The Younger Edda; Also called Snorre's Edda, or The Prose Edda

We have ample evidenceOf the giant-terrifier’s77 journeyTo Grjottungard, to the giant Hrungner,In the midst of encircling flames.The courage waxed high in Meile’s brother;78The moon-way trembledWhen Jord’s son79 wentTo the steel-gloved contest.The heavens stood all in flamesFor Uller’s step-father,80And the earth rocked.Svolne’s81 widow82 burst asunderWhen the span of goatsDrew the sublime chariotAnd its divine masterTo the meeting with Hrungner.Balder’s brother83 did not trembleBefore the greedy fiend of men;Mountains quaked and rocks broke;The heavens were wrapped in flames.Much did the giantGet frightened, I learn,When his bane man he sawReady to slay him.Swiftly the gray shield flew’Neath the heels of the giant.So the gods willed it,So willed it the valkyries.Hrungner the giant,Eager for slaughter,Needed not long to wait for blowsFrom the valiant friend of the hammer.The slayer84 of Bele’s evil raceMade fall the bear of the loud-roaring mountain;85On his shieldBite the dustMust the giantBefore the sharp-edged hammer,When the giant-crusherStood against the mighty Hrungner,And the flint-stone(So hard to break)Of the friend of the troll-womenInto the skull did whizOf Jord’s son,86And this flinty pieceFast did stickIn Eindride’s87 blood;Until Orvandel’s wife,Magic songs singing,From the head of ThorRemoved the giant’sExcellent flint-stone.All do I knowAbout that shield-journey.A shield adornedWith hues most splendidI received from Thorleif.

THOR’S JOURNEY TO GEIRROD’S

Then said Æger: Much of a man, it seems to me, was that Hrungner. Has Thor accomplished any other great deeds in his intercourse with trolls (giants)? Then answered Brage: It is worth giving a full account of how Thor made a journey to Geirrodsgard. He had with him neither the hammer Mjolner, nor his belt of strength, Megingjard, nor his steel gloves; and that was Loke’s fault,—he was with him. For it had happened to Loke, when he once flew out to amuse himself in Frigg’s falcon-guise, that he, out of curiosity, flew into Geirrodsgard, where he saw a large hall. He sat down and looked in through the window, but Geirrod discovered him, and ordered the bird to be caught and brought to him. The servant had hard work to climb up the wall of the hall, so high was it. It amused Loke that it gave the servant so much trouble to get at him, and he thought it would be time enough to fly away when he had gotten over the worst. When the latter now caught at him, Loke spread his wings and spurned with his feet, but these were fast, and so Loke was caught and brought to the giant. When the latter saw his eyes he suspected that it was a man. He put questions to him and bade him answer, but Loke refused to speak. Then Geirrod locked him down in a chest, and starved him for three months; and when Geirrod finally took him up again, and asked him to speak, Loke confessed who he was, and to save his life he swore an oath to Geirrod that he would get Thor to come to Geirrodsgard without his hammer or his belt of strength.

On his way Thor visited the giantess whose name is Grid. She was the mother of Vidar the Silent. She told Thor the truth concerning Geirrod, that he was a dog-wise and dangerous giant; and she lent him her own belt of strength and steel gloves, and her staff, which is called Gridarvol. Then went Thor to the river which is called Vimer, and which is the largest of all rivers. He buckled on the belt of strength and stemmed the wild torrent with Gridarvol, but Loke held himself fast in Megingjard. When Thor had come into the middle of the stream, the river waxed so greatly that the waves dashed over his shoulders. Then quoth Thor:

Wax not Vimer,Since I intend to wadeTo the gards of giants.Know, if you wax,Then waxes my asa-mightAs high, as the heavens.

