The Prose Edda (10 page)
Authors: Snorri Sturluson
âThen Skirnir replied that he would undertake the task. But
in return Frey should give him his sword. The sword was so good that it fought by itself. Frey, however, let nothing stand in the way and gave the sword to Skirnir, who set out and asked for the woman on Frey's behalf. He received her promise that nine nights later she would come to the place called Barey
1
and would marry Frey there. But when Skirnir told Frey the outcome of his mission, Frey replied:
“Long is one night,
long is another,
how will I suffer even three?
Often for me a month
much less seemed
than half this holding time.”
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(
The Lay of Skirnir. 42
)
âFor this reason Frey was without a weapon when he fought with Beli, killing him with a stag's horn.'
Then Gangleri said, âHow very strange that a leader such as Frey would willingly give away his sword when he did not have another equally as good. For him this lack would be a great handicap when he fought with Beli. Truly, he must have regretted this gift.'
High replied, âIt was of little importance when he and Beli met. Frey could have killed him with his hands. The time will come when the sons of Muspell set out on their war journey, and then Frey will find it worse to be without his sword.'
Then Gangleri said, âYou say that all men who have fallen in battle from the beginning of the world are now with Odin in Valhalla. With what does he feed them? I should think the crowd there is large.'
High answered: âIt is true as you say. A huge throng is already there,
but many more are still to come. Yet even these will be thought too few when the Wolf [Fenrir] comes. Never are there so many in Valhalla that they run out of meat from the boar called Saehrimnir. He is cooked every day but is whole again in the evening. As to your question, few, it seems to me, are so wise that they could answer it correctly. Andhrimnir is the cook and Eldhrimnir is the kettle, as it says here:
Andhrimnir has
Saehrimnir boiled
in Eldhrimnir,
the best of meat.
But few know
on what the Einherjar feed.'
(
The Lay of Grimnir. 18
)
Then Gangleri asked, âDoes Odin eat the same food as the Einherjar?'
High replied, âHe gives the food on his table to his two wolves, Geri and Freki. He himself needs nothing to eat. For him, wine is both drink and food. So it says here:
Geri and Freki
are fed by the battle-skilled
father of armies;
But on wine alone,
weapon glorious
Odin ever lives. Â Â Â Â Â Â (
The Lay of Grimnir. 19
)
âTwo ravens sit on Odin's shoulders, and into his ears they tell all the news they see or hear. Their names are Hugin [Thought] and Munin [Mind, Memory]. At sunrise he sends them off to fly throughout the whole world, and they return in time for the first meal. Thus he gathers knowledge about many things that are happening, and so people call him the raven god. As is said:
Hugin and Munin
fly each day
over the wide world.
I fear for Hugin
that he may not return,
though I worry more for Munin.'
(
The Lay of Grimnir. 20
)
Gangleri then asked, âWhat sort of drink do the Einherjar have that lasts them as long as the food? Or is water drunk there?'
High replied, âThat is a strange question. Would All-Father invite kings, jarls [earls] and other men of rank to his hall and give them water to drink? Truly, many who come to Valhalla, having suffered wounds and the pain of death, would think a drink of water dearly bought if no better greeting were available. About that place, I can tell you another story. The goat Heidrun stands on top of Valhalla and eats the leaves from the branches of that most famous tree, Lerad.
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From her udders streams the mead that daily fills a vat so large that from it all the Einherjar satisfy their thirst.'
2
Gangleri then said, âThat goat is especially useful to them, and the tree that she eats from must be remarkably good.'
High said, âEven more notable is the stag Eikthyrnir [Oak Antlers], who stands on top of Valhalla and chews on the branches of that tree. So much moisture drips from his horns that it finds its way down into Hvergelmir. From there flow the rivers Sid, Vid, Sekin, Ekin, Svol, Gunnthro, Fjorm, Fimbulthul, Gipul, Gopul, Gomul and Geirvimul. They flow through the places where the gods live. There are even more rivers called Thyn, Vin, Tholl, Boll, Grad, Gunnthrain, Nyt, Not, Nonn, Hronn, Vina, Vegsvinn and Thjodnuma.'
