The Prose Edda
Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)
1,062 passages indexed from The Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson (Rasmus Anderson translation)) — Page 9 of 22
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The Prose Edda, passage 390
50. Then asked Ganglere: Have there happened any other remarkable things among the asas? A great deed it was, forsooth, that Thor wrought on this journey. Har answered: Yes, indeed, there are tidings to be told that seemed of far greater importance to the asas. The beginning of this tale is, that Balder dreamed dreams great and dangerous to his life.
The Prose Edda, passage 765
Over all Svithjod[129] the people paid Odin a scatt, or tax,--so much on each head; but he had to defend the country from enemy or disturbance, and pay the expense of the sacrifice-feasts toward winter for a good year.
The Prose Edda, passage 70
The Younger Edda contains the systematized theogony and cosmogony of our forefathers, while the Elder Edda presents the Odinic faith in a series of lays or rhapsodies. The Elder Edda is poetry, while the Younger Edda is mainly prose. The Younger Edda may in one sense be regarded as the sequel or commentary of the Elder Edda.
The Prose Edda, passage 442
A hall I know standing Far from the sun On the strand of dead bodies. Drops of venom Fall through the loop-holes. Of serpents’ backs The hall is made.
The Prose Edda, passage 308
40. Then asked Ganglere: What do the einherjes have to drink that is furnished them as bountifully as the food? Or do they drink water? Har answered: That is a wonderful question. Do you suppose that Alfather invites kings, jarls, or other great men, and gives them water to drink?
The Prose Edda, passage 559
Flew then with the wise god The voracious bird of prey Far away; so the wolf’s father To pieces must be torn. Odin’s friend got exhausted. Heavy grew Lopt. Odin’s companion Must sue for peace.
The Prose Edda, passage 1050
The name “Svanhild/Swanhild” is spelled “Swanhild” in the body text, “Svanhild” in the Vocabulary (all occurrences) and Index. The spelling “skees” is used consistently.
The Prose Edda, passage 960
The unknown god. FIMBUL-WINTER. The great and awful winter of three years duration preceding Ragnarok. FINNSLEIF. A byrnie belonging to King Adils, of Upsala. FJALAR. A dwarf. FJOLNER. A name of Odin. FJOLSVID. A name of Odin. FJORGVIN. The mother of Frigg and of Thor. FJORM. One of the streams flowing from Hvergelmer. FOLKVANG. Freyja’s abode. FORM. One of the streams flowing from Hvergelmer. FORNJOT. The ancient giant; the father of Æger. FORSETE. The peace-maker; son of Balder and Nanna.
The Prose Edda, passage 639
Now are come To the house of the king The prescient two, Fenja and Menja. There must the mighty Maidens toil For King Frode, Fridleif’s son.
The Prose Edda, passage 709
Odin was a great and very far-traveled warrior, who conquered many kingdoms, and so successful was he that in every battle the victory was on his side. It was the belief of his people that victory belonged to him in every battle. It was his custom when he sent his men into battle, or on any expedition, that he first laid his hand upon their heads, and called down a blessing upon them; and then they believed their undertaking would be successful.
The Prose Edda, passage 746
[Footnote 124: Noatun, Thrudvang, Breidablik and Himinbjorg are purely mythological names, and for their significance the reader is referred to The Fooling of Gylfe. Snorre follows the lay of Grimner in the Elder Edda.]
The Prose Edda, passage 959
FAFNER. Son of Hreidmar, killed by Sigurd. FAL. A dwarf. FALHOFNER. One of the horses of the gods. FARBAUTE. The father of Loke. FARMAGOD. One of the names of Odin. FARMATYR. One of the names of Odin. FENJA. A female slave who ground at Frode’s mill. FENRIS-WOLF. The monster wolf, son of Loke. FENSALER. The abode of Frigg. FID. A dwarf. FILE. A dwarf. FIMAFENG. Æger’s servant. FIMBUL. One of the streams flowing from Hvergelmer. FIMBULTHUL. One of the streams flowing from Hvergelmer. FIMBUL-TYR.
