The Prose Edda, passage 114

When Saturn was emasculated by Jupiter, his son, he fled from the east out of Crete and west into Italy. There dwelt at that time such people as did not work, and lived on acorns and grass, and lay in caves or holes in the earth. And when Saturn came there he changed his name and called himself Njord, for the reason that he thought that Jupiter, his son, might afterward seek him out. He was the first there to teach men to plow and plant vineyards.

The Prose Edda, passage 667

Another example is told of Rolf Krake’s bravery. In Upsala reigned a king by name Adils, whose wife was Yrsa, Rolf Krake’s mother. He was engaged in a war with Norway’s king, Ale. They fought a battle on the ice of the lake called Wenern. King Adils sent a message to Rolf Krake, his stepson, asking him to come and help him, and promising to furnish pay for his whole army during the campaign. Furthermore King Rolf himself should have any three treasures that he might choose in Sweden.

The Prose Edda, passage 546

The man of the rocky way But scanty knowledge got; Nor able were the giants To enjoy perfect gladness. Thou man of the bow-string! The dwarf’s kinsman An iron beam, in the forge heated, Threw against Odin’s dear son.

The Prose Edda, passage 675

King Adils rode to the ring, picked it up with the end of his spear, and let it slide down to his hand. Then Rolf Krake turned round and saw that the other was stooping. Said he: Like a swine I have now bended the foremost of all Swedes. Thus they parted. Hence gold is called the seed of Krake or of Fyrisvold.

The Prose Edda, passage 98

But as the names increased in number, so was truth lost; and from this first error every following man worshiped his head-master, beasts or birds, the air and the heavenly bodies, and various lifeless things, until the error at length spread over the whole world; and so carefully did they lose the truth that no one knew his maker, excepting those men alone who spoke the Hebrew tongue,--that which flourished before the building of the tower,--and still they did not lose the bodily endowments that were given them, and therefore they judged of all things with earthly understanding, for spiritual wisdom was not given unto them.

The Prose Edda, passage 487

Thus we speak of Odin as Sigtyr, Hangatyr or Farmatyr, and such names we call simple appellatives. In the same manner he is called Reidartyr.

The Prose Edda, passage 507

Thjalfe ran forward to where Hrungner was standing, and said to him: You stand illy guarded, giant; you hold the shield before you, but Thor has seen you; he goes down into the earth and will attack you from below. Then Hrungner thrust the shield under his feet and stood on it, but the flint-stone he seized with both his hands.

The Prose Edda, passage 215

[Footnote 26: The Icelandic barr. See Vigfusson, _sub voce_.]

The Prose Edda, passage 228

20. Then asked Ganglere: Which are the asas, in whom men are bound to believe? Har answered him: Twelve are the divine asas. Jafnhar said: No less holy are the asynjes (goddesses), nor is their power less. Then added Thride: Odin is the highest and oldest of the asas. He rules all things, but the other gods, each according to his might, serve him as children a father. Frigg is his wife, and she knows the fate of men, although she tells not thereof, as it is related that Odin himself said to Asa-Loke:

The Prose Edda, passage 27

6. Skaldskaparmal (a collection of poetic paraphrases, and denominations in Skaldic language without paraphrases).

The Prose Edda, passage 374

When Thjalfe ran a race with him whose name was Huge, that was my thought, and it was impossible for him to keep pace with its swiftness. When you drank from the horn, and thought that it diminished so little, then, by my troth, it was a great wonder, which I never could have deemed possible.. One end of the horn stood in the sea, but that you did not see. When you come to the sea-shore you will discover how much the sea has sunk by your drinking; that is now called the ebb.

The Prose Edda, passage 434

Then comes to Hlin Another woe, When Odin goes With the wolf to fight, And Bele’s bright slayer[66] To contend with Surt. There will fall Frigg’s beloved.

The Prose Edda, passage 488

Now it is to be said to young skalds who are desirous of acquiring the diction of poetry, or of increasing their store of words with old names, or, on the other hand, are eager to understand what is obscurely sung, that they must master this book for their instruction and pastime. These sagas are not to be so forgotten or disproved as to take away from poetry old periphrases which great skalds have been pleased with.

