The Prose Edda

by Snorri Sturluson

  From their ancestors, people also learned that the earth, the sun and the heavenly bodies remain constant after many hundreds of years have been reckoned. But the paths of the heavenly bodies change unequally, some have longer courses whereas others shorter. From such observations, people supposed that perhaps a controlling being was guiding the heavenly bodies, deciding their paths according to his wishes, and that this being would be very powerful and mighty. They surmised that, if he ruled over the main elements of nature, he existed before the heavenly bodies. They also perceived that, if he ruled the movement of the heavenly bodies, he governed the sun’s shining, the moisture from the air, and also the resulting fruits of the earth and the winds in the sky that raised storms at sea.

  People did not know where his kingdom was. Because of this, they believed that he ruled over all things on earth and in the sky, in the heavens and the heavenly bodies, and in the sea and the weather. In order to recount these beliefs and to fix them in memory, they gave their own names to all things, and the nature of their beliefs changed in many ways as different nations were established and languages branched out. People understood all matters in an earthly way because they had been granted no spiritual wisdom. Therefore they reckoned that all things were fashioned from material substances.

  2. THE THREE PARTS OF THE WORLD

  The world was divided into three parts. From the south towards the west up to the Mediterranean Sea is the part called Africa. Its southern region is hot and scorched by the sun. The second part begins in the west and continues northward towards the sea; it is called Europe or Enea. Its northern regions are so cold that no grass grows and no one can subsist there. Starting in the north and continuing across the eastern continent all the way to the south is the region called Asia.1 Everything in that part of the world is beautiful and stately, and the earth produces gold and gemstones. The middle of the world is also there. Just as the earth in that region is more beautiful and better in all ways than other places, so too the people there are most endowed with all blessings: wisdom and strength, beauty, and every kind of skill.

  3. THE PEOPLE OF TROY AND THOR

  Near the middle of the world, a building and a living hall were constructed, which became the most renowned that have ever been. The place was named Troy and is found in the region we call Turkey. It was built much larger than others and in many ways with greater skill; neither cost nor the resources of the country were spared. There were twelve kingdoms with one high king, and to each kingdom belonged many groups who paid tribute. In the city there were twelve main chieftains. These rulers were superior in all human attributes to the other people who had preceded them in the world.

  One of the kings was named Munon or Mennon. He was married to Troan, the daughter of Priam, the chief king. They had a son who was named Tror, the one we call Thor. He was brought up in Thracia by a duke named Loricus, and when he was ten years old he received his father’s weapons. So great was his beauty that, when he was among other people, he stood out as elephant ivory does when inlaid in oak. His hair was more beautiful than gold. By the time he was twelve years old, he had acquired his full strength. Then he was able to lift from the ground ten bearskins, all in a pile. Next he killed his foster-father Loricus and his wife Lora, or Glora, and took possession of the realm of Thracia. We call that place Thrudheim. Afterwards he travelled widely through many lands, exploring all parts of the world, and on his own he overcame all manner of berserkers1 and giants, as well as one of the greatest dragons and many beasts.

  In the northern part of the world he came across the prophetess called Sibyl, whom we call Sif, and he married her. No one knows Sif’s ancestors. She was the loveliest of women, with hair like gold. Their son, named Loridi, was much like his father. Loridi’s son was Einridi, his son Vingethor, his son Vingenir, his son Moda, his son Magi, his son Seskef, his son Bedvig, his son Athra, whom we call Annar, his son Itrmann, his son Heremod, his son Skjaldun, whom we call Skjold, his son Biaf, whom we call Bjar, his son Jat, his son Gudolf, his son Finn, and his son Friallaf, whom we call Fridleif. He had a son named Voden, the one we call Odin, an excellent man because of his wisdom and because he had every kind of accomplishment. His wife, named Frigida, we call Frigg.2

  4. ODIN’S JOURNEY NORTHWARD

  Odin had the gift of prophecy, as his wife also did, and through this learning he became aware that his name would become renowned in the northern part of the world and honoured more than other kings. For this reason he was eager to set off from Turkey, and he took with him on his journey a large following of people, young and old, men and women. So, too, they took with them many precious things. Wherever they went on their travels, tales of their splendour were told, making them seem more like gods than men. They journeyed without stopping until they had reached the north, where they entered the region now called Saxland. There Odin settled down for a long time, taking possession of much of the land.

  Odin had three of his sons guard the country. One of them, Veggdegg, was a powerful king who ruled over East Saxland. His son was Vitrgils, whose sons were Vitta, the father of Heingest, and Sigar, the father of Svebdegg, whom we call Svipdag. Odin’s second son, named Beldegg, we call Baldr; he held the land that is now called Westphalia. His son was Brand, and his son was Frjodigar, whom we call Frodi; his son was Freovin, his son was Wigg, whose son Gevis we call Gavir. Odin’s third son was named Siggi, whose son was Rerir. The men of this family ruled in what is now called France, and from them come the family called the Volsungs.

  From all of them, numerous and great families descend.

