Skáldskaparmál

121


     Stood there all besprinkled
     With Einridi's blood.

     Until the wise ale-goddess,
     With wondrous lays, enchanted
     The vaunted woe, rust-ruddy,
     From the Wain-God's sloping temples;
     Painted on its circuit
     I see them clearly pictured:
     The fair-bossed shield, with stories
     Figured, I had from Thórleifr."] (1)

XVIII. Then said Ćgir: "Methinks Hrungnir was of great might. Did thor
accomplish yet more valorous deeds when he had to do with the trolls?" And
Bragi answered: "It is worthy to be told at length, how Thor went to Geirrödr's
dwelling. At that time he had not the hammer Mjöllnir with him, nor his Girdle
of Might, nor the iron gauntlets: and that was the fault of Loki, who went with
him. For once, flying in his sport with Frigg's hawk-plumage, it had happened
to Loki to fly for curiosity's sake into Geirrödr's court. there he saw a great
hall, and alighted and looked in through the window; and Geirrödr looked up and
saw him, and commanded that the bird be taken and brought to him. But he who
was sent could scarce get to the top of the wall, so high was it; and it seemed
pleasant to Loki to see the man striving with toil and pains to reach him, and
he thought it was not yet time to fly away until the other had accomplished the
perilous climb. When the man pressed hard after him, then he stretched his
wings for flight, and thrust out vehemently, but now his feet were stuck fast.

1. Passages enclosed within brackets are considered by Jónsson to be spurious.


122


So Loki was taken and brought before Geirrödr the giant; but when Geirrödr saw
his eyes, he suspected that this might be a man, and bade him answer; but Loki
was silent. Then Geirrödr shut Loki into a chest and starved him there three
months. And now when Geirrödr took him out and commanded him to speak, Loki
told who he was; and by way of ransom for his life he swore to Geirrödr with
oaths that he would get Thor to come into Geirrödr's dwelling in such a fashion
that he should have neither hammer nor Girdle of Might with him.
       "Thor came to spend the night with that giantess who was called Grídr,
mother of Vídarr the Silent. She otld Thor the truth concerning Geirrödr, that
he was a crafty giant and ill to deal with; and she letn him the Girdle of
Might and iron gloves which she possessed, and her staff also, which was called
Grídr's Rod. Then thor proceeded to the river named Vimur, greatest of all
rivers. There he girded himself with the Girdle of Might and braced firmly
downstream with Gridr's Rod, and Loki held on behind by the Girdle of Might.
When Thor came to mid-current, the river waxed so greatly that it broke high
upon his shoulders. Then Thor sang this:

     Wax thou not now, Vimur,
     For I fain would wade thee
     Into the Giants' garth:
     Know thou, if thou waxest,
     Then waxeth God-strength in me
     As high up as the heaven.

"Then Thor saw Gjálp, daughter of Geirrödr, standing in certain ravines, one
leg in each , spanning the river,


123

and she was causing the spate. Then Thor snatched up a great stone out of the
river and cast it at her, saying these words: 'At its source should a river be
stemmed.' Nor did he miss that at which he threw. In that moment he came to the
shore and took hold of a rowan-clump, and so climbed out of the river; whence
comes the saying that rowan is Thor's deliverance.
       "Now when Thor came before Geirrödr, the companions were shown first
into the goat-fold (1) for their entertainment, and there was one chair there
for a seat, and Thor sat there. Then he became aware that the chair moved under
him up toward the roof: he thrust Grídr's rod up against the rafters and pushed
back hard against the chair. Then there was a great crash, and screaming
followed. Under the chair had been Geirrödr's daughters, Gjálp and Greip; and
he had broken both their backs. Then Geirrödr had Thor called in the hall to
play games. There were great fires the whole length of the hall. When Thor came
up over against Geirrödr, then Geirrödr took up a glowing bar of iron with the
tongs and cast it at Thor. Thor caught with his iron gloves and raised the bar
in the air, but Geirrödr leapt behind an iron pillar to save himself. Thor
lifted up the bar and threw it, and it passed through the wall, and so on out,
even into the earth. Eilífr Gudrúnarson has wrought verses on this story, in
Thórsdrápa:

     [The winding sea-snake's father
     Did wile from home the slayer

1. So Cod. Reg. and Cod. Worm.; Cod. Upsal. and Cod. Hypn. read gesta hús =
guest's house. Gering, Simrock, and Anderson prefer the latter reading. I have
followed Jónsson in accepting geita hús.


124

     Of the life of the gods' grim foemen;
     -(Ever was Loptr a liar)-
     The never faithful Searcher
     Of the heart of the fearless Thunderer
     Declared green ways were lying
     To the walled stead of Geirrödr.

     No long space Thor let Loki
     Lure him to the going:
     They yearned to overmaster
     Thorn's offspring, when the Seeker
     Of Idi's garth, than giants
     Greater in might, made ready
     In ancient days, for faring
     To the Giants' Seat, from Odin's.

     Further in the faring
     Forward went warlike Thjálfi
     With the divine Host-Cheerer
     Than the deceiving lover
     Of her of enchanted singing:
     -(I chant the Ale of Odin)-
     The hill dame's Mocker measured
     The moor with hollow foot-soles.

     And the war-wonted journeyed
     Till the hill-women's Waster
     Came to Gangr's blood, the Vimur;
     Then Loki's bale-repeller,
     Eager in anger, lavish
     Of valor, longed to struggle




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