The Prose Edda, passage 1026

Macbeth, 252-265. Macedonians, 39, 40, 42. Maelstrom, 208. Magi, 45. Magne, 45, 48, 149, 168, 173. Magnusson (Arne), 17, 18, 23. Malar, 49, 231, 232. Mallet, 16, 230. Manilius, 229. Mannheim, 225, 236. Mardol, 97. Mars, 222. Mechtild, 255. Mediterranean Sea, 38. Megingjarder, 83, 106, 176, 180. Meile, 174. Menglad, 260, 262. Menja, 206-209, 267. Menon, 44. Metellus, 223. Mexican, 244. Midgard, 5, 62, 63, 67, 109, 128, 145, 259. Midvitne, 245.

The Prose Edda, passage 550

The much worshiped thunderer, With all his might, slew The dwellers in Alfheim With that little willow-twig, And no shield Was able to resist The strong age-diminisher Of the mountain-king.

The Prose Edda, passage 505

Thereupon the giants made at Grjottungard a man of clay, who was nine rasts tall and three rasts broad under the arms, but being unable to find a heart large enough to be suitable for him, they took the heart from a mare, but even this fluttered and trembled when Thor came. Hrungner had, as is well known, a heart of stone, sharp and three-sided; just as the rune has since been risted that is called Hrungner’s heart. Even his head was of stone.

The Prose Edda, passage 905

As in Genesis fratricide (Cain and Abel) followed upon the eating of the forbidden fruit, and the loss of paradise; so, when the golden age (paradise) had ended among the asas, Loke (the serpent) brought fratricide (Hoder and Balder) among the gods; themselves and our ancestors regarded fratricide as the lowest depth of moral depravity. After the death of Balder

The Prose Edda, passage 802

According to Humboldt, a race in Guatemala, Mexico, claim to be descended from Votan (Vues des Cordillères, 1817, I, 208). This suggests the question whether Odin’s name may not have been brought to America by the Norse discoverers in the 10th and 11th centuries, and adopted by some of the native races. In the Lay of Grimner (Elder Edda) the following names of Odin are enumerated:

The Prose Edda, passage 6

And Fimbultyr said: Let Ymer be slain and let order be established. And straightway Odin and his brothers--the bright sons of Bure--gave Ymer a mortal wound, and from his body made they the universe; from his flesh, the earth; from his blood, the sea; from his bones, the rocks; from his hair, the trees; from his skull, the vaulted heavens; from his eye-brows, the bulwark called Midgard. And the gods formed man and woman in their own image of two trees, and breathed into them the breath of life. Ask and Embla became living souls, and they received a garden in Midgard as a dwelling-place for themselves and their children until the end of time. This was Cosmos.

The Prose Edda, passage 426

Odin rides first; with his golden helmet, resplendent byrnie, and his spear Gungner, he advances against the Fenris-wolf. Thor stands by his side, but can give him no assistance, for he has his hands full in his struggle with the Midgard-serpent. Frey encounters Surt, and heavy blows are exchanged ere Frey falls. The cause of his death is that he has not that good sword which he gave to Skirner. Even the dog Garm, that was bound before the Gnipa-cave, gets loose. He is the greatest plague.

The Prose Edda, passage 433

From the south comes Surt With blazing fire-brand,-- The sun of the war-god Shines from his sword. Mountains dash together, Giant maids are frightened, Heroes go the way to Hel, And heaven is rent in twain.

The Prose Edda, passage 324

Then went the gods to their judgment-seats and held counsel, and asked each other who could have advised to give Freyja in marriage in Jotunheim, or to plunge the air and the heavens in darkness by taking away the sun and the moon and giving them to the giant; and all agreed that this must have been advised by him who gives the most bad counsels, namely, Loke, son of Laufey, and they threatened him with a cruel death if he could not contrive some way of preventing the builder from fulfilling his part of the bargain, and they proceeded to lay hands on Loke.

