Gylfaginning

53
chieftain, since he commands so large an army. Now what is the sport of the
champions, when they are not fighting?" Hárr replied: "Every day, as soon as
they are clothed, they straightway put on their armor and go out into the court
and fight, and fell each other. That is their sport; and when the time draws
near to undern-meal, they ride home to Valhall and sit down to drink, even as
is said here:

     All the Einherjar in Odin's court
           Deal out blows every day;
     The slain they choose and ride from the strife,-
           Sit later in love together.

But what thou hast said is true: Odin is of great might. Many examples are
found in proof of this, as is here said in the words of the Ćsir themselves:

     Ash Yggdrasill's trunk of trees is foremost,
             And Skídbladnir of ships;
     Odin of Ćsir, of all steeds Sleipnir,
     Bifröst of bridges, and Bragi of skaids;
     Hábrók of hawks, and of hounds Garmr."

XLII. Then said Gangleri: "Who owns that horse Sleipnir, or what is to be said
of him?" Hárr answered: "Thou hast no knowledge of Sleipnir's points, and thou
knowest not the circumstances of his begetting; but it will seem to thee worth
the telling. It was early in the first days of the gods' dwelling here, when
the gods had established the Midgard and made Valhall; there came at that time
a certain wright and offered to build them a citadel in three seasons, so good
that it should be staunch and proof against the Hill-Giants and the Rime-
Giants, though they should
54
come in over Midgard. But he demanded as wages that he should have possession
of Freyja, and would fain have had the sun and the moon. Then the Ćsir held
parley and took counsel together; and a bargain was made with the wright, that
he should have that which he demanded, if he should succeed in completing the
citadel in one winter. On the first day of summer, if any part of the citadel
were left unfinished, he should lose his reward; and he was to receive help
from no man in the work. When they told him these conditions, he asked that
they would give him leave to have the help of his stallion, which was called
Svadilfari; and Loki advised it, so that the wright's petition was granted. He
set to work the first day of winter to make the citadel, and by night he hauled
stones with the stallion's aid; and it seemed very marvellous to the Ćsir what
great rocks that horse drew, for the horse did more rough work by half than did
the wright. But there were strong witnesses to their bargain, and many oaths,
since it seemed unsafe to the giant to be among the Ćsir without truce, if Thor
should come home. But Thor had then gone away into the eastern region to fight
trolls.
       "Now when the winter drew nigh unto its end, the building of the citadel
was far advanced; and it was so high and strong that it could not be taken.
When it lacked three days of summer, the work had almost reached the gate of
the stronghold. 'Then the gods sat down in their judgment seats, and sought
means of evasion, and asked one another who had advised giving Freyja into
Jötunheim, or so destroying the air and the heaven as to take thence the sun
and the moon and give them to the giants. The gods agreed that he must have
counselled this who is wont to give evil advice, Loki Laufeyarson, and they
declared

55
him deserving of an ill death, if he could not hit upon a way of losing the
wright his wages; and they threatened Loki with violence. But when he became
frightened, then he swore oaths, that he would so contrive that the wright
should lose his wages, cost him what it might.
       "That same evening, when the wright drove out after stone with the
stallion Svadilfari, a mare bounded forth from a certain wood and whinnied to
him. The stallion, perceiving what manner of horse this was, straightway became
frantic, and snapped the traces asunder, and leaped over to the mare, and she
away to the wood, and the wright after, striving to seize the stallion. These
horses ran all night, and the wright stopped there that night; and afterward,
at day, the work was not done as it had been before. When the wright saw that
the work could not be brought to an end, he fell into giant's fury. Now that
the Ćsir saw surely that the hill-giant was come thither, they did not regard
their oaths reverently, but called on Thor, who came as quickly. And
straightway the hammer Mjöllnir was raised aloft; he paid the wright's wage,
and not with the sun and the moon. Nay, he even denied him dwelling in
Jötunheim, and struck but the one first blow, so that his skull was burst into
small crumbs, and sent him down below under Niflhel. But Loki had such dealings
with Svadilfari, that somewhat later he gave birth to a foal, which was gray
and had eight feet; and this horse is the best among gods and men. So is said
in Völuspá:

     Then all the Powers strode to the seats of judgment,
     The most holy gods council held together:
     Who had the air all with evil envenomed,
     Or to the Ettin-race Ódr's maid given.

56

     Broken were oaths then, bond and swearing,
     Pledges all sacred which passed between them;
     Thor alone smote there, swollen with anger:
     He seldom sits still when such he hears of."

XLIII. Then said Gangleri: " What is to be said of Skídbladnir, that which is
best of ships? Is there no ship equally great?" Hárr replied: "Skídbladnir is
best of ships and made with most skill of craftsmanship; but Naglfar is the
largest ship; Múspell has it. Certain dwarves, Sons of Ívaldi, made Skídbladnir
and gave the ship to Freyr. It is so great that all the Ćsir may man it, with
their weapons and armaments, and it has a favoring wind as soon as the sail is
hoisted, whithersoever it is bound; but when there is no occasion for going to
sea in it, it is made of so many things and with so much cunning that then it
may be folded together like a napkin and kept in one's pouch."
XLIV. Then spake Gangleri: "A good ship is Skídbladnir, but very great magic
must have been used upon it before it got to be so fashioned. Has Thor never
experienced such a thing, that he has found in his path somewhat so mighty or
so powerful that it has overmatched him through strength of magic?" Then said
Hárr: "Few men, I ween, are able to tell of this; yet many a thing has seemed
to him hard to overcome. Though there may have been something so powerful or
strong that Thor might not have succeeded in winning the victory, yet it is not
necessary to speak of it; because there are many examples to prove, and because
all are bound to believe, that Thor is mightiest." Then said Gangleri: "It
seems to me that I must have asked you touching this matter what no one is able
 



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