The Prose Edda
Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)
1,062 passages indexed from The Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)) — Page 11 of 22
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The Prose Edda, passage 613
King Atle, Budle’s son, Brynhild’s brother, then got in marriage Gudrun, who had been Sigurd’s wife, and they had children. King Atle invited Gunnar and Hogne to visit him, and they accepted his invitation. But before they started on their journey they concealed Fafner’s hoard in the Rhine, and that gold has never since been found. King Atle had gathered together an army and fought a battle with Gunnar and Hogne, and they were captured. Atle had the heart cut out of Hogne alive.
The Prose Edda, passage 1018
Heimskringla, 10, 22, 50, 57, 221, 224, 239, 242, 243, 263. Hekate, 255. Hektor, 43, 151, 167, 168. Hel, 6, 7, 55, 56, 57, 91-96, 133, 135-137, 142, 144, 148, 248, 255, 264. Helblinde, 81, 91, 245. Held, 255. Helge Hundings-Bane, 248. Helgeland, 240. Helmet-bearer, 245. Henderson, 16. Hendride, 44. Hengekjapt, 207. Hengist, 46, 229. Hepte, 71. Herakles, 41. Heran, 54. Herbert, 16. Herfather, 247. Herfjoter, 99. Herikon, 43, 221. Herjan, 54, 81, 245, 247. Hermanric, 262.
The Prose Edda, passage 865
This quite fits in with the three Eddic Bournes near the great Tree of Existence, at one of which--apparently at the oldest, which is the very Source of Being--the Norns live, “the maidens that over the Sea of Age travel in deep foreknowledge,” and of whom it is said that:
The Prose Edda, passage 379
49. Then said Ganglere: A most powerful man is Utgard-Loke, though he deals much with delusions and sorcery. His power is also proven by the fact that he had thanes who were so mighty. But has not Thor avenged himself for this? Made answer Har: It is not unknown, though no wise men tell thereof, how Thor made amends for the journey that has now been spoken of.
The Prose Edda, passage 437
The sun grows dark, The earth sinks into the sea, The bright stars From heaven vanish; Fire rages, Heat blazes, And high flames play ’Gainst heaven itself.[69]
The Prose Edda, passage 389
[Footnote 61: Called Ymer in the Younger Edda, but the Elder Edda calls him Hymer.]
The Prose Edda, passage 187
He is filled with the life-blood of all dead men. He will devour the moon, and stain the heavens and all the sky with blood. Thereby the sun will be darkened, the winds will grow wild, and roar hither and thither, as it is said in the Prophecy of the Vala:
The Prose Edda, passage 663
[Footnote 98: These words are spoken by the maidens while they put the mill together.]
The Prose Edda, passage 392
When this was done and made known, it became the pastime of Balder and the asas that he should stand up at their meetings while some of them should shoot at him, others should hew at him, while others should throw stones at him; but no matter what they did, no harm came to him, and this seemed to all a great honor. When Loke, Laufey’s son, saw this, it displeased him very much that Balder was not scathed. So he went to Frigg, in Fensal, having taken on himself the likeness of a woman.
The Prose Edda, passage 279
But if it is made with craft and guile, then, little though it may look, that band will never come on my feet. Then said the asas that he would easily be able to break a slim silken band, since he had already burst large iron fetters asunder. But even if you are unable to break this band, you have nothing to fear from the gods, for we will immediately loose you again.
The Prose Edda, passage 887
Freyja’s ornament Brising. In the saga of Olaf Tryggvason, there is a rather awkward story of the manner in which Freyja became possessed of her ornament. Freyja, it is told, was a mistress of Odin. Not far from the palace dwelt four dwarfs, whose names were Alfrig, Dvalin, Berling and Grer; they were skillful smiths.
The Prose Edda, passage 654
Now we are come To the house of the king, No one us pities. Bond-women are we. Dirt eats our feet, Our limbs are cold, The peace-giver[100] we turn. Hard it is at Frode’s.
The Prose Edda, passage 28
7. Hattatal (an enumeration of metres; a sort of Clavis Metrica).
The Prose Edda, passage 500
He entered the hall and requested a drink. They then took the bowls that Thor was accustomed to drink from, and Hrungner emptied them all. When he became drunk, he gave the freest vent to his loud boastings. He said he was going to take Valhal and move it to Jotunheim, demolish Asgard and kill all the gods except Freyja and Sif, whom he was going to take home with him. When Freyja went forward to refill the bowls for him, he boasted that he was going to drink up all the ale of the asas.
