Part 4

In Sonatorrek 19 the skald (Egil Skallagrimsson) conceives himself with the claims of a father to keep his children opposed to a stronger power which has also made a claim on them. This power is firm in its resolutions against Egil (stendr í föstum þokk á hendi mér); but, at the same time, it is lenient toward his children, and bestows on them the lot of happiness. The mythic person who possesses this power is by the skald called Fáns hrosta hilmir, "the lord of Fánn's brewing".

Fánn is a mythical serpent and dragon-name (Nafnaþulur, Orma heiti 2). The serpent or dragon which possessed this name in the myths or sagas must have been one which was engraved or painted somewhere. This is evident from the word itself, which is a contraction of fáinn, engraved, painted (cp. Egilsson's Lex. Poet., and Vigfusson's Dict., sub voce). Its character as such does not hinder it from being endowed with a magic life (see below). The object on which it was engraved or painted must have been a drinking-horn, whose contents (brewing) is called by Egil Fánn's either because the serpent encircled the horn which contained the drink, or because the horn, on which it was engraved, was named after it. In no other way can the expression, Fánn's brewing, be explained, for an artificial serpent or dragon is neither the one who brews the drink nor the malt from which it is brewed.

The possessor of the horn, embellished with Fánn's image, is the mythical person who, to Egil's vexation, has insisted on the claim of the lower world to his sons. If the skald has paraphrased correctly, that is to say, if he has produced a paraphrase which refers to the character here in question of the person indicated by the paraphrase, then it follows that "Fánn's brewing" and Fánn himself, like their possessor, must have been in some way connected with the lower world.

From the mythic tradition in Guðrúnarkviða (ii), we already know that a serpent, "a long heath-fish," is engraved and painted on the subterranean horn, whose sorrow-allaying mead is composed of the liquids of the three Hades-fountains.

When King Gorm (Saxo, Book VIII; cp. No. 46) made his journey of discovery in the lower world, he saw a vast ox-horn (ingens bubali cornu) there. It lay near the gold-clad mead-cisterns, the fountains of the lower world. Its purpose of being filled with their liquids is sufficiently clear from its location. We are also told that it was carved with figures (nec cælaturæ artificio vacuum), like the subterranean horn in Guðrúnarkviða. One of Gorm's men is anxious to secure the treasure. Then the horn lengthens into a dragon who kills the would-be robber (cornu in draconem extractum sui spiritum latoris eripuit). Like Slidrugtanni and other subterranean treasures, the serpent or dragon on the drinking-horn of the lower world is endowed with life when necessary, or the horn itself acquires life in the form of a dragon, and punishes with death him who has no right to touch it. The horn itself is accordingly a Fánn, an artificial serpent or dragon, and its contents is Fánn's hrosti (Fánn's brewing).

The Icelandic middle-age sagas have handed down the memory of an aurocks-horn (úrarhorn), which was found in the lower world, and was there used to drink from (Fornaldarsögur, Sturlaugs saga).

Thus it follows that the hilmir Fáns hrosta, "the lord of Fán's brewing," mentioned by Egil, is the master of the Hades-horn, he who determines to whom it is to be handed, in order that they may imbibe vigour and forgetfulness of sorrow from "Urd's strength, cool sea, and Son's liquid". And thus the meaning of the strophe here discussed (Sonatorrek 19) is made perfectly clear. Egil's deceased sons have drunk from this horn, and thus they have been initiated as dwellers for ever in the lower world. Hence the skald can say that Hilmir Fáns hrosta was inexorably firm against him, their father, who desired to keep his sons with him. [*]

  * The interpretation of the passage, which has hitherto prevailed, begins with a text emendation. Fánn is changed to Finn. Finn is the name of a dwarf. Finns hrosti is "the dwarf's drink," and "the dwarf's drink" is, on the authority of the Younger Edda, synonymous with poetry. The possessor of Finns hrosti is Odin, the lord of poetry. With text emendations of this sort (they are numerous, are based on false notions in regard to the adaptability of the Icelandic Christian poetics to the heathen poetry, and usually quote Gylfaginning as authority) we can produce anything we like from the statements of the ancient records. Odin's character as the lord of poetry has not the faintest idea in common with the contents of the strophe. His character as judge at the court near Urd's fountain, and as the one who, as the judge of the dead, has authority over the liquor in the subterranean horn, is on the other hand closely connected with the contents of the strophe, and is alone able to make it consistent and intelligible. Further on in the poem, Egil speaks of Odin as the lord of poetry. Odin, he says, has not only been severe against him (in the capacity of hilmir Fáns hrosta), but he has also been kind in bestowing the gift of poetry, and therewith consolation in sorrow (bölva bætur). The paraphrase here used by Egil for Odin's name is Míms vinur (Mimir's friend). From Mimir Odin received the drink of inspiration, and thus the paraphrase is in harmony with the sense. As hilmir Fáns hrosta Odin has wounded Egil's heart; as Míms vinur (Mimir's friend) he has given him balsam for the wounds inflicted. This two-sided conception of Odin's relation to the poet permeates the whole poem.

From Völuspá 27, 28, and from Gylfaginning 15, it appears that the mythology knew of a drinking-horn which belonged at the same time, so to speak, both to Asgard and to the lower world. Odin is its possessor, Mimir its keeper. A compact is made between the Asas dwelling in heaven and the powers dwelling in the lower world, and a security (veð) is given for the keeping of the agreement. On the part of the Asas and their clan patriarch Odin, the security given is a drinking-horn. From this "Valfather's pledge" Mimir every morning drinks mead from his fountain of wisdom (Völuspá 28), and from the same horn he waters the root of the world-tree (Völuspá 27). As Müllenhoff has already pointed out (D. Alterth., v. 100 ff.), this drinking-horn is not to be confounded with Heimdal's war-trumpet, the Gjallarhorn, though Gylfaginning is also guilty of this mistake.

Thus the drinking-horn given to Mimir by Valfather represents a treaty between the powers of heaven and of the lower world. Can it be any other than the Hades-horn, which, at the thingstead near Urd's fountain, is employed in the service both of the Asa-gods and of the lower world? The Asas determine the happiness or unhappiness of the dead, and consequently decide what persons are to taste the strength-giving mead of the horn. But the horn has its place in the lower world, is kept there - there performs a task of the greatest importance, and gets its liquid from the fountains of the lower world.

What Mimir gave Odin in exchange is that drink of wisdom, without which he would not have been able to act as judge in matters concerning eternity, but after receiving the which he was able to find and proclaim the right decisions (orð) (orð mér af orði orðs leitaði - Hávamál 141). Both the things exchanged are, therefore, used at the Thing near Urd's fountain. The treaty concerned the lower world, and secured to the Asas the power necessary, in connection with their control of mankind and with their claim to be worshipped, to dispense happiness and unhappiness in accordance with the laws of religion and morality. Without this power the Asas would have been of but little significance. Urd and Mimir would have been supreme.

With the dýrar veigar (precious liquids), of which the dead Helgi speaks, we must compare the skírar veigar (clear liquids), which, according to Vegtamskviða 7, awaited the dead Baldur in the lower world. After tasting of it, the god who had descended to Hades regained his broken strength, and the earth again grew green (see No. 53).

In dýrar veigar, skírar veigar, the plural form must not be passed over without notice. The contents of one and the same drink are referred to by the plural veigar -

which can only be explained as referring to a drink prepared by a mixing of several liquids, each one of which is a veig. Originally veigar seems always to have designated a drink of the dead, allaying their sorrows and giving them new life. In Hyndluljóð 34 dýrar veigar has the meaning of a potion of bliss which Ottar, beloved by Freyja, is to drink. In strophe 32, Freyja threatens the sorceress Hyndla with a fire, which is to take her hence for ever. In strophe 33, Hyndla answers the threat with a similar and worse one. She says she already sees the conflagration of the world; there shall nearly all beings "suffer the loss of life" (verða flestir fjörlausn þola), Freyja and her Ottar of course included, and their final destiny, according to Hyndla's wish, is indicated by Freyja's handing Ottar a pain-foreboding, venomous drink. Hyndla invokes on Freyja and Ottar the flames of Ragnarok and damnation. Freyja answers by including Ottar in the protection of the gods, and foretelling that he is to drink dýrar veigar.

Besides in these passages veigar occurs in a strophe composed by Ref Gestson, quoted in Skáldskaparmál, ch. 9. Only half of the strophe is quoted, so that it is impossible to determine definitely the meaning of the veigar referred to by the skald. We only see that they are given by Odin, and that "we" must be grateful to him for them. The half strophe is possibly a part of a death-song which Ref Gestson is known to have composed on his foster-father, Gissur. [Another strophe by the same author refers to helgu fulli "hallowed drinking-horn."]

Veig in the singular means not only drink, but also power, strength. Perhaps Bugge is right in claiming that this was the original meaning of the word. The plural veigar accordingly means strengths. That this expression "strengths" should come to designate in a rational manner a special drink must be explained by the fact that "the strengths" was the current expression for the liquids of which the invigorating mythical drink was composed. The three fountains of the lower world are the strength-givers of the universe, and, as we have already seen, it is the liquids of these wells that are mixed into the wonderful brewing in the subterranean horn.

When Eilif Gudrunarson, the skald converted to Christianity, makes Christ, who gives the water of eternal life, sit near Urd's fountain, then this is a Christianised heathen idea, and refers to the power of this fountain's water to give, through the judge of the world, to the pious a less troublesome life than that on earth. The water which gives warmth to the world-tree and heals its wounds is to be found in the immediate vicinity of the thingstead, and has also served to strengthen and heal the souls of the dead.

To judge from Hyndluljod 33, those doomed to unhappiness must also partake of some drink. It is "much mixed with venom (eitri blandinn mjög), and forebodes them evil (illu heilli). They must, therefore, be compelled to drink it before they enter the world of misery, and accordingly, no doubt, while they sit á nornastóli on the very thingstead. The Icelandic sagas of the middle ages know the venom drink as a potion of misery.

It appears that this potion of unhappiness did not loosen the speechless tongues of the damned. Eitr means the lowest degree of cold and poison at the same time, and would not, therefore, be serviceable for that purpose, since the tongues were made speechless with cold. In Saxo's descriptions of the regions of misery in the lower world, it is only the torturing demons that speak. The dead are speechless, and suffer their agonies without uttering a sound; but, when the spirits of torture so desire, and force and egg them on, they can produce a howl (mugitus). There broods a sort of muteness over the forecourt of the domain of torture, the Niflheim inhabited by the frost-giants, according to Skírnismál's description thereof (see No. 60). Skirnir threatens Gerd that she, among her kindred there, shall be more widely hated than Heimdall himself; but the manner in which they express this hate is with staring eyes, not with words (á þig Hrímnir hari, á þig hotvetna stari - str. 28).