Part 5

After Svipdag's marriage with Freyja the saga of his life may be divided into two parts - the time before his visit in Asgard as Freyja's happy husband and Frey's best friend, and the time of his absence from Asgard and his change and destruction.

To the former of these divisions belongs his journey, celebrated in song, to the abode of the giant Gymir, whither he proceeds to ask, on Frey's behalf, for the hand of Gerd, Gymir's and Aurboda's fair daughter. It has already been pointed out that after his marriage with Gunvara-Freyja, Erik-Svipdag appears in Saxo as Frotho-Frey's right hand, ready to help and a trusted man in all things. Among other things the task is also imposed on him to ask, on behalf of Frotho, for the hand of a young maiden whose father in the mythology doubtless was a giant. He is described as a deceitful, treacherous being, hostile to the gods, as a person who had laid a plan with his daughter as a bait to deceive Frotho and win Gunvara for himself. The plan is frustrated by Svipdag (Ericus), Ull (Rollerus), and Thor (Bracus), the last of whom here appears in his usual rôle as the conqueror of giants. At the very point when Frotho's intended father-in-law thinks he has won the game Thor rushes into his halls, and the schemer is compelled to save himself by flight (Book V, p. 136, &c.). In the excellent poem Skírnismál, the Icelandic mythic fragments have preserved the memorory of Frey's courtship to a giant-maid, daughter of Aurboda's terrible husband, the giant-chief Gymir. Here, as in Saxo, the Vana-god does not himself go to do the courting, but sends a messenger, who in the poem is named by the epithet Skirnir. All that is there told about this Skirnir finds its explanation in Svipdag's saga. The very epithet Skirnir, "the shining one," is justified by the fact that Solbjart-Orvandil, the star-hero, is his father. Skirnir dwells in Asgard, but is not one of the ruling gods. The one of the gods with whom he is most intimately united is Frey. Thus his position in Asgard is the same as Svipdag's. Skirnir's influence with Freyja's brother is so great that when neither Njord nor Skadi can induce the son to reveal the cause of the sorrow which afflicts him, they hope that Skirnir may be able to do so. Who, if not Svipdag, who tried to rescue Frey from the power of the giants, and who is his brother-in-law, and in Saxo his all in all, would be the one to possess such influence over him? Skirnir also appeals to the fact that Frey and he have in days past had adventures together of such a kind that they ought to have faith in each other, and that Frey ought not to have any secret which he may not safely confide to so faithful a friend (Skírnismál 5). Skirnir is wise and poetic, and has proverbs on his lips like Svipdag-Erik (cp. Skírnismál 13 with Fjölsvinnsmál 47). But the conclusive proof of their identity is the fact that Skirnir, like Svipdag, had made a journey to the lower world, had been in Mimir's realm at the root of Yggdrasil, and there had fetched a sword called Gambantein, which is the same sword as the one Frey lays in his hand when he is to go on his errand of courtship - the same sword as Frey afterwards parts with as the price paid to Gymir and Aurboda for the bride. When Gerd refuses to accept the courtship-presents that Skirnir brings with him, he draws his sword, shows its blade to Gerd, threatens to send her with its edge to Niflhel, the region below the Na-gates, the Hades-dwelling of Hrimnir, Hrimgrimnir, and of other giants of antiquity, the abode of the furies of physical sicknesses (see No. 60), and tells her how this terrible weapon originally came into his possession:

Til holts eg gekk
og til hrás viðar
gambantein að geta,
gambantein eg gat.

"I went to Holt
And to the juicy tree
Gambantein to get,
Gambantein I got."

The word teinn, a branch, a twig, has the meaning of sword in all the compounds where it occurs : benteinn, bifteinn, eggteinar, hævateinn (homateinn), hjörteinn, hræteinn, sárteinn, valteinn. Mistilteinn has also become the name of a sword (Nafnaþulur; Hrómundar saga Gripssonar; cp. No. 101), and the same weapon as is here called gambanteinn is called hævateinn, homateinn (see further No. 116) in Fjölsvinnsmál.

In the mythology there is only one single place which is called Holt. It is Mímis holt, Hoddmímis holt, the subterranean grove, where the children who are to be the parents of the future race of man have their secure abode until the regeneration of the world (see Nos. 52, 53), living on the morning-dew which falls from the world-tree, hrár viður, "the tree rich in sap" (see No. 89). Mimir-Nidhad also comes from Holt when he imprisons Volund (Völundarkviða 16). It has already been proved above that, on his journey in the lower world, Svipdag also came to Mímis holt, and saw the citadel within which the ásmegir have their asylum.

Saxo has known either the above-cited strophe or another resembling it, and, when his Erik-Svipdag speaks of his journey in ambiguous words (obscura umbage), Saxo makes him say: Ad trunca sylvarum robora penetravi . . . ibi cuspis a robore regis excussa est (Book V, p. 130). With the expression ad robora sylvarum penetravi we must compare til holts eg gekk. The words robur regis refer to the tree of the lower world king, Mimir, Mímameiður, the world-tree. Erik-Svipdag's purpose with his journey to this tree is to secure a weapon. Saxo calls this weapon cuspis. Fjölsvinnsmál calls it, with a paraphrase, broddur. Cuspis is a translation of broddur.

Thus there can be no doubt concerning the identity of Skirnir with Svipdag.