Then Thor looked up and saw in a cleft Gjalp, the daughter of Geirrod, standing on both sides of the stream, and causing its growth. Then took he up out of the river a huge stone and threw at her, saying: At its source the stream must be stemmed.88 He was not wont to miss his mark. At the same time he reached the river bank and got hold of a shrub, and so he got out of the river. Hence comes the adage that a shrub saved Thor.89 When Thor came to Geirrod, he and his companion were shown to the guest-room, where lodgings were given them, but there was but one seat, and on that Thor sat down. Then he became aware that the seat was raised under him toward the roof. He put the Gridarvol against the rafters, and pressed himself down against the seat. Then was heard a great crash, which was followed by a loud screaming. Under the seat were Geirrod’s daughters, Gjalp and Greip, and he had broken the backs of both of them. Then quoth Thor:

Once I employedMy asa-mightIn the gards of the giants.When Gjalp and Greip,Geirrod’s daughters,Wanted to lift me to heaven.

Then Geirrod had Thor invited into the hall to the games. Large fires burned along the whole length of the hall. When Thor came into the hall, and stood opposite Geirrod, the latter seized with a pair of tongs a red-hot iron wedge and threw it at Thor. But he caught it with his steel gloves, and lifted it up in the air. Geirrod sprang behind an iron post to guard himself. But Thor threw the wedge with so great force that it struck through the post, through Geirrod, through the wall, and then went out and into the ground. From this saga, Eilif, son of Gudrun, made the following song, called Thor’s Drapa:

The Midgard-serpent’s father exhortedThor, the victor of giants,To set out from home.A great liar was Loke.Not quite confident,The companion of the war-godDeclared green paths to lieTo the gard of Geirrod.Thor did not long let LokeInvite him to the arduous journey.They were eager to crushThorn’s descendants.When he, who is wont to swing Megingjard,Once set out from Odin’s homeTo visit Ymer’s children in Gandvik,The giantess Gjalp,Perjured Geirrod’s daughter,Sooner got ready magic to useThan the god of war and Loke.A song I recite.Those gods noxious to the giantsPlanted their feetIn Endil’s land,And the men wont to battleWent forth.The message of deathCame of the moon-devourer’s women,When the cunning and wrathfulConqueror of LokeChallenged to a contestThe giantess.And the troll-woman’s disgracerWaded across the roaring stream,—Rolling full of drenched snow over its banks.He who puts giants to flightRapidly advancedO’er the broad watery way,Where the noisy stream’sVenom belched forth.Thor and his companionsPut before him the staff;Thereon he restedWhilst over they waded:Nor sleep did the stones,—The sonorous staff striking the rapid waveMade the river-bed ring,—The mountain-torrent rang with stones.The wearer of MegingjardSaw the flood fallOn his hard-waxed shoulders:He could do no better.The destroyer of troll-childrenLet his neck-strengthWax heaven high,Till the mighty stream should diminish.But the warriors,The oath-bound protectors of Asgard,—The experienced vikings,—Waded fast and the stream sped on.Thou god of the bow!The billowsBlown by the mountain-stormPowerfully rushedOver Thor’s shoulders.Thjalfe and his companion,With their heads above water,Got over the river,—To Thor’s belt they clung.Their strength was tested,—Geirrod’s daughters made hard the streamFor the iron rod.Angry fared Thor with the Gridarvol.Nor did courage failThose foes of the giantIn the seething vortex.Those sworn companionsRegarded a brave heartBetter than gold.Neither Thor’s nor Thjalfe’s heartFrom fear did tremble.And the war companions—Weapons despising—’Mong the giants made havoc,Until, O woman!The giant destroyersThe conflict of helmetsWith the warlike raceDid commence.The giants of Iva’s90 capesMade a rush with Geirrod;The foes of the cold SvithiodTook to flight.Geirrod’s giantsHad to succumbWhen the lightning wielder’s91 kinsmenClosely pursued them.Wailing was ’mongst the cave-dwellersWhen the giants,With warlike spirit endowed,Went forward.There was war.The slayer of troll-women,By foes surrounded,The giant’s hard head hit.With violent pressureWere pressed the vast eyesOf Gjalp and GreipAgainst the high roof.The fire-chariot’s driverThe old backs brokeOf both these maidsFor the cave-woman.The man of the rocky wayBut scanty knowledge got;Nor able were the giantsTo enjoy perfect gladness.Thou man of the bow-string!The dwarf’s kinsmanAn iron beam, in the forge heated,Threw against Odin’s dear son.But the battle-hastener,Freyja’s old friend,With swift hands caughtIn the air the beamAs it flew from the handsOf the father of Greip,—His breast with anger swollenAgainst Thruda’s92 father.Geirrod’s hall trembledWhen he struck,With his broad head,’Gainst the old column of the house-wall.Uller’s splendid flattererSwung the iron beamStraight ’gainst the headOf the knavish giant.The crusher of the hall-wont troll-womenA splendid victory wonOver Glam’s descendants;With gory hammer fared Thor.Gridarvol-staff,Which made disaster’Mong Geirrod’s companion,Was not used ’gainst that giant himself.The much worshiped thunderer,With all his might, slewThe dwellers in AlfheimWith that little willow-twig,And no shieldWas able to resistThe strong age-diminisherOf the mountain-king.

