Að vetri [English translation]

A wolf's howl, the winter sun,

Yule is underway around western Iceland.

Pitch black, snow frozen solid,

the open sky shines starlight on us.

Cold lands, frozen waterfalls,

she climbs the mountain with numb hands.

A short laugh, a sharp breeze.

It's snowing, it's snowing, it's snowing.

At the mountain's peak, she throws

a woollen cloth over herself, a soft rag,

warm skin, she covers her cheeks.

She endeavours to get over the mountain chain.

A struggle, bent over,

she ducks under fire [of weapons].

A short laugh, a sharp breeze.

It's snowing, it's snowing, it's snowing.

She walks over ancient lava.

They sleep secretly in a small cave.

This is a great test of the endurance

of these outcasts.

They watch after her as she goes away,

frost grows, plants wilt.

Nobody ever asked after her again.

It's snowing, it's snowing.

It snows heavily on worn paths,

quick is Þórunn,1 and mighty.

Snows, wherever you turn,

she travels quickly over the river.

Snows now cover the peaks of hills,

the valleys too are completely full.

Snows, though spring may come early,

with a snort, snot fills up everything.2

Snows, heavy on Snæfellsnes,

a sharp wind blows about her face.

Snows, there where we touch Hel,

her mind is snow-white.

Snows, and nowhere are there crackling embers,

the poor die and their blood freezes.

An old woman, grey and crooked,

walks alone in blizzards.

Her hair matted and her hood blown away,

she comes down Stekkjargil.3

Walks to triumph and to keep warm,

old feet are starting to struggle.

Few know of her travels.

It's snowing!

A tradition from her, peace of Frigg,

her feet slide down the mountainside.

Wood breaks, her cane supports her.

Her path is cleared by the maker of fortune.

Þórunn prays to Lofn4 for help.

1. The protagonist of the album, who started the first song as a young girl, and through the album has aged. In this and the following song, she is an old woman.2. This and a couple of other lines in the translation are partly or wholly borrowed from the subtitles of the official video. The reason I didn't just copy from these is that they translate the general meaning in a way which rhymes, rather than the more precise meaning of each line, which is what I try to aim for.3. A place in western Iceland, seemingly near Reykjavík, the capital.4. A kindly Norse goddess.

• Artist:Skálmöld
• Album:Með Vættum