Then Gangleri asked, ‘Will any of the gods be living then? Or will there be anything of the earth or the sky?’
High said, ‘The earth will shoot up from the sea, and it will be green and beautiful. Self-sown acres of crops will then grow. Vidar and Vali survive, as neither the flood nor Surt’s fire destroyed them, and they will inhabit Idavoll, the place where Asgard was earlier. To there will come Thor’s sons Modi and Magni, and they will have Mjollnir with them. Next Baldr and Hod will arrive from Hel. They will all sit together and talk among themselves, remembering mysteries and speaking of what had been, of the Midgard Serpent and the Fenriswolf. Then they will find in the grass the gold playing pieces which the Æsir had owned. So it is said:
Vidar and Vali will live in the sanctuaries of the gods when Surt’s fire goes dark. Modi and Magni will have Mjollnir at Vingnir’s[^fn89] [Thor’s] end of battle.
(The Sibyl’s Prophecy. 51)
‘In the place called Hoddmimir’s Wood, two people will have hidden themselves from Surt’s fire. Called Lif [Life] and Leifthrasir [Life Yearner], they have the morning dew for their food. From these will come so many descendants that the whole world will be inhabited. So it says here:
Lif and Leifthrasir will hide themselves in Hoddmimir’s Holt.[^fn90] The morning dew they have for food, from them springs mankind.
(The Lay of Vafthrudnir. 45)
‘There is something else that you will find amazing. The sun will have had a daughter no less beautiful than she, and this daughter will follow the path of her mother. As it says here:
One daughter is born to Alfrodul [Sun] before Fenrir destroys her. When the gods die this maid shall ride her mother’s paths.
(The Lay of Vafthrudnir. 47)
‘If you know how to ask questions reaching still further into the future, then I do not know the source of your questions, because I have never heard of anyone who could tell events of the world further into the future. And may you find use in what you have learned.’
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Vingnir’s : Vingnir here most probably refers to Thor, who elsewhere is called Vingnir’S foster son. Vingnir is also one of Odin’S names as well as the name of a giant. ↩
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Hoddmimir’s Holt : It is not clear who Hoddmimir is; hodd can be a hoard, but also has the meaning of holy place, temple or sanctuary where precious things are hoarded. ‘Hoddmimir’ could be translated as Hoard Mimir. The word holt means woods, but could be a tree. Hence Hoddmimir’S Holt (the wood or tree of Mimir) is perhaps Yggdrasil, the World Tree. ↩