  5. ODIN’S JOURNEY CONTINUES AND THE ÆSIR SETTLE IN THE NORTH

  Then Odin set out, travelling north, and arrived in the country called Reidgotaland. He took possession of all that he wanted in that land and made his son Skjold ruler. Skjold’s son was named Fridleif and from him are descended the kindred known as the Skjoldungs, the family of the kings of Denmark. What is now called Jutland was then called Reidgotaland.

  He then went northward to what is now called Sweden, where a king named Gylfi lived. When the king learned of the journey of these Asians, who were called Æsir, he went to meet them, offering to grant Odin as much authority in his kingdom as he wanted. Wherever they stayed in these lands a time of peace and prosperity accompanied their journey, so that all believed the newcomers were the cause. This was because the local inhabitants saw that they were unlike any others they had known in beauty and intelligence. Recognizing the land’s rich possibilities, Odin chose a place for a town, the one that is now called Sigtun.1 He appointed leaders and, in accordance with the customs of Troy, he selected twelve men to administer the law of the land. In this way he organized the laws as they had been in Troy, in the manner to which the Turks were accustomed.

  Then he went north, continuing until he reached the ocean, which people believed surrounded all lands. There, in what is now called Norway, he placed his son in power. This son was named Saeming, and Norway’s kings, as well as its jarls and other important men of the kingdom, trace their descent to him, as it is told in Haleygjatal.2 Odin also had with him his son named Yngvi, who after him became a king in Sweden, and from whom those kinsmen called the Ynglings are descended.

  The Æsir and some of their sons married women from the lands where they settled, and their families increased. They spread throughout Saxland and from there throughout all the northern regions so that their language – that of the men of Asia – became the native tongue in all these lands. People think, because the names of their ancestors are recorded in genealogies, they can show that these names were part of the language that the Æsir brought here to the northern world – to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Saxland. In England, however, some names of ancient regions and places lead one to believe that the names originally came from another language.

  GYLFAGINNING (THE DELUDING OF GYLFI)

  1. KING GYLFI AND THE WOMAN GEFJUN

  King Gylfi ruled over the lands now called Sweden. It is
said that he offered a travelling woman, in return for the pleasure of her company, a piece of ploughland in his kingdom as large as four oxen could plough in a day and a night. But this woman, named Gefjun, was of the Æsir. She took four oxen from Jotunheim [Giant Land] in the north. They were her own sons by a giant, and she yoked them to the plough, which dug so hard and so deep that it cut the land loose. The oxen dragged this land westward out to sea, stopping finally at a certain channel. There Gefjun fastened the land and gave it the name Sjaelland.1 The place where the land was removed has since become a body of water in Sweden now called Logrinn [the Lake],2 and in this lake there are as many inlets as there are headlands in Sjaelland. So says the poet Bragi the Old:

  Gefjun dragged from Gylfi

  gladly the land beyond value,

  Denmark’s increase,

  steam rising from the swift-footed bulls.

  The oxen bore eight

  moons of the forehead and four heads,

  hauling as they went in front of

  the grassy isle’s wide fissure.

  2. GYLFI ENCOUNTERS THE THREE CHIEFTAINS OF THE ÆSIR1

  King Gylfi was a wise man skilled in magic. He was amazed that the Æsir knew so much that everything went according to their wishes. He wondered whether this was because of their own nature or whether it came from the divine power of the gods they worshipped. He set out on a secret trip to Asgard and changed into the likeness of an old man to disguise himself. But the Æsir, because they had the gift of prophecy, were the wiser in such matters. Before his arrival they foresaw his coming and, in preparation for him, they conjured up visual illusions.2 When he entered the fortress, he saw a hall. It was so high that he could scarcely see over it, and golden shields covered its roof like shingles. As Thjodolf of Hvin3 says, Valhalla [Hall of the Slain] was roofed with shields:

  On their backs they let shine

  hall shingles of Svafnir [Odin],

  when bombarded with stones,

  those resourceful men.

  Gylfi saw a man in the doorway of the hall. He was juggling short swords and had seven in the air at once. The man spoke first, asking the visitor’s name. Gylfi named himself Gangleri, saying that he had travelled over trackless paths. He asked for a night’s lodging and inquired who owned the hall. The man answered that it belonged to their king.

  ‘I can take you to see him; then you can ask him his name yourself.’ The man then turned and went ahead into the hall. Gylfi followed him and immediately the door closed after him. He saw many living areas there and groups of people. Some were playing games, some were drinking, and some had weapons and were fighting. He looked around, and it seemed to him that much of what he was seeing was incredible. Then he said:

  ‘All doorways

  before entering

  gaze into carefully;

  one never knows

  where on the benches

  enemies are sitting.’

  (Sayings of the High One. 1)

  He saw three thrones, each one higher than the other. Three men sat there, one in each seat. He asked the name of their ruler. The man guiding him replied that the king was in the lowest of the high seats; he was called High. Next came the one called Just-as-High, while the one highest up was called Third.4

  Then High asked the new arrival if there was some more pressing cause of his visit, although he was welcome to food and drink as were all in the hall of the High One. Gylfi replied that he wanted to know first whether there was a wise man in the hall. High said that Gylfi would not escape unharmed unless he grew wiser, adding:

  ‘Stand forward while you inquire;

  The one who recounts shall sit.’

