The Poetic Edda

39. But ye all have heard,— | for of them who have The tales of the gods, | who better can tell?— What prize he won | from the wilderness-dweller, Who both his children | gave him to boot.

165. An eighteenth I know, | that ne’er will I tell To maiden or wife of man,— The best is what none | but one’s self doth know, So comes the end of the songs,— Save only to her | in whose arms I lie, Or who else my sister is.

1. A few editors, following Bugge, in an effort to clarify the poem, place stanzas 22, 28 and 30 before stanzas 1–20, but the arrangement in both manuscripts, followed here, seems logical. In stanza 1 the Volva, or wise-woman, called upon by Othin, answers him and demands a hearing. Evidently she belongs to the race of the giants (cf. stanza 2), and thus speaks to Othin unwillingly, being compelled to do so by his magic power. Holy: omitted in Regius; the phrase “holy races” probably means little more than mankind in general. Heimdall: the watchman of the gods; cf. stanza 46 and note. Why mankind should be referred to as Heimdall’s sons is uncertain, and the phrase has caused much perplexity. Heimdall seems to have had various attributes, and in the Rigsthula, wherein a certain Rig appears as the ancestor of the three great classes of men, a fourteenth century annotator identifies Rig with Heimdall, on what authority we do not know, for the Rig of the poem seems much more like Othin (cf. Rigsthula, introductory prose and note). Valfather (“Father of the Slain”): Othin, chief of the gods, so called because the slain warriors were brought to him at Valhall (“Hall of the Slain”) by the Valkyries (“Choosers of the Slain”).

12. Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1. Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt, Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf. Brot, 17, note.

King Helgi was a mighty warrior. He came to King Eylimi and sought the hand of his daughter, Svava. Then Helgi and Svava exchanged vows, and greatly they loved each other. Svava was at home with her father, while Helgi was in the field; Svava was still a Valkyrie as before.

15. “How may a foot | its fellow aid, Or a flesh-grown hand | another help?”

141. Nine mighty songs | I got from the son Of Bolthorn, Bestla’s father; And a drink I got | of the goodly mead Poured out from Othrörir.

24. Again Gunnar’s interpretation is missing, and most editors either assume a gap or construct two Malahattr lines out of the Volsungasaga prose paraphrase, which runs: “The grain shall flow, since thou hast dreamed of rivers, and when we go to the fields, often the chaff rises above our feet.”

59. “Unmanly one, cease, | or the mighty hammer, Mjollnir, shall close thy mouth; I shall hurl thee up | and out in the East, Where men shall see thee no more.”

10. “Stand forth now, Fjornir! | and hither on the floor The beakers all golden | shalt thou bring to the warriors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13. Iron: the keels of Norse ships were sometimes fitted with iron “shoes” at bow and stern, but it is not certain that this practice much antedated the year 1000, and thus this line has raised some question as to the antiquity of this stanza, if not of the entire Hrimgertharmol, which may have been composed as late as the eleventh century.

27. “A maid in Heimir’s | home there dwells, Brynhild her name | to men is known, Daughter of Buthli, | the doughty king, And Heimir fosters | the fearless maid.”

Sig′-fath-er, Othin, 23, 103, 104, 170.

65. The manuscript indicates no gap; a suggested addition runs “Gold let there be, | and jewels bright.” Fallen slaves: cf. stanzas 66 and 69. Hunnish hero: cf. stanza 4 and note.

17. “So was my Sigurth | o’er Gjuki’s sons As the spear-leek grown | above the grass, Or the jewel bright | borne on the band, The precious stone | that princes wear.

3. The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Barley: the word literally means “foreign grain,” and would afford an interesting study to students of early commerce.

7. “Thy bed-covers white | with blood were red From his wounds, and with gore | of thy husband were wet; So Sigurth was slain, | by his corpse didst thou sit, And of gladness didst think not: | ’twas Gunnar’s doing.

94. Fault with another | let no man find For what touches many a man; Wise men oft | into witless fools Are made by mighty love.