Then Gangleri said, âNow you tell me such wondrous things, that Valhalla must be a huge house with doorways so crowded that it is difficult to pass through them.'
High answered: âWhy don't you ask how many doors are in Valhalla, or how big they are? When you hear the answers, then you will surely say that it would be remarkable if everyone were unable to pass in and out freely. In truth, it is no harder to find places for people inside the hall than it is to enter it. Listen to
The Lay of Grimnir
:
Five hundred doors
1
and still forty more,
I believe, are at Valhalla.
Eight hundred Einherjar
will go together out each door
when they go to fight the wolf.'
(
The Lay of Grimnir. 23
)
Gangleri then spoke: âLarge crowds of people are at Valhalla. It is my belief that Odin must be a powerful lord, because he controls so large an army. But how do the Einherjar amuse themselves when they are not drinking?'
High replied, âEvery day, after they dress, they put on their war gear. Then they go out to the courtyard and battle, the one attacking the other. Such is their sport. When it comes time to eat, they ride home to Valhalla and sit down to drink, as is said here:
All the Einherjar
in Odin's home fields
fight among themselves each day.
The slain they select
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then ride from the battlefield;
reconciled, they sit again together.
(
The Lay of Vafthrudnir. 41
)
âIt is true, as you say, that Odin is powerful. Many examples of his power are evident. Here are the words of the Ãsir themselves:
The ash Yggdrasil
is foremost of trees,
and Skidbladnir of ships,
Odin of the Ãsir,
and of stallions, Sleipnir,
Bifrost of bridges,
and Bragi of skalds,
Habrok of hawks,
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and of hounds, Garm.'
(
The Lay of Grimnir. 44
)
Then Gangleri asked, âWho owns the horse Sleipnir? What is there to tell about him?'
High replied, âYou know little about Sleipnir and are ignorant of the events that led to his birth, so you will find it a tale well worth hearing. It happened right at the beginning, when the gods were settling. After they had established Midgard and built Valhalla, a smith arrived. He offered to construct in three seasons a fortress so solid and trustworthy that it would be safe against mountain trolls and frost giants even if they entered Midgard. As his payment he asked for Freyja in marriage, but he also wanted the sun and the moon.
âThen the Ãsir, consulting among themselves, arrived at their decision. Their agreement with the builder was that he should have what he requested, if he completed the fortress in one
winter. But if any part of the fortress was unfinished on the first day of summer, he would lose his part of the bargain. No other man was to help him in this work. When stating these conditions they agreed to let him have the use of his horse, called Svadilfari. Loki was the one who made this decision after the matter was placed before him.
âOn the first day of winter the builder began to erect the fortress, and during the night he used his horse to haul in stones. The Ãsir were amazed at the size of the boulders the horse could drag; the horse's feat of strength was twice that of the builder's. But good witnesses and many oaths had sealed the bargain, because the giant did not think it safe to be without a truce among the Ãsir if Thor should return. At that time Thor was away in the east hammering on trolls.
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As the winter passed, the building of the fortification steadily advanced, until it became so high and so strong that it was unassailable. With only three days left before summer, the work had progressed right up to the stronghold's entrance.
âThen the gods sat on their thrones of fate and sought a solution. They asked one another who had been responsible for the decision to marry Freyja into Giant Land and to destroy the sky and the heavens by taking the sun and moon and giving them to the giant. And it became clear, as in most other things, that the one who had advised in this matter was Loki, son of Laufey, the one who counsels badly in most matters. They told him that he could expect a bad death if he failed to devise a plan for the builder to lose his wager. They attacked Loki, and when he became frightened he swore oaths that, whatever it cost him, he would find a way to keep the builder from completing his part of the bargain.
âThat same evening, as the builder drove out with his stallion Svadilfari to gather stones, a mare leaped from a forest and, neighing, ran up to the horse. When the stallion recognized what manner of horse this was, he became frantic and broke free from his harness. He galloped towards the mare but she raced ahead of him into the forest. Behind them came the builder, trying to grab hold of his horse. Because the horses ran all that evening and night, the work was delayed.
