The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson
she could plough with four oxen in a day and a night. This woman was,
however, of the race of the Æsir, and was called Gefjon. She took four
oxen from the north, out of Jotunheim (but they were the sons she had
had with a giant), and set them before a plough. Now the plough made
such deep furrows that it tore up the land, which the oxen drew
westward out to sea until they came to a sound. There Gefjon fixed the
land, and called it Sælund. And the place where the land had stood
became water, and formed a lake which is now called "The Water"
(Laugur), and the inlets of this lake correspond exactly with the
headlands of Sealund. As Skald Bragi the Old saith:--
"Gefjon drew from Gylfi,
Rich in stored up treasure,
The land she joined to Denmark.
Four heads and eight eyes bearing,
While hot sweat trickled down them,
The oxen dragged the reft mass
That formed this winsome island."
GYLFI'S JOURNEY TO ASGARD.
2. King Gylfi was renowned for his wisdom and skill in magic. He
beheld with astonishment that whatever the Æsir willed took place; and
was at a loss whether to attribute their success to the superiority of
their natural abilities, or to a power imparted to them by the mighty
gods whom they worshipped. To be satisfied in this particular, he
resolved to go to Asgard, and, taking upon himself the likeness of an
old man, set out on his journey. But the Æsir, being too well skilled
in divination not to foresee his design, prepared to receive him with
various illusions. On entering the city Gylfi saw a very lofty
mansion, the roof of which, as far as his eye could reach, was covered
with golden shields. Thiodolf of Hvina thus alludes to Valhalla being
roofed with shields.
"Warriors all care-worn,
(Stones had poured upon them),
On their backs let glisten
Valhalla's golden shingles."
At the entrance of the mansion Gylfi saw a man who amused himself by
tossing seven small-swords in the air, and catching them as they fell,
one after the other. This person having asked his name, Gylfi said
that he was called Gangler, and that he came from a long journey, and
begged for a night's lodging. He asked, in his turn, to whom this
mansion belonged. The other told him that it belonged to their king,
and added, "But I will lead thee to him, and thou shalt thyself ask
him his name." So saying he entered the hall, and as Gylfi followed
the door banged to behind him. He there saw many stately rooms crowded
with people, some playing, some drinking, and others fighting with
various weapons. Gangler, seeing a multitude of things, the meaning of
which he could not comprehend, softly pronounced the following verse
(from the Havamal, st. i.):--
"Scan every gate
Ere thou go on,
With greatest caution;
For hard to say 'tis
Where foes are sitting
In this fair mansion."
He afterwards beheld three thrones raised one above another, with a
man sitting on each of them. Upon his asking what the names of these
lords might be, his guide answered: "He who sitteth on the lowest
throne is a king; his name is Har (the High or Lofty One); the second
is Jafnhar (_i.e_. equal to the High); but he who sitteth on the
highest throne is called Thridi (the Third)." Har, perceiving the
stranger, asked him what his errand was, adding that he should be
welcome to eat and drink without cost, as were all those who remained
in Hava Hall. Gangler said he desired first to ascertain whether there
was any person present renowned for his wisdom.
"If thou art not the most knowing," replied Har, "I fear thou wilt
hardly return safe. But go, stand there below, and propose thy
questions, here sits one who will be able to answer them."
OF THE SUPREME DEITY.
3. Gangler thus began his discourse:--"'Who is the first, or eldest
of the gods?"
"In our language," replied Har, "he is called Alfadir (All-Father, or
the Father of all); but in the old Asgard he had twelve names."
"Where is this God?" said Gangler; "what is his power? and what hath
he done to display his glory?"
"He liveth," replied Har, "from all ages, he governeth all realms and
swayeth all things great and small."
"He hath formed," added Jafnhar, "heaven and earth, and the air, and
all things thereunto belonging."
"And what is more," continued Thridi, "he hath made man, and given him
a soul which shall live and never perish though the body shall have
mouldered away, or have been burnt to ashes. And all that are
righteous shall dwell with him in the place called Gimli, or Vingolf;
but the wicked shall go to Hel, and thence to Niflhel, which is below,
in the ninth world."
"And where did this god remain before he made heaven and earth?"
demanded Gangler.
"He was then," replied Har, "with the Hrimthursar."[126]
OF THE PRIMORDIAL STATE OF THE UNIVERSE.
4. "But with what did he begin, or what was the beginning of
things?" demanded Gangler.
"Hear," replied Har, "what is said in the Voluspa."
"'Twas time's first dawn,
When nought yet was,
Nor sand nor sea,
Nor cooling wave;
Earth was not there,
Nor heaven above.
Nought save a void
And yawning gulf.
But verdure none.'"
"Many ages before the earth was made," added Jafnhar, "was Niflheim
formed, in the middle of which lies the spring called Hvergelmir, from
which flow twelve rivers, Gjoll being the nearest to the gate of the
abode of death."
"But, first of all," continued Thridi, "there was in the southern
region (sphere) the world called Muspell. It is a world too luminous
and glowing to be entered by those who are not indigenous there.[127]
He who sitteth on its borders (or the land's-end) to guard it is named
Surtur. In his hand he beareth a flaming falchion, and at the end of
the world shall issue forth to combat, and shall vanquish all the
gods, and consume the universe with fire."
ORIGIN OF THE HRIMTHURSAR, OR FROST-GIANTS.
