Snorri Sturluson

“ The Giantess-Destroyer With Grídr's staff fared sternly. Nor did their hearts of rancor Droop in the men unblemished, Nor courage 'gainst the headlong Fall of the current fail them: A fiercer-daring spirit Flamed in the dauntless God's breast,— With terror Thor's staunch heart-stone Trembled not, nor Thjálfi's. And afterward the haters Of the host of sword-companions, The shatterers of bucklers, Dinned on the shield of giants, Ere the destroying peoples Of the shingle-drift of monsters Wrought the helm-play of Hedinn 'Gainst the rock-dwelling marksmen. ”

“ The fair warriors of the Æsir, In battle wise, fast waded, And the surging pool, sward-sweeping, Streamed: the earth-drift's billow, Blown by the mighty tempest, Tugged with monstrous fury At the terrible oppressor Of the earth-born tribe of cave-folk. Till Thjálfi came uplifted On his lord Thor's wide shield-strap: That was a mighty thew-test For the Prop of Heaven; the maidens Of the harmful giant stiffly Held the stream stubborn against them ”

“ The sword in his hand to the heart he thrusteth Of the fiend's offspring; avenged is his Father. Now goeth Hlödyn's glorious son Not in flight from the Serpent, of fear unheeding; All the earth's offspring must empty the homesteads, When furiously smiteth Midgard's defender. The sun shall be darkened, earth sinks in the sea,— Glide from the heaven the glittering stars; Smoke-reek rages and reddening fire: The high heat licks against heaven itself. And here it says yet so:
Vígrídr hight the field where in fight shall meet Surtr and the cherished gods ”

“ The Snake beats the waves, the Eagle is screaming; The gold-neb tears corpses, Naglfar is loosed. From the east sails the keel; come now Múspell's folk Over the sea-waves, and Loki steereth; There are the warlocks all with the Wolf,— With them is the brother of Býleistr faring. Surtr fares from southward with switch-eating flame; On his sword shimmers the sun of the war-gods; The rocks are falling, and fiends are reeling, Heroes tread Hel-way, heaven is cloven. Then to the Goddess a second grief cometh, When Odin fares to fight with the Wolf, And Beli's slayer, the bright god, with Surtr ”

“ Art thou awake, Thor? It will be time to arise and clothe us; but now ye have no long journey forward to the castle called Útgardr. I have heard how ye have whispered among yourselves that I am no little man in stature; but ye shall see taller men, if ye come into Útgardr. Now I will give you wholesome advice: do not conduct yourselves boastfully, for the henchmen of Útgarda-Loki will not well endure big words from such swaddling-babes. ”

“ A host shall come Hither, with swiftness, And fire the dwellings Above King Fródi.
'Thou shalt not hold The stead of Hleidr, The red gold rings Nor the gods' holy altar; We grasp the handle, Maiden, more hardly,— We were not warmer In the wound-gore of corpses. 'My father's maid Mightily ground For she saw the feyness Of men full many; The sturdy posts From the flour-box started, Made staunch with iron. Grind we yet swifter. 'Grind we yet swifter! The son of Yrsa, Hálfdanr's kinsman, Shall come with vengeance On Fródi's head: Him shall men call Yrsa's son and brother. ”

“ Then said Útgarda-Loki: 'How now, Thor? Thou wilt not shrink from one more drink than may he well for thee? If thou now drink the third draught from the horn, it seems to me as if this must he esteemed the greatest; but thou canst not be called so great a man here among us as the Æsir call thee, if thou give not a better account of thyself in the other games than it seems to me may come of this.' Then Thor became angry, set the horn to his mouth, and drank with all his might, and struggled with the drink as much as he could ”

“ Even as the skald Bragi sang:
He who threw the dead eyes Of Thjazi, Skadi's father, Into the Winds' Wide Basin O'er the abodes of men-folk many. And as Markús sang:
'Tis long since the dear-loved Warder Of sea-men was born on the wave-girt earth-bottom Of the Storm-Container; each man praises The sublime age of the Ring-Dispenser. Even as Steinn Herdísarson sang:
I sing the holy Ruler Of the high World-Tent rather Than men, for very precious Is He: His praises tell I. And as Arnórr Earls'-Skald sang:
Help, dear King of Heaven, The Day's Plain, help my Hermundr. ”

“ Then word was sent to Jötunheim after that giantess who is called Hyrrokkin. When she had come, riding a wolf and having a viper for bridle, then she leaped off the steed; and Odin called to four berserks to tend the steed; but they were not able to hold it until they had felled it. Then Hyrrokkin went to the prow of the boat and thrust it out at the first push, so that fire burst from the rollers, and all lands trembled. Thor became angry and clutched his hammer, and would straightway have broken her head, had not the gods prayed for peace for her. ”

“ XXII. Then said Gangleri: "I would ask tidings of more Æsir." Hárr replied: "The second son of Odin is Baldr, and good things are to be said of him. He is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him. A certain herb is so white that it is likened to Baldr's brow; of all grasses it is whitest, and by it thou mayest judge his fairness, both in hair and in body. He is the wisest of the Æsir, and the fairest-spoken and most gracious; and that quality attends him, that none may gainsay his judgments. ”