The Prose Edda, passage 714

Odin went out with a great army against the Vanaland people; but they were well prepared, and defended their land, so that victory was changeable, and they ravaged the lands of each other and did great damage. They tired of this at last, and, on both sides appointing a meeting for establishing peace, made a truce and exchanged hostages.

The Prose Edda, passage 917

“If you will do what I ask of you, I will give you a whole ham of pork,” said he.

The Prose Edda, passage 798

Har being Odin, Har’s Hall will be Valhal. You will not come out from this hall unless you are wiser. In the lay of Vafthrudner, of the Elder Edda, we have a similar challenge, where Vafthrudner says to Odin:

The Prose Edda, passage 934

“But where in hell have you gotten all your riches from?” said he to his brother.

The Prose Edda, passage 255

[Footnote 41: This etymology is, however, erroneous, for the word is derived from _oln_ or _öln_, and the true form of the word is _ölnliðr_ = the ell-joint (wrist); thus we have _ölnboge_--the elbow; _öln_ = _alin_ (Gr. ὠδίνη; Lat. _ulna_; cp. A.-S. _el-boga_; Eng. _elbow_) is the arm from the elbow to the end of the middle finger, hence an ell in long measure.]

The Prose Edda, passage 20

Thor and Hrungner 169 Thor’s Journey to Geirrod’s 176 Idun 184 Æger’s Feast 187 Loke’s Wager with the Dwarfs 189 The Niflungs and Gjukungs 193 Menja and Fenja 206 The Grottesong 208 Rolf Krake 214 Hogne and Hild 218

The Prose Edda, passage 1021

Hrungner, 7, 169-176, 210. Hrym, 141-144. Hvergelmer, 56, 72, 75, 106, 148, 243, 248, 249. Hvitserk, 215. Huge, 121, 126. Hugin, 105. Hugstare, 71. Humboldt, 244. Hymer, 128-133, 167, 186. Hyndla, 249. Hyrrokken, 133, 134.

The Prose Edda, passage 253

There is a saw, that he who surpasses others in bravery, and never yields, is Tyr-strong. He is also so wise, that it is said of anyone who is specially intelligent, that he is Tyr-learned. A proof of his daring is, that when the asas induced the wolf Fenrer to let himself be bound with the chain Gleipner, he would not believe that they would loose him again until Tyr put his hand in his mouth as a pledge.

The Prose Edda, passage 203

[Footnote 22: Elder Edda: The Vala’s Prophecy, 12, 14-16, 18, 19.]

The Prose Edda, passage 239

22. Thereupon said Ganglere: I wish to ask tidings of more of the asas. Har gave him answer: Odin’s second son is Balder, and of him good things are to be told. He is the best, and all praise him. He is so fair of face and so bright that rays of light issue from him; and there is a plant so white that it is likened unto Balder’s brow, and it is the whitest of all plants. From this you can judge of the beauty both of his hair and of his body. He is the wisest, mildest and most eloquent of all the asas; and such is his nature that none can alter the judgment he has pronounced. He inhabits the place in heaven called Breidablik, and there nothing unclean can enter. As is here said:

The Prose Edda, passage 365

Thor went over to it, put his hand under the middle of its body and tried to lift it up, but the cat bent its back in the same degree as Thor raised his hands; and when he had stretched them up as far as he was able the cat lifted one foot, and Thor did not carry the game any further. Then said Utgard-Loke: This game ended as I expected. The cat is rather large, and Thor is small, and little compared with the great men that are here with us.

The Prose Edda, passage 773

Njord of Noatun was then the sole sovereign of the Swedes; and he continued the sacrifices, and was called the drot, or sovereign, by the Swedes, and he received scatt and gifts from them. In his days were peace and plenty, and such good years in all respects that the Swedes believed Njord ruled over the growth of seasons and the prosperity of the people. In his time all the diars, or gods, died, and blood-sacrifices were made for them. Njord died on a bed of sickness, and before he died made himself be marked for Odin with the spear-point. The Swedes burned him, and all wept over his grave-mound.

