Oth.
32. Before each of stanzas 32–42 the manuscript indicates the speaker,
through the initial letter of the name written in the margin. Thy
brother: Freyr; there is no other indication that such a relation
existed between these two, but they themselves were the product of such
a union; cf. stanza 36 and note.
33. Njorth: father of Freyr and Freyja, and given by the Wanes as a
hostage, in exchange for Hönir, at the close of the first war; cf.
Voluspo, 21 and note, also Skirnismol, introductory prose and note.
Babes: cf. stanza 23 and note. Bugge suggests that this clause may have
been a late insertion.
34. Daughters of Hymir: we have no clue to who these were, though Hymir
is doubtless the frost-giant of the Hymiskvitha (q.v.). Loki’s point is
that Njorth is not a god, but the product of an inferior race (the
Wanes).
35. The son: Freyr.
36. Thy sister: the Ynglingasaga supports this story of Njorth’s having
had two children by his sister before he came among the gods. Snorri,
on the other hand, specifically says that Freyr and Freyja were born
after Njorth came to the gods.
37. Tyr: the god of battle; cf. notes on Hymiskvitha, 4, and Voluspo,
39. Freyr; concerning his noble qualities cf. Skirnismol, introductory
prose and note.
38. Snorri mentions Tyr’s incompetence as a peacemaker. Fenrir: the
wolf, Loki’s son; cf. Voluspo, 39.
39. Hrothvitnir (“The Mighty Wolf”): Fenrir, who awaits in chains the
final battle and death at the hands of Vithar. The manuscript has a
metrical error in line 3, which has led to various emendations, all
with much the same meaning.
40. Thy wife: there is no other reference to Tyr’s wife, nor do we know
who was the son in question.
41. The mouth of the river: according to Snorri, the chained Fenrir
“roars horribly, and the slaver runs from his mouth, and makes the
river called Vam; he lies there till the doom of the gods.” Freyr’s
threat is actually carried out; cf. concluding prose.
42. The daughter of Gymir: Gerth, heroine of the Skirnismol, which
gives the details of Freyr’s loss of his sword. Muspell’s sons: the
name Muspell is not used elsewhere in the poems; Snorri uses it
frequently, but only in this same phrase, “Muspell’s sons.” They are
the dwellers in the fire-world, Muspellsheim, led by Surt against the
gods in the last battle; cf. Voluspo, 47 and 52 and notes. Myrkwood:
here the dark forest bounding the fire-world; in the Atlakvitha (stanza
3) the name is used of another boundary forest.
43. Byggvir: one of Freyr’s two servants; cf. introductory prose.
Ingunar-Freyr: the name is not used elsewhere in the poems, or by
Snorri; it may be the genitive of a woman’s name, Ingun, the unknown
sister of Njorth who was Freyr’s mother (cf. stanza 36), or a
corruption of the name Ingw, used for Freyr (Fro) in old German
mythology.
44. Beginning with this stanza, the names of the speakers are lacking
in the manuscript. The mill: i.e., at slaves’ tasks.
45. Nothing further is known of either Byggvir’s swiftness or his
cowardice. Hropt: Othin.
47. Heimdall: besides being the watchman of the gods (cf. Voluspo, 27),
he appears also as the god of light (cf. Thrymskvitha, 14), and
possibly also as a complex cultural deity in the Rigsthula. He was a
son of Othin, born of nine sisters; cf. Hyndluljoth, 37–40. In the last
battle he and Loki slay one another. Line 2 is quoted by Snorri; cf.
stanza 29, note.
49. Skathi: the wife of Njorth, and daughter of the giant Thjazi,
concerning whose death cf. Harbarthsljoth, 19, note. Bowels, etc.:
according to the prose note at the end of the Lokasenna, the gods bound
Loki with the bowels of his son Vali, and changed his other son, Narfi,
into a wolf. Snorri turns the story about, Vali being the wolf, who
tears his brother to pieces, the gods then using Narfi’s intestines to
bind Loki. Narfi—and presumably Vali—were the sons of Loki and his
wife, Sigyn. They appear only in this episode, though Narfi (or Nari)
is named by Snorri in his list of Loki’s children. Cf. concluding
prose, and note.
52. Laufey’s son: Loki; not much is known of his parents beyond their
names. His father was the giant Farbauti, his mother Laufey, sometimes
called Nal. There is an elaborate but far-fetched hypothesis explaining
these three on the basis of a nature-myth. There is no other reference
to such a relation between Skathi and Loki as he here suggests.
53. Sif: Thor’s wife; cf. Harbarthsljoth, 48, where her infidelity is
again mentioned. The manuscript omits the proper name from the
preceding prose, and a few editors have, obviously in error, attributed
the speech to Beyla.
54. Hlorrithi: Thor. Line 5 is probably spurious.
55. Beyla: Freyr’s servant, wife of Byggvir; cf. introductory prose and
note.
57. Mjollnir: concerning Thor’s famous hammer see particularly
Thrymskvitha, 1 and note. Shoulder-cliff: head; concerning the use of
such diction in the Edda, cf. introductory note to Hymiskvitha. The
manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza, but this is
apparently a scribal error.
58. Son of Earth: Thor, son of Othin and Jorth (Earth). The manuscript
omits the word “son,” but all editors have agreed in supplying it. The
wolf: Fenrir, Loki’s son, who slays Othin (Sigfather: “Father of
Victory”) in the final battle. Thor, according to Snorri and to the
Voluspo, 56, fights with Mithgarthsorm and not with Fenrir, who is
killed by Vithar.
59. Lines 1–2 are abbreviated in the manuscript, as also in stanzas 61
and 63.
60. Loki’s taunt that Thor hid in the thumb of Skrymir’s glove is
similar to that of Othin, Harbarthsljoth, 26, in the note to which the
story is outlined. Line 4 is identical with line 3 of Harbarthsljoth,
26.
61. Hrungnir’s slayer: the hammer; the story of how Thor slew this
stone-headed giant is indicated in Harbarthsljoth, 14–15, and outlined
in the note to stanza 14 of that poem.
62. On the day following the adventure of the glove, Thor, Loki and
Thor’s servants proceed on their way in company with Skrymir, who puts
all their food in his wallet. At evening Skrymir goes to sleep, and
Thor tries to get at the food, but cannot loosen the straps of the
wallet. In a rage he smites Skrymir three times on the head with his
hammer, but the giant—who, it subsequently appears, deftly dodges the
blows—is totally undisturbed. Line 5 may well be spurious.
65. The flames: the fire that consumes the world on the last day; cf.
Voluspo, 57. Line 5 may be spurious.
Prose: Snorri tells the same story, with minor differences, but makes
it the consequence of Loki’s part in the slaying of Baldr, which
undoubtedly represents the correct tradition. The compiler of the poems
either was confused or thought the incident was useful as indicating
what finally happened to Loki. Possibly he did not mean to imply that
Loki’s fate was brought upon him by his abuse of the gods, but simply
tried to round out the story. Franang: “Gleaming Water.” Vali and
Narfi: cf. stanza 49 and note. Sigyn: cf. Voluspo, 35, the only other
place where she is mentioned in the poems. Snorri omits the naive note
about earthquakes, his narrative ending with the words, “And there he
lies till the destruction of the gods.”
THRYMSKVITHA
THE LAY OF THRYM
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The Thrymskvitha is found only in the Codex Regius, where it follows
the Lokasenna. Snorri does not quote from it, nor, rather oddly, does
the story occur in the Prose Edda.
Artistically the Thrymskvitha is one of the best, as it is, next to the
Voluspo, the most famous, of the entire collection. It has, indeed,
been called “the finest ballad in the world,” and not without some
reason. Its swift, vigorous action, the sharpness of its
characterization and the humor of the central situation combine to make
it one of the most vivid short narrative poems ever composed. Of course
we know nothing specific of its author, but there can be no question
that he was a poet of extraordinary ability. The poem assumed its
present form, most critics agree, somewhere about 900, and thus it is
one of the oldest in the collection. It has been suggested, on the
basis of stylistic similarity, that its author may also have composed
the Skirnismol, and possibly Baldrs Draumar. There is also some
resemblance between the Thrymskvitha and the Lokasenna (note, in this
connection, Bugge’s suggestion that the Skirnismol and the Lokasenna
may have been by the same man), and it is not impossible that all four
poems have a single authorship.
The Thrymskvitha has been preserved in excellent condition, without any
serious gaps or interpolations. In striking contrast to many of the
poems, it contains no prose narrative links, the story being told in
narrative verse—a rare phenomenon in the poems of the Edda.
1. Wild was Vingthor | when he awoke,
And when his mighty | hammer he missed;
He shook his beard, | his hair was bristling,
As the son of Jorth | about him sought.
2. Hear now the speech | that first he spake:
“Harken, Loki, | and heed my words,
Nowhere on earth | is it known to man,
Nor in heaven above: | our hammer is stolen.”
3. To the dwelling fair | of Freyja went they,
Hear now the speech | that first he spake:
“Wilt thou, Freyja, | thy feather-dress lend me,
That so my hammer | I may seek?”
Freyja spake:
4. “Thine should it be | though of silver bright,
And I would give it | though ’twere of gold.”
Then Loki flew, | and the feather-dress whirred,
Till he left behind him | the home of the gods,
And reached at last | the realm of the giants.
5. Thrym sat on a mound, | the giants’ master,
Leashes of gold | he laid for his dogs,
And stroked and smoothed | the manes of his steeds.
Thrym spake:
6. “How fare the gods, | how fare the elves?
Why comst thou alone | to the giants’ land?”
Loki spake:
“Ill fare the gods, | ill fare the elves!
Hast thou hidden | Hlorrithi’s hammer?”
Thrym spake:
7. “I have hidden | Hlorrithi’s hammer,
Eight miles down | deep in the earth;
And back again | shall no man bring it
If Freyja I win not | to be my wife.”
8. Then Loki flew, | and the feather-dress whirred,
Till he left behind him | the home of the giants,
And reached at last | the realm of the gods.
There in the courtyard | Thor he met:
Hear now the speech | that first he spake:
9. “Hast thou found tidings | as well as trouble?
Thy news in the air | shalt thou utter now;
Oft doth the sitter | his story forget,
And lies he speaks | who lays himself down.”
Loki spake:
10. “Trouble I have, | and tidings as well:
Thrym, king of the giants, | keeps thy hammer,
And back again | shall no man bring it
If Freyja he wins not | to be his wife.”
11. Freyja the fair | then went they to find;
Hear now the speech | that first he spake:
“Bind on, Freyja, | the bridal veil,
For we two must haste | to the giants’ home.”
12. Wrathful was Freyja, | and fiercely she snorted,
And the dwelling great | of the gods was shaken,
And burst was the mighty | Brisings’ necklace:
“Most lustful indeed | should I look to all
If I journeyed with thee | to the giants’ home.”
13. Then were the gods | together met,
And the goddesses came | and council held,
And the far-famed ones | a plan would find,
How they might Hlorrithi’s | hammer win.
14. Then Heimdall spake, | whitest of the gods,
Like the Wanes he knew | the future well:
“Bind we on Thor | the bridal veil,
Let him bear the mighty | Brisings’ necklace;
15. “Keys around him | let there rattle,
And down to his knees | hang woman’s dress;
With gems full broad | upon his breast,
And a pretty cap | to crown his head.”
16. Then Thor the mighty | his answer made:
“Me would the gods | unmanly call
If I let bind | the bridal veil.”
17. Then Loki spake, | the son of Laufey:
“Be silent, Thor, | and speak not thus;
Else will the giants | in Asgarth dwell
If thy hammer is brought not | home to thee.”
18. Then bound they on Thor | the bridal veil,
And next the mighty | Brisings’ necklace.
19. Keys around him | let they rattle,
And down to his knees | hung woman’s dress;
With gems full broad | upon his breast,
And a pretty cap | to crown his head.
20. Then Loki spake, | the son of Laufey:
“As thy maid-servant thither | I go with thee;
We two shall haste | to the giants’ home.”
21. Then home the goats | to the hall were driven,
They wrenched at the halters, | swift were they to
run;
The mountains burst, | earth burned with fire,
And Othin’s son | sought Jotunheim.
22. Then loud spake Thrym, | the giants’ leader:
“Bestir ye, giants, | put straw on the benches;
Now Freyja they bring | to be my bride,
The daughter of Njorth | out of Noatun.
23. “Gold-horned cattle | go to my stables,
Jet-black oxen, | the giant’s joy;
Many my gems, | and many my jewels,
Freyja alone | did I lack, methinks.”
24. Early it was | to evening come,
And forth was borne | the beer for the giants;
Thor alone ate an ox, | and eight salmon,
All the dainties as well | that were set for the
women;
And drank Sif’s mate | three tuns of mead.
25. Then loud spake Thrym, | the giants’ leader:
“Who ever saw bride | more keenly bite?
I ne’er saw bride | with a broader bite,
Nor a maiden who drank | more mead than this!”
26. Hard by there sat | the serving-maid wise,
So well she answered | the giant’s words:
“From food has Freyja | eight nights fasted,
So hot was her longing | for Jotunheim.”
27. Thrym looked ’neath the veil, | for he longed to kiss,
But back he leaped | the length of the hall:
“Why are so fearful | the eyes of Freyja?
Fire, methinks, | from her eyes burns forth.”
28. Hard by there sat | the serving-maid wise,
So well she answered | the giant’s words:
“No sleep has Freyja | for eight nights found,
So hot was her longing | for Jotunheim.”
