Hardly any other poem in the Edda so appeals to modern, and probably to universal, taste. Indeed, here we see the epic-dramatic technique of the North at its best—and the subject is a romantic love-myth that speaks to us all. The workmanship is excellent. Though entirely dialogic, the poem never leaves us in doubt of either place or drift of the action—the explanatory prose might well be dispensed with—and with surprising skill the poet makes us visualize the appearance and divine the character of the actors.
Beginning and ending with lovesick Frey, the poet delegates all the action to the god’s alter ego, his devoted follower and friend, Skirnir, who with intrepidity accomplishes his mission, overcoming the resistance of the fair giant maiden with the threat of his rune magic, after both promises of gifts and threats of force have failed.
In the arrangement and the handling of his material the poet probably owes little to the myth. It has been urged with some plausibility that in this lay we actually have the dramatized rites of a Frey cult, celebrating the god’s annual union with the fertility goddess. We can, however, discern the consciously working author in frequent verbal reminiscences of other Eddic lays and in his struggle with the material to be fashioned. Most interesting is his treatment of the Ijóðaháttr stanzas which, regular at the beginning, become swaying and incoherent, with barbarous assonances, when the terrific imprecations fill them to overflowing, but which resume their regular gait toward the tranquil end.
The tradition is, on the whole, fair. Only some of the curses defy certain interpretation. The poem is found complete in Codex Regius, whereas Codex Arnamagnœanus (Hauksbók) breaks off after Stanza 27. Snorri’s paraphrase is significantly brief: for his purposes, the lay seemed deficient in epic details.
Norway is (doubtfully) assigned as the home of the lay, because of the mention of the thistle, a plant not indigenous to Iceland. There are no definite clues as to the time of its origin (tenth century?).
Frey,1 the son of Njorth, one day had seated himself on Hlithskjalf2 and looked over all the worlds. Then saw he in the world of etins a fair maiden as she went from the hall of her father to her bower. And that sight made him heavy of heart. Skírnir3 was the name of Frey’s servitor. Njorth bade him to make Frey speak out.
Skathi4 said:
1. “Arise now, Skirnir, and ready make thee to summon my son, and find out this from the wise youth, whom he doth hate.”
2. “For waspish words I well may look,
if I summon thy son
to find out this from the wise youth,
whom he doth hate.”
(Skirnir said:)
3. “Wilt tell me, Frey, foremost among gods,
and answer me as I ask:
why sittest thou lonely, my lord, all day
with heavy heart in thy hall?”
(Frey said:)
4. “How tell thee my yearning, oh youth, as thou wishest—
why heavy my heart?
The alf’s beam5 shineth all these long days,
but lighter groweth not my longing.”
(Skírnir said:)
5. “Thy heart’s not so heavy, I hold, but thou mayst
open it to another;
for in days of yore we young were together:
truly thou mightest trust me.”
(Frey said:)
6. “From on high I beheld in the halls of Gymir6
a maiden to my mind;
her arms did gleam, their glamor filled
all the sea and the air.
7. “This maiden is to me more dear
than maiden to any man;
but Æsir and alfs all will have it
that strangers ay we stay.
(7a). 7(“In my behalf her hand shalt ask,
and home bring her hither,
her father let or allow it:
good shall thy guerdon be.”)
(Skírnir said:)
8. “Thy steed then lend me to lift me o’er weird
ring of flickering flame,
the sword also that swings itself
against the tribe of trolls.”
(Frey said:)
9. “My steed I lend thee to lift thee o’er weird
ring of flickering flame,
the sword also which swings itself,
if wise he who wields it.”8
Skírnir said to his steed:
10. “Night is it now, now we shall fare
over moist mountains,
to the thurses’ throng;
scatheless we both shall ’scape their might,
or else both be o’erborne by the etins.”
Skírnir rode into etin-home and to Gymir’s court. There were savage dogs tied to the gate of the enclosure about Gerth’s bower.
Skírnir rode to where a shepherd sate on a mound, and greeted him:
11. “Say thou, shepherd, sitting on hill,
who dost watch all ways:
how win I the welcome of the winsome maid
through the grim hounds of Gymir?”
12. “Whether art thou doomed, or dead already,
(in the stirrup who standest)?9
Never shalt thou win the welcome to have
of the good daughter of Gymir.”
(Skírnir said:)
13. “Ne’er a whit will whine, whatso betide,
who is eager on errand bent;
my fate is foretold me to the time of a day,
allotted is all my life.”
Gerth said:
14. “What outcry and uproar within our courts10
hear I now, handmaid?
The earth doth shake and all my father
Gymir’s high halls.”
