The Prose Edda
Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)
1,062 passages indexed from The Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)) — Page 10 of 22
License: Public Domain
The Prose Edda, passage 268
When the gods knew that these three children were being fostered in Jotunheim, and were aware of the prophecies that much woe and misfortune would thence come to them, and considering that much evil might be looked for from them on their mother’s side, and still more on their father’s, Alfather sent some of the gods to take the children and bring them to him. When they came to him he threw the serpent into the deep sea which surrounds all lands.
The Prose Edda, passage 221
Another place is called Breidablik, and no place is fairer. There is also a mansion called Glitner, of which the walls and pillars and posts are of red gold, and the roof is of silver. Furthermore, there is a dwelling, by name Himinbjorg, which stands at the end of heaven, where the Bifrost-bridge is united with heaven. And there is a great dwelling called Valaskjalf, which belongs to Odin. The gods made it and thatched it with, sheer silver.
The Prose Edda, passage 642
They sang and swung The swift mill-stone, So that Frode’s folk Fell asleep. Then, when she came To the mill to grind, With a hard heart And with loud voice Did Menja sing:
The Prose Edda, passage 409
It is generally believed that this Thok was Loke, Laufey’s son, who has wrought most evil among the asas.
The Prose Edda, passage 91
They knew not where his realm was, but they believed that he ruled over all things on the earth and in the air, over the heavens and the heavenly bodies, the seas and the weather. But in order that these things might be better told and remembered, they gave him the same name with themselves, and this belief has been changed in many ways, as the peoples have been separated and the tongues have been divided.
The Prose Edda, passage 76
It is not enough to brush the dust off these gods and goddesses of our ancestors and put them up on pedestals as ornaments in our museums and libraries. These coins of the past are not to be laid away in numismatic collections. The grandson must use what he has inherited from his grandfather. If the coin is not intelligible, then it will have to be sent to the mint and stamped anew, in order that it may circulate freely. Our ancestral deities want a place in our hearts and in our songs.
The Prose Edda, passage 99
They deemed that all things were smithied of some one material.
The Prose Edda, passage 39
Muller, Adolf Holzmann, Sophus Bugge, P. A. Munch and Rudolph Keyser. For the material in our introduction and notes, we are chiefly indebted to Simrock, Wilkin and Keyser. While we have had no opportunity of making original researches, the published works have been carefully studied, and all we claim for our work is, that it shall contain the results of the latest and most thorough investigations by scholars who live nearer the fountains of Urd and Mimer than do we.
The Prose Edda, passage 558
Then clung with his hands The husband of Sigyn To Skade’s foster-son, In the presence of all the gods. The pole stuck fast To Jotunheim’s strong fascinator, But the hands of Honer’s dear friend Stuck to the other end.
The Prose Edda, passage 541
Nor did courage fail Those foes of the giant In the seething vortex. Those sworn companions Regarded a brave heart Better than gold. Neither Thor’s nor Thjalfe’s heart From fear did tremble.
The Prose Edda, passage 698
From the same sea a long sea-bight stretches toward the northeast, and is called the Black Sea, and divides the three parts of the earth; of which the eastern part is called Asia, and the western is called by some Europe, by some Enea.[103] Northward of the Black Sea lies Svithjod the Great,[104] or the Cold.
The Prose Edda, passage 424
The sons of Muspel have there effulgent bands alone by themselves. The plain Vigrid is one hundred miles (rasts) on each side.
The Prose Edda, passage 658
No longer you will sit On the throne of Hleidra And rule o’er red Rings and the mill. Now must we grind With all our might, No warmth will we get From the blood of the slain.
The Prose Edda, passage 316
But true it is, as you said, that Odin is a great chief. There are many proofs of that. Thus it is said in the very words of the asas themselves:
The Prose Edda, passage 631
This fall of men And sagas many On the fair shield I see. Ragnar gave me the shield.
The Prose Edda, passage 760
From Odin’s name came the name Audun, which people gave to his sons; and from Thor’s name came Thorer, also Thorarinn; and it was also sometimes augmented by other additions, as Steinthor, Hafthor, and many kinds of alterations.
The Prose Edda, passage 918
The poor man promised immediately, and was very thankful besides.
The Prose Edda, passage 193
Bifrost is indeed a good bridge, but there is no thing in the world that is able to stand when the sons of Muspel come to the fight.
The Prose Edda, passage 130
The mighty men of the kingdom saw that they were unlike other men whom they had seen, both in respect to beauty and understanding.
The Prose Edda, passage 910
Rokr means _twilight_, and Ragnarokr, as the Younger Edda has it, thus means _the twilight of the gods_, and the latter is adopted by nearly all modern writers, although Gudbr. Vigfusson declares that Ragnarok (doomsday) is no doubt the correct form. And this is also to be said in favor of doomsday, that Ragnarok does not involve only the _twilight_, but the whole _night_ of the gods and the world.