15. With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy, Southern halls | and Danish swans; On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds, And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork; (Flashing shields | and fighters armed, Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).

109. Hor: Othin (“the High One”). The frost-giants, Suttung’s kinsmen, appear not to have suspected Othin of being identical with Bolverk, possibly because the oath referred to in stanza 110 was an oath made by Othin to Suttung that there was no such person as Bolverk among the gods. The giants, of course, fail to get from Othin the information they seek concerning Bolverk, but Othin is keenly conscious of having violated the most sacred of oaths, that sworn on his ring.

Hym″-is-kvith′-a, the Lay of Hymir, 21, 77, 116, 122, 138–152, 163, 170, 174, 179, 180, 182, 183, 391.

18. “Now is it ended, | the knowledge is won, And ready I am | forth thence to ride; Forward look | and further tell: What the life | that I shall lead?”

54. “Much have I fared, | much have I found, Much have I got from the gods: What spake Othin himself | in the ears of his son, Ere in the bale-fire he burned?”

49. “O’er Mogthrasir’s hill | shall the maidens pass, And three are their throngs that come; They all shall protect | the dwellers on earth, Though they come of the giants’ kin.”

17. . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . Fain to row on the sea | was Veur, he said, If the giant bold | would give him bait.

141. This stanza, interrupting as it does the account of Othin’s winning the runes, appears to be an interpolation. The meaning of the stanza is most obscure. Bolthorn was Othin’s grandfather, and Bestla his mother. We do not know the name of the uncle here mentioned, but it has been suggested that this son of Bolthorn was Mimir (cf. Voluspo, 27 and note, and 47 and note). In any case, the nine magic songs which he learned from his uncle seem to have enabled him to win the magic mead (cf. stanzas 104–110). Concerning Othrörir, here used as the name of the vessel containing the mead, cf. stanza 107 and note.

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.

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.

17. “Brother, ’twere far better | to have come in byrnie, With thy household helmed, | to see Atli’s home, And to sit in the saddle | all day ’neath the sun, (That the sword-norns might weep | for the death-pale warriors, And the Hunnish shield-maids | might shun not the sword,) And send Atli himself | to the den of the snakes; (Now the den of the snakes | for thee is destined.)”

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.

29. Some editions give this speech to Helgi. Eastward: Atli and Helgi have held Hrimgerth in talk till sunrise, and the sun’s rays turn her into stone. But dwarfs rather than giants were the victims of sunlight; cf. Alvissmol, stanzas 16 and 35.

29. “Winters unmeasured | ere earth was made Was the birth of Bergelmir; Thruthgelmir’s son | was the giant strong, And Aurgelmir’s grandson of old.”

148. Second, etc., appear in the manuscript as Roman numerals. The manuscript indicates no gap after line 2.

Then Hreithmar died, and Fafnir took all the gold. Thereupon Regin asked to have his inheritance from his father, but Fafnir refused this. Then Regin asked counsel of Lyngheith, his sister, how he should win his inheritance. She said:

11. The manuscript does not name the speaker; cf. note on stanzas 10–20. The word rendered “evil” in line 1 is a conjectural addition. Apparently Borgny was present at Atli’s court while the love affair between Oddrun and Gunnar was in progress, and criticised Oddrun for her part in it. A draught, etc.: apparently in reference to a secret meeting of the lovers.

10. Lands: Brynhild’s wealth again points to the story represented by stanzas 32–39; elsewhere she is not spoken of as bringing wealth to Gunnar.

107. Othrörir: here the name of the magic mead itself, whereas in stanza 141 it is the name of the vessel containing it. Othin had no intention of bestowing any of the precious mead upon men, but as he was flying over the earth, hotly pursued by Suttung, he spilled some of it out of his mouth, and in this way mankind also won the gift of poetry.

Hnifl′-ungs, the people of Gjuki (Nibelungs), 291, 305.

