5-11“The Sayings of Vafthrudnir” Stanza 44–49

The Humans Who Survive in the Forest

How do the humans who survive the fire live?

In *The Lay of Vafthrudnir*, a question is asked: who will survive when the great winter falls upon humankind? The answer is Lif and Lifthrasir. They hide in Hoddmimir's forest and feed on the morning dew.

In *The Deluding of Gylfi*, the pair hide in the forest during the fire that burns the world. Here, too, they survive by feeding on the morning dew. In time, they have many descendants, who spread across the whole world.

The sun, too, has a new generation to follow her. In *The Lay of Vafthrudnir*, she gives birth to a daughter before the wolf attacks her. When the gods die, this daughter travels her mother's path. *The Deluding of Gylfi* tells us that she is just as beautiful as her mother.

Illustration of The Humans Who Survive in the Forest