The Prose Edda, passage 475

When the giant Suttung, the son of Gilling, found this out he came and seized the dwarfs, took them out to sea and left them on a rocky island, which was flooded at high tide. They prayed Suttung to spare their lives, and offered him in atonement for their father’s blood the precious mead, which he accepted. Suttung brought the mead home with him, and hid it in a place called Hnitbjorg. He set his daughter Gunlad to guard it.

The Prose Edda, passage 914

We are glad to welcome at this time a new book in the field of Niblung literature. We refer to Geibel’s Brunhild, translated, with introduction and notes, by Prof. G. Theo. Dippold, and recently published in Boston.

The Prose Edda, passage 1003

Baal, 37. Babylon, 39. Bafur, 70. Balder, 6, 7, 8, 46, 83, 84, 89, 131-136, 148, 158, 175, 232, 249, 259, 260, 264, 265. Baleyg, 81, 245, 247. Baltic, 223, 231. Banquo, 253. Bar, 61, 64, 250. Bar-Isle, 102. Bauge, 162, 163. Bavaria, 256. Bedvig, 45. Beigud, 215. Bel, 37. Beldegg, 46. Bele, 102, 103, 145, 175, 262. Beowulf, 262. Bergelmer, 60, 250. Bergmann, Fr., 18, 221. Berling, 261. Bestla, 60, 250. Biflide, 54. Biflinde, 54, 81, 245. Bifrost, 68, 73, 74, 77, 88, 108, 142. Bifur, 70.

The Prose Edda, passage 908

Upon the whole we may say that a sun-myth first represents the death of the day at sunset, when the sky is radiant as if dyed in blood. In the flushing morn light wins its victory again. Then this same myth becomes transferred to the death and birth of summer. Once more it is lifted into a higher sphere, while still holding on to its physical interpretation, and is applied to the world year. Finally, it is clothed with ethical attributes, becomes thoroughly anthropomorphized, and typifies the good and the evil, the virtues and vices (light and darkness), in the character and life of gods and of men. Thus we get four stages in the development of the myth.

The Prose Edda, passage 206

Alfather once came there and asked for a drink from the well, but he did not get it before he left one of his eyes as a pledge. So it is said in the Vala’s Prophecy:

The Prose Edda, passage 847

_All_. Paddock calls. Anon. Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air.

The Prose Edda, passage 625

When the tortuous serpent, Full of the drink of the Volsungs,[96] Hung in coils On the bait of the giant-slayer,[97]

The Prose Edda, passage 242

He established peace between the gods and vans. Njord took to wife Skade, a daughter of the giant Thjasse. She wished to live where her father had dwelt, that is, on the mountains in Thrymheim; Njord, on the other hand, preferred to be near the sea. They therefore agreed to pass nine nights in Thrymheim and three in Noatun. But when Njord came back from the mountains to Noatun he sang this:

The Prose Edda, passage 920

“What I have promised, I suppose, I must keep,” said the other. He took the ham and started. He walked and walked the whole day, and at twilight he came to a place where everything looked so bright and splendid.

The Prose Edda, passage 645

They stood in the hall, Their hands were resting; Then was it the first Word that he spoke: Sleep not longer Than the cuckoo on the hall, Or only while A song I sing:

The Prose Edda, passage 3

Ambassador to the Court of St. James, in Grateful Recollection of Pleasant Official Relations.

The Prose Edda, passage 464

The asas were on hand and slew the giant Thjasse within the gates of Asgard, and that slaughter is most famous.

The Prose Edda, passage 272

35. The wolf was fostered by the asas at home, and Tyr was the only one who had the courage to go to him and give him food. When the gods saw how much he grew every day, and all prophecies declared that he was predestined to become fatal to them, they resolved to make a very strong fetter, which they called Lading. They brought it to the wolf, and bade him try his strength on the fetter. The wolf, who did not think it would be too strong for him, let them do therewith as they pleased.

The Prose Edda, passage 845

_1st Witch_. When shall we three meet again-- In thunder, lightning or in rain?

The Prose Edda, passage 588

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 Prose Edda, passage 584

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).