29. Soon came the giant’s | luckless sister,
Who feared not to ask | the bridal fee:
“From thy hands the rings | of red gold take,
If thou wouldst win | my willing love,
(My willing love | and welcome glad.)”
30. Then loud spake Thrym, | the giants’ leader:
“Bring in the hammer | to hallow the bride;
On the maiden’s knees | let Mjollnir lie,
That us both the hand | of Vor may bless.”
31. The heart in the breast | of Hlorrithi laughed
When the hard-souled one | his hammer beheld;
First Thrym, the king | of the giants, he killed,
Then all the folk | of the giants he felled.
32. The giant’s sister | old he slew,
She who had begged | the bridal fee;
A stroke she got | in the shilling’s stead.
And for many rings | the might of the hammer.
33. And so his hammer | got Othin’s son.
NOTES
1. Vingthor (“Thor the Hurler”): another name for Thor, equivalent to
Vingnir (Vafthruthnismol, 51). Concerning Thor and his hammer,
Mjollnir, cf. Hymiskvitha, Lokasenna, and Harbarthsljoth, passim.
Jorth: Earth, Thor’s mother, Othin being his father.
2. Loki: cf. Lokasenna, passim.
3. Freyja: Njorth’s daughter, and sister of Freyr; cf. Lokasenna,
introductory prose and note, also Skirnismol, introductory prose.
Freyja’s house was Sessrymnir (“Rich in Seats”) built in Folkvang
(“Field of the Folk”); cf. Grimnismol, 14. Feather-dress: this flying
equipment of Freyja’s is also used in the story of Thjazi, wherein Loki
again borrows the “hawk’s dress” of Freyja, this time to rescue Ithun;
cf. Harbarthsljoth, 19 and note.
4. The manuscript and most editions have lines 1–2 in inverse order.
Several editors assume a lacuna before line 1, making a stanza out of
the two conjectural lines (Bugge actually supplies them) and lines 1–2
of stanza 4. Thus they either make a separate stanza out of lines 3–5
or unite them in a six-line stanza with 5. The manuscript punctuation
and capitalization—not wholly trustworthy guides—indicate the stanza
divisions as in this translation.
5. Thrym: a frost-giant. Gering declares that this story of the theft
of Thor’s hammer symbolizes the fact that thunderstorms rarely occur in
winter.
6. Line 1: cf. Voluspo, 48, 1. The manuscript does not indicate Loki as
the speaker of lines 3–4. Hlorrithi: Thor.
7. No superscription in the manuscript. Vigfusson made up and inserted
lines like “Then spake Loki | the son of Laufey” whenever he
thought they would be useful.
9. The manuscript marks line 2, instead of line 1, as the beginning of
a stanza, which has caused editors some confusion in grouping the lines
of stanzas 8 and 9.
10. No superscription in the manuscript.
12. Many editors have rejected either line 2 or line 3. Vigfusson
inserts one of his own lines before line 4. Brisings’ necklace: a
marvelous necklace fashioned by the dwarfs, here called Brisings (i.e.,
“Twiners”); cf. Lokasenna, 20 and note.
13. Lines 1–3 are identical with Baldrs Draumar, 1, 1–3.
14. Heimdall: the phrase “whitest of the gods” suggests that Heimdall
was the god of light as well as being the watchman. His wisdom was
probably connected with his sleepless watching over all the worlds; cf.
Lokasenna, 47 and note. On the Wanes cf. Voluspo, 21 and note. They are
not elsewhere spoken of as peculiarly gifted with knowledge of future
events.
16. Possibly a line has been lost from this stanza.
17. Laufey: Loki’s mother, cf. Lokasenna, 52 and note.
18–19. The manuscript abbreviates all six lines, giving only the
initial letters of the words. The stanza division is thus arbitrary;
some editors have made one stanza of the six lines, others have
combined the last two lines of stanza 19 with stanza 20. It is possible
that a couple of lines have been lost.
21. Goats: Thor’s wagon was always drawn by goats; cf. Hymiskvitha, 38
and note. Jotunheim: the world of the giants.
22. Njorth: cf. Voluspo, 21, and Grimnismol, 11 and 16. Noatun
(“Ships’-Haven”): Njorth’s home, where his wife, Skathi, found it
impossible to stay; cf. Grimnismol, 11 and note.
24. Grundtvig thinks this is all that is left of two stanzas describing
Thor’s supper. Some editors reject line 4. In line 3 the manuscript has
“he,” the reference being, of course, to Thor, on whose appetite cf.
Hymiskvitha, 15. Sif: Thor’s wife; cf. Lokasenna, note to introductory
prose and stanza 53.
27. For clearness I have inserted Thrym’s name in place of the pronoun
of the original. Fire: the noun is lacking in the manuscript; most
editors have inserted it, however, following a late paper manuscript.
28. In the manuscript the whole stanza is abbreviated to initial
letters, except for “sleep,” “Freyja,” and “found.”
29. Luckless: so the manuscript, but many editors have altered the word
“arma” to “aldna,” meaning “old,” to correspond with line 1 of stanza
32. Line 5 may well be spurious.
30. Hallow: just what this means is not clear, but there are references
to other kinds of consecration, though not of a bride, with the “sign
of the hammer.” According to Vigfusson, “the hammer was the holy sign
with the heathens, answering to the cross of the Christians.” In
Snorri’s story of Thor’s resuscitation of his cooked goat (cf.
Hymiskvitha, 38, note) the god “hallows” the goat with his hammer. One
of the oldest runic signs, supposed to have magic power, was named
Thor’s-hammer. Vor: the goddess of vows, particularly between men and
women; Snorri lists a number of little-known goddesses similar to Vor,
all of them apparently little more than names for Frigg.
33. Some editors reject this line, which, from a dramatic standpoint,
is certainly a pity. In the manuscript it begins with a capital letter,
like the opening of a new stanza.
ALVISSMOL
THE BALLAD OF ALVIS
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
No better summary of the Alvissmol can be given than Gering’s statement
that “it is a versified chapter from the skaldic Poetics.” The
narrative skeleton, contained solely in stanzas 1–8 and in 35, is of
the slightest; the dwarf Alvis, desirous of marrying Thor’s daughter,
is compelled by the god to answer a number of questions to test his
knowledge. That all his answers are quite satisfactory makes no
difference whatever to the outcome. The questions and answers differ
radically from those of the Vafthruthnismol. Instead of being
essentially mythological, they all concern synonyms. Thor asks what the
earth, the sky, the moon, and so on, are called “in each of all the
worlds,” but there is no apparent significance in the fact that the
gods call the earth one thing and the giants call it another; the
answers are simply strings of poetic circumlocutions, or “kennings.”
Concerning the use of these “kennings” in skaldic poetry, cf.
introductory note to the Hymiskvitha.
Mogk is presumably right in dating the poem as late as the twelfth
century, assigning it to the period of “the Icelandic renaissance of
skaldic poetry.” It appears to have been the work of a man skilled in
poetic construction,—Thor’s questions, for instance, are neatly
balanced in pairs,—and fully familiar with the intricacies of skaldic
diction, but distinctly weak in his mythology. In other words, it is
learned rather than spontaneous poetry. Finnur Jonsson’s attempt to
make it a tenth century Norwegian poem baffles logic. Vigfusson is
pretty sure the poem shows marked traces of Celtic influence, which is
by no means incompatible with Mogk’s theory (cf. introductory note to
the Rigsthula).
The poem is found only in Regius, where it follows the Thrymskvitha.
Snorri quotes stanzas 20 and 30, the manuscripts of the Prose Edda
giving the name of the poem as Alvissmol, Alsvinnsmol or Olvismol. It
is apparently in excellent condition, without serious errors of
transmission, although interpolations or omissions in such a poem might
have been made so easily as to defy detection.
The translation of the many synonyms presents, of course, unusual
difficulties, particularly as many of the Norse words can be properly
rendered in English only by more or less extended phrases. I have kept
to the original meanings as closely as I could without utterly
destroying the metrical structure.
Alvis spake:
1. “Now shall the bride | my benches adorn,
And homeward haste forthwith;
Eager for wedlock | to all shall I seem,
Nor at home shall they rob me of rest.”
Thor spake:
2. “What, pray, art thou? | Why so pale round the nose?
By the dead hast thou lain of late?
To a giant like | dost thou look, methinks;
Thou wast not born for the bride.”
Alvis spake:
3. “Alvis am I, | and under the earth
My home ’neath the rocks I have;
With the wagon-guider | a word do I seek;
Let the gods their bond not break.”
Thor spake:
4. “Break it shall I, | for over the bride
Her father has foremost right;
At home was I not | when the promise thou hadst,
And I give her alone of the gods.”
Alvis spake:
5. “What hero claims | such right to hold
O’er the bride that shines so bright?
Not many will know thee, | thou wandering man!
Who was bought with rings to bear thee?”
Thor spake:
6. “Vingthor, the wanderer | wide, am I,
And I am Sithgrani’s son;
Against my will | shalt thou get the maid,
And win the marriage word.”
Alvis spake:
7. “Thy good-will now | shall I quickly get,
And win the marriage word;
I long to have, | and I would not lack,
This snow-white maid for mine.”
Thor spake:
8. “The love of the maid | I may not keep thee
From winning, thou guest so wise,
If of every world | thou canst tell me all
That now I wish to know.
9. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the earth, | that lies before all,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
10. “‘Earth’ to men, ‘Field’ | to the gods it is,
‘The Ways’ is it called by the Wanes;
‘Ever Green’ by the giants, | ‘The Grower’ by elves,
‘The Moist’ by the holy ones high.”
Thor spake:
11. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the heaven, | beheld of the high one,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
12. “‘Heaven’ men call it, | ‘The Height’ the gods,
The Wanes ‘The Weaver of Winds’;
Giants ‘The Up-World,’ | elves ‘The Fair-Roof,’
The dwarfs ‘The Dripping Hall.’”
Thor spake:
13. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the moon, | that men behold,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
14. “‘Moon’ with men, ‘Flame’ | the gods among,
‘The Wheel’ in the house of hell;
‘The Goer’ the giants, | ‘The Gleamer’ the dwarfs,
The elves ‘The Teller of Time.’”
Thor spake:
15. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the sun, | that all men see,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
16. “Men call it ‘Sun,’ | gods ‘Orb of the Sun,’
‘The Deceiver of Dvalin’ the dwarfs;
The giants ‘The Ever-Bright,’ | elves ‘Fair Wheel,’
‘All-Glowing’ the sons of the gods.”
Thor spake:
17. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the clouds, | that keep the rains,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
18. “‘Clouds’ men name them, | ‘Rain-Hope’ gods call them,
The Wanes call them ‘Kites of the Wind’;
‘Water-Hope’ giants, | ‘Weather-Might’ elves,
‘The Helmet of Secrets’ in hell.”
Thor spake:
19. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the wind, | that widest fares,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
20. “‘Wind’ do men call it, | the gods ‘The Waverer,’
‘The Neigher’ the holy ones high;
‘The Wailer’ the giants, | ‘Roaring Wender’ the elves,
In hell ‘The Blustering Blast.’”
Thor spake:
21. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the calm, | that quiet lies,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
22. “‘Calm’ men call it, | ‘The Quiet’ the gods,
The Wanes ‘The Hush of the Winds’;
‘The Sultry’ the giants, | elves ‘Day’s Stillness,’
The dwarfs ‘The Shelter of Day.’”
Thor spake:
23. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the sea, | whereon men sail,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
24. “‘Sea’ men call it, | gods ‘The Smooth-Lying,’
‘The Wave’ is it called by the Wanes;
‘Eel-Home’ the giants, | ‘Drink-Stuff’ the elves,
For the dwarfs its name is ‘The Deep.’”
Thor spake:
25. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the fire, | that flames for men,
In each of all the worlds?”
Alvis spake:
26. “‘Fire’ men call it, | and ‘Flame’ the gods,
By the Wanes is it ‘Wildfire’ called;
‘The Biter’ by giants, | ‘The Burner’ by dwarfs,
‘The Swift’ in the house of hell.”
Thor spake:
27. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the wood, | that grows for mankind,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
28. “Men call it ‘The Wood,’ | gods ‘The Mane of the Field,’
‘Seaweed of Hills’ in hell;
‘Flame-Food’ the giants, | ‘Fair-Limbed’ the elves,
‘The Wand’ is it called by the Wanes.”
Thor spake:
29. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the night, | the daughter of Nor,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
30. “‘Night’ men call it, | ‘Darkness’ gods name it,
‘The Hood’ the holy ones high;
The giants ‘The Lightless,’ | the elves ‘Sleep’s Joy,’
The dwarfs ‘The Weaver of Dreams.’”
Thor spake:
31. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the seed, | that is sown by men,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
32. “Men call it ‘Grain,’ | and ‘Corn’ the gods,
‘Growth’ in the world of the Wanes;
‘The Eaten’ by giants, | ‘Drink-Stuff’ by elves,
In hell ‘The Slender Stem.’”
Thor spake:
33. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all,
Dwarf, of the doom of men:
What call they the ale, | that is quaffed of men,
In each and every world?”
Alvis spake:
34. “‘Ale’ among men, | ‘Beer’ the gods among,
In the world of the Wanes ‘The Foaming’;
‘Bright Draught’ with giants, | ‘Mead’ with dwellers in hell,
‘The Feast-Draught’ with Suttung’s sons.”
