Dvergskapr

For now the world was filled with secret seeds
of woe the Giantess had come to sow.
Thus they sat down, in solemn council,
those most ancient Gods, and asked
who amongst them might form and forge
between fire and ice manlike forms
those writhing souls worming in Ymir's flesh
to profit and world's weal, for every province
and corner of world needed now weal-warders,
and so, from limbs of ancient jotunn
ice bone stone standing on mountains
jut out cold and frozen earth from ocean,
marinated in mead's blood flowing,
the great Mead-Sipper power-brewed
his plans and rede, while Doorguard
of the Fire's Fields set aflame the smithies.
To work! Together Master-Smiths made
dwarfs of every shade and stature,
many small but to towering behemoth,
stolid and stout rock-beings of stone,
deep earth bedrock flesh
and lava of the blood in soma's
deep sober wisdom. Unmoved
by flicker or flash of the waver,
these makers stood ground
and made, with stone too solid for sin,
the great ages' unfolding forms
those mineral shell and shapes life
in habit, habitates, with helices
drawn from stars' fiery traces
woven mesh and framework soft
into flesh, for the slow pulsing
of deep, eternal runes speaking
cell-like and sprung from time's morn.
Thus orlog lodged deep beneath
all tarnishes' first forays of filth.
Crystal-vibrant granite-souls
sparkle in the deep, as time's
unwrapped gems bellow
in baritone furor their bass-drone
murmurs of the fathoms, mountain-root
hymnals to the hillbilly mother of earth.
Their joy is so deep in making, nethermost
roots of world-tree's writhings
rumble in that deepest of world's foundations
to their hillock-bones' hum as they work.
Work! and work their righteous worth.
Unshakable, intent, innermost crafters'
bold and manly wonder in making
homes of flesh and husk for life's flowering,
they would never be turned
to the ill barrens of the envious eaters,
for they looked any ill square in the eye
and brandished their axes and hammers
of righteous disgust at creation's rupture.
Thus, the Gods felt fortified
against even the might and power
of gold's greed. At least for a time.
Yet those spies early set
their eyes upon schemes to undo
these every province's weal-guardians,
and waited, abiding their time ...