14. Many editors assume the loss of a line from this stanza.

28. Silver of kinship: the passage is doubtful, but apparently it means the “marriage-price” for which a bride was “bought.”

15. Andvari: this dwarf appears prominently in the Reginsmol, which tells how the god Loki treacherously robbed him of his wealth; the curse which he laid on his treasure brought about the deaths of Sigurth, Gunnar, Atli, and many others.

7. The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.

Prose. Regarding Sigmund, Sinfjotli, and Volsung see Introductory Note. The Franks: although the Sigurth story had reached the North as early as the sixth or seventh century, it never lost all the marks of its Frankish origin. Helgi and Hamund: sons of Sigmund and Borghild; Helgi is, of course Helgi Hundingsbane; of Hamund nothing further is recorded. Borghild: the manuscript leaves a blank for the name of her brother; evidently the compiler hoped some day to discover it and write it in, but never did. A few editions insert wholly unauthorized names from late paper manuscripts, such as Hroar, Gunnar, or Borgar. In the Volsungasaga Borghild bids Sinfjotli drink “if he has the courage of a Volsung.” Sigmund gives his advice because “the king was very drunk, and that was why he spoke thus.” Gering, on the other hand, gives Sigmund credit for having believed that the draught would deposit its poisonous contents in Sinfjotli’s beard, and thus do him no harm. Boat: the man who thus carries off the dead Sinfjotli in his boat is presumably Othin. Denmark: Borghild belongs to the Danish Helgi part of the story. The Franks: with this the Danish and Norse stories of Helgi and Sinfjotli come to an end, and the Frankish story of Sigurth begins. Sigmund’s two kingdoms are an echo of the blended traditions. Hjordis: just where this name came from is not clear, for in the German story Siegfried’s mother is Sigelint, but the name of the father of Hjordis, Eylimi, gives a clew, for Eylimi is the father of Svava, wife of Helgi Hjorvarthsson. Doubtless the two men are not identical, but it seems likely that both Eylimi and Hjordis were introduced into the Sigmund-Sigurth story, the latter replacing Sigelint, from some version of the Helgi tradition. Hunding: in the Helgi lays the sons of Hunding are all killed, but they reappear here and in two of the poems (Gripisspo, 9, and Reginsmol, 15), and the Volsungasaga names Lyngvi as the son of Hunding who, as the rejected lover of Hjordis, kills Sigmund and his father-in-law, Eylimi, as well. The episode of Hunding and his sons belongs entirely to the Danish (Helgi) part of the story; the German legend knows nothing of it, and permits the elderly Sigmund to outlive his son. There was doubtless a poem on this battle, for the Volsungasaga quotes two lines spoken by the dying Sigmund to Hjordis before he tells her to give the pieces of his broken sword to their unborn son. Alf: after the battle, according to the Volsungasaga, Lyngvi Hundingsson tried to capture Hjordis, but she was rescued by the sea-rover Alf, son of King Hjalprek of Denmark, who subsequently married her. Here is another trace of the Danish Helgi tradition. The Nornageststhattr briefly tells the same story.

39. “In the morn he fell | at Frekastein, The king who was noblest | beneath the sun; Alf has the joy | of victory all, Though need therefor | is never his.”

37. “Helgi rose | above heroes all Like the lofty ash | above lowly thorns, Or the noble stag, | with dew besprinkled, Bearing his head | above all beasts, (And his horns gleam bright | to heaven itself.)”

43. “First will I kiss | the lifeless king, Ere off the bloody | byrnie thou cast; With frost thy hair | is heavy, Helgi, And damp thou art | with the dew of death; (Ice-cold hands | has Hogni’s kinsman, What, prince, can I | to bring thee ease?)”

51. “Wert thou first and last | at the deadly fight There where Thjazi was caught, From my dwellings and fields | shall ever come forth A counsel cold for thee.”

105. The mouth of Rati | made room for my passage, And space in the stone he gnawed; Above and below | the giants’ paths lay, So rashly I risked my head.

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?”

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?”