Thor spake:
35. “In a single breast | I never have seen
More wealth of wisdom old;
But with treacherous wiles | must I now betray thee:
The day has caught thee, dwarf!
(Now the sun shines here in the hall.)”
NOTES
1. Alvis (“All-Knowing”): a dwarf, not elsewhere mentioned. The
manuscript nowhere indicates the speakers’ names. The bride in question
is Thor’s daughter; Thruth (“Might”) is the only daughter of his whose
name is recorded, and she does not appear elsewhere in the poems. Her
mother was Sif, Thor’s wife, whereas the god’s sons were born of a
giantess. Benches: cf. Lokasenna, 15 and note.
2. The dwarfs, living beyond the reach of the sun, which was fatal to
them (cf. stanzas 16 and 35), were necessarily pale. Line 3 is, of
course, ironical.
3. Wagon-guider: Thor, who travels habitually on his goat-drawn wagon.
Bugge changes “Vagna vers” to “Vapna verþs,” rendering the line “I am
come to seek | the cost of the weapons.” In either case, Alvis does
not as yet recognize Thor.
4. Apparently the gods promised Thor’s daughter in marriage to Alvis
during her father’s absence, perhaps as a reward for some craftsmanship
of his (cf. Bugge’s suggestion as to stanza 3). The text of line 4 is
most uncertain.
5. Hero: ironically spoken; Alvis takes Thor for a tramp, the god’s
uncouth appearance often leading to such mistakes; cf. Harbarthsljoth,
6. Line 4 is a trifle uncertain; some editors alter the wording to read
“What worthless woman bore thee?”
6. Vingthor (“Thor the Hurler”): cf. Thrymskvitha, 1. Sithgrani
(“Long-Beard”): Othin.
8. Every world: concerning the nine worlds, cf. Voluspo, 2 and note.
Many editors follow this stanza with one spoken by Alvis, found in late
paper manuscripts, as follows: “Ask then, Vingthor, | since eager
thou art / The lore of the dwarf to learn; / Oft have I fared | in
the nine worlds all, / And wide is my wisdom of each.”
10. Men, etc.: nothing could more clearly indicate the author’s
mythological inaccuracy than his confusion of the inhabitants of the
nine worlds. Men (dwellers in Mithgarth) appear in each of Alvis’s
thirteen answers; so do the gods (Asgarth) and the giants (Jotunheim).
The elves (Alfheim) appear in eleven answers, the Wanes (Vanaheim) in
nine, and the dwarfs (who occupied no special world, unless one
identifies them with the dark elves of Svartalfaheim) in seven. The
dwellers “in hell” appear in six stanzas; the phrase probably refers to
the world of the dead, though Mogk thinks it may mean the dwarfs. In
stanzas where the gods are already listed appear names elsewhere
applied only to them,—“holy ones,” “sons of the gods” and “high
ones,”—as if these names meant beings of a separate race. “Men” appears
twice in the same stanza, and so do the giants, if one assumes that
they are “the sons of Suttung.” Altogether it is useless to pay much
attention to the mythology of Alvis’s replies.
11. Lines 1, 2, and 4 of Thor’s questions are regularly abbreviated in
the manuscript. Beheld, etc.: the word in the manuscript is almost
certainly an error, and all kinds of guesses have been made to rectify
it. All that can be said is that it means “beheld of” or “known to”
somebody.
14. Flame: a doubtful word; Vigfusson suggests that it properly means a
“mock sun.” Wheel: the manuscript adds the adjective “whirling,” to the
destruction of the metre; cf. Hovamol, 84, 3.
16. Deceiver of Dvalin: Dvalin was one of the foremost dwarfs; cf.
Voluspo, 14, Fafnismol, 13, and Hovamol, 144. The sun “deceives” him
because, like the other dwarfs living underground, he cannot live in
its light, and always fears lest sunrise may catch him unaware. The
sun’s rays have power to turn the dwarfs into stone, and the giantess
Hrimgerth meets a similar fate (cf. Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar, 30).
Alvis suffers in the same way; cf. stanza 35.
20. Snorri quotes this stanza in the Skaldskaparmal. Waverer: the word
is uncertain, the Prose Edda manuscripts giving it in various forms.
Blustering Blast: two Prose Edda manuscripts give a totally different
word, meaning “The Pounder.”
22. Hush, etc.: the manuscript, by inserting an additional letter,
makes the word practically identical with that translated “Kite” in
stanza 18. Most editors have agreed as to the emendation.
24. Drink-Stuff: Gering translates the word thus; I doubt it, but can
suggest nothing better.
26. Wildfire: the word may mean any one of various things, including
“Wave,” which is not unlikely.
28. In hell: the word simply means “men,” and it is only a guess,
though a generally accepted one, that here it refers to the dead.
29. Nor: presumably the giant whom Snorri calls Norvi or Narfi, father
of Not (Night) and grandfather of Dag (Day). Cf. Vafthruthnismol, 25.
30. Snorri quotes this stanza in the Skaldskaparmal. The various Prose
Edda manuscripts differ considerably in naming the gods, the giants,
etc. Lightless: some manuscripts have “The Unsorrowing.”
32. Grain: the two words translated “grain” and “corn” apparently both
meant primarily barley, and thence grain in general, the first being
the commoner term of the two. Drink-Stuff: the word is identical with
the one used, and commented on, in stanza 24, and again I have followed
Gering’s interpretation for want of a better one. If his guess is
correct, the reference here is evidently to grain as the material from
which beer and other drinks are brewed.
34. Suttung’s sons: these ought to be the giants, but the giants are
specifically mentioned in line 3. The phrase “Suttung’s sons” occurs in
Skirnismol, 34, clearly meaning the giants. Concerning Suttung as the
possessor of the mead of poetry, cf. Hovamol, 104.
35. Concerning the inability of the dwarfs to endure sunlight, which
turns them into stone, cf. stanza 16 and note. Line 5 may be spurious.
BALDRS DRAUMAR
BALDR’S DREAMS
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Baldrs Draumar is found only in the Arnamagnæan Codex, where it follows
the Harbarthsljoth fragment. It is preserved in various late paper
manuscripts, with the title Vegtamskvitha (The Lay of Vegtam), which
has been used by some editors.
The poem, which contains but fourteen stanzas, has apparently been
preserved in excellent condition. Its subject-matter and style link it
closely with the Voluspo. Four of the five lines of stanza 11 appear,
almost without change, in the Voluspo, 32–33, and the entire poem is
simply an elaboration of the episode outlined in those and the
preceding stanzas. It has been suggested that Baldrs Draumar and the
Voluspo may have been by the same author. There is also enough
similarity in style between Baldrs Draumar and the Thrymskvitha (note
especially the opening stanza) to give color to Vigfusson’s guess that
these two poems had a common authorship. In any case, Baldrs Draumar
presumably assumed its present form not later than the first half of
the tenth century.
Whether the Volva (wise-woman) of the poem is identical with the
speaker in the Voluspo is purely a matter for conjecture. Nothing
definitely opposes such a supposition. As in the longer poem she
foretells the fall of the gods, so in this case she prophesies the
first incident of that fall, the death of Baldr. Here she is called up
from the dead by Othin, anxious to know the meaning of Baldr’s evil
dreams; in the Voluspo it is likewise intimated that the Volva has
risen from the grave.
The poem, like most of the others in the collection, is essentially
dramatic rather than narrative, summarizing a story which was doubtless
familiar to every one who heard the poem recited.
1. Once were the gods | together met,
And the goddesses came | and council held,
And the far-famed ones | the truth would find,
Why baleful dreams | to Baldr had come.
2. Then Othin rose, | the enchanter old,
And the saddle he laid | on Sleipnir’s back;
Thence rode he down | to Niflhel deep,
And the hound he met | that came from hell.
3. Bloody he was | on his breast before,
At the father of magic | he howled from afar;
Forward rode Othin, | the earth resounded
Till the house so high | of Hel he reached.
4. Then Othin rode | to the eastern door,
There, he knew well, | was the wise-woman’s grave;
Magic he spoke | and mighty charms,
Till spell-bound she rose, | and in death she spoke:
5. “What is the man, | to me unknown,
That has made me travel | the troublous road?
I was snowed on with snow, | and smitten with rain,
And drenched with dew; | long was I dead.”
Othin spake:
6. “Vegtam my name, | I am Valtam’s son;
Speak thou of hell, | for of heaven I know:
For whom are the benches | bright with rings,
And the platforms gay | bedecked with gold?”
The Wise-Woman spake:
7. “Here for Baldr | the mead is brewed,
The shining drink, | and a shield lies o’er it;
But their hope is gone | from the mighty gods.
Unwilling I spake, | and now would be still.”
Othin spake:
8. “Wise-woman, cease not! | I seek from thee
All to know | that I fain would ask:
Who shall the bane | of Baldr become,
And steal the life | from Othin’s son?”
The Wise-Woman spake:
9. “Hoth thither bears | the far-famed branch,
He shall the bane | of Baldr become,
And steal the life | from Othin’s son.
Unwilling I spake, | and now would be still.”
Othin spake:
10. “Wise-woman, cease not! | I seek from thee
All to know | that I fain would ask:
Who shall vengeance win | for the evil work,
Or bring to the flames | the slayer of Baldr?”
The Wise-Woman spake:
11. “Rind bears Vali | in Vestrsalir,
And one night old | fights Othin’s son;
His hands he shall wash not, | his hair he shall comb not,
Till the slayer of Baldr | he brings to the flames.
Unwilling I spake, | and now would be still.”
Othin spake:
12. “Wise-woman, cease not! | I seek from thee
All to know | that I fain would ask:
What maidens are they | who then shall weep,
And toss to the sky | the yards of the sails?”
The Wise-Woman spake:
13. “Vegtam thou art not, | as erstwhile I thought;
Othin thou art, | the enchanter old.”
Othin spake:
“No wise-woman art thou, | nor wisdom hast;
Of giants three | the mother art thou.”
The Wise-Woman spake:
14. “Home ride, Othin, | be ever proud;
For no one of men | shall seek me more
Till Loki wanders | loose from his bonds,
And to the last strife | the destroyers come.”
NOTES
1. Lines 1–3 are identical with Thrymskvitha, 13, 1–3. Baldr:
concerning this best and noblest of the gods, the son of Othin and
Frigg, who comes again among the survivors after the final battle, cf.
Voluspo, 32 and 62, and notes. He is almost never mentioned anywhere
except in connection with the story of his death, though Snorri has one
short passage praising his virtue and beauty. After stanza 1 two old
editions, and one later one, insert four stanzas from late paper
manuscripts.
2. Sleipnir: Othin’s eight-legged horse, the son of Loki and the
stallion Svathilfari; cf. Lokasenna, 23, and Grimnismol, 44, and notes.
Niflhel: the murky (“nifl”) dwelling of Hel, goddess of the dead. The
hound: Garm; cf. Voluspo, 44.
3. Father of magic: Othin appears constantly as the god of magic. Hel:
offspring of Loki and the giantess Angrbotha, as were the wolf Fenrir
and Mithgarthsorm. She ruled the world of the unhappy dead, either
those who had led evil lives or, according to another tradition, those
who had not died in battle. The manuscript marks line 3 as the
beginning of a stanza, and thus the editions vary in their grouping of
the lines of this and the succeeding stanzas.
6. The manuscript has no superscriptions indicating the speakers.
Vegtam (“The Wanderer”): Othin, as usual, conceals his identity,
calling himself the son of Valtam (“The Fighter”). In this instance he
has unusual need to do so, for as the wise-woman belongs apparently to
the race of the giants, she would be unwilling to answer a god’s
questions. Heaven: the word used includes all the upper worlds, in
contrast to hell. Benches, etc.: the adornment of the benches and
raised platforms, or elevated parts of the house, was a regular part of
the preparation for a feast of welcome. The text of the two last lines
is somewhat uncertain.
7. Grundtvig, followed by Edzardi, thinks a line has been lost between
lines 3 and 4.
9. Concerning the blind Hoth, who, at Loki’s instigation, cast the
fatal mistletoe at Baldr, cf. Voluspo, 32–33 and notes. In the
manuscript the last line is abbreviated, as also in stanza 11.
10. In the manuscript lines 1–2 are abbreviated, as also in stanza 12.
11. Rind: mentioned by Snorri as one of the goddesses. Concerning her
son Vali, begotten by Othin for the express purpose of avenging Baldr’s
death, and his slaying of Hoth the day after his birth, cf. Voluspo,
33–34, where the lines of this stanza appear practically verbatim.
Vestrsalir (“The Western Hall”): not elsewhere mentioned in the poems.
12. The manuscript marks the third line as the beginning of a stanza;
something may have been lost. Lines 3–4 are thoroughly obscure.
According to Bugge the maidens who are to weep for Baldr are the
daughters of the sea-god Ægir, the waves, whose grief will be so
tempestuous that they will toss the ships up to the very sky. “Yards of
the sails” is a doubtfully accurate rendering; the two words, at any
rate in later Norse nautical speech, meant respectively the “tack” and
the “sheet” of the square sail.
13. Possibly two separate stanzas. Enchanter: the meaning of the
original word is most uncertain.
14. Concerning Loki’s escape and his relation to the destruction of the
gods, cf. Voluspo, 35 and 51, and notes. While the wise-woman probably
means only that she will never speak again till the end of the world,
it has been suggested, and is certainly possible, that she intends to
give Loki her counsel, thus revenging herself on Othin.