The Prose Edda, passage 199
But the following are also dwarfs and dwell in the rocks, while the above-named dwell in the mould:
The Prose Edda, passage 71
Both complement each other, and both must be studied in connection with the sagas and all the Teutonic traditions and folk-lore in order to get a comprehensive idea of the asa-faith. The two Eddas constitute, as it were, the Odinic Bible. The Elder Edda is the Old Testament, the Younger Edda the New. Like the Old Testament, the Elder Edda is in poetry. It is prophetic and enigmatical.
The Prose Edda, passage 676
A king by name Hogne had a daughter by name Hild. Her a king, by name Hedin, son of Hjarrande, made a prisoner of war, while King Hogne had fared to the trysting of the kings. But when he learned that there had been harrying in his kingdom, and that his daughter had been taken away, he rode with his army in search of Hedin, and learned that he had sailed northward along the coast. When King Hogne came to Norway, he found out that Hedin had sailed westward into the sea.
The Prose Edda, passage 1055
the valkyrie says / at berserkja reiðu vil ek þik spyrja _text reads “pik spyrja”_
The Prose Edda, passage 258
27. Heimdal is the name of one. He is also called the white-asa. He is great and holy; born of nine maidens, all of whom were sisters. He hight also Hallinskide and Gullintanne, for his teeth were of gold. His horse hight Gulltop (Gold-top). He dwells in a place called Himinbjorg, near Bifrost. He is the ward of the gods, and sits at the end of heaven, guarding the bridge against the mountain-giants. He needs less sleep than a bird; sees an hundred miles around him, and as well by night as by day. He hears the grass grow and the wool on the backs of the sheep, and of course all things that sound louder than these. He has a trumpet called the Gjallarhorn, and when he blows it it can be heard in all the worlds. The head is called Heimdal’s sword. Thus it is here said:
The Prose Edda, passage 306
Two ravens sit on Odin’s shoulders, and bring to his ears all that they hear and see. Their names are Hugin and Munin. At dawn he sends them out to fly over the whole world, and they come back at breakfast time. Thus he gets information about many things, and hence he is called Rafnagud (raven-god). As is here said:
The Prose Edda, passage 137
Then went the plow so hard and deep that it tore up the land, and the oxen drew it westward into the sea, until it stood still in a sound. There Gefjun set the land, gave it a name and called it Seeland. And where the land had been taken away became afterward a sea, which in Sweden is now called Logrinn (the Lake, the Malar Lake in Sweden). And in the Malar Lake the bays correspond to the capes in Seeland. Thus Brage, the old skald:
The Prose Edda, passage 805
Sidhot, Sidskeg, Sigfather, Hnikud, Alfather, Valfather, Atrid and Farmatyr. With one name Was I never named When I fared ’mong the peoples.
The Prose Edda, passage 880
According to the Lay of Grimner, the gods had twelve horses, but the owner of each horse is not given:
The Prose Edda, passage 222
In this hall is the high-seat, which is called Hlidskjalf, and when Alfather sits in this seat, he sees over all the world. In the southern end of the world is the palace, which is the fairest of all, and brighter than the sun; its name is Gimle. It shall stand when both heaven and earth shall have passed away. In this hall the good and the righteous shall dwell through all ages. Thus says the Prophecy of the Vala:
The Prose Edda, passage 47
Snorre and his brothers did not only have bitter feuds with other families, but a deadly hatred also arose between themselves, making their lives a perpetual warfare. Snorre was shrewd as a politician and magistrate, and eminent as an orator and skald, but his passions were mean, and many of his ways were crooked. He was both ambitious and avaricious.
The Prose Edda, passage 494
They rushed headlong over old sagas more than was true when they said that the Midgard-serpent there got his death; and they added this to the story, that Achilleus reaped the fame of Hektor’s death, though he lay dead on the same battle-field on that account. This was the work of Elenus and Alexander, and Elenus the asas call Ale.
The Prose Edda, passage 975
A giantess who launched the ship on which Balder was burned.
The Prose Edda, passage 860
All over southern Germany, from Austria to Alsace and Rhenish Hesse, the three fays are known under various names besides Wilbet, Worbet, and Ainbet--for instance, as Mechtild, Ottilia, and Gertraud; as Irmina, Adela, and Chlothildis, and so forth. The fay in the middle of this trio is always a good fay, a white fay--but blind. Her treasure (the very names of Ottilia and Adela point to a treasure) is continually being taken from her by the third fay, a dark and evil one, as well as by the first.
The Prose Edda, passage 483
When Suttung saw the flight of the eagle, he also took on the shape of an eagle and flew after him. When the asas saw Odin coming, they set their jars out in the yard. When Odin reached Asgard, he spewed the mead up into the jars. He was, however, so near being caught by Suttung, that he sent some of the mead after him backward, and as no care was taken of this, anybody that wished might have it. This we call the share of poetasters.
The Prose Edda, passage 686
We look into this and other ancestral myths, and see mirrored in them all that we afterward find to be reliable history of the old Teutons. In the same manner we are interested in the story told about Romulus and Remus, about Mars and the wolf. This Roman myth is equally prophetic in reference to the future career of Rome.
The Prose Edda, passage 307
Hugin and Munin Fly every day Over the great earth. I fear for Hugin That he may not return, Yet more am I anxious for Munin.[55]
The Prose Edda, passage 1039
Tacitus, 244. Tanais, 225. Tanaquisl, 225, 226. Tangnjost, 83. Tangrisner, 83. Tartareans, 225. Taylor (W.), 16. Testament (New), 28. Testament (Old), 28. Teutons, 222-224, 229, 230, 239, 244, 253, 263, 264. Thek, 71, 81, 245. Thjalfe, 114, 115, 120, 121, 126, 171, 173, 181. Thjasse, 84, 85, 155-158, 184-187, 210. Thjode, 196. Thjodnuma, 106. Thjodolf, 51, 174, 184, 243. Thok, 136, 137, 264. Thol, 106.
The Prose Edda, passage 1034
Sad, 81, 245. Saga, 97, 259. Sager, 66. Sahrimner, 104. Saming, 47, 230, 236. Samund the Wise, 20, 26. Sangetal, 81, 245, 247. Saracens, 225. Sarmatia, 225. Saturn, 38, 40, 41, 42. Saxland, 45, 48, 230, 231. Saxo-Grammaticus, 239. Saxons, 215, 229. Schlegel, 253. Scotland, 257, 258. Scott (Walter), 257, 258. Scythia (Magna), 225, 229, 244. Seeland, 49, 50, 231, 242. Sekin, 106. Sennar, 36. Serkland, 225. Sessrymner, 86. Shakspeare, 252-256. Shem, 36. Siar, 71. Sibyl, 44. Sid, 106.
The Prose Edda, passage 936
“There you see the one that has given me all the riches,” said he, and then he let the mill grind both one thing and another. When the brother saw this he was bound to have the mill, and after a long bantering about it, he finally was to have it; but he was to pay three hundred dollars for it, and his brother was to keep it until harvest.
The Prose Edda, passage 265
Glitner hight the hall, On gold pillars standing, And roofed with silver. There dwells Forsete Throughout all time, And settles all disputes.[44]
The Prose Edda, passage 55
In the first place, we find that the writer of the grammatical and rhetorical part of the Younger Edda distinctly mentions Snorre as author of Hattatal (the Clavis Metrica), and not only of the poem itself, but also of the treatise in prose. In the second place, the Arne Magnæan parchment manuscript, which dates back to the close of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century, has the following note prefaced to the Skaldskaparmal.
The Prose Edda, passage 530
Once I employed My asa-might In the gards of the giants. When Gjalp and Greip, Geirrod’s daughters, Wanted to lift me to heaven.
The Prose Edda, passage 600
There sits Sigurd, Stained with blood. On the fire is roasting Fafner’s heart. Wise seemed to me The ring-destroyer, If he the shining Heart would eat.
The Prose Edda, passage 747
When Odin of Asaland came to the north, and the gods with him, he began to exercise and to teach others the arts which the people long afterward have practiced. Odin was the cleverest of all, and from him all others learned their magic arts; and he knew them first, and knew many more than other people. But now, to tell why he is held in such high respect, we must mention various causes that contributed to it.
The Prose Edda, passage 175
[Footnote 19: Elder Edda: Grimner’s Lay, 40, 41. Comp. Vafthrudner’s Lay, 21.]
The Prose Edda, passage 428
On this foot he has the shoe for which materials have been gathering through all ages, namely, the strips of leather which men cut off for the toes and heels of shoes; wherefore he who wishes to render assistance to the asas must cast these strips away. With one hand Vidar seizes the upper jaw of the wolf, and thus rends asunder his mouth. Thus the wolf perishes. Loke fights with Heimdal, and they kill each other. Thereupon Surt flings fire over the earth and burns up all the world.
The Prose Edda, passage 461
The asas were ill at ease on account of the disappearance of Idun,--they became gray-haired and old. They met in council and asked each other who last had seen Idun. The last that had been seen of her was that she had gone out of Asgard in company with Loke. Then Loke was seized and brought into the council, and he was threatened with death or torture. But he became frightened, and promised to bring Idun back from Jotunheim if Freyja would lend him the falcon-guise that she had.
The Prose Edda, passage 826
YMER is the noisy one, and his name is derived from _ymja_ = to howl (compare also the Finnish deity Jumo, after whom the town Umea takes its name, like Odinse).
The Prose Edda, passage 748
When sitting among his friends his countenance was so beautiful and friendly, that the spirits of all were exhilarated by it; but when he was in war, he appeared fierce and dreadful. This arose from his being able to change his color and form in any way he liked. Another cause was, that he conversed so cleverly and smoothly, that all who heard were persuaded. He spoke everything in rhyme, such as is now composed, and which we call skald-craft.
The Prose Edda, passage 74
He does not know that Idun, with her beautiful apples, might, if applied to, render even greater services than Ariadne with her wonderful thread. When we inquire whom Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday are named after, and press questions in reference to Tyr, Odin, Thor and Freyja, we get at best but a wise and knowing look. Are we, then, as a nation, like the ancient Jews, and do we bend the knee before the gods of foreign nations and forsake the altars of our own gods?
The Prose Edda, passage 456
2. Brage began his tale by telling how three asas, Odin, Loke and Honer, went on a journey over mountains and heaths, where they could get nothing to eat. But when they came down into a valley they saw a herd of cattle. From this herd they took an ox and went to work to boil it. When they deemed that it must be boiled enough they uncovered the broth, but it was not yet done. After a little while they lifted the cover off again, but it was not yet boiled.
The Prose Edda, passage 301
This is the reason why Frey was unarmed when he fought with Bele, and slew him with a hart’s horn. Then said Ganglere: It is a great wonder that such a lord as Frey would give away his sword, when he did not have another as good. A great loss it was to him when he fought with Bele; and this I know, forsooth, that he must have repented of that gift. Har answered: Of no great account was his meeting with Bele. Frey could have slain him with his hand. But the time will come when he will find himself in a worse plight for not having his sword, and that will be when the sons of Muspel sally forth to the fight.
The Prose Edda, passage 605
Then Sigurd and the Gjukungs (they are also called Niflungs) rode upon the mountain, and there Gunnar was to ride through the Vafurloge. He had the horse that was called Gote, but this horse did not dare to run into the flame. So Sigurd and Gunnar changed form and weapons, for Grane would not take a step under any other man than Sigurd. Then Sigurd mounted Grane and rode through the bickering flame.
The Prose Edda, passage 572
Why is gold called the needles or leaves of Glaser? In Asgard, before the doors of Valhal, stands a grove which is called Glaser, and all its leaves are of red gold, as is here sung:
The Prose Edda, passage 650
The stone we rolled From the giants’ dwelling, So that all the earth Did rock and quake. So we hurled The rattling stone, The heavy block, That men caught it.
The Prose Edda, passage 524
Then Geirrod locked him down in a chest, and starved him for three months; and when Geirrod finally took him up again, and asked him to speak, Loke confessed who he was, and to save his life he swore an oath to Geirrod that he would get Thor to come to Geirrodsgard without his hammer or his belt of strength.
The Prose Edda, passage 828
VIDOLF, VILMEIDE and SVARTHOFDE are mentioned nowhere else in the mythology.