5. "Tell me," said Gangler, "what was the state of things ere the
races mingled, and nations came into being."
"When the rivers that are called Elivagar had flowed far from their
sources," replied Har, "the venom which they rolled along hardened, as
does dross that runs from a furnace, and became ice. When the rivers
flowed no longer, and the ice stood still, the vapour arising from the
venom gathered over it, and froze to rime, and in this manner were
formed, in Ginnungagap, many layers of congealed vapour, piled one
over the other."
"That part of Ginnungagap," added Jafnhar, "that lies towards the
north was thus filled with heavy masses of gelid vapour and ice,
whilst everywhere within were whirlwinds and fleeting mists. But the
southern part of Ginnungagap was lighted by the sparks and flakes that
flew into it from Muspellheim."
"Thus," continued Thridi, "whilst freezing cold and gathering gloom
proceeded from Niflheim, that part of Ginnungagap looking towards
Muspellheim was filled with glowing radiancy, the intervening space
remaining calm and light as wind-still air. And when the heated blast
met the gelid vapour it melted it into drops, and, by the might of him
who sent the heat, these drops quickened into life, and took a human
semblance. The being thus formed was named Ymir, but the Frost-giants
call him Orgelmir. From him descend the race of the Frost-giants
(Hrimthursar), as it is said in the Voluspa, 'From Vidolf come all
witches; from Vilmeith all wizards; from Svarthofdi all
poison-seethers; and all giants from Ymir.' And the giant Vafthrûdnir,
when Gangrad asked, 'Whence came Orgelmir the first of the sons of
giants?' answered, 'The Elivagar cast out drops of venom that
quickened into a giant. From him spring all our race, and hence are we
so strong and mighty.'"
"How did the race of Ymir spread itself?" asked Gangler; "or dost thou
believe that this giant was a god?"
"We are far from believing him to have been a god," replied Har, "for
he was wicked as are all of his race, whom we call Frost-giants. And
it is said that, when Ymir slept, he fell into a sweat, and from the
pit of his left arm was born a man and a woman, and one of his feet
engendered with the other a son, from whom descend the Frost-giants,
and we therefore call Ymir the old Frost-giant."
OF THE COW AUDHUMLA, AND THE BIRTH OF ODIN.
6. "Where dwelt Ymir, and on what did he live?" asked Gangler.
"Immediately after the gelid vapours had been resolved into drops,"
replied Kar, "there was formed out of them the cow named Audhumla.
Four streams of milk ran from her teats, and thus fed she Ymir."
"But on what did the cow feed?" questioned Gangler.
"The cow," answered Har, "supported herself by licking the stones that
were covered with salt and hoar frost. The first day that she licked
these stones there sprang from them, towards evening, the hairs of a
man, the second day a head, and on the third an entire man, who was
endowed with beauty, agility and power. He was called Bur, and was the
father of Bor, who took for his wife Besla, the daughter of the giant
Bolthorn. And they had three sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve; and it is our
belief that this Odin, with his brothers, ruleth both heaven and
earth, and that Odin is his true name, and that he is the most mighty
of all the gods."
HOW THE SONS OF BOR SLEW YMIR AND FROM HIS BODY MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.
7. "Was there," asked Gangler, "any kind of equality or any degree
of good understanding between these two races?"
"Far from it," replied Har; "for the sons of Bor slew the giant Ymir,
and when he fell there ran so much blood from his wounds, that the
whole race of Frost-giants was drowned in it, except a single giant,
who saved himself with his household. He is called by the giants
Bergelmir. He escaped by going on board his bark, and with him went
his wife, and from them are descended the Frost-giants."
8. "And what became of the sons of Bor, whom ye look upon as gods?"
asked Gangler.
"To relate this," replied Har, "is no trivial matter. They dragged the
body of Ymir into the middle of Ginnungagap, and of it formed the
earth. From Ymir's blood they made the seas and waters; from his flesh
the land; from his bones the mountains; and his teeth and jaws,
together with some bits of broken bones, served them to make the
stones and pebbles."
"With the blood that ran from his wounds," added Jafnhar, "they made
the vast ocean, in the midst of which they fixed the earth, the ocean
encircling it as a ring, and hardy will he be who attempts to pass
those waters."
"From his skull," continued Thridi, "they formed the heavens, which
they placed over the earth, and set a dwarf at the corner of each of
the four quarters. These dwarfs are called East, West, North, and
South. They afterwards took the wandering sparks and red hot flakes
that had been cast out of Muspellheim, and placed them in the heavens,
both above and below, to give light unto the world, and assigned to
every other errant coruscation a prescribed locality and motion. Hence
it is recorded in ancient lore that from this time were marked out the
days, and nights, and seasons."
"Such are the events that took place ere the earth obtained the form
it now beareth."
"Truly great were the deeds ye tell me of!" exclaimed Gangler; "and
wondrous in all its parts is the work thereby accomplished. But how is
the earth fashioned?"
"It is round without," replied Har, "and encircled by the deep ocean,
the outward shores of which were assigned for a dwelling to the race
of giants. But within, round about the earth, they (the sons of Bor)
raised a bulwark against turbulent giants, employing for this
structure Ymir's eyebrows. To this bulwark they gave the name of
Midgard[128] They afterwards tossed Ymir's brains into the air, and