The Prose Edda, passage 285
36. Ganglere asked: Which are the goddesses? Har answered: Frigg is the first; she possesses the right lordly dwelling which is called Fensaler. The second is Saga, who dwells in Sokvabek, and this is a large dwelling. The third is Eir, who is the best leech. The fourth is Gefjun, who is a may, and those who die maids become her hand-maidens.
The Prose Edda, passage 295
These are called valkyries. Odin sends them to all battles, where they choose those who are to be slain, and rule over the victory. Gud and Rosta, and the youngest norn, Skuld, always ride to sway the battle and choose the slain. Jord, the mother of Thor, and Rind, Vale’s mother, are numbered among the goddesses.
The Prose Edda, passage 165
This Bor married a woman whose name was Bestla, the daughter of the giant Bolthorn; they had three sons,--the one hight Odin, the other Vile, and the third Ve. And it is my belief that this Odin and his brothers are the rulers of heaven and earth. We think that he must be so called. That is the name of the man whom we know to be the greatest and most famous, and well may men call him by that name.
The Prose Edda, passage 656
Now hold shall the hands The lances hard, The weapons bloody,-- Wake now, Frode! Wake now, Frode! If you would listen To our songs,-- To sayings old.
The Prose Edda, passage 495
They say that he avenged his brother, and that he lived when all the gods were dead, and after the fire was quenched that burned up Asgard and all the possessions of the gods. Pyrrhos they compared with the Fenris-wolf. He slew Odin, and Pyrrhos might be called a wolf according to their belief, for he did not spare the peace-steads, when he slew the king in the temple before the altar of Thor. The burning of Troy they call the flame of Surt.
The Prose Edda, passage 941
The wife, who was in the meadow making hay, began to think that it took a long time to get dinner ready. “Even if husband does not call us, we will have to go anyway. I suppose he does not know much about making gruel; I will have to go and help him,” said the woman to the mowers.
The Prose Edda, passage 1032
Paulus (Diakonos), 244. Persia, 225. Petersen (N. M.), 248. Pfeiffer (Fr.), 18. Pigott, 16. Pluto, 49. Poetry (origin of), 161-165. Polar Sea, 248. Pompey, 43, 222, 229, 230. Pontus, 229. Priamos, 39, 43, 44, 166, 167. Pyrrhus, 168.
The Prose Edda, passage 462
He got the falcon-guise, flew north into Jotunheim, and came one day to the giant Thjasse. The giant had rowed out to sea, and Idun was at home alone. Loke turned her into the likeness of a nut, held her in his claws and flew with all his might. But when Thjasse returned home and missed Idun, he took on his eagle-guise, flew after Loke, gaining on the latter with his eagle wings.
The Prose Edda, passage 387
It is said that the giant Hymer changed hue and grew pale from fear when he saw the serpent and beheld the water flowing into the boat; but just at the moment when Thor grasped the hammer and lifted it in the air, the giant fumbled for his fishing-knife and cut off Thor’s line at the gunwale, whereby the serpent sank back into the sea.
The Prose Edda, passage 1028
Munon, 44. Muspel, 68, 103, 112, 142, 144. Muspelheim, 5, 56, 58, 61, 66, 243, 247, 249, 259. Muss, 254. Mysing, 207.
The Prose Edda, passage 602
Then Sigurd went to Regin and slew him, and thereupon he mounted his horse hight Grane, and rode until he came to Fafner’s bed, took out all the gold, packed it in two bags and laid it on Grane’s back, then got on himself and rode away. Now is told the saga according to which gold is called Fafner’s bed or lair, the metal of Gnita-heath, or Grane’s burden.
The Prose Edda, passage 404
Then Hermod rode on till he came to Hel’s gate. He alighted from his horse, drew the girths tighter, remounted him, clapped the spurs into him, and the horse leaped over the gate with so much force that he never touched it. Thereupon Hermod proceeded to the hall and alighted from his steed. He went in, and saw there sitting on the foremost seat his brother Balder. He tarried there over night.
The Prose Edda, passage 615
A little later Gudrun slew her two sons and made from their skulls goblets trimmed with gold, and thereupon the funeral ceremonies took place. At the feast, Gudrun poured for King Atle in these goblets mead that was mixed with the blood of the youths. Their hearts she roasted and gave to the king to eat. When this was done she told him all about it, with many unkind words. There was no lack of strong mead, so that the most of the people sitting there fell asleep.
The Prose Edda, passage 18
Well aware that our work has many imperfections, and begging our readers to deal generously with our shortcomings, we send the book out into the world with the hope that it may aid some young son or daughter of Odin to find his way to the fountains of Urd and Mimer and to Idun’s rejuvenating apples. The son must not squander, but husband wisely, what his father has accumulated. The race must cherish and hold fast and add to the thought that the past has bequeathed to it. Thus does it grow greater and richer with each new generation. The past is the mirror that reflects the future.
The Prose Edda, passage 939
“Grind fish and gruel: Grind both well and fast!” said the man, and the mill began to grind fish and gruel. It first filled all the dishes and tubs full, and after that it covered the whole floor with fish and gruel. The man kept puttering and tinkering, and tried to get the mill to stop; but no matter how he turned it and fingered at it, the mill kept on, and before long the gruel got so deep in the room that the man was on the point of drowning.