  3. THE ALL-FATHER

  Gangleri began to question: ‘Who is the highest or the oldest of all the gods?’

  High replied, ‘He is called All-Father in our language, but in Asgard the Old, he has twelve names: one is All-Father, a second is Herran or Herjan [Lord], a third is Nikar or Hnikar [Thruster], a fourth is Nikuz or Hnikud [Thruster], a fifth is Fjolnir [Wise One], a sixth Oski [Fulfiller of Desire], a seventh Omi [Resounding One], an eighth Biflidi or Biflindi [Spear Shaker], a ninth Svidar, a tenth Svidrir, an eleventh Vidrir [Ruler of Weather] and a twelfth Jalg or Jalk [Gelding].’

  Then Gangleri asked, ‘Where is this god? What is he capable of doing and what outstanding deeds has he done?’

  High replied, ‘He lives through all ages and governs all things in his realm. He decides all matters, great or small.’

  Then Just-as-High said, ‘He made heaven, earth and the skies and everything in them.’

  Then Third said, ‘Most important, he created man and gave him a living spirit that will never die, even if the body rots to dust or burns to ashes. All men who are righteous shall live and be with him in that place called Gimle or Vingolf. But evil men go to Hel1 and from there into Niflhel2 [Dark Hel], which is below in the ninth world.

  Gangleri then asked: ‘What did he do before heaven and earth were created?’

  High answered, ‘Back then, he was with the frost giants.’

  4. NIFLHEIM AND MUSPELLSHEIM

  Gangleri asked, ‘What was the beginning, or how did things start? What was there before?’

  High answered, ‘As it says in The Sibyl’s Prophecy:

  Early of ages

  when nothing was.

  There was neither sand nor sea

  nor cold waves.

  The earth was not found

  nor the sky above.

  Ginnungagap1 was there,

  but grass, nowhere.’ (The Sibyl’s Prophecy. 3)

  Next Just-as-High said, ‘Niflheim [Dark World] was made many ages before the earth was created, and at its centre is the spring called Hvergelmir [Roaring Kettle]. From there flow those rivers called Svol, Gunnthra, Fjorm, Fimbulthul, Slid and Hrid, Sylg and Ylg, Vid and Leiptr. Also there is Gjoll, which lies next to Helgrind [Gates of Hel].’

  Then Third said, ‘First, however, there was that world in the southern region which is called Muspell.2 It is bright and hot.

  That region flames and burns and is impassable for foreigners and those who cannot claim it as their native land. Surt [Black One] is the name of he who waits there at the land’s edge to defend it. He has a flaming sword, and when the end of the world comes, he will set off to battle and defeat all the gods, burning the whole world with fire. So it is said in The Sibyl’s Prophecy:

  Surt comes from the south

  with the fiery destruction of branches.

  The sun shines from the sword

  of the gods of the slain.

  Stone cliffs tumble

  and troll witches stumble.3

  Men tread the Road to Hel

  as the sky splits apart.’ (The Sibyl’s Prophecy. 52)

  5. GINNUNGAGAP AND THE EMERGENCE OF YMIR

  Gangleri asked: ‘How were things set up before the different families came into being and mankind increased?’

  High replied, ‘When those rivers, which are called Elivagar [Storm Waves], came so far from their source, the poisonous flow hardened like a slag of cinders running from a furnace, and became ice. When this ice began to solidify and no longer ran, poisonous drops spewed out and froze into icy rime [hoar-frost]. Then layer by layer, the ice grew within Ginnungagap.’

  Then Just-as-High said, ‘That part of Ginnungagap, which reached into the northern regions, became filled with thick ice and rime. Inside the gap there was mist and wind-whipped rain. But the southern part of Ginnungagap grew light because of sparks and glowing embers flowing from Muspellsheim.’

  Then Third spoke: ‘Just as coldness and all things grim came from Niflheim, the regions bordering on Muspell were warm and bright, and Ginnungagap was as mild as a windless sky. It thawed and dripped at the point where the icy rime and the warm winds met. There was a quickening in these flowing drops and life sprang up, taking its force from the power that sent the heat. The likeness of a man appeared and he was named Ymir. The frost giants call him
Aurgelmir, and from him come the clans of the frost giants, as it says in The Shorter Sibyl’s Prophecy:

  All the seeresses1 are

  from Vidolf,

  all the wizards

  from Vilmeid,

  but the sorcerers are

  from Svarthofdi

  and all the giants

  come from Ymir. (The Lay of Hyndla. 33)

  ‘Here as the giant Vafthrudnir says:

  From where Aurgelmir first came,

  the wise giant,

  among sons of giants.

  When poison from Elivagar

  splashed out in drops

  it grew until forming a giant,

  from there all our clans

  have come;

  therefore they are all so cruel.’

  (The Lay of Vafthrudnir. 30–31)

  Then Gangleri asked, ‘How did the families grow from that point or how did it come about that others came into being? And do you believe that the one whom you were just talking about is a god?’