RIGSTHULA
THE SONG OF RIG
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The Rigsthula is found in neither of the principal codices. The only
manuscript containing it is the so-called Codex Wormanius, a manuscript
of Snorri’s Prose Edda. The poem appears on the last sheet of this
manuscript, which unluckily is incomplete, and thus the end of the poem
is lacking. In the Codex Wormanius itself the poem has no title, but a
fragmentary parchment included with it calls the poem the Rigsthula.
Some late paper manuscripts give it the title of Rigsmol.
The Rigsthula is essentially unlike anything else which editors have
agreed to include in the so-called Edda. It is a definitely cultural
poem, explaining, on a mythological basis, the origin of the different
castes of early society: the thralls, the peasants, and the warriors.
From the warriors, finally, springs one who is destined to become a
king, and thus the whole poem is a song in praise of the royal estate.
This fact in itself would suffice to indicate that the Rigsthula was
not composed in Iceland, where for centuries kings were regarded with
profound disapproval.
Not only does the Rigsthula praise royalty, but it has many of the
earmarks of a poem composed in praise of a particular king. The
manuscript breaks off at a most exasperating point, just as the
connection between the mythical “Young Kon” (Konr ungr, konungr,
“king”; but cf. stanza 44, note) and the monarch in question is about
to be established. Owing to the character of the Norse settlements in
Iceland, Ireland, and the western islands generally, search for a
specific king leads back to either Norway or Denmark; despite the
arguments advanced by Edzardi, Vigfusson, Powell, and others, it seems
most improbable that such a poem should have been produced elsewhere
than on the Continent, the region where Scandinavian royalty most
flourished. Finnur Jonsson’s claim for Norway, with Harald the
Fair-Haired as the probable king in question, is much less impressive
than Mogk’s ingenious demonstration that the poem was in all
probability composed in Denmark, in honor of either Gorm the Old or
Harald Blue-Tooth. His proof is based chiefly on the evidence provided
by stanza 49, and is summarized in the note to that stanza.
The poet, however, was certainly not a Dane, but probably a wandering
Norse singer, who may have had a dozen homes, and who clearly had spent
much time in some part of the western island world chiefly inhabited by
Celts. The extent of Celtic influence on the Eddic poems in general is
a matter of sharp dispute. Powell, for example, claims almost all the
poems for the “Western Isles,” and attributes nearly all their good
qualities to Celtic influence. Without here attempting to enter into
the details of the argument, it may be said that the weight of
authoritative opinion, while clearly recognizing the marks of Celtic
influence in the poems, is against this view; contact between the
roving Norsemen of Norway and Iceland and the Celts of Ireland and the
“Western Isles,” and particularly the Orkneys, was so extensive as to
make the presumption of an actual Celtic home for the poems seem quite
unnecessary.
In the case of the Rigsthula the poet unquestionably had not only
picked up bits of the Celtic speech (the name Rig itself is almost
certainly of Celtic origin, and there are various other Celtic words
employed), but also had caught something of the Celtic literary spirit.
This explains the cultural nature of the poem, quite foreign to Norse
poetry in general. On the other hand, the style as a whole is
vigorously Norse, and thus the explanation that the poem was composed
by an itinerant Norse poet who had lived for some time in the Celtic
islands, and who was on a visit to the court of a Danish king, fits the
ascertainable facts exceedingly well. As Christianity was introduced
into Denmark around 960, the Rigsthula is not likely to have been
composed much after that date, and probably belongs to the first half
of the tenth century. Gorm the Old died about the year 935, and was
succeeded by Harald Blue-Tooth, who died about 985.
The fourteenth (or late thirteenth) century annotator identifies Rig
with Heimdall, but there is nothing in the poem itself, and very little
anywhere else, to warrant this, and it seems likely that the poet had
Othin, and not Heimdall, in mind, his purpose being to trace the origin
of the royal estate to the chief of the gods. The evidence bearing on
this identification is briefly summed up in the note on the
introductory prose passage, but the question involves complex and
baffling problems in mythology, and from very early times the status of
Heimdall was unquestionably confusing to the Norse mind.
They tell in old stories that one of the gods, whose name was Heimdall,
went on his way along a certain seashore, and came to a dwelling, where
he called himself Rig. According to these stories is the following
poem:
1. Men say there went | by ways so green
Of old the god, | the aged and wise,
Mighty and strong | did Rig go striding.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
2. Forward he went | on the midmost way,
He came to a dwelling, | a door on its posts;
In did he fare, | on the floor was a fire,
Two hoary ones | by the hearth there sat,
Ai and Edda, | in olden dress.
3. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon in the midst | of the room he sat,
And on either side | the others were.
4. A loaf of bread | did Edda bring,
Heavy and thick | and swollen with husks;
Forth on the table | she set the fare,
And broth for the meal | in a bowl there was.
(Calf’s flesh boiled | was the best of the dainties.)
5. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Thence did he rise, | made ready to sleep;
Soon in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were.
6. Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by.
7. A son bore Edda, | with water they sprinkled him,
With a cloth his hair | so black they covered;
Thræll they named him, | . . . . . . . .
8. The skin was wrinkled | and rough on his hands,
Knotted his knuckles, | . . . . . . . .
Thick his fingers, | and ugly his face,
Twisted his back, | and big his heels.
9. He began to grow, | and to gain in strength,
Soon of his might | good use he made;
With bast he bound, | and burdens carried,
Home bore faggots | the whole day long.
10. One came to their home, | crooked her legs,
Stained were her feet, | and sunburned her arms,
Flat was her nose; | her name was Thir.
11. Soon in the midst | of the room she sat,
By her side there sat | the son of the house;
They whispered both, | and the bed made ready,
Thræll and Thir, | till the day was through.
12. Children they had, | they lived and were happy,
Fjosnir and Klur | they were called, methinks,
Hreim and Kleggi, | Kefsir, Fulnir,
Drumb, Digraldi, | Drott and Leggjaldi,
Lut and Hosvir; | the house they cared for,
Ground they dunged, | and swine they guarded,
Goats they tended, | and turf they dug.
13. Daughters had they, | Drumba and Kumba,
Ökkvinkalfa, | Arinnefja,
Ysja and Ambott, | Eikintjasna,
Totrughypja | and Tronubeina;
And thence has risen | the race of thralls.
14. Forward went Rig, | his road was straight,
To a hall he came, | and a door there hung;
In did he fare, | on the floor was a fire:
Afi and Amma | owned the house.
15. There sat the twain, | and worked at their tasks:
The man hewed wood | for the weaver’s beam;
His beard was trimmed, | o’er his brow a curl,
His clothes fitted close; | in the corner a chest.
16. The woman sat | and the distaff wielded,
At the weaving with arms | outstretched she worked;
On her head was a band, | on her breast a smock;
On her shoulders a kerchief | with clasps there was.
17. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon in the midst | of the room he sat,
And on either side | the others were.
18. Then took Amma | . . . . . . . .
The vessels full | with the fare she set,
Calf’s flesh boiled | was the best of the dainties.
19. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
He rose from the board, | made ready to sleep;
Soon in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were.
20. Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by.
21. A son bore Amma, | with water they sprinkled him,
Karl they named him; | in a cloth she wrapped him,
He was ruddy of face, | and flashing his eyes.
22. He began to grow, | and to gain in strength,
Oxen he ruled, | and plows made ready,
Houses he built, | and barns he fashioned,
Carts he made, | and the plow he managed.
23. Home did they bring | the bride for Karl,
In goatskins clad, | and keys she bore;
Snör was her name, | ’neath the veil she sat;
A home they made ready, | and rings exchanged,
The bed they decked, | and a dwelling made.
24. Sons they had, | they lived and were happy:
Hal and Dreng, | Holth, Thegn and Smith,
Breith and Bondi, | Bundinskeggi,
Bui and Boddi, | Brattskegg and Segg.
25. Daughters they had, | and their names are here:
Snot, Bruth, Svanni, | Svarri, Sprakki,
Fljoth, Sprund and Vif, | Feima, Ristil:
And thence has risen | the yeomen’s race.
26. Thence went Rig, | his road was straight,
A hall he saw, | the doors faced south;
The portal stood wide, | on the posts was a ring,
Then in he fared; | the floor was strewn.
27. Within two gazed | in each other’s eyes,
Fathir and Mothir, | and played with their fingers;
There sat the house-lord, | wound strings for the bow,
Shafts he fashioned, | and bows he shaped.
28. The lady sat, | at her arms she looked,
She smoothed the cloth, | and fitted the sleeves;
Gay was her cap, | on her breast were clasps,
Broad was her train, | of blue was her gown,
Her brows were bright, | her breast was shining,
Whiter her neck | than new-fallen snow.
29. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon in the midst | of the room he sat,
And on either side | the others were.
30. Then Mothir brought | a broidered cloth,
Of linen bright, | and the board she covered;
And then she took | the loaves so thin,
And laid them, white | from the wheat, on the cloth.
31. Then forth she brought | the vessels full,
With silver covered, | and set before them,
Meat all browned, | and well-cooked birds;
In the pitcher was wine, | of plate were the cups,
So drank they and talked | till the day was gone.
32. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon did he rise, | made ready to sleep;
So in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were.
33. Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by.
34. A son had Mothir, | in silk they wrapped him,
With water they sprinkled him, | Jarl he was;
Blond was his hair, | and bright his cheeks,
Grim as a snake’s | were his glowing eyes.
35. To grow in the house | did Jarl begin,
Shields he brandished, | and bow-strings wound,
Bows he shot, | and shafts he fashioned,
Arrows he loosened, | and lances wielded,
Horses he rode, | and hounds unleashed,
Swords he handled, | and sounds he swam.
36. Straight from the grove | came striding Rig,
Rig came striding, | and runes he taught him;
By his name he called him, | as son he claimed him,
And bade him hold | his heritage wide,
His heritage wide, | the ancient homes.
37. . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
Forward he rode | through the forest dark,
O’er the frosty crags, | till a hall he found.
38. His spear he shook, | his shield he brandished,
His horse he spurred, | with his sword he hewed;
Wars he raised, | and reddened the field,
Warriors slew he, | and land he won.
39. Eighteen halls | ere long did he hold,
Wealth did he get, | and gave to all,
Stones and jewels | and slim-flanked steeds,
Rings he offered, | and arm-rings shared.
40. His messengers went | by the ways so wet,
And came to the hall | where Hersir dwelt;
His daughter was fair | and slender-fingered,
Erna the wise | the maiden was.
41. Her hand they sought, | and home they brought her,
Wedded to Jarl | the veil she wore;
Together they dwelt, | their joy was great,
Children they had, | and happy they lived.
42. Bur was the eldest, | and Barn the next,
Joth and Athal, | Arfi, Mog,
Nith and Svein, | soon they began—
Sun and Nithjung— | to play and swim;
Kund was one, | and the youngest Kon.
43. Soon grew up | the sons of Jarl,
Beasts they tamed, | and bucklers rounded,
Shafts they fashioned, | and spears they shook.
44. But Kon the Young | learned runes to use,
Runes everlasting, | the runes of life;
Soon could he well | the warriors shield,
Dull the swordblade, | and still the seas.
45. Bird-chatter learned he, | flames could he lessen,
Minds could quiet, | and sorrows calm;
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
The might and strength | of twice four men.
46. With Rig-Jarl soon | the runes he shared,
More crafty he was, | and greater his wisdom;
The right he sought, | and soon he won it,
Rig to be called, | and runes to know.
47. Young Kon rode forth | through forest and grove,
Shafts let loose, | and birds he lured;
There spake a crow | on a bough that sat:
“Why lurest thou, Kon, | the birds to come?
48. “’Twere better forth | on thy steed to fare,
. . . . . . . . | and the host to slay.
49. “The halls of Dan | and Danp are noble,
Greater their wealth | than thou hast gained;
Good are they | at guiding the keel,
Trying of weapons, and giving of wounds.”
NOTES
Prose. It would be interesting to know how much the annotator meant by
the phrase old stories. Was he familiar with the tradition in forms
other than that of the poem? If so, his introductory note was scanty,
for, outside of identifying Rig as Heimdall, he provides no information
not found in the poem. Probably he meant simply to refer to the poem
itself as a relic of antiquity, and the identification of Rig as
Heimdall may well have been an attempt at constructive criticism of his
own. The note was presumably written somewhere about 1300, or even
later, and there is no reason for crediting the annotator with any
considerable knowledge of mythology. There is little to favor the
identification of Rig with Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, beyond a
few rather vague passages in the other poems. Thus in Voluspo, 1, the
Volva asks hearing “from Heimdall’s sons both high and low”; in
Grimnismol, 13, there is a very doubtful line which may mean that
Heimdall “o’er men holds sway, it is said,” and in “the Short Voluspo”
(Hyndluljoth, 40) he is called “the kinsman of men.” On the other hand,
everything in the Rigsthula, including the phrase “the aged and wise”
in stanza 1, and the references to runes in stanzas 36, 44, and 46,
fits Othin exceedingly well. It seems probable that the annotator was
wrong, and that Rig is Othin, and not Heimdall. Rig: almost certainly
based on the Old Irish word for “king,” “ri” or “rig.”
1. No gap is indicated, but editors have generally assumed one. Some
editors, however, add line 1 of stanza 2 to stanza 1.
2. Most editions make line 5 a part of the stanza, as here, but some
indicate it as the sole remnant of one or more stanzas descriptive of
Ai and Edda, just as Afi and Amma, Fathir and Mothir, are later
described. Ai and Edda: Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother; the
latter name was responsible for Jakob Grimm’s famous guess at the
meaning of the word “Edda” as applied to the whole collection (cf.
Introduction).
3. A line may have been lost from this stanza.
4. Line 5 has generally been rejected as spurious.
5. The manuscript has lines 1–2 in inverse order, but marks the word
“Rig” as the beginning of a stanza.
6. The manuscript does not indicate that these lines form a separate
stanza, and as only one line and a fragment of another are left of
stanza 7, the editions have grouped the lines in all sorts of ways,
with, of course, various conjectures as to where lines may have been
lost.
7. After line 1 the manuscript has only four words: “cloth,” “black,”
“named,” and “Thræll.” No gap is anywhere indicated. Editors have
pieced out the passage in various ways. Water, etc.: concerning the
custom of sprinkling water on children, which long antedated the
introduction of Christianity, cf. Hovamol, 159 and note. Black: dark
hair, among the blond Scandinavians, was the mark of a foreigner, hence
of a slave. Thræll: Thrall or Slave.
8. In the manuscript line 1 of stanza 9 stands before stanza 8, neither
line being capitalized as the beginning of a stanza. I have followed
Bugge’s rearrangement. The manuscript indicates no gap in line 2, but
nearly all editors have assumed one, Grundtvig supplying “and rough his
nails.”
9. The manuscript marks line 2 as the beginning of a stanza.
10. A line may well have dropped out, but the manuscript is too
uncertain as to the stanza-divisions to make any guess safe. Crooked:
the word in the original is obscure. Stained: literally, “water was on
her soles.” Thir: “Serving-Woman.”
12. There is some confusion as to the arrangement of the lines and
division into stanzas of 12 and 13. The names mean: Fjosnir,
“Cattle-Man”; Klur, “The Coarse”; Hreim, “The Shouter”; Kleggi, “The
Horse-Fly”; Kefsir, “Concubine-Keeper”; Fulnir, “The Stinking”; Drumb,
“The Log”; Digraldi, “The Fat”; Drott, “The Sluggard”; Leggjaldi, “The
Big-Legged”; Lut, “The Bent”; Hosvir, “The Grey.”
13. The names mean: Drumba, “The Log”; Kumba, “The Stumpy”;
Ökkvinkalfa, “Fat-Legged”; Arinnefja, “Homely-Nosed”; Ysja, “The
Noisy”; Ambott, “The Servant”; Eikintjasna, “The Oaken Peg” (?);
Totrughypja, “Clothed in Rags”; Tronubeina, “Crane-Legged.”
14. In the manuscript line 4 stands after line 4 of stanza 16, but
several editors have rearranged the lines, as here. Afi and Amma:
Grandfather and Grandmother.
15. There is considerable confusion among the editors as to where this
stanza begins and ends.
16. The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza.
17. The manuscript jumps from stanza 17, line 1, to stanza 19, line 2.
Bugge points out that the copyist’s eye was presumably led astray by
the fact that 17, 1, and 19, 1, were identical. Lines 2–3 of 17 are
supplied from stanzas 3 and 29.
18. I have followed Bugge’s conjectural construction of the missing
stanza, taking lines 2 and 3 from stanzas 31 and 4.
19. The manuscript marks line 2 as the beginning of a stanza.
20. The manuscript omits line 2, supplied by analogy with stanza 6.
21. Most editors assume a lacuna, after either line 2 or line 3.
Sijmons assumes, on the analogy of stanza 8, that a complete stanza
describing Karl (“Yeoman”) has been lost between stanzas 21 and 22.
22. No line indicated in the manuscript as beginning a stanza. Cart:
the word in the original, “kartr,” is one of the clear signs of the
Celtic influence noted in the introduction.
23. Bring: the word literally means “drove in a wagon”—a mark of the
bride’s social status. Snör: “Daughter-in-Law.” Bugge, followed by
several editors, maintains that line 4 was wrongly interpolated here
from a missing stanza describing the marriage of Kon.
24. No line indicated in the manuscript as beginning a stanza. The
names mean: Hal, “Man”; Dreng, “The Strong”; Holth, “The Holder of
Land”; Thegn, “Freeman”; Smith, “Craftsman”; Breith, “The
Broad-Shouldered”; Bondi, “Yeoman”; Bundinskeggi, “With Beard Bound”
(i.e., not allowed to hang unkempt); Bui, “Dwelling-Owner”; Boddi,
“Farm-Holder”; Brattskegg, “With Beard Carried High”; Segg, “Man.”
25. No line indicated in the manuscript as beginning a stanza. The
names mean: Snot, “Worthy Woman”; Bruth, “Bride”; Svanni, “The
Slender”; Svarri, “The Proud”; Sprakki, “The Fair”; Fljoth, “Woman”
(?); Sprund, “The Proud”; Vif, “Wife”; Feima, “The Bashful”; Ristil,
“The Graceful.”
26. Many editors make a stanza out of line 4 and lines 1–2 of the
following stanza. Strewn: with fresh straw in preparation for a feast;
cf. Thrymskvitha, 22.
27. Fathir and Mothir: Father and Mother. Perhaps lines 3–4 should form
a stanza with 28, 1–2.
28. Bugge thinks lines 5–6, like 23, 4, got in here from the lost
stanzas describing Kon’s bride and his marriage.
31. The manuscript of lines 1–3 is obviously defective, as there are
too many words for two lines, and not enough for the full three. The
meaning, however, is clearly very much as indicated in the translation.
Gering’s emendation, which I have followed, consists simply in shifting
“set before them” from the first line to the second—where the
manuscript has no verb,—and supplying the verb “brought” in line 1. The
various editions contain all sorts of suggestions.
32. The manuscript begins both line 1 and line 2 with a capital
preceded by a period, which has led to all sorts of strange
stanza-combinations and guesses at lost lines in the various editions.
The confusion includes stanza 33, wherein no line is marked in the
manuscript as beginning a stanza.
34. Jarl: “Nobly-Born.”
35. Various lines have been regarded as interpolations, 3 and 6 being
most often thus rejected.
36. Lines 1, 2, and 5 all begin with capitals preceded by periods, a
fact which, taken in conjunction with the obviously defective state of
the following stanza, has led to all sorts of conjectural emendations.
The exact significance of Rig’s giving his own name to Jarl (cf. stanza
46), and thus recognizing him, potentially at least, as a king, depends
on the conditions under which the poem was composed (cf. Introductory
Note). The whole stanza, particularly the reference to the teaching of
magic (runes), fits Othin far better than Heimdall.
37. Something—one or two lines, or a longer passage—has clearly been
lost, describing the beginning of Jarl’s journey. Yet many editors,
relying on the manuscript punctuation, make 37 and 38 into a single
stanza.
39. The manuscript marks both lines 1 and 2 as beginning stanzas.
40. Hersir: “Lord”; the hersir was, in the early days before the
establishment of a kingdom in Norway, the local chief, and hence the
highest recognized authority. During and after the time of Harald the
Fair-Haired the name lost something of its distinction, the hersir
coming to take rank below the jarl. Erna: “The Capable.”
42. The names mean: Bur, “Son”; Barn, “Child”; Joth, “Child”; Athal,
“Offspring”; Arfi, “Heir”; Mog, “Son”; Nith, “Descendant”; Svein,
“Boy”; Sun, “Son”; Nithjung, “Descendant”; Kund, “Kinsman”; Kon, “Son”
(of noble birth). Concerning the use made of this last name, see note
on stanza 44. It is curious that there is no list of the daughters of
Jarl and Erna, and accordingly Vigfusson inserts here the names listed
in stanza 25. Grundtvig rearranges the lines of stanzas 42 and 43.
44. The manuscript indicates no line as beginning a stanza. Kon the
Young: a remarkable bit of fanciful etymology; the phrase is “Konr
ungr,” which could readily be contracted into “Konungr,” the regular
word meaning “king.” The “kon” part is actually not far out, but the
second syllable of “konungr” has nothing to do with “ungr” meaning
“young.” Runes: a long list of just such magic charms, dulling
swordblades, quenching flames, and so on, is given in Hovamol, 147–163.
45. The manuscript indicates no line as beginning a stanza. Minds:
possibly “seas,” the word being doubtful. Most editors assume the gap
as indicated.
46. The manuscript indicates no line as beginning a stanza. Rig-Jarl:
Kon’s father; cf. stanza 36.
47. This stanza has often been combined with 48, either as a whole or
in part. Crow: birds frequently play the part of mentor in Norse
literature; cf., for example, Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I, 5, and
Fafnismol, 32.
48. This fragment is not indicated as a separate stanza in the
manuscript. Perhaps half a line has disappeared, or, as seems more
likely, the gap includes two lines and a half. Sijmons actually
constructs these lines, largely on the basis of stanzas 35 and 38.
Bugge fills in the half-line lacuna as indicated above with “The sword
to wield.”
49. Dan and Danp: These names are largely responsible for the theory
that the Rigsthula was composed in Denmark. According to the Latin
epitome of the Skjöldungasaga by Arngrimur Jonsson, “Rig (Rigus) was a
man not the least among the great ones of his time. He married the
daughter of a certain Danp, lord of Danpsted, whose name was Dana; and
later, having won the royal title for his province, left as his heir
his son by Dana, called Dan or Danum, all of whose subjects were called
Danes.” This may or may not be conclusive, and it is a great pity that
the manuscript breaks off abruptly at this stanza.
HYNDLULJOTH
THE POEM OF HYNDLA
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The Hyndluljoth is found in neither of the great manuscripts of the
Poetic Edda, but is included in the so-called Flateyjarbok (Book of the
Flat Island), an enormous compilation made somewhere about 1400. The
lateness of this manuscript would of itself be enough to cast a doubt
upon the condition in which the poem has been preserved, and there can
be no question that what we have of it is in very poor shape. It is, in
fact, two separate poems, or parts of them, clumsily put together. The
longer one, the Poem of Hyndla proper, is chiefly a collection of
names, not strictly mythological but belonging to the semi-historical
hero-sagas of Norse tradition. The wise-woman, Hyndla, being asked by
Freyja to trace the ancestry of her favorite, Ottar, for the purpose of
deciding a wager, gives a complex genealogy including many of the
heroes who appear in the popular sagas handed down from days long
before the Icelandic settlements. The poet was learned, but without
enthusiasm; it is not likely that he composed the Hyndluljoth much
before the twelfth century, though the material of which it is
compounded must have been very much older. Although the genealogies are
essentially continental, the poem seems rather like a product of the
archæological period of Iceland.
Inserted bodily in the Hyndluljoth proper is a fragment of fifty-one
lines, taken from a poem of which, by a curious chance, we know the
name. Snorri quotes one stanza of it, calling it “the short Voluspo.”
The fragment preserved gives, of course, no indication of the length of
the original poem, but it shows that it was a late and very inferior
imitation of the great Voluspo. Like the Hyndluljoth proper, it
apparently comes from the twelfth century; but there is nothing
whatever to indicate that the two poems were the work of the same man,
or were ever connected in any way until some blundering copyist mixed
them up. Certainly the connection did not exist in the middle of the
thirteenth century, when Snorri quoted “the short Voluspo.”
Neither poem is of any great value, either as mythology or as poetry.
The author of “the short Voluspo” seems, indeed, to have been more or
less confused as to his facts; and both poets were too late to feel
anything of the enthusiasm of the earlier school. The names of Hyndla’s
heroes, of course, suggest an unlimited number of stories, but as most
of these have no direct relation to the poems of the Edda, I have
limited the notes to a mere record of who the persons mentioned were,
and the saga-groups in which they appeared.
Freyja spake:
1. “Maiden, awake! | wake thee, my friend,
My sister Hyndla, | in thy hollow cave!
Already comes darkness, | and ride must we
To Valhall to seek | the sacred hall.
2. “The favor of Heerfather | seek we to find,
To his followers gold | he gladly gives;
To Hermoth gave he | helm and mail-coat,
And to Sigmund he gave | a sword as gift.
3. “Triumph to some, | and treasure to others,
To many wisdom | and skill in words,
Fair winds to the sailor, | to the singer his art,
And a manly heart | to many a hero.
4. “Thor shall I honor, | and this shall I ask,
That his favor true | mayst thou ever find;
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
Though little the brides | of the giants he loves.
5. “From the stall now one | of thy wolves lead forth,
And along with my boar | shalt thou let him run;
For slow my boar goes | on the road of the gods,
And I would not weary | my worthy steed.”
Hyndla spake:
6. “Falsely thou askest me, | Freyja, to go,
For so in the glance | of thine eyes I see;
On the way of the slain | thy lover goes with thee,
Ottar the young, | the son of Instein.”
Freyja spake:
7. “Wild dreams, methinks, | are thine when thou
sayest
My lover is with me | on the way of the slain;
There shines the boar | with bristles of gold,
Hildisvini, | he who was made
By Dain and Nabbi, | the cunning dwarfs.
8. “Now let us down | from our saddles leap,
And talk of the race | of the heroes twain;
The men who were born | of the gods above,
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
9. “A wager have made | in the foreign metal
Ottar the young | and Angantyr;
We must guard, for the hero | young to have,
His father’s wealth, | the fruits of his race.
10. “For me a shrine | of stones he made,—
And now to glass | the rock has grown;—
Oft with the blood | of beasts was it red;
In the goddesses ever | did Ottar trust.
11. “Tell to me now | the ancient names,
And the races of all | that were born of old:
Who are of the Skjoldungs, | who of the Skilfings,
Who of the Othlings, | who of the Ylfings,
Who are the free-born, | who are the high-born,
The noblest of men | that in Mithgarth dwell?”
Hyndla spake:
12. “Thou art, Ottar, | the son of Instein,
And Instein the son | of Alf the Old,
Alf of Ulf, | Ulf of Sæfari,
And Sæfari’s father | was Svan the Red.
13. “Thy mother, bright | with bracelets fair,
Hight, methinks, | the priestess Hledis;
Frothi her father, | and Friaut her mother;—
Her race of the mightiest | men must seem.
14. “Of old the noblest | of all was Ali,
Before him Halfdan, | foremost of Skjoldungs;
Famed were the battles | the hero fought,
To the corners of heaven | his deeds were carried.
15. “Strengthened by Eymund, | the strongest of men,
Sigtrygg he slew | with the ice-cold sword;
His bride was Almveig, | the best of women,
And eighteen boys | did Almveig bear him.
16. “Hence come the Skjoldungs, | hence the Skilfings,
Hence the Othlings, | hence the Ynglings,
Hence come the free-born, | hence the high-born,
The noblest of men | that in Mithgarth dwell:
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
17. “Hildigun then | her mother hight,
The daughter of Svava | and Sækonung;
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
It is much to know,— | wilt thou hear yet more?
18. “The mate of Dag | was a mother of heroes,
Thora, who bore him | the bravest of fighters,
Frathmar and Gyrth | and the Frekis twain,
Am and Jofurmar, | Alf the Old;
It is much to know,— | wilt thou hear yet more?
19. “Her husband was Ketil, | the heir of Klypp,
He was of thy mother | the mother’s-father;
Before the days | of Kari was Frothi,
And born of Hild | was Hoalf then.
20. “Next was Nanna, | daughter of Nokkvi,
Thy father’s kinsman | her son became;
Old is the line, | and longer still,
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
21. “Isolf and Osolf, | the sons of Olmoth,
Whose wife was Skurhild, | the daughter of Skekkil,
Count them among | the heroes mighty,
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
22. “Gunnar the Bulwark, | Grim the Hardy,
Thorir the Iron-shield, | Ulf the Gaper,
Brodd and Hörvir | both did I know;
In the household they were | of Hrolf the Old.
23. “Hervarth, Hjorvarth, | Hrani, Angantyr,
Bui and Brami, | Barri and Reifnir,
Tind and Tyrfing, | the Haddings twain,—
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
24. “Eastward in Bolm | were born of old
The sons of Arngrim | and Eyfura;
With berserk-tumult | and baleful deed
Like fire o’er land | and sea they fared,—
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
25. “The sons of Jormunrek | all of yore
To the gods in death | were as offerings given;
He was kinsman of Sigurth,— | hear well what I say,—
The foe of hosts, | and Fafnir’s slayer.
26. “From Volsung’s seed | was the hero sprung,
And Hjordis was born | of Hrauthung’s race,
And Eylimi | from the Othlings came,—
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
27. “Gunnar and Hogni, | the heirs of Gjuki,
And Guthrun as well, | who their sister was;
But Gotthorm was not | of Gjuki’s race,
Although the brother | of both he was:
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!
28. “Of Hvethna’s sons | was Haki the best,
And Hjorvarth the father | of Hvethna was;
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
29. “Harald Battle-tooth | of Auth was born,
Hrörek the Ring-giver | her husband was;
Auth the Deep-minded | was Ivar’s daughter,
But Rathbarth the father | of Randver was:
And all are thy kinsmen, | Ottar, thou fool!”
FRAGMENT OF “THE SHORT VOLUSPO”
30. Eleven in number | the gods were known,
When Baldr o’er the hill | of death was bowed;
And this to avenge | was Vali swift,
When his brother’s slayer | soon he slew.
31. The father of Baldr | was the heir of Bur,
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
32. Freyr’s wife was Gerth, | the daughter of Gymir,
Of the giants’ brood, | and Aurbotha bore her;
To these as well | was Thjazi kin,
The dark-loving giant; | his daughter was Skathi.
33. Much have I told thee, | and further will tell;
There is much that I know;— | wilt thou hear
yet more?
34. Heith and Hrossthjof, | the children of Hrimnir.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
35. The sybils arose | from Vitholf’s race,
From Vilmeith all | the seers are,
And the workers of charms | are Svarthofthi’s children,
And from Ymir sprang | the giants all.
36. Much have I told thee, | and further will tell;
There is much that I know;— | wilt thou hear yet more?
37. One there was born | in the bygone days,
Of the race of the gods, | and great was his might;
Nine giant women, | at the world’s edge,
Once bore the man | so mighty in arms.
38. Gjolp there bore him, | Greip there bore him,
Eistla bore him, | and Eyrgjafa,
Ulfrun bore him, | and Angeyja,
Imth and Atla, | and Jarnsaxa.
39. Strong was he made | with the strength of earth,
With the ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.
40. One there was born, | the best of all,
And strong was he made | with the strength of earth;
The proudest is called | the kinsman of men
Of the rulers all | throughout the world.
41. Much have I told thee, | and further will tell;
There is much that I know;— | wilt thou hear yet more?
42. The wolf did Loki | with Angrbotha win,
And Sleipnir bore he | to Svathilfari;
The worst of marvels | seemed the one
That sprang from the brother | of Byleist then.
43. A heart ate Loki,— | in the embers it lay,
And half-cooked found he | the woman’s heart;—
With child from the woman | Lopt soon was,
And thence among men | came the monsters all.
44. The sea, storm-driven, | seeks heaven itself,
O’er the earth it flows, | the air grows sterile;
Then follow the snows | and the furious winds,
For the gods are doomed, | and the end is death.
45. Then comes another, | a greater than all,
Though never I dare | his name to speak;
Few are they now | that farther can see
Than the moment when Othin | shall meet the wolf.
Freyja spake:
46. “To my boar now bring | the memory-beer,
So that all thy words, | that well thou hast spoken,
The third morn hence | he may hold in mind,
When their races Ottar | and Angantyr tell.”
Hyndla spake:
47. “Hence shalt thou fare, | for fain would I sleep,
From me thou gettest | few favors good;
My noble one, out | in the night thou leapest
As Heithrun goes | the goats among.
48. “To Oth didst thou run, | who loved thee ever,
And many under | thy apron have crawled;
My noble one, out | in the night thou leapest,
As Heithrun goes | the goats among.”
Freyja spake:
49. “Around the giantess | flames shall I raise,
So that forth unburned | thou mayst not fare.”
Hyndla spake:
50. “Flames I see burning, | the earth is on fire,
And each for his life | the price must lose;
Bring then to Ottar | the draught of beer,
Of venom full | for an evil fate.”
Freyja spake:
51. “Thine evil words | shall work no ill,
Though, giantess, bitter | thy baleful threats;
A drink full fair | shall Ottar find,
If of all the gods | the favor I get.”
NOTES
1. Freyja: The names of the speakers do not appear in the manuscripts.
On Freyja cf. Voluspo, 21 and note; Skirnismol, introductory prose and
note; Lokasenna, introductory prose and note. As stanzas 9–10 show,
Ottar has made a wager of his entire inheritance with Angantyr
regarding the relative loftiness of their ancestry, and by rich
offerings (Hyndla hints at less commendable methods) has induced Freyja
to assist him in establishing his genealogy. Freyja, having turned
Ottar for purposes of disguise into a boar, calls on the giantess
Hyndla (“She-Dog”) to aid her. Hyndla does not appear elsewhere in the
poems.
2. Heerfather: Othin; cf. Voluspo, 30. Hermoth: mentioned in the Prose
Edda as a son of Othin who is sent to Hel to ask for the return of the
slain Baldr. Sigmund: according to the Volsungasaga Sigmund was the son
of Volsung, and hence Othin’s great-great-grandson (note that Wagner
eliminates all the intervening generations by the simple expedient of
using Volsung’s name as one of Othin’s many appellations). Sigmund
alone was able to draw from the tree the sword which a mysterious
stranger (Othin, of course) had thrust into it (compare the first act
of Wagner’s Die Walküre).
3. Sijmons suggests that this stanza may be an interpolation.
4. No lacuna after line 2 is indicated in the manuscript. Editors have
attempted various experiments in rearranging this and the following
stanza.
5. Some editors, following Simrock, assign this whole stanza to Hyndla;
others assign to her lines 3–4. Giving the entire stanza to Freyja
makes better sense than any other arrangement, but is dependent on
changing the manuscript’s “thy” in line 3 to “my,” as suggested by
Bugge. The boar on which Freyja rides (“my worthy steed”) is, of
course, Ottar.
6. Hyndla detects Ottar, and accuses Freyja of having her lover with
her. Unless Ottar is identical with Oth (cf. Voluspo, 25 and note),
which seems most unlikely, there is no other reference to this love
affair. The way of the slain: the road to Valhall.
7. Various experiments have been made in condensing the stanza into
four lines, or in combining it with stanza 8. Hildisvini
(“Battle-Swine”): perhaps Freyja refers to the boar with golden
bristles given, according to Snorri, to her brother Freyr by the
dwarfs. Dain: a dwarf; cf. Voluspo, 11. Nabbi: a dwarf nowhere else
mentioned.
8. The first line is obviously corrupt in the manuscript, and has been
variously emended. The general assumption is that in the interval
between stanzas 7 and 8 Freyja and Hyndla have arrived at Valhall. No
lacuna is indicated in the manuscript.
9. Foreign metal: gold. The word valr, meaning “foreign,” and akin to
“Welsh,” is interesting in this connection, and some editors interpret
it frankly as “Celtic,” i.e., Irish.
10. To glass: i.e., the constant fires on the altar have fused the
stone into glass. Glass beads, etc., were of very early use, though the
use of glass for windows probably did not begin in Iceland much before
1200.
11. Possibly two stanzas, or perhaps one with interpolations. The
manuscript omits the first half of line 4, here filled out from stanza
16, line 2. Skjoldungs: the descendants of Skjold, a mythical king who
was Othin’s son and the ancestor of the Danish kings; cf. Snorri’s
Edda, Skaldskaparmal, 43. Skilfings: mentioned by Snorri as descendants
of King Skelfir, a mythical ruler in “the East.” In Grimnismol, 54, the
name Skilfing appears as one of Othin’s many appellations. Othlings:
Snorri derives this race from Authi, the son of Halfdan the Old (cf.
stanza 14). Ylfings: some editors have changed this to “Ynglings,” as
in stanza 16, referring to the descendants of Yng or Yngvi, another son
of Halfdan, but the reference may be to the same mythical family to
which Helgi Hundingsbane belonged (cf. Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I, 5).
12. Instein: mentioned in the Halfssaga as one of the warriors of King
Half of Horthaland (the so-called Halfsrekkar). The others mentioned in
this stanza appear in one of the later mythical accounts of the
settlement of Norway.
14. Stanzas 14–16 are clearly interpolated, as Friaut (stanza 13, line
3) is the daughter of Hildigun (stanza 17, line 1). Halfdan the Old, a
mythical king of Denmark, called by Snorri “the most famous of all
kings,” of whom it was foretold that “for three hundred years there
should be no woman and no man in his line who was not of great repute.”
After the slaying of Sigtrygg he married Almveig (or Alvig), daughter
of King Eymund of Holmgarth (i.e., Russia), who bore him eighteen sons,
nine at one birth. These nine were all slain, but the other nine were
traditionally the ancestors of the most famous families in Northern
hero lore.
16. Compare stanza 11. All or part of this stanza may be interpolated.
17. Hildigun (or Hildiguth): with this the poem returns to Ottar’s
direct ancestry, Hildigun being Friaut’s mother. Line 4: cf. the
refrain-line in the Voluspo (stanzas 27, 29, etc.).
18. Another interpolation, as Ketil (stanza 19, line 1) is the husband
of Hildigun (stanza 17). Dag: one of Halfdan’s sons, and ancestor of
the Döglings. Line 5 may be a late addition.
19. Ketil: the semi-mythical Ketil Hortha-Kari, from whom various
Icelandic families traced their descent. Hoalf: probably King Half of
Horthaland, hero of the Halfssaga, and son of Hjorleif and Hild (cf.
stanza 12, note).
20. Nanna: the manuscript has “Manna.” Of Nanna and her father, Nokkvi,
we know nothing, but apparently Nanna’s son married a sister of
Instein, Ottar’s father.
21. Olmoth: one of the sons of Ketil Hortha-Kari. Line 4: here, and
generally hereafter when it appears in the poem, this refrain-line is
abbreviated in the manuscript to the word “all.”
22. An isolated stanza, which some editors place after stanza 24,
others combining lines 1–2 with the fragmentary stanza 23. In the
manuscript lines 3–4 stand after stanza 24, where they fail to connect
clearly with anything. Hrolf the Old: probably King Hrolf Gautreksson
of Gautland, in the saga relating to whom (Fornaldar sögur III, 57 ff.)
appear the names of Thorir the Iron-shield and Grim Thorkelsson.
23. Stanzas 23 and 24 name the twelve Berserkers, the sons of Arngrim
and Eyfura, the story of whom is told in the Hervararsaga and the
Orvar-Oddssaga. Saxo Grammaticus tells of the battle between them and
Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd. Line 1 does not appear in the manuscript, but is
added from the list of names given in the sagas. The Berserkers were
wild warriors, distinguished above all by the fits of frenzy to which
they were subject in battle; during these fits they howled like wild
beasts, foamed at the mouth, and gnawed the iron rims of their shields.
At such times they were proof against steel or fire, but when the fever
abated they were weak. The etymology of the word berserk is disputed;
probably, however, it means “bear-shirt.”
24. The manuscript omits the first half of line 1, here supplied from
the Orvar-Oddssaga. Bolm: probably the island of Bolmsö, in the Swedish
province of Småland. In the manuscript and in most editions stanza 24
is followed by lines 3–4 of stanza 22. Some editors reject line 5 as
spurious.
25. In the manuscript line 1 stands after line 4 of stanza 29. Probably
a stanza enumerating Jormunrek’s sons has been lost. Many editors
combine lines 3–4 of stanza 22 and lines 2–4 of stanza 25 into one
stanza. Jormunrek: the historical Ermanarich, king of the Goths, who
died about 376. According to Norse tradition, in which Jormunrek played
a large part, he slew his own sons (cf. Guthrunarhvot and Hamthesmol).
In the saga Jormunrek married Sigurth’s daughter, Svanhild. Stanzas
25–27 connect Ottar’s descent with the whole
Volsung-Sigurth-Jormunrek-Gjuki genealogy. The story of Sigurth is the
basis for most of the heroic poems of the Edda, of the famous
Volsungasaga, and, in Germany, of the Nibelungenlied. On his battle
with the dragon Fafnir cf. Fafnismol.
26. Volsung: Sigurth’s grandfather and Othin’s great-grandson. Hjordis:
daughter of King Eylimi, wife of Sigmund and mother of Sigurth.
Othlings: cf. stanza 11.
27. Gunnar, Hogni, and Guthrun: the three children of the Burgundian
king Gjuki and his wife Grimhild (Kriemhild); Guthrun was Sigurth’s
wife. Gotthorm, the third brother, who killed Sigurth at Brynhild’s
behest, was Grimhild’s son, and thus a step-son of Gjuki. These four
play an important part in the heroic cycle of Eddic poems. Cf.
Gripisspo, introductory note.
28. In the manuscript and in many editions these two lines stand
between stanzas 33 and 34. The change here made follows Bugge. The
manuscript indicates no gap between stanzas 27 and 29. Hvethna: wife of
King Halfdan of Denmark.
29. The manuscript and many editions include line 1 of stanza 25 after
line 4 of stanza 29. The story of Harald Battle-tooth is told in detail
by Saxo Grammaticus. Harald’s father was Hrörek, king of Denmark; his
mother was Auth, daughter of Ivar, king of Sweden. After Ivar had
treacherously destroyed Hrörek, Auth fled with Harald to Russia, where
she married King Rathbarth. Harald’s warlike career in Norway, and his
death on the Bravalla-field at the hands of his nephew, Sigurth Ring,
son of Randver and grandson of Rathbarth and Auth, were favorite saga
themes.
30. At this point begins the fragmentary and interpolated “short
Voluspo” identified by Snorri. The manuscript gives no indication of
the break in the poem’s continuity. Eleven: there are various
references to the “twelve” gods (including Baldr); Snorri
(Gylfaginning, 20–33) lists the following twelve in addition to Othin:
Thor, Baldr, Njorth, Freyr, Tyr, Bragi, Heimdall, Hoth, Vithar, Vali,
Ull and Forseti; he adds Loki as of doubtful divinity. Baldr and Vali:
cf. Voluspo, 32–33.
31. The fragmentary stanzas 31–34 have been regrouped in various ways,
and with many conjectures as to omissions, none of which are indicated
in the manuscript. The order here is as in the manuscript, except that
lines 1–2 of stanza 28 have been transposed from after line 2 of stanza
33. Bur’s heir: Othin; cf. Voluspo, 4.
32. Freyr, Gerth, Gymir: cf. Skirnismol. Aurbotha: a giantess, mother
of Gerth. Thjazi and Skathi: cf. Lokasenna, 49, and Harbarthsljoth, 19.
33. Cf. Voluspo, 44 and 27.
34. Heith (“Witch”) and Hrossthjof (“Horse-thief”): the only other
reference to the giant Hrimnir (Skirnismol, 28) makes no mention of his
children.
35. This stanza is quoted by Snorri (Gylfaginning, 5). Of Vitholf
(“Forest Wolf”), Vilmeith (“Wish-Tree”) and Svarthofthi (“Black Head”)
nothing further is known. Ymir: cf. Voluspo, 3.
37. According to Snorri (Gylfaginning, 27) Heimdall was the son of
Othin and of nine sisters. As Heimdall was the watchman of the gods,
this has given rise to much “solar myth” discussion. The names of his
nine giantess mothers are frequently said to denote attributes of the
sea.
38. The names of Heimdall’s mothers may be rendered “Yelper,” “Griper,”
“Foamer,” “Sand-Strewer,” “She-Wolf,” “Sorrow-Whelmer,” “Dusk,” “Fury,”
and “Iron-Sword.”
39. It has been suggested that these lines were interpolated from
Guthrunarkvitha II, 22. Some editors add the refrain of stanza 36.
Swine’s blood: to Heimdall’s strength drawn from earth and sea was
added that derived from sacrifice.
40. In the manuscript this stanza stands after stanza 44. Regarding
Heimdall’s kinship to the three great classes of men, cf. Rigsthula,
introductory note, wherein the apparent confusion of his attributes
with those of Othin is discussed.
42. Probably a lacuna before this stanza. Regarding the wolf Fenrir,
born of Loki and the giantess Angrbotha, cf. Voluspo, 39 and note.
Sleipnir: Othin’s eight-legged horse, born of the stallion Svathilfari
and of Loki in the guise of a mare (cf. Grimnismol, 44). The worst:
doubtless referring to Mithgarthsorm, another child of Loki. The
brother of Byleist: Loki; cf. Voluspo, 51.
43. Nothing further is known of the myth here referred to, wherein Loki
(Lopt) eats the cooked heart of a woman and thus himself gives birth to
a monster. The reference is not likely to be to the serpent, as,
according to Snorri (Gylfaginning, 34), the wolf, the serpent, and Hel
were all the children of Loki and Angrbotha.
44. Probably an omission, perhaps of considerable length, before this
stanza. For the description of the destruction of the world, cf.
Voluspo, 57.
45. Cf. Voluspo, 65, where the possible reference to Christianity is
noted. With this stanza the fragmentary “short Voluspo” ends, and the
dialogue between Freyja and Hyndla continues.
46. Freyja now admits the identity of her boar as Ottar, who with the
help of the “memory-beer” is to recall the entire genealogy he has just
heard, and thus win his wager with Angantyr.
47. Heithrun: the she-goat that stands by Valhall (cf. Grimnismol, 25),
the name being here used simply of she-goats in general, in caustic
comment on Freyja’s morals. Of these Loki entertained a similar view;
cf. Lokasenna, 30.
48. Oth: cf. stanza 6 and note, and Voluspo, 25 and note. Lines 3–4,
abbreviated in the manuscript, are very likely repeated here by
mistake.
49. The manuscript repeats once again lines 3–4 of stanza 47 as the
last two lines of this stanza. It seems probable that two lines have
been lost, to the effect that Freyja will burn the giantess alive “If
swiftly now | thou dost not seek, / And hither bring | the
memory-beer.”
SVIPDAGSMOL
THE BALLAD OF SVIPDAG
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The two poems, Grougaldr (Groa’s Spell) and Fjolsvinnsmol (the Ballad
of Fjolsvith), which many editors have, very wisely, united under the
single title of Svipdagsmol, are found only in paper manuscripts, none
of them antedating the seventeenth century. Everything points to a
relatively late origin for the poems: their extensive use of “kennings”
or poetical circumlocutions, their romantic spirit, quite foreign to
the character of the unquestionably older poems, the absence of any
reference to them in the earlier documents, the frequent errors in
mythology, and, finally, the fact that the poems appear to have been
preserved in unusually good condition. Whether or not a connecting link
of narrative verse joining the two parts has been lost is an open
question; on the whole it seems likely that the story was sufficiently
well known so that the reciter of the poem (or poems) merely filled in
the gap with a brief prose summary in pretty much his own words. The
general relationship between dialogue and narrative in the Eddic poems
is discussed in the introductory note to the Grimnismol, in connection
with the use of prose links.
The love story of Svipdag and Mengloth is not referred to elsewhere in
the Poetic Edda, nor does Snorri mention it; however, Groa, who here
appears as Svipdag’s mother, is spoken of by Snorri as a wise woman,
the wife of Orvandil, who helps Thor with her magic charms. On the
other hand, the essence of the story, the hero’s winning of a bride
ringed about by flames, is strongly suggestive of parts of the
Sigurth-Brynhild traditions. Whether or not it is to be regarded as a
nature or solar myth depends entirely on one’s view of the whole “solar
myth” school of criticism, not so highly esteemed today as formerly;
such an interpretation is certainly not necessary to explain what is,
under any circumstances, a very charming romance told, in the main,
with dramatic effectiveness.
In later years the story of Svipdag and Mengloth became popular
throughout the North, and was made the subject of many Danish and
Swedish as well as Norwegian ballads. These have greatly assisted in
the reconstruction of the outlines of the narrative surrounding the
dialogue poems here given.
I. GROUGALDR
GROA’S SPELL
Svipdag spake:
1. “Wake thee, Groa! | wake, mother good!
At the doors of the dead I call thee;
Thy son, bethink thee, | thou badst to seek
Thy help at the hill of death.”
Groa spake:
2. “What evil vexes | mine only son,
What baleful fate hast thou found,
That thou callest thy mother, | who lies in the mould,
And the world of the living has left?”
Svipdag spake:
3. “The woman false | whom my father embraced
Has brought me a baleful game;
For she bade me go forth | where none may fare,
And Mengloth the maid to seek.”
Groa spake:
4. “Long is the way, | long must thou wander,
But long is love as well;
Thou mayst find, perchance, | what thou fain wouldst have,
If the fates their favor will give.”
Svipdag spake:
5. “Charms full good | then chant to me, mother,
And seek thy son to guard;
For death do I fear | on the way I shall fare,
And in years am I young, methinks.”
Groa spake:
6. “Then first I will chant thee | the charm oft-tried,
That Rani taught to Rind;
From the shoulder whate’er | mislikes thee shake,
For helper thyself shalt thou have.
7. “Then next I will chant thee, | if needs thou must travel,
And wander a purposeless way:
The bolts of Urth | shall on every side
Be thy guards on the road thou goest.
8. “Then third I will chant thee, | if threatening streams
The danger of death shall bring:
Yet to Hel shall turn | both Horn and Ruth,
And before thee the waters shall fail.
9. “Then fourth I will chant thee, | if come thy foes
On the gallows-way against thee:
Into thine hands | shall their hearts be given,
And peace shall the warriors wish.
10. “Then fifth I will chant thee, | if fetters perchance
Shall bind thy bending limbs:
O’er thy thighs do I chant | a loosening-charm,
And the lock is burst from the limbs,
And the fetters fall from the feet.
11. “Then sixth I will chant thee, | if storms on the sea
Have might unknown to man:
Yet never shall wind | or wave do harm,
And calm is the course of thy boat.
12. “Then seventh I chant thee, | if frost shall seek
To kill thee on lofty crags:
The fatal cold | shall not grip thy flesh,
And whole thy body shall be.
13. “Then eighth will I chant thee, | if ever by night
Thou shalt wander on murky ways:
Yet never the curse | of a Christian woman
From the dead shall do thee harm.
14. “Then ninth will I chant thee, | if needs thou must strive
With a warlike giant in words:
Thy heart good store | of wit shall have,
And thy mouth of words full wise.
15. “Now fare on the way | where danger waits,
Let evils not lessen thy love!
I have stood at the door | of the earth-fixed stones,
The while I chanted thee charms.
16. “Bear hence, my son, | what thy mother hath said,
And let it live in thy breast;
Thine ever shall be | the best of fortune,
So long as my words shall last.”
II. FJOLSVINNSMOL
THE LAY OF FJOLSVITH
17. Before the house | he beheld one coming
To the home of the giants high.
Svipdag spake:
“What giant is here, | in front of the house,
And around him fires are flaming?”
Fjolsvith spake:
18. “What seekest thou here? | for what is thy search?
What, friendless one, fain wouldst thou know?
By the ways so wet | must thou wander hence,
For, weakling, no home hast thou here.”
Svipdag spake:
19. “What giant is here, | in front of the house,
To the wayfarer welcome denying?”
Fjolsvith spake:
“Greeting full fair | thou never shalt find,
So hence shalt thou get thee home.
20. “Fjolsvith am I, | and wise am I found,
But miserly am I with meat;
Thou never shalt enter | within the house,—
Go forth like a wolf on thy way!”
Svipdag spake:
21. “Few from the joy | of their eyes will go forth,
When the sight of their loves they seek;
Full bright are the gates | of the golden hall,
And a home shall I here enjoy.”
Fjolsvith spake:
22. “Tell me now, fellow, | what father thou hast,
And the kindred of whom thou camst.”
Svipdag spake:
“Vindkald am I, | and Varkald’s son,
And Fjolkald his father was.
23. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
Who is it that holds | and has for his own
The rule of the hall so rich?”
Fjolsvith spake:
24. “Mengloth is she, | her mother bore her
To the son of Svafrthorin;
She is it that holds | and has for her own
The rule of the hall so rich.”
Svipdag spake:
25. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What call they the gate? | for among the gods
Ne’er saw man so grim a sight.”
Fjolsvith spake:
26. “Thrymgjol they call it; | ’twas made by the three,
The sons of Solblindi;
And fast as a fetter | the farer it holds,
Whoever shall lift the latch.”
Svipdag spake:
27. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What call they the house? | for no man beheld
‘Mongst the gods so grim a sight.”
Fjolsvith spake:
28. “Gastropnir is it, | of old I made it
From the limbs of Leirbrimir;
I braced it so strongly | that fast it shall stand
So long as the world shall last.”
Svipdag spake:
29. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What call they the tree | that casts abroad
Its limbs o’er every land?”
Fjolsvith spake:
30. “Mimameith its name, | and no man knows
What root beneath it runs;
And few can guess | what shall fell the tree,
For fire nor iron shall fell it.”
Svipdag spake:
31. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What grows from the seed | of the tree so great,
That fire nor iron shall fell?”
Fjolsvith spake:
32. “Women, sick | with child, shall seek
Its fruit to the flames to bear;
Then out shall come | what within was hid,
And so is it mighty with men.”
Svipdag spake:
33. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What cock is he | on the highest bough,
That glitters all with gold?”
Fjolsvith spake:
34. “Vithofnir his name, | and now he shines
Like lightning on Mimameith’s limbs;
And great is the trouble | with which he grieves
Both Surt and Sinmora.”
Svipdag spake:
35. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What call they the hounds, | that before the house
So fierce and angry are?”
Fjolsvith spake:
36. “Gif call they one, | and Geri the other,
If now the truth thou wouldst know;
Great they are, | and their might will grow,
Till the gods to death are doomed.”
Svipdag spake:
37. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
May no man hope | the house to enter,
While the hungry hounds are sleeping?”
Fjolsvith spake:
38. “Together they sleep not, | for so was it fixed
When the guard to them was given;
One sleeps by night, | the next by day,
So no man may enter ever.”
Svipdag spake:
39. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
Is there no meat | that men may give them,
And leap within while they eat?”
Fjolsvith spake:
40. “Two wing-joints there be | in Vithofnir’s body,
If now the truth thou wouldst know;
That alone is the meat | that men may give them,
And leap within while they eat.”
Svipdag spake:
41. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What weapon can send | Vithofnir to seek
The house of Hel below?”
Fjolsvith spake:
42. “Lævatein is there, | that Lopt with runes
Once made by the doors of death;
In Lægjarn’s chest | by Sinmora lies it,
And nine locks fasten it firm.”
Svipdag spake:
43. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
May a man come thence | who thither goes,
And tries the sword to take?”
Fjolsvith spake:
44. “Thence may he come | who thither goes,
And tries the sword to take,
If with him he carries | what few can win,
To give to the goddess of gold.”
Svipdag spake:
45. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What treasure is there | that men may take
To rejoice the giantess pale?”
Fjolsvith spake:
46. “The sickle bright | in thy wallet bear,
Mid Vithofnir’s feathers found;
To Sinmora give it, | and then shall she grant
That the weapon by thee be won.”
Svipdag spake:
47. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What call they the hall, | encompassed here
With flickering magic flames?”
Fjolsvith spake:
48. “Lyr is it called, | and long it shall
On the tip of a spear-point tremble;
Of the noble house | mankind has heard,
But more has it never known.”
Svipdag spake:
49. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What one of the gods | has made so great
The hall I behold within?”
Fjolsvith spake:
50. “Uni and Iri, | Bari and Jari,
Var and Vegdrasil,
Dori and Ori, | Delling, and there
Was Loki, the fear of the folk.”
Svipdag spake:
51. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What call they the mountain | on which the maid
Is lying so lovely to see?”
Fjolsvith spake:
52. “Lyfjaberg is it, | and long shall it be
A joy to the sick and the sore;
For well shall grow | each woman who climbs it,
Though sick full long she has lain.”
Svipdag spake:
53. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
What maidens are they | that at Mengloth’s knees
Are sitting so gladly together?”
Fjolsvith spake:
54. “Hlif is one named, | Hlifthrasa another,
Thjothvara call they the third;
Bjort and Bleik, | Blith and Frith,
Eir and Aurbotha.”
Svipdag spake:
55. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
Aid bring they to all | who offerings give,
If need be found therefor?”
Fjolsvith spake:
56. “Soon aid they all | who offerings give
On the holy altars high;
And if danger they see | for the sons of men,
Then each from ill do they guard.”
Svipdag spake:
57. “Now answer me, Fjolsvith, | the question I ask,
For now the truth would I know:
Lives there the man | who in Mengloth’s arms
So fair may seek to sleep?”
Fjolsvith spake:
58. “No man there is | who in Mengloth’s arms
So fair may seek to sleep,
Save Svipdag alone, | for the sun-bright maid
Is destined his bride to be.”
Svipdag spake:
59. “Fling back the gates! | make the gateway wide!
Here mayst thou Svipdag see!
Hence get thee to find | if gladness soon
Mengloth to me will give.”
Fjolsvith spake:
60. “Hearken, Mengloth, | a man is come;
Go thou the guest to see!
The hounds are fawning, | the house bursts open,—
Svipdag, methinks, is there.”
Mengloth spake:
61. “On the gallows high | shall hungry ravens
Soon thine eyes pluck out,
If thou liest in saying | that here at last
The hero is come to my hall.
62. “Whence camest thou hither? | how camest thou here?
What name do thy kinsmen call thee?
Thy race and thy name | as a sign must I know,
That thy bride I am destined to be.”
Svipdag spake:
63. “Svipdag am I, | and Solbjart’s son;
Thence came I by wind-cold ways;
With the words of Urth | shall no man war,
Though unearned her gifts be given.”
Mengloth spake:
64. “Welcome thou art, | for long have I waited;
The welcoming kiss shalt thou win!
For two who love | is the longed-for meeting
The greatest gladness of all.
65. “Long have I sat | on Lyfjaberg here,
Awaiting thee day by day;
And now I have | what I ever hoped,
For here thou art come to my hall.
66. “Alike we yearned; | I longed for thee,
And thou for my love hast longed;
But now henceforth | together we know
Our lives to the end we shall live.”
NOTES
1. Svipdag (“Swift Day”): the names of the speakers are lacking in the
manuscripts.
3. The woman: Svipdag’s stepmother, who is responsible for his search
for Mengloth (“Necklace-Glad”). This name has suggested that Mengloth
is really Frigg, possessor of the famous Brisings’ necklace, or else
Freyja (cf. Lokasenna, 20, note).
6. For this catalogue of charms (stanzas 6–14) cf. the Ljothatal
(Hovamol, 147–165). Rani and Rind: the manuscripts have these words in
inverse relation; I have followed Neckel’s emendation. Rind was the
giantess who became the mother of Vali, Othin’s son, the one-night-old
avenger of Baldr (cf. Voluspo, 33–34, and Baldrs Draumar, 11 and note).
Rani is presumably Othin, who, according to a skaldic poem, won Rind by
magic.
7. Urth: one of the three Norns, or Fates; cf. Voluspo, 20.
8. Horn and Ruth: these two rivers, here used merely to symbolize all
dangerous streams, are not included in the catalogue of rivers given in
Grimnismol, 27–29, for which reason some editors have changed the names
to Hron and Hrith.
10. This stanza is a close parallel to Hovamol, 150, and the fifth line
may well be an interpolation from line 4 of that stanza.
13. A dead Christian woman: this passage has distressed many editors,
who have sought to emend the text so as to make it mean simply “a dead
witch.” The fact seems to be, however, that this particular charm was
composed at a time when Christians were regarded by all conservative
pagans as emissaries of darkness. A dead woman’s curse would naturally
be more potent, whether she was Christian or otherwise, than a living
one’s. Presumably this charm is much older than the poem in which it
here stands.
16. At this point Groa’s song ends, and Svipdag, thus fortified, goes
to seek Mengloth. All the link that is needed between the poems is
approximately this: “Then Svipdag searched long for Mengloth, and at
last he came to a great house set all about with flames. And before the
house there was a giant.”
17. Most editors have here begun a new series of stanza numbers, but if
the Grougaldr and the Fjolsvinnsmol are to be considered as a single
poem, it seems more reasonable to continue the stanza numbers
consecutively. Bugge thinks a stanza has been lost before 17, including
Fjolsvith’s name, so that the “he” in line 1 might have something to
refer to. However, just such a prose link as I have suggested in the
note on stanza 16 would serve the purpose. Editors have suggested
various rearrangements in the lines of stanzas 17–19. The substance,
however, is clear enough. The giant Fjolsvith (“Much-Wise”), the warder
of the house in which Mengloth dwells, sees Svipdag coming and stops
him with the customary threats. The assignment of the speeches in
stanzas 17–20, in the absence of any indications in the manuscripts, is
more or less guesswork.
22. Vindkald (“Wind-Cold”), Varkald (“Cold of Early Spring”) and
Fjolkald (“Much Cold”): Svipdag apparently seeks to persuade Fjolsvith
that he belongs to the frost giants.
24. Svafrthorin: who he was, or what his name means, or who his son
was, are all unknown.
26. Thrymgjol (“Loud-Clanging”): this gate, like the gate of the dead,
shuts so fast as to trap those who attempt to use it (cf.
Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 68 and note). It was made by the dwarfs,
sons of Solblindi (“Sun-Blinded”), the traditional craftsmen, who could
not endure the light of day.
28. Gastropnir: “Guest-Crusher.” Leirbrimir’s (“Clay-Giant’s”) limbs: a
poetic circumlocution for “clay”; cf. the description of the making of
earth from the body of the giant Ymir, Vafthruthnismol, 21.
30. Mimameith (“Mimir’s Tree”): the ash Yggdrasil, that overshadows the
whole world. The well of Mimir was situated at its base; cf. Voluspo,
27–29.
32. Gering suggests that two stanzas have been lost between stanzas 15
and 16, but the giant’s answer fits the question quite well enough. The
fruit of Yggdrasil, when cooked, is here assumed to have the power of
assuring safe childbirth.
34. Vithofnir (“Tree-Snake”): apparently identical with either the cock
Gollinkambi (cf. Voluspo, 43) or Fjalar (cf. Voluspo, 42), the former
of which wakes the gods to battle, and the latter the giants. Surt: the
giant mentioned in Voluspo, 52, as ruler of the fire-world; here used
to represent the giants in general, who are constantly in terror of the
cock’s eternal watchfulness. Sinmora: presumably Surt’s wife, the
giantess who possesses the weapon by which alone the cock Vithofnir may
be slain.
35. The last two lines have been variously emended.
36. Gif and Geri: both names signify “Greedy.” The first part of line 3
is conjectural; the manuscripts indicate the word “eleven,” which
clearly fails to make sense.
42. Lævatein (“Wounding Wand”): the manuscripts differ as to the form
of this name. The suggestion that the reference is to the mistletoe
with which Baldr was killed seems hardly reasonable. Lopt: Loki.
Lægjarn (“Lover of Ill”): Loki; cf. Voluspo, 35, where the term appears
as an adjective applied to Loki. This is Falk’s emendation for the
manuscripts’ “Sægjarn,” meaning “Sea Lover.” Sinmora: cf. stanza 34.
44. Goddess of gold: poetic circumlocution for “woman,” here meaning
Sinmora.
46. Sickle: i.e., tail feather. With this the circle of impossibilities
is completed. To get past the dogs, they must be fed with the
wing-joints of the cock Vithofnir; the cock can be killed only with the
sword in Sinmora’s possession, and Sinmora will give up the sword only
in return for the tail feather of the cock.
48. Lyr (“Heat-Holding”): just what the spear-point reference means is
not altogether clear. Presumably it refers to the way in which the
glowing brightness of the lofty hall makes it seem to quiver and turn
in the air, but the tradition, never baffled by physical laws, may have
actually balanced the whole building on a single point to add to the
difficulties of entrance.
50. Loki, the one god named, was the builder of the hall, with the aid
of the nine dwarfs. Jari, Dori, and Ori appear in the Voluspo catalogue
of the dwarfs (stanzas 13 and 15); Delling appears in Hovamol, 161, and
Vafthruthnismol, 25, in the latter case, however, the name quite
possibly referring to some one else. The other dwarfs’ names do not
appear elsewhere. The manuscripts differ as to the forms of many of
these names.
52. Lyfjaberg (“Hill of Healing”): the manuscripts vary as to this
name; I have followed Bugge’s suggestion. This stanza implies that
Mengloth is a goddess of healing, and hence, perhaps, an hypostasis of
Frigg, as already intimated by her name (cf. stanza 3, note). In stanza
54 Eir appears as one of Mengloth’s handmaidens, and Eir, according to
Snorri (Gylfaginning, 35) is herself the Norse Hygeia. Compare this
stanza with stanza 32.
54. The manuscripts and editions show many variations in these names.
They may be approximately rendered thus: Helper, Help-Breather,
Folk-Guardian, Shining, White, Blithe, Peaceful, Kindly (?), and
Gold-Giver.
55. One of the manuscripts omits stanzas 55 and 56.
56. The first line is based on a conjectural emendation.
63. Solbjart (“Sun-Bright”): not elsewhere mentioned. The words of
Urth: i.e., the decrees of fate; cf. stanza 7.
65. Lyfjaberg cf. stanza 52 and note.