The Prose Edda, passage 118
And from their fame men that came after gave themselves titles, and especially was this done by the Romans, who were the most famous in many things after their days; and it is said that, when Rome was built, the Romans adapted their customs and laws as nearly as possible to those of the Trojans, their forefathers.
The Prose Edda, passage 688
There are many points of resemblance between this old story of Odin and the account that Virgil gives us of Æneas, the founder of the Latin race; and it is believed that, while Virgil imitated Homer, he based his poem upon a legend current among his countrymen. The Greeks in Virgil’s poem are Pompey and the Romans in our Teutonic story. The Trojans correspond to Mithridates and his allies. Æneas and Odin are identical.
The Prose Edda, passage 764
For men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory, and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for manhood, a standing stone; which custom remained long after Odin’s time. Toward winter there should be a blood-sacrifice for a good year, and in the middle of winter for a good crop; and the third sacrifice should be in summer, for victory in battle.
The Prose Edda, passage 267
34. Loke had yet more children. A giantess in Jotunheim, hight Angerboda. With her he begat three children. The first was the Fenris-wolf; the second, Jormungand, that is, the Midgard-serpent, and the third, Hel.
The Prose Edda, passage 787
[Footnote 135: Notice this trinity: Hler is the sea (comp. the Welsh word _llyr_ = sea); Loge is fire (comp. the Welsh _llwg_), he reminds us both by his name and his nature of Loke; Kare is the wind.]
The Prose Edda, passage 874
To those who at midnight happen to enter one of these circles, the elves become visible, and may then play all kinds of pranks with them; though in general they are little, merry, harmless beings, both male and female. They often sit in small stones, that are hollowed out in circular form, and which are called elf-querns or mill-stones. Their voice is said to be soft like the air.
The Prose Edda, passage 236
Thor has two goats, by name Tangnjost and Tangrisner, and a chariot, wherein he drives. The goats draw the chariot; wherefore he is called Oku-Thor.[35] He possesses three valuable treasures. One of them is the hammer Mjolner, which the frost-giants and mountain-giants well know when it is raised; and this is not to be wondered at, for with it he has split many a skull of their fathers or friends.
The Prose Edda, passage 982
NA. A dwarf. NAGLFAR. A mythical ship made of nail-parings; it appears in Ragnarok. NAIN. A dwarf. NAL. Mother of Loke. NANNA. Daughter of Nep; mother of Forsete, and wife of Balder. NARE. Sod of Loke; also called Narfe. NARFE. _See_ Nare. NASTRAND. A place of punishment for the wicked after Ragnarok. NEP. Father of Nanna. NIBLUNGS. Identical with Gjukungs. NIDA MOUNTAINS. A place where there is, after Ragnarok, a golden hall for the race of Sindre (the dwarfs). NIDE. A dwarf. NIDHUG.
The Prose Edda, passage 106
5. This Saturn grew up in that island in Greece which hight Crete. He was greater and stronger and fairer than other men. As in other natural endowments, so he excelled all men in wisdom. He invented many crafts which had not before been discovered. He was also so great in the art of magic that he was certain about things that had not yet come to pass. He found, too, that red thing in the earth from which he smelted gold, and from such things he soon became very mighty.
The Prose Edda, passage 116
8. Jupiter, his son, had many sons, from whom races have descended; his son was Dardanos, his son Herikon, his son Tros, his son Ilos, his son Laomedon, the father of the chief king Priamos.
The Prose Edda, passage 819
The twelve rivers proceeding from Hvergelmer are called the Elivogs (Élivágar) in the next chapter. Éli-vágar means, according to Vigfusson, ice-waves. The most of the names occur in the long list of river names given in the Lay of Grimner, of the Elder Edda. Svol = the cool; Gunnthro = the battle-trough. Slid is also mentioned in the Vala’s Prophecy, where it is represented as being full of mud and swords.
The Prose Edda, passage 1008
Egilsson, S., 18, 19. Eikenskjalde, 71. Eikthyrner, 106. Eilif, 179. Eimyrja, 240. Eindride, 175. Eir, 97. Ekin, 106. Elder, 188. Eldhrimner, 104. Elenus, 168. Eline, 251. Elivogs, 5, 57, 59, 173, 248. Eljudner, 92. Elle, 124, 127. Embla, 5, 64, 243, 250. Emerson, R. W., 22. Endil, 180. Enea, 38, 221, 225. England, 30, 48, 222, 232, 239, 250, 258. Erichthonios, 221. Erp, 202-205. Ethiopia, 225. Ettmüller, Ludw., 18. Europe, 38, 221-230, 241, 254. Eve, 33. Eylime, 196. Eysa, 240. Eyvind Skaldespiller, 236.
The Prose Edda, passage 231
Grim is my name, And Ganglare, Herjan, Hjalmbore, Thek, Thride, Thud, Ud, Helblinde, Har, Sad, Svipal, Sangetal, Herteit, Hnikar, Bileyg, Baleyg, Bolverk, Fjolner, Grimner, Glapsvid, Fjolsvid, Sidhot, Sidskeg, Sigfather, Hnikud, Alfather, Atrid, Farmatyr, Oske, Ome, Jafnhar, Biflinde, Gondler, Harbard, Svidur, Svidrir, Jalk, Kjalar, Vidur, Thro, Yg, Thund, Vak, Skilfing, Vafud, Hroptatyr, Gaut, Veratyr.[32]
The Prose Edda, passage 314
42. Then said Ganglere: A mighty band of men there is in Valhal, and, forsooth, I know that Odin is a very great chief, since he commands so mighty a host. But what is the pastime of the einherjes when they do not drink? Har answered: Every morning, when they have dressed themselves, they take their weapons and go out into the court and fight and slay each other. That is their play. Toward breakfast-time they ride home to Valhal and sit down to drink. As is here said:
The Prose Edda, passage 94
And when they had conquered them, the world seemed to them too small, and they smithied a tower with tile and stone, which they meant should reach to heaven, on the plain called Sennar. And when this building was so far advanced that it extended above the air, and they were no less eager to continue the work, and when God saw how their pride waxed high, then he sees that he will have to strike it down in some way.
The Prose Edda, passage 926
When he came in it happened as the old man had said. All the devils, both the large ones and the small ones, crowded around him like ants around a worm, and the one bid higher than the other for the ham.
The Prose Edda, passage 480
But he agreed to go with Bolverk and try whether they could get the mead. During the summer Bolverk did the work of the nine men for Bauge, but when winter came he asked for his pay. Then they both went to Suttung. Bauge explained to Suttung his bargain with Bolverk, but Suttung stoutly refused to give even a drop of the mead. Bolverk then proposed to Bauge that they should try whether they could not get at the mead by the aid of some trick, and Bauge agreed to this.
The Prose Edda, passage 739
79-83, where substantially the same account is given; to Norse Mythology, pp. 232-236; to George Stephen’s Runic Monuments, Vol. I; and to Charles Kingsley’s The Roman and the Teuton.]
The Prose Edda, passage 944
“If it grinds another hour the whole settlement will perish in fish and gruel,” said he.
The Prose Edda, passage 949
“Grind salt both fast and well,” said the captain. The mill began to grind salt, and that with all its might. When the captain had gotten the ship full he wanted to stop the mill; but no matter how he worked, and no matter how he handled it, the mill kept grinding as fast as ever, and the heap of salt kept growing larger and larger, and at last the ship sank. The mill stands on the bottom of the sea grinding this very day, and so it comes that the sea is salt.
The Prose Edda, passage 320
Then the asas came together and held counsel, and the bargain was made with the builder that he should get what he demanded if he could get the burg done in one winter; but if on the first day of summer any part of the burg was unfinished, then the contract should be void. It was also agreed that no man should help him with the work.
The Prose Edda, passage 715
The Vanaland people sent their best men,--Njord the Rich and his son Frey; the people of Asaland sent a man hight Hœner,[114] as he was a stout and very handsome man, and with him they sent a man of great understanding, called Mimer; and on the other side the Vanaland people sent the wisest man in their community, who was called Quaser. Now when Hœner came to Vanaheim he was immediately made a chief, and Mimer came to him with good counsel on all occasions.
The Prose Edda, passage 250
Her hall is Sesrynmer, and it is large and beautiful. When she goes abroad, she drives in a car drawn by two cats. She lends a favorable ear to men who call upon her, and it is from her name the title has come that women of birth and wealth are called frur.[40] She is fond of love ditties, and it is good to call on her in love affairs.
The Prose Edda, passage 659
Now my father’s daughter Bravely turns the mill. The death of many Men she sees. Now broke the large Braces ’neath the mill,-- The iron-bound braces. Let us yet grind!
The Prose Edda, passage 9
Then smoke wreathes up around the ash Ygdrasil, the high flames play against the heavens, the graves of the gods, of the giants and of men are swallowed up by the sea, and the end has come. This is Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.
The Prose Edda, passage 297
As a punishment for his audacity in seating himself in that holy seat, Frey went away full of grief. When he came home, he neither spake, slept, nor drank, and no one dared speak to him. Then Njord sent for Skirner, Frey’s servant, bade him go to Frey and ask him with whom he was so angry, since he would speak to nobody. Skirner said that he would go, though he was loth to do so, as it was probable that he would get evil words in reply.
The Prose Edda, passage 69
The writer of the oldest grammatical treatise is thought to be one Thorodd Runemaster, who lived in the middle of the twelfth century; and the third treatise is evidently written by Olaf Thordsson Hvitaskald, the nephew of Snorre, a scholar who spent some time at the court of the Danish king, Valdemar the Victorious.
The Prose Edda, passage 188
In the east dwells the old hag, In the Jarnved forest; And brings forth there Fenrer’s offspring. There comes of them all One the worst, The moon’s devourer In a troll’s disguise.
The Prose Edda, passage 431
From the east drives Hrym, Bears his shield before him. Jormungand welters In giant rage And smites the waves. The eagle screams, And with pale beak tears corpses, Naglfar gets loose.
The Prose Edda, passage 856
They are sometimes called Wild Women, or Wise Women, or the Measurers (_Metten_)--namely, of Fate; or, euphemistically, like the Eumenides, the Advisers of Welfare (_Heil-Räthinnen_), reminding us of the counsels given to Macbeth in the apparition scene; or the Quick Judges (_Gach-Schepfen_). Even as in the Edda, these German fays weave and twist threads or ropes, and attach them to distant parts, thus fixing the weft of Fate.
The Prose Edda, passage 852
This name “Weird” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Norn Wyrd (Sax. _Wurth_; O.H. Ger. _Wurd_; Norse, _Urd_), who represents the Past, as her very name shows. Wurd is _die Gewordene_--the “Has Been,” or rather the “Has Become,” if one could say so in English.
The Prose Edda, passage 262
30. Ale, or Vale, is the son of Odin and Rind. He is daring in combat, and a good shot.
The Prose Edda, passage 763
Odin established the same law in his land that had been before in Asaland. Thus he established by law that all dead men should be burned, and their property laid with them upon the pile, and the ashes be cast into the sea or buried in the earth. Thus, said he, everyone will come to Valhal with the riches he had with him upon the pile; and he would also enjoy whatever he himself had buried in the earth.
The Prose Edda, passage 702
[Footnote 102: Njorvasound, the Straits of Gibraltar; so called from the first Norseman who sailed through them. His name was Njorve. See Ann. for nordisk Oldkyndighed, Vol. I, p. 58.]
The Prose Edda, passage 888
Looking one day into their stony dwelling, Freyja saw them at work on a beautiful golden necklace, or collar, which she offered to buy, but which they refused to part with, except on conditions quite incompatible with the fidelity she owed to Odin, but to which she, nevertheless, was tempted to accede. Thus the ornament became hers. By some means this transaction came to the knowledge of Loke, who told it to Odin. Odin commanded him to get possession of the ornament.
The Prose Edda, passage 34
The first printed edition of the Younger Edda, in the original, is the celebrated “Edda Islandorum,” published by Peter Johannes Resen, in Copenhagen, in the year 1665. It contains a translation into Latin, made partly by Resen himself, and partly also by Magnus Olafsson, Stephan Olafsson and Thormod Torfason.