“ Bragi the Skald composed verses after this tale in Ragnarr Lodbrók's Song of Praise:
And the belovèd Maiden Of the veins' blood-letting Purposed to bring, for wrath's sake, The bow-storm to her father: When the ring-wearing lady, The woman full of evil, Bore the neck-ring of War-Doom To the Battler of the Wind's Steeds.
That gory Wound-Amender To the glorious Monarch offered The necklace not for fear's sake, At the mote of fatal weapons: Ever as restraining battle She seemed, although she goaded Warriors to walk the death-road With the ravening Wolf's dire Sister. ”

“ When the king learned of the coming of those men of Asia, who were called Æsir, he went to meet them, and made offer to them that Odin should have such power in his realm as he himself wielded. And such well-being followed ever upon their footsteps, that in whatsoever lands they dwelt were good seasons and peace; and all believed that they caused these things, for the lords of the land perceived that they were unlike other men whom they had seen, both in fairness and also in wisdom. ”

“ Körmt and Örmt and the Kerlaugs twain, Them shall Thor wade Every day when he goes to doom At Ash Yggdrasill; For the Æsir's Bridge burns all with flame, And the holy waters howl." Then said Gangleri: "Does fire burn over Bifröst?" Hárr replied: "That which thou seest to be red in the bow is burning fire; the Hill-Giants might go up to heaven, if passage on Bifröst were open to all those who would cross. There are many fair places in heaven, and over everything there a godlike watch is kept. ”

“ Of the blood, which ran and welled forth freely out of his wounds, they made the sea, when they had formed and made firm the earth together, and laid the sea in a ring round about her; and it may well seem a hard thing to most men to cross over it. ”

“ A hall I know standing than the sun fairer, Thatched with gold in Gimlé bright; There shall dwell the doers of righteousness And ever and ever enjoy delight." Then said Gangleri: "What shall guard this place, when the flame of Surtr shall consume heaven and earth?" Hárr answered: "It is sad that another heaven is to the southward and upward of this one, and it is called Andlangr; [27] but the third heaven is yet above that, and it is called Vídbláinn, [28] and in that heaven we think this abode is. But we believe that none but Light-Elves inhabit these mansions now." ”

“ Own sisters' children shall sin together; Ill days among men, many a whoredom: An axe-age, a sword-age, shields shall be cloven; A wind-age, a wolf-age, ere the world totters. Then shall happen what seems great tidings: the Wolf shall swallow the sun ”

“ Hrungnir answered that Ása-Thor would have scant renown for killing him, weaponless as he was: it were a greater trial of his courage if he dared fight with Hrungnir on the border at Grjótúnagard. 'And it was a great folly,' said he, 'when I left my shield and hone behind at home; if I had my weapons here, then we should try single-combat. But as matters stand, I declare thee a coward if thou wilt slay me, a weaponless man.' Thor was by no means anxious to avoid the fight when challenged to the field, for no one had ever offered him single-combat before. ”

“ From the north and all down over the eastern part, even to the south, is called Asia. In that region of the world is all fairness and pride, and the fruits of the earth's increase, gold and jewels. There also is the centre of the earth; and even as the land there is lovelier and better in every way than in other places, so also were the sons of men there most favored with all goodly gifts: wisdom, and strength of the body, beauty, and all manner of knowledge. ”

“ Hárr answered: "The divine Æsir are twelve." Then said Jafnhárr: "Not less holy are the Ásynjur, the goddesses, and they are of no less authority." Then said Thridi: "Odin is highest and eldest of the Æsir: he rules all things, and mighty as are the other gods, they all serve him as children obey a father. Frigg is his wife, and she knows all the fates of men, though she speaks no prophecy,—as is said here, when Odin himself spake with him of the Æsir whom men call Loki:
Thou art mad now, Loki, and reft of mind,— Why, Loki, leav'st thou not off? ”

“ King Adils rode at the ring and thrust at it with his spear-point, and let it slide down over the shaft-socket. Then Hrólfr Kraki turned back and saw how he bent down, and spake: 'Now I have made him who is mightiest of Swedes stoop as a swine stoops.' Thus they parted. For this cause gold is called Seed of Kraki or of Fýri's Plain. Thus sang Eyvindr Skald-Despoiler:
God of the blade of battle, We bear through Hákon's life-days The Seed of Fýri's valley On our arms, where sits the falcon. ”

“ Near the earth's centre was made that goodliest of homes and haunts that ever have been, which is called Troy, even that which we call Turkland. This abode was much more gloriously made than others, and fashioned with more skill of craftsmanship in manifold wise, both in luxury and in the wealth which was there in abundance. There were twelve kingdoms and one High King, and many sovereignties belonged to each kingdom; in the stronghold were twelve chieftains. These chieftains were in every manly part greatly above other men that have ever been in the world. ”