The handmaid said:
15. “By his steed here stands a stranger youth,
unbridles and baits him;
(he wishes, I ween, welcome to have
from the good daughter of Gymir).”11
(Gerth said:)
16. “Bid to my bower the bold-minded come,
to meet me and drink our mead;
though far from us, I fear me, is not
my brother’s banesman12
17. “Whether art of the alfs or of Æsir come,
or art thou a wise Van?13
Through furious fire why farest alone
to behold our halls?”
(Skírnir said:)
18. “Neither alf am I, nor of Æsir come
nor a wise Van;
through furious fire yet fared I alone
to behold your halls.
19. “Apples eleven14 have I all golden;
to thee, Gerth, I shall give them,
to hear from thy lips thou lovest Frey,
and deemest him dearest to thee.”
(Gerth said:)
20. “Thy apples eleven not e’er shall I take
to do any wight’s will;
nor shall I ever with Njorth’s son Frey
dwell while our lives do last.”
(Skírnir said:)
21. “Draupnir, the ring,15 then thy dowry shall be,
which with Baldr was burned;
eight rings as dear will drop from it
every ninth night.”
(Gerth said:)
22. “Draupnir, the ring, I do not want,
though it with Baldr was burned;
gold I lack not in Gymir’s halls,
to deal out daily.”16
23. “This mottled blade, dost, maiden, see it
which here I hold in my hand?
Thy haughty head I hew from thy neck
but thou yield thy love to the youth.”
(Gerth said:)
24. “Nor gold nor sword will gain it over me
any wight’s will to do;
if Gymir, my father, did find thee here,
fearless warrior, ye would fight to the death.”
(Skírnir said:)
25. “This mottled blade, dost, maiden, see it,
which here I hold in my hand?
Before its edge the etin falls,
and is thy father fey.
26. “With this magic wand bewitch thee I shall,
my will, maiden, to do;
where the sons of men will see thee no more,
thither shalt thou!
27. “On the eagle-hill17 shalt ever sit,
aloof from the world, lolling toward Hel.
To thee men shall be more loathsome far18
than to mankind the slimy snake.
28. “An ugly sight, when out thou comest,
even Hrímnir19 will stare at and every hind glare at,20
more widely known than the warder of gods,21
and shalt gape through the gate.22
29. 23“Shalt drivel and dote, and drag through life,
with salt tears shalt sorrow;
shalt sit as I say, with sadness heavy,
feel twofold torment
with heavy heart.
30. “Imps shall nip thee, all the long days
thou art with the etins;
to frost-giants’ hall shalt hobble all days,
cringe under curse,
cringe under care.
For play shall weeping thy pastime be:
live a loathly life with tears!
31. “With three-headed thurs, thwarted, thou shalt live,
or else unwedded be;
lust shall lash thee,
weakness waste thee:
be like the thistle which is thrust under,
when the harvest is harbored.24
32. “To the woods I wended, to the wet forest,
a magic wand me to make,
and a magic wand I made me.
33. “Thou hast angered Óthin, the uppermost god;
Frey will frown on thee,
thou wicked wench! Woe betide thee,
thou hast the great gods’ wrath.
34. “Hear ye frost-giants,25 hear ye etins,
ye sons of Suttung, all ye sibs of the Æsir:
how I forbid, how I debar
men’s mirth to the maid,
men’s love to the maid.
35. “Hrímgrimnir is hight who shall have thee, a thurs,
Niflhel beneath:
there, slavering slaves shall serve thee ’neath tree roots
with staling of stinking goats.
No other drink shalt ever get,
wench at thy will,
wench at my will!
36. “A ‘thurs’ rune26 for thee, and three more I scratch:
lechery, loathing, and lust;
off I shall scratch them, as on I did scratch them,
if of none there be need.”
(Gerth said:)
37. “Hail, rather, hero, and hold to thy lips
this crystal cup with mead;
though hardly thought I that hence I should fare,
to be a Van’s wife.”
(Skírnir said:)
38. “My errand I would know altogether,
ere hence I ride home.
When art minded to meet the strong one,
and welcome the wise son of Njorth?”
(Gerth said:)
39 “Barri is hight, as both we know,
for true love a trysting glade.
After nights nine to Njorth’s son there
will Gerth grant her love.”
Then rode Skírnir home. Frey stood without and greeted him and asked what tidings he brought:
40. “Say now, Skírnir, ere thou unsaddle the steed
and set one foot forward:
what errand bringest thou from etin-home,
of mark for thee or me?”
(Skírnir said:)
41. “Barri is hight, as both we know,
for true love a trysting glade.
After nights nine to Njorth’s son there
will Gerth grant her love.”
(Frey said:)
42. “Long is a night, longer are two—
how shall I thole three?
Shorter to me a month oft seemed,
than part of this night of pining.”27