The Prose Edda

The name of King Frode’s mill. GUD. A valkyrie. GUDNY. One of the children of Gjuke. GUDRUN. The famous daughter of Gjuke. GULLINBURSTE. The name of Frey’s boar. GULLINTANNE. A name of Heimdal. GULLTOP. Heimdal’s horse. GULLVEIG. A personification of gold; she is pierced and burnt. GUNGNER. Odin’s spear. GUNLAT. The daughter of the giant Suttung. GUNN. A valkyrie. GUNNAR. The famous son of Gjuke. GUNTHRAIN. One of the rivers flowing from Hvergelmer. GWODAN. An old name for Odin. GYLFE.

9. Then said Ganglere: Much had been done, it seemed to me, when heaven and earth were made, when sun and moon were set in their places, and when days were marked out; but whence came the people who inhabit the world? Har answered as follows: As Bor’s sons went along the sea-strand, they found two trees. These trees they took up and made men of them.

But in the course of time men became unequal; some were good and right-believing, but many more turned them after the lusts of the world and heeded not God’s laws; and for this reason God drowned the world in the flood, and all that was quick in the world, except those who were in the ark with Noah.

After the flood of Noah there lived eight men, who inhabited the world, and from them the races are descended; and now, as before, they increased and filled the world, and there were very many men who loved to covet wealth and power, but turned away from obedience to God, and so much did they do this that they would not name God. And who could then tell their sons of the wonderful works of God?

And the huge father of Morn[93] Afterward greedily ate The ox at the tree-root. That was long ago, Until the profound Loke the hard rod laid ’Twixt the shoulders Of the giant Thjasse.

Then Hogne sailed after him to the Orkneys. And when he came to the island called Ha, then Hedin was there before him with his host. Then Hild went to meet her father, and offered him as a reconciliation from Hedin a necklace; but if he was not willing to accept this, she said that Hedin was prepared for a battle, and Hogne might expect no clemency from him. Hogne answered his daughter harshly.

His shield was of stone, and was broad and thick, and he was holding this shield before him as he stood at Grjottungard waiting for Thor. His weapon was a flint-stone, which he swung over his shoulders, and altogether he presented a most formidable aspect. On one side of him stood the giant of clay, who was named Mokkerkalfe. He was so exceedingly terrified, that it is said that he wet himself when he saw Thor. Thor proceeded to the duel, and Thjalfe was with him.

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.

Our translations are made from Egilsson’s, Jonsson’s and Wilkins’ editions of the original. We have not translated any of the Hattatal, and only the narrative part of Skaldskaparmal, and yet our version contains more of the Younger Edda than any English, German, French or Danish translation that has hitherto been published. The parts omitted cannot possibly be of any interest to any one who cannot read them in the original.

One of these fays is sometimes called Held, and described as black, or as half dark half white--like Hel, the Mistress of the Nether World. That German fay is also called Rachel, clearly a contraction of Rach-Hel, i.e. the Avengeress Hel.

[Footnote 119: Compare this version of the myth with the one given in the first chapter of The Fooling of Gylfe. Many explain the myth to mean the breaking through of the Baltic between Sweden and Denmark.]

All the poems quoted in the Younger Edda have in this edition been traced back to their sources in the Elder Edda and elsewhere.