nights,

Bog je jahao devet dana i devet noći,

past halls of corpses and over paths paved with bone.

kroz dvorane mrtvih, preko puteva popločanih kostima.

When he finally reached the Queen of the Underworld,

Kada je konačno došao do kraljice podzemlja,

Hermod begged her to return Baldur to his family.

Hermod je preklinjao da vrati Baldera porodici.

Hel considered taking pity, but she wanted to know the extent of the gods’ mourning.

Hel se sažalila, međutim, želela je da zna koliko je tačno bogovima žao.

She agreed to relinquish Baldur’s soul—

Složila se da oslobodi Balderovu dušu

if Hermod could prove that every living thing wept at Baldur’s death.

ako Hermod dokaže da svako živo biće pati zbog Balderove smrti.

Hermod shot back to the land of the living.

Hermod se munjevito zaputi nazad do zemlje živih.

He met with every creature that Frigg visited earlier—

Našao je svako biće koje je Friga posetila -

all of which cried for Baldur and begged for his return.

svi oni su patili za Balderom i nadali se njegovom povratku.

Meanwhile, Loki watched Hermod’s mission with disdain.

U međuvremenu, Loki je sa prezirom posmatrao Hermodovu misiju.

He would not let his work be so easily undone,

Nije mogao da dopusti da njegov trud bude uzaludan,

but if he interfered too boldly it might reveal his hand in Baldur’s murder.

ali ako bi se previše umešao, to bi možda otkilo njegov udeo u Balderovom ubistvu.

Disguising himself as a ferocious giant, he hid himself at Hermod’s final stop.

Prerušivši se u strašnog diva, sakrio se na Hermodovoj poslednjoj stanici.

When the warrior came,

Kada je ratnik stigao,

the howling wind and craggy rocks each declared their love for Baldur.

strašan vetar i oštro kamenje izjaviše ljubav prema Balderu.

But the giant within spewed only contempt for the deceased.

Međutim, div prema preminulom iskaže samo prezir.

No matter how much Hermod begged, she would not shed a single tear.

Bez obzira koliko ga je Hermod molio, div ne pusti nijednu suzu.

With his last hope dashed, the god began to mourn Baldur a second time.

Ostavljen bez trunčice nade, bog opet poče da oplakuje Baldera.

But an echo from the cave rang out above his sobs.

Ali pored jecaja, odjekne eho iz pećine.

Loki’s twisted cackle was well-known to every Asgardian,

Lokijev izopačeni smeh bio je poznat širom Asgarda,

and Hermod realized he’d been tricked.

te Hermod shvati da je nasamaren.

As he leapt to accost the trickster,

Kada je poleteo da napadne prevaranta,

Loki took the form of a salmon and wriggled into the waterfall.

Loki se pretvori u lososa i otkoprca se do vodopada.

His escape was guaranteed, until Thor arrived at the scene.

Bekstvo mu je bilo zagarantovano, sve dok Tor nije stupio na scenu.

Dragging Loki back to the cave, the gods bound him with a poisonous serpent.

Dovukavši Lokija nazad do pećine, bogovi ga vezaše otrovnom zmijom.

Here, Loki would remain chained until the end of days—

Loki će ovde ostati zarobljen do kraja života -

the serpent dripping venom on his brow as punishment

dok mu za kaznu otrov zmije kaplje na čelo,

for dousing Asgard’s brightest light.

jer je ugasio Asgardovo najjače svetlo.