The Prose Edda, passage 310
From her teats runs so much mead that she fills every day a vessel in the hall from which the horns are filled, and which is so large that all the einherjes get all the drink they want out of it. Then said Ganglere: That is a most useful goat, and a right excellent tree that must be that she feeds upon. Then said Har: Still more remarkable is the hart Eikthyrner, which stands over Valhal and bites the branches of the same tree.
The Prose Edda, passage 536
And the troll-woman’s disgracer Waded across the roaring stream,-- Rolling full of drenched snow over its banks. He who puts giants to flight Rapidly advanced O’er the broad watery way, Where the noisy stream’s Venom belched forth.
The Prose Edda, passage 474
Then Fjalar asked her whether it would not lighten her sorrow if she could look out upon the sea where her husband had perished, and she said it would. He then said to his brother Galar that he should go up over the doorway, and as she passed out he should let a mill-stone drop onto her head, for he said he was tired of her bawling, Galar did so.
The Prose Edda, passage 640
Brought to the mill Soon they were; The gray stones They had to turn. Nor rest nor peace He gave to them: He would hear the maidens Turn the mill.
The Prose Edda, passage 578
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.
The Prose Edda, passage 145
He saw three high-seats, one above the other, and in each sat a man. He asked what the names of these chiefs were. He, who had conducted him in, answered that the one who sat in the lowest high-seat was king, and hight Har; the one next above him, Jafnhar; but the one who sat on the highest throne, Thride. Har asked the comer what more his errand was, and added that food and drink was there at his service, as for all in Har’s hall. Ganglere answered that he first would like to ask whether there was any wise man. Answered Har: You will not come out from here hale unless you are wiser.
The Prose Edda, passage 23
The religion of our ancestors forms an important chapter in the history of the childhood of our race, and this fact has induced us to offer the public an English translation of the Eddas. The purely mythological portion of the Elder Edda was translated and published by A. S. Cottle, in Bristol, in 1797, and the whole work was translated by Benjamin Thorpe, and published in London in 1866. Both these works are now out of print.
The Prose Edda, passage 128
11. Then Odin continued his journey northward and came into the country which was called Reidgotaland, and in that land he conquered all that he desired. He established there his son, who hight Skjold; his son hight Fridleif; from him is descended the race which hight Skjoldungs; these are the Dane kings, and that land hight now Jutland, which then was called Reidgotaland.
The Prose Edda, passage 827
AURGELMER, THRUDGELMER and BERGELMER express the gradual development from aur (clay) to thrud (that which is compressed), and finally to berg (rock).
The Prose Edda, passage 490
King Priam in Troy was a great chief over all the Turkish host, and his sons were the most distinguished men in his whole army. That excellent hall, which the asas called Brime’s Hall, or beer-hall, was King Priam’s palace. As for the long tale that they tell of Ragnarok, that is the wars of the Trojans.
The Prose Edda, passage 894
The myth is also found in another poem of the Elder Edda, the Lay of Fjolsvin, in which the god himself--there called Svipday (the hastener of the day)--undertakes the journey to arouse from the winter sleep the cold giant nature of the maiden Menglad (the sun-radiant daughter), who is identical with Freyja (the goddess of spring, promise, or of love between man and woman, and who can easily be compared with Gerd).
The Prose Edda, passage 633
Why is gold called Frode’s meal? The saga giving rise to this is the following:
The Prose Edda, passage 997
A dwarf. VIT. A dwarf. VOLSUNGS. The descendants of Volsung. VON. A river formed by the saliva running from the mouth of the chained Fenris-wolf. VOR. One of the asynjes.
The Prose Edda, passage 1010
Folkvang, 86, 259. Forestier, Auber, 262, 263, 266, 267. Form, 56, 241. Fornjot, 239-243. Forsete, 89, 90, 153, 259, 260. Frananger Force, 137. Frankland, 46. Fraser’s Magazine, 253. Freke, 105. Freovit, 46. Frey, 6, 7, 8, 85, 86, 94, 101-103, 109-112, 134, 142, 143, 153, 187, 191, 192, 227, 228, 237-239, 243, 260, 262, 264. Freyja, 6, 7, 29, 85, 86, 97, 110, 134, 153, 157, 170, 183, 187, 228, 232, 239, 259, 261, 262. Fridleif, 45, 46, 206, 218. Frigialand, 168.
The Prose Edda, passage 801
(See Max Müller’s Lectures on the Science of Language, 2d series, p. 425). Paulus Diakonus states that Wodan, or Gwodan, was worshiped by all branches of the Teutons. Odin has also been sought and found in the Scythian _Zalmoxis_, in the Indian _Buddha_, in the Celtic Budd, and in the Mexican Votan. Zalmoxis, derived from the Gr. Ζαλμός, helmet, reminds us of Odin as the helmet-bearer (Grimm, Gesch. der Deutschen Sprache).