The Prose Edda (13 page)
Authors: Snorri Sturluson
“Thokk will weep
dry tears at
Baldr's funeral pyre.
Alive or dead the old man's [Odin's]
son gave me no joy.
Let Hel hold what she has.”
6
âPeople believe that the giantess was Loki, the son of Laufey, the one who did the most harm to the Ãsir.'
Then Gangleri said, âLoki was the cause of many things. First he caused Baldr's death, and then managed to have Baldr retained in Hel. But was no vengeance taken for this?'
High replied, âHe was repaid in a way that he will long feel. With the gods as angry at him as might be expected, he ran away and hid on a mountain. There he built a house with four doors, so that he could look out from the house in all directions. During the day he often changed himself into a salmon and hid in a place called Franang's Falls. He set his mind to discovering what sort of ploy the Ãsir might devise to catch him in the waterfall. Sitting in the house, he took some linen yarn and looped it into a mesh in the way that nets have been made ever since. A fire was burning in front of him. Suddenly he saw that the Ãsir were only a short distance away â Odin having discovered Loki's whereabouts from Hlidskjalf. Loki jumped up and threw the net into the fire, as he dashed out to the river.
âWhen the Ãsir reached the house, the first to enter was Kvasir, the wisest of all. He looked into the fire, and when he saw the outline of the net in the ashes, he realized that it was a device for catching fish. He told the Ãsir, and they set to work. They made a net for themselves, copying from Loki what they had seen in the ashes.
âWith the net ready, the Ãsir went to the river and cast it into the waterfall. Thor held one end and all the Ãsir held the other, and together they dragged the net. But Loki moved ahead of them and, diving deep, he placed himself between two boulders. As the Ãsir pulled the net over him, they realized that something alive was there. They went back up to the waterfall and again cast the net. This time they weighed it down so heavily that nothing could slip under it. Again Loki stayed ahead of the net, but when he saw it was only a short distance to the sea, he jumped up over the top of the net and swam back up to the falls. The Ãsir, now seeing where he was going, returned to the falls. They divided themselves between the two banks, while Thor waded in the middle of the river, and then they worked their way down towards the sea.
âLoki realized that he had two options. He could leap out to the sea, which meant putting his life in danger, or he could once again jump over the net. He chose the latter, jumping as fast as he could over the net. Thor reached out and succeeded in grabbing him, but still the salmon slipped through his hands. Thor finally got a firm hold on it near its tail, and for this reason salmon are narrow towards the rear.
âLoki was now captured, and with no thought of mercy he was taken to a cave. They [the Ãsir] took three flat stones and, setting them on their edges, broke a hole through each of them. Then they caught Loki's sons, Vali and Nari or Narfi. The Ãsir changed Vali into a wolf, and he ripped apart his brother Narfi. Next the Ãsir took his guts, and with them they bound Loki on to the top of the three stones â one under his shoulders, a second under his loins and the third under his knees. The fetters became iron.
âThen Skadi took a poisonous snake and fastened it above Loki so that its poison drips on to his face. But Sigyn, his wife, placed herself beside him from where she holds a bowl to catch the drops of venom. When the bowl becomes full, she leaves to pour out the poison, and at that moment the poