The Prose Edda
Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)
1,062 passages indexed from The Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)) — Page 12 of 22
License: Public Domain
The Prose Edda, passage 275
The asas now began to fear that they would not get the wolf bound. So Alfather sent the youth, who is called Skirner, and is Frey’s messenger, to some dwarfs in Svartalfaheim, and had them make the fetter which is called Gleipner. It was made of six things: of the footfall of cats, of the beard of woman, of the roots of the mountain, of the sinews of the bear, of the breath of the fish, and of the spittle of the birds.
The Prose Edda, passage 482
Now Bolverk changed himself into the likeness of a serpent and crept into the auger-hole. Bauge thrust after him with the auger, but missed him. Bolverk went to where Gunlad was, and shared her couch for three nights. She then promised to give him three draughts from the mead. With the first draught he emptied Odrarer, in the second Bodn, and in the third Son, and thus he had all the mead. Then he took on the guise of an eagle, and flew off as fast as he could.
The Prose Edda, passage 278
They showed him the silken band and bade him break it, saying that it was somewhat stronger than its thinness would lead one to suppose. Then they handed it from one to the other and tried its strength with their hands, but it did not break. Still they said the wolf would be able to snap it. The wolf answered: It seems to me that I will get no fame though I break asunder so slender a thread as this is.
The Prose Edda, passage 897
The tree Lerad (furnishing protection) must be regarded as a branch of Ygdrasil.
The Prose Edda, passage 129
12. Thereupon he fared north to what is now called Svithjod (Sweden), there was the king who is called Gylfe. But when he heard of the coming of those Asiamen, who were called asas, he went to meet them, and offered Odin such things in his kingdom as he himself might desire. And such good luck followed their path, that wherever they stopped in the lands, there were bountiful crops and good peace; and all believed that they were the cause thereof.
The Prose Edda, passage 522
For it had happened to Loke, when he once flew out to amuse himself in Frigg’s falcon-guise, that he, out of curiosity, flew into Geirrodsgard, where he saw a large hall. He sat down and looked in through the window, but Geirrod discovered him, and ordered the bird to be caught and brought to him. The servant had hard work to climb up the wall of the hall, so high was it.
The Prose Edda, passage 270
Her man-servant’s name is Ganglate; her maid-servant’s, Ganglot.[46] Her threshold is called stumbling-block; her bed, care; the precious hangings of her bed, gleaming bale. One-half of her is blue, and the other half is of the hue of flesh; hence she is easily known. Her looks are very stern and grim.
The Prose Edda, passage 381
Thor also sprang up, got ready in a hurry and asked Hymer whether he might row out with him. Hymer answered that he would get but little help from Thor, as he was so small and young; and he added, you will get cold if I row as far out and remain as long as I am wont. Thor said that he might row as far from shore as he pleased, for all that, and it was yet to be seen who would be the first to ask to row back to land.
The Prose Edda, passage 833
In reference to the golden age, see Norse Mythology, pp. 182 and 197.
The Prose Edda, passage 838
WAR. It was the first warfare in the world, says the Elder Edda, when they pierced Gullveig (gold-thirst) through with a spear, and burned her in Odin’s hall. Thrice they burned her, thrice she was born anew: again and again, but still she lives. When she comes to a house they call her Heide (the bright, the welcome), and regard her as a propitious vala or prophetess. She can tame wolves, understands witchcraft, and delights wicked women.
The Prose Edda, passage 853
In Shakspeare the Witches are three in number--even as in Norse, German, as well as in Keltic and other mythologies. Urd, properly speaking, is the Past. Skuld is the Future, or “That Which shall Be.” Verdandi, usually translated as the Present, has an even deeper meaning. Her name is not to be derived from _vera_ (to be), but from _verda_ (Ger. _werden_). This verb, which has a mixed meaning of “to be,” “to become,” or to “grow,” has been lost in English. Verdandi is, therefore, not merely a representative of present Being, but of the process of Growing, or of Evolution--which gives her figure a profounder aspect. Indeed, there is generally more significance in mythological tales than those imagine who look upon them chiefly as a barren play of fancy.
The Prose Edda, passage 651
In Svithjod’s land Afterward we Fire-wise women, Fared to the battle, Byrnies we burst, Shields we cleaved, Made our way Through gray-clad hosts.
The Prose Edda, passage 921
Out in the wood-shed stood an old man with a long white beard, cutting wood for Christmas.
The Prose Edda, passage 1007
Dain, 70, 75. Dainsleif, 219. Dane, 46. Danube, 230. Dardanos, 42. Dasent, G. W., 15, 16, 18. Day, 65, 66. Daybreak, 65. Delling, 65. Denmark, 50, 206, 207, 214, 222, 230, 231, 239, 242, 251. Dido, 242. Dietrich, Fr., 18. Dippold, G. Theo., 267. Dolgthvare, 71. Don, 225, 229. Dore, 71. Dornröschen, 254. Draupner, 71, 134, 136, 187. Drome, 93. Duf, 71. Duney, 75. Durathro, 75. Durin, 70. Dvalin, 70, 74, 75, 261.
The Prose Edda, passage 508
The next that he saw were flashes of lightning, and he heard loud crashings; and then he saw Thor in his asa-might advancing with impetuous speed, swinging his hammer and hurling it from afar at Hrungner. Hrungner seized the flint-stone with both his hands and threw it against the hammer. They met in the air, and the flint-stone broke. One part fell to the earth, and from it have come the flint-mountains; the other part hit Thor’s head with such force that he fell forward to the ground.
The Prose Edda, passage 315
All the einherjes In Odin’s court Hew daily each other. They choose the slain And ride from the battle-field, Then sit they in peace together.[57]
The Prose Edda, passage 51
At the instigation of King Hakon, several chiefs of Iceland united themselves against Snorre and murdered him at Reykholt, where ruins of his splendid mansion are still to be seen. This event took place on the 22d of September, 1241, and Snorre Sturleson was then sixty-three years old. Snorre was Iceland’s most distinguished skald and sagaman. As a writer of history he deserves to be compared with Herodotos or Thukydides.
The Prose Edda, passage 731
He was successful at first, but all those Scythian peoples, ill-united as allies, ill-armed as soldiers, and still worse disciplined, were at length forced to yield to the genius of the great general Pompey. And here traditions tell us that Odin and the other asas were among the allies of Mithridates. Odin had been one of the gallant defenders of Troy, and at the same time, with Æneas and Anchises, he had taken flight out of the burning and falling city.
The Prose Edda, passage 135
[Footnote 7: A heroic poem, giving the pedigree (tal) of Norse kings.]
The Prose Edda, passage 728
[Footnote 118: Ancient Norse writers connect this event with Mithridates and Pompey the Great. They tell how Odin was a heroic prince who, with his twelve peers or apostles, dwelt in the Black Sea region. He became straightened for room, and so led the asas out of Asia into eastern Europe.
The Prose Edda, passage 173
Thus it was before these things were made. Then said Ganglere: Wonderful tidings are these I now hear; a wondrous great building is this, and deftly constructed. How was the earth fashioned? Made answer Har: The earth is round, and without it round about lies the deep ocean, and along the outer strand of that sea they gave lands for the giant races to dwell in; and against the attack of restless giants they built a burg within the sea and around the earth. For this purpose they used the giant Ymer’s eyebrows, and they called the burg Midgard. They also took his brains and cast them into the air, and made therefrom the clouds, as is here said:
The Prose Edda, passage 299
Skirner answered saying that he would go on this errand, but Frey must give him his sword, that was so excellent that it wielded itself in fight. Frey made no objection to this and gave him the sword. Skirner went on his journey, courted Gerd for him, and got the promise of her that she nine nights thereafter should come to Bar-Isle and there have her wedding with Frey. When Skirner came back and gave an account of his journey, Frey said:
The Prose Edda, passage 399
When she alighted, Odin appointed four berserks to take care of her steed, but they were unable to hold him except by throwing him down on the ground. Hyrrokken went to the prow and launched the ship with one single push, but the motion was so violent that fire sprang from the underlaid rollers and all the earth shook. Then Thor became wroth, grasped his hammer, and would forthwith have crushed her skull, had not all the gods asked peace for her.
The Prose Edda, passage 915
This is usually called the peace of Frode, which corresponds to the golden age in the life of the asas. Avarice is the root of crime, and all other evils. Avarice is at the bottom of all the endless woes of the Niblung story. The myth explaining why the sea is salt is told in a variety of forms in different countries. In Germany there are several folk-lore stories and traditions in regard to it. In Norway, where folk-lore tales are so abundant, we find the myth about Menja and Fenja recurring in the following form:
The Prose Edda, passage 67
To sum up, then, we say the Younger, or Prose, or Snorre’s Edda has been produced at different times by various hands, and the object of its authors has been to produce a manual for the skalds. In addition to the forewords and afterwords, it contains two books, one greater (Gylfaginning) and one lesser (Brage’s Speech), giving a tolerably full account of Norse mythology.
The Prose Edda, passage 521
Then said Æger: Much of a man, it seems to me, was that Hrungner. Has Thor accomplished any other great deeds in his intercourse with trolls (giants)? Then answered Brage: It is worth giving a full account of how Thor made a journey to Geirrodsgard. He had with him neither the hammer Mjolner, nor his belt of strength, Megingjard, nor his steel gloves; and that was Loke’s fault,--he was with him.
The Prose Edda, passage 313
Five hundred doors And forty more, I trow, there are in Valhal. Eight hundred einherjes Go at a time through one door When they fare to fight with the wolf.[56]
The Prose Edda, passage 61
It is not improbable that the religious system of the Odinic religion had assumed a permanent prose form in the memories of the people long before the time of Snorre, and that he merely was the means of having it committed to writing almost without verbal change.
The Prose Edda, passage 463
When the asas saw the falcon coming flying with the nut, and how the eagle flew, they went to the walls of Asgard and brought with them bundles of plane-shavings. When the falcon flew within the burg, he let himself drop down beside the burg-wall. Then the asas kindled a fire in the shavings; and the eagle, being unable to stop himself when he missed the falcon, caught fire in his feathers, so that he could not fly any farther.
The Prose Edda, passage 884
(1) Odin, (2) Thor, (3) Tyr, (4) Balder, (5) Hoder, (6) Heimdal, (7) Hermod, (8) Njord, (9) Frey, (10) Uller, (11) Vidar, (12) Forsete.
The Prose Edda, passage 309
This I know, forsooth, that many a one comes to Valhal who would think he was paying a big price for his water-drink, if there were no better reception to be found there,--persons, namely, who have died from wounds and pain. But I can tell you other tidings. A she-goat, by name Heidrun, stands up in Valhal and bites the leaves off the branches of that famous tree called Lerad.
The Prose Edda, passage 830
BOLTHORN means the miserable one, from bol = evil; and Bestla may mean that which is best. The idea then is that Bor united himself with that which was best of the miserable material at hand.
The Prose Edda, passage 465
Skade, the daughter of the giant Thjasse, donned her helmet, and byrnie, and all her war-gear, and betook herself to Asgard to avenge her father’s death. The asas offered her ransom and atonement; and it was agreed to, in the first place, that she should choose herself a husband among the asas, but she was to make her choice by the feet, which was all she was to see of their persons. She saw one man’s feet that were wonderfully beautiful, and exclaimed: This one I choose!
The Prose Edda, passage 271
[Footnote 45: Possibly this ought to read the ninth world, which would correspond with what we read on page 72, and in the Vala’s Prophecy. See also notes. It may be a mistake of the transcriber.]
The Prose Edda, passage 660
Let us yet grind! Yrsa’s son Shall on Frode revenge Halfdan’s death. He shall Yrsa’s Offspring be named, And yet Yrsa’s brother. Both of us know it.
The Prose Edda, passage 56
“Here ends that part of the book which Olaf Thordsson put together, and now begins Skaldskaparmal and the Kenningar, according to that which has been found in the lays of the chief skalds, and which Snorre afterward suffered to be brought together.” In the third place, the Upsala manuscript of the Younger Edda, which is known with certainty to have been written in the beginning of the fourteenth century, contains this preface, written with the same hand as the body of the work: “This book hight Edda.
The Prose Edda, passage 197
Then went all the gods, The all-holy gods, On their judgment seats, And thereon took counsel Who should the race Of dwarfs create From the bloody sea And from Blain’s bones. In the likeness of men Made they many Dwarfs in the earth, As Durin said.
The Prose Edda, passage 610
Then laughed Gudrun and said: Do you think it was Gunnar who rode through the bickering flame? Then I think you shared the bed with him who gave me this gold ring. The gold ring which you have on your finger, and which you received as a bridal-gift, is called Andvaranaut (Andvare’s Gift), and I do not think Gunnar got it on Gnita-heath. Then Brynhild became silent and went home.
The Prose Edda, passage 855
Though the word “Norn” has been lost in England and Germany, it is possibly preserved in a German folk-lore ditty, which speaks of three Sisters of Fate as “Nuns.” Altogether, German folk-lore is still full of rimes about three Weird Sisters.
The Prose Edda, passage 622
They were angry at their mother, because she had forced them to undertake this journey with harsh words, and hence they were going to do that which would displease her most. So they killed Erp, for she loved him the most. A little later, while Sorle was walking, he slipped with one foot, and in falling supported himself with his hands. Then said he: Now the hands helped the foot; better were it now if Erp were living.
The Prose Edda, passage 861
This myth has been interpreted as meaning that the Present, being blinded as to its own existence, is continually being encroached upon, robbed as it were, by the dark Future and the Past. Of this particular trait there is no vestige in Shakspeare’s Weird Sisters. They, like the Norns, “go hand in hand.” But there is another point which claims attention Shakspeare’s Witches are bearded. (“You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.” Act i, scene 3.)
The Prose Edda, passage 436
Then goes the famous Son[68] of Hlodyn To fight with the serpent. Though about to die, He fears not the contest; All men Abandon their homesteads When the warder of Midgard In wrath slays the serpent.
The Prose Edda, passage 342
Skrymer asked whether they would accept of his company. Thor said yes. Skrymer took and loosed his provision-sack and began to eat his breakfast; but Thor and his fellows did the same in another place. Skrymer proposed that they should lay their store of provisions together, to which Thor consented. Then Skrymer bound all their provisions into one bag, laid it on his back, and led the way all the day, taking gigantic strides.
The Prose Edda, passage 906
Brothers slay brothers, Sisters’ children Shed each other’s blood, Hard grows the world, Sensual sin waxes huge.
The Prose Edda, passage 965
Frigg’s messenger. GNIPA-CAVE. The cave before which the dog Garm barks. GNITA-HEATH. Fafner’s abode, where he kept the treasure of the Niblungs. GOIN. A serpent under Ygdrasil. GOL. A valkyrie. GOLDFAX. The giant Hrungner’s horse. GOMUL. One of the streams flowing from Hvergelmer. GONDLER. One of the names of Odin. GONDUL. A valkyrie. GOPUL. One of the streams flowing from Hvergelmer. GOT. A name of Odin. GOTE. Gunnar’s horse. GOTHORM. A son of Gjuke; murders Sigurd, and is slain by him.
The Prose Edda, passage 89
From these things they judged that the earth must be quick and must have life in some way, and they knew that it was of a wonderfully great age and of a mighty nature. It nourished all that was quick and took to itself all that died. On this account they gave it a name, and numbered their ancestors back to it This they also learned from their old kinsmen, that when many hundred winters were numbered, the course of the heavenly bodies was uneven; some had a longer course than others.
The Prose Edda, passage 212
Then said Ganglere: If the norns rule the fortunes of men, then they deal them out exceedingly unevenly. Some live a good life and are rich; some get neither wealth nor praise. Some have a long, others a short life. Har answered: Good norns and of good descent shape good lives, and when some men are weighed down with misfortune, the evil norns are the cause of it.
The Prose Edda, passage 935
“Behind the door,” answered he who owned the mill. He did not care to give any definite account, but later in the evening, when he began to get a little tipsy, he could not help himself and brought out the mill.
The Prose Edda, passage 317
The Ygdrasil ash Is the foremost of trees, But Skidbladner of ships, Odin of asas, Sleipner of steeds, Bifrost of bridges, Brage of Skalds, Habrok of hows, But Garm of dogs.[58]
The Prose Edda, passage 882
The owners of nine of them are not given, and, moreover, it is stated that Thor had no horse, but always either went on foot or drove his goats.