âThe next day there was less work done than previously. When the builder saw that the work would not be finished, he flew into a giant's rage. Once the Ãsir realized for certain that they were facing a mountain giant, they no longer respected their oaths. They called upon Thor, who came immediately, and the next thing to happen was that the hammer Mjollnir was in the air. In this way Thor paid the builder his wages, but not the sun and the moon. Rather, Thor put an end to the giant's life in Jotunheim. He struck the first blow in such a way that the giant's skull broke into small pieces, and so Thor sent him down to Niflhel. But Loki's relations with Svadilfari were such that a while later he gave birth to a colt. It was grey and had eight feet, and this is the best horse among gods and men.
â
The Sibyl's Prophecy
has this to say:
Then all the powerful gods went
to their thrones of fate,
the gods most sacred,
and questioned themselves,
who had infused
all the air with treachery
and to the race of giants
given Od's maid.
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Broken were oaths,
the words and pledges,
all the powerful agreements
that had passed between them.
Thor alone killed,
bursting with fury.
He seldom sits still
when he hears such things.'
(
The Sibyl's Prophecy. 25â26
)
Then Gangleri asked, âWhat can be said about Skidbladnir, since it is the best of ships? Is there no ship its equal or none as large?'
High said, âSkidbladnir is the best of ships and it was built with the finest craftsmanship. But Naglfar, the largest ship, is owned by Muspell. Dwarves, the sons of Ivaldi, built Skidbladnir and gave it to Frey. That ship is so large that it can accommodate all the Ãsir, along with their weapons and their war gear, and a good wind blows whenever the sail is raised, no matter where it is headed. The ship is made of so many different pieces and with so much cunning that, when it is not being used to travel on the sea, it can be folded up like a piece of cloth and placed in a pouch.'
Then Gangleri said, âSkidbladnir is a fine ship, and powerful magic must be called upon before something like it is crafted. Tell me, has Thor never been in a situation where he encountered so much strength and power that he was overwhelmed by might or magic superior to his own?'
High replied, âI expect that there are few others who could answer your question, even though many situations have seemed difficult to Thor. Although some things, because of their power or their strength, have prevented Thor from being victorious, there is no need to tell about them, not least because everybody ought to keep in mind that there are so many examples where Thor is the mightiest.'
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Then Gangleri said, âIt seems to me that this time I have asked something that no one can answer.'
Just-as-High replied, âWe have heard reports that seem unreliable to us, yet here, close by, sits the man who can give a true
account. You can trust what he says because he has never spoken falsely, and he will not start now.'
Then Gangleri responded: âI will stand here and listen for a solution. Otherwise I call you beaten, because you are unable to answer my question.'
Third then spoke, âIt is obvious that he wants to know these tales, even though we take no pleasure in telling them. You, however, must now keep quiet.
âIt started when Thor the Charioteer was travelling with his goats, accompanied by the god called Loki. Towards dusk they came to the house of a farmer and arranged lodging for the night. In the evening Thor took his goats and slaughtered them both. They were then flayed and carried to the pot. After they had been cooked, Thor and his companions sat down to their evening meal. Thor invited the farmer and his wife and children to join him. The farmer's son was named Thjalfi and his daughter was Roskva. Next Thor spread out the goatskins away from the fire and said that the farmer and his household should throw the bones on to the skins. Thjalfi, the farmer's son, took the thigh bone of one of the goats and, wedging in his knife, broke the bone to reach the marrow.
âThor stayed the night, and just before dawn he got up and dressed. He reached for his hammer Mjollnir and, lifting it up, consecrated the goatskins. The goats stood up, but one of them was lame in its hind leg. Thor noticed this and suspected that the farmer or one of his household had mistreated the goat's bones. Then he realized that its thigh bone was broken, and there is no need to make a long story of it. Everybody can imagine how frightened the farmer became as he watched Thor's eyebrows sink down low over his eyes. The small part of Thor's eyes that was visible was a sight that alone could have killed. Thor's hands clenched the shaft of the hammer until his knuckles whitened. As might be expected, the farmer and all his household began to wail. Begging for mercy, they offered in return everything they owned. When Thor saw their fear, his anger passed. Calming down, he took from them their children, Thjalfi and Roskva, as compensation. They became Thor's bond servants and follow him ever since.