IDUN

How shall Idun be named? She is called the wife of Brage, the keeper of the apples; but the apples are called the medicine to bar old age (ellilyf, elixir vitæ). She is also called the booty of the giant Thjasse, according to what has before been said concerning how he took her away from the asas. From this saga Thjodolf, of Hvin, composed the following song in his Haustlong:

How shall the tonguePay an ample rewardFor the sonorous shieldWhich I received from Thorleif,Foremost ’mong soldiers?On the splendidly made shieldI see the unsafe journeyOf three gods and Thjasse.Idun’s robber flew long agoThe asas to meetIn the giant’s old eagle-guise.The eagle perchedWhere the asas boreTheir food to be cooked.Ye women! The mountain-giantWas not wont to be timid.Suspected of maliceWas the giant toward the gods.Who causes this?Said the chief of the gods.The wise-worded giant-eagleFrom the old tree began to speak.The friend of HonerWas not friendly to him.The mountain-wolf from HonerAsked for his fillFrom the holy table:It fell to Honer to blow the fire.The giant, eager to kill,Glided downWhere the unsuspecting gods,Odin, Loke and Honer, were sitting.The fair lord of the earthBade Farbaute’s sonQuickly to shareThe ox with the giant;But the cunning foe of the asasThereupon laidThe four parts of the oxUpon the broad table.And the huge father of Morn93Afterward greedily ateThe ox at the tree-root.That was long ago,Until the profoundLoke the hard rod laid’Twixt the shouldersOf the giant Thjasse.Then clung with his handsThe husband of SigynTo Skade’s foster-son,In the presence of all the gods.The pole stuck fastTo Jotunheim’s strong fascinator,But the hands of Honer’s dear friendStuck to the other end.Flew then with the wise godThe voracious bird of preyFar away; so the wolf’s fatherTo pieces must be torn.Odin’s friend got exhausted.Heavy grew Lopt.Odin’s companionMust sue for peace.Hymer’s kinsman demandedThat the leader of hostsThe sorrow-healing maid,Who the asas’ youth-preserving apples keeps,Should bring to him.Brisingamen’s thiefAfterward brought IdunTo the gard of the giant.Sorry were not the giantsAfter this had taken place,Since from the southIdun had come to the giants.All the raceOf Yngve-Frey, at the Thing,Grew old and gray,—Ugly-looking were the gods.Until the gods found the blood-dog,Idun’s decoying thrall,And bound the maid’s deceiver,You shall, cunning Loke,Spake Thor, die;Unless back you lead,With your tricks, thatGood joy-increasing maid.Heard have I that thereuponThe friend of Honer flewIn the guise of a falcon(He often deceived the asas with his cunning);And the strong fraudulent giant,The father of Morn,With the wings of the eagleSped after the hawk’s child.The holy gods soon built a fire—They shaved off kindlings—And the giant was scorched.This is said in memoryOf the dwarf’s heel-bridge.94A shield adorned with splendid linesFrom Thorleif I received.

ÆGER’S FEAST

How shall gold be named? It may be called fire; the needles of Glaser; Sif’s hair; Fulla’s head-gear; Freyja’s tears; the chatter, talk or word of the giants; Draupner’s drop; Draupner’s rain or shower; Freyja’s eyes; the otter-ransom, or stroke-ransom, of the asas; the seed of Fyrisvold; Holge’s how-roof; the fire of all waters and of the hand; or the stone, rock or gleam of the hand.

Why is gold called Æger’s fire? The saga relating to this is, as has before been told, that Æger made a visit to Asgard, but when he was ready to return home he invited Odin and all the asas to come and pay him a visit after the lapse of three months. On this journey went Odin, Njord, Frey, Tyr, Brage, Vidar, Loke; and also the asynjes, Frigg, Freyja, Gefjun, Skade, Idun, Sif. Thor was not there, for he had gone eastward to fight trolls. When the gods had taken their seats, Æger let his servants bring in on the hall floor bright gold, which shone and lighted up the whole hall like fire, just as the swords in Valhal are used instead of fire. Then Loke bandied hasty words with all the gods, and slew Æger’s thrall who was called Fimafeng. The name of his other thrall is Elder. The name of Æger’s wife is Ran, and they have nine daughters, as has before been written. At this feast all things passed around spontaneously, both food and ale and all the utensils needed for the feasting. Then the asas became aware that Ran had a net in which she caught all men who perish at sea. Then the saga goes on telling how it happens that gold is called the fire, or light or brightness of Æger, of Ran, or of Æger’s daughters; and from these periphrases it is allowed to call gold the fire of the sea, or of any of the periphrases of the sea, since Æger and Ran are found in periphrases of the sea; and thus gold is now called the fire of waters, of rivers, or of all the periphrases of rivers. But these names have fared like other periphrases. The younger skald has composed poetry after the pattern of the old skalds, imitating their songs; but afterward they have expanded the metaphors whenever they thought they could improve upon what was sung before; and thus the water is the sea, the river is the lakes, the brook is the river. Hence all the figures that are expanded more than what has before been found are called new tropes, and all seem good that contain likelihood and are natural. Thus sang the skald Brage:

From the king I receivedThe fire of the brook.This the king gave to meAnd a head with song.

Why is gold called the needles or leaves of Glaser? In Asgard, before the doors of Valhal, stands a grove which is called Glaser, and all its leaves are of red gold, as is here sung:

Glaser standsWith golden leavesBefore Sigtyr’s halls.

This is the fairest forest among gods and men.

LOKE’S WAGER WITH THE DWARFS

Why is gold called Sif’s hair? Loke Laufey’s son had once craftily cut all the hair off Sif; but when Thor found it out he seized Loke, and would have broken every bone in him, had he not pledged himself with an oath to get the swarthy elves to make for Sif a hair of gold that should grow like other hair. Then went Loke to the dwarfs that are called Ivald’s sons, and they made the hair and Skidbladner, and the spear that Odin owned and is called Gungner. Thereupon Loke wagered his head with the dwarf, who hight Brok, that his brother Sindre would not be able to make three other treasures equally as good as these were. But when they came to the smithy, Sindre laid a pig-skin in the furnace and requested Brok to blow the bellows, and not to stop blowing before he (Sindre) had taken out of the furnace what he had put into it. As soon, however, as Sindre had gone out of the smithy and Brok was blowing, a fly lighted on his hand and stung him; but he kept on blowing as before until the smith had taken the work out of the furnace. That was now a boar, and its bristles were of gold. Thereupon he laid gold in the furnace, and requested Brok to blow, and not to stop plying the bellows before he came back. He went out; but then came the fly and lighted on his neck and stung him still worse; but he continued to work the bellows until the smith took out of the furnace the gold ring called Draupner. Then Sindre placed iron in the furnace, and requested Brok to work the bellows, adding that otherwise all would be worthless. Now the fly lighted between his eyes and stung his eye-lids, and as the blood ran down into his eyes so that he could not see, he let go of the bellows just for a moment and drove the fly away with his hands. Then the smith came back and said that all that lay in the furnace came near being entirely spoiled. Thereupon he took a hammer out of the furnace. All these treasures he then placed in the hands of his brother Brok, and bade him go with Loke to Asgard to fetch the wager. When Loke and Brok brought forth the treasures, the gods seated themselves upon their doom-steads. It was agreed to abide by the decision which should be pronounced by Odin, Thor and Frey. Loke gave to Odin the spear Gungner, to Thor the hair, which Sif was to have, and to Frey, Skidbladner; and he described the qualities of all these treasures, stating that the spear never would miss its mark, that the hair would grow as soon as it was placed on Sif s head, and that Skidbladner would always have fair wind as soon as the sails were hoisted, no matter where its owner desired to go; besides, the ship could be folded together like a napkin and be carried in his pocket if he desired. Then Brok produced his treasures. He gave to Odin the ring, saying that every ninth night eight other rings as heavy as it would drop from it; to Frey he gave the boar, stating that it would run through the air and over seas, by night or by day, faster than any horse; and never could it become so dark in the night, or in the worlds of darkness, but that it would be light where this boar was present, so bright shone his bristles. Then he gave to Thor the hammer, and said that he might strike with it as hard as he pleased; no matter what was before him, the hammer would take no scathe, and wherever he might throw it he would never lose it; it would never fly so far that it did not return to his hand; and if he desired, it would become so small that he might conceal it in his bosom; but it had one fault, which was, that the handle was rather short. The decision of the gods was, that the hammer was the best of all these treasures and the greatest protection against the frost-giants, and they declared that the dwarf had fairly won the wager. Then Loke offered to ransom his head. The dwarf answered saying there was no hope for him on that score. Take me, then! said Loke; but when the dwarf was to seize him Loke was far away, for he had the shoes with which he could run through the air and over the sea. Then the dwarf requested Thor to seize him, and he did so. Now the dwarf wanted to cut the head off Loke, but Loke said that the head was his, but not the neck. Then the dwarf took thread and a knife and wanted to pierce holes in Loke’s lips, so as to sew his mouth together, but the knife would not cut. Then said he, it would be better if he had his brother’s awl, and as soon as he named it the awl was there and it pierced Loke’s lips. Now Brok sewed Loke’s mouth together, and broke off the thread at the end of the sewing. The thread with which the mouth of Loke was sewed together is called Vartare (a strap).

THE NIFLUNGS AND GJUKUNGS

The following is the reason why gold is called otter-ransom: It is related that three asas went abroad to learn to know the whole world, Odin, Honer and Loke. They came to a river, and walked along the river-bank to a force, and near the force was an otter. The otter had caught a salmon in the force, and sat eating it with his eyes closed. Loke picked up a stone, threw it at the otter and hit him in the head. Loke bragged of his chase, for he had secured an otter and a salmon with one throw. They took the salmon and the otter with them, and came to a byre, where they entered. But the name of the bonde who lived there was Hreidmar. He was a mighty man, and thoroughly skilled in the black art. The asas asked for night-lodgings, stating that they had plenty of food, and showed the bonde their game. But when Hreidmar saw the otter he called his sons, Fafner and Regin, and said that Otter, their brother, was slain, and also told who had done it. Then the father and the sons attacked the asas, seized them and bound them, and then said, in reference to the otter, that he was Hreidmar’s son. The asas offered, as a ransom for their lives, as much money as Hreidmar himself might demand, and this was agreed to, and confirmed with an oath. Then the otter was flayed. Hreidmar took the otter-belg and said to them that they should fill the belg with red gold, and then cover it with the same metal, and when this was done they should be set free. Thereupon Odin sent Loke to the home of the swarthy elves, and he came to the dwarf whose name is Andvare, and who lived as a fish, in the water. Loke caught him in his hands, and demanded of him, as a ransom for his life, all the gold that he had in his rock. And when they entered the rock, the dwarf produced all the gold that he owned, and that was a very large amount. Then the dwarf concealed in his hand a small gold ring. Loke saw this, and requested him to hand forth the ring. The dwarf begged him not to take the ring away from him, for with this ring he could increase his wealth again if he kept it. Loke said the dwarf should not keep as much as a penny, took the ring from him and went out. But the dwarf said that that ring should be the bane of every one who possessed it. Loke replied that he was glad of this, and said that all should be fulfilled according to his prophecy: he would take care to bring the curse to the ears of him who was to receive it. He went to Hreidmar and showed Odin the gold; but when the latter saw the ring, it seemed to him a fair one, and he took it and put it aside, giving Hreidmar the rest of the gold. They filled the otter-belg as full as it would hold, and raised it up when it was full. Then came Odin, and was to cover the belg with gold; and when this was done, he requested Hreidmar to come and see whether the belg was sufficiently covered. But Hreidmar looked at it, examined it closely, and saw a mouth-hair, and demanded that it should be covered, too, otherwise the agreement would be broken. Then Odin brought forth the ring and covered with it the mouth-hair, saying that now they had paid the otter-ransom. But when Odin had taken his spear, and Loke his shoes, so that they had nothing more to fear, Loke said that the curse that Andvare had pronounced should be fulfilled, and that the ring and that gold should be the bane of its possessor; and this curse was afterward fulfilled. This explains why gold is called the otter-ransom, or forced payment of the asas, or strife-metal.

What more is there to be told of this gold? Hreidmar accepted the gold as a ransom for his son, but Fafner and Regin demanded their share of it as a ransom for their brother. Hreidmar was, however, unwilling to give them as much as a penny of it. Then the brothers made an agreement to kill their father for the sake of the gold. When this was done, Regin demanded that Fafner should give him one half of it. Fafner answered that there was but little hope that he would share the gold with his brother, since he had himself slain his father to obtain it; and he commanded Regin to get him gone, for else the same thing would happen to him as had happened to Hreidmar. Fafner had taken the sword hight Hrotte, and the helmet which had belonged to his father, and the latter he had placed on his head. This was called the Æger’s helmet, and it was a terror to all living to behold it. Regin had the sword called Refil. With it he fled. But Fafner went to Gnita-heath (the glittering heath), where he made himself a bed, took on him the likeness of a serpent (dragon), and lay brooding over the gold.

Regin then went to Thjode, to king Hjalprek, and became his smith. There he undertook the fostering of Sigurd (Sigfrid), the son of Sigmund, the son of Volsung and the son of Hjordis, the daughter of Eylime. Sigurd was the mightiest of all the kings of hosts, in respect to both family and power and mind. Regin explained to him where Fafner was lying on the gold, and egged him on to try to get possession thereof. Then Regin made the sword which is hight Gram (wrath), and which was so sharp that when Sigurd held it in the flowing stream it cut asunder a tuft of wool which the current carried down against the sword’s edge. In the next place, Sigurd cut with his sword Regin’s anvil in twain. Thereupon Sigurd and Regin repaired to Gnita-heath. Here Sigurd dug a ditch in Fafner’s path and sat down in it; so when Fafner crept to the water and came directly over this ditch, Sigurd pierced him with the sword, and this thrust caused his death. Then Regin came and declared that Sigurd had slain his brother, and demanded of him as a ransom that he should cut out Fafner’s heart and roast it on the fire; but Regin kneeled down, drank Fafner’s blood, and laid himself down to sleep. While Sigurd was roasting the heart, and thought that it must be done, he touched it with his finger to see how tender it was; but the fat oozed out of the heart and onto his finger and burnt it, so that he thrust his finger into his mouth. The heart-blood came in contact with his tongue, which made him comprehend the speech of birds, and he understood what the eagles said that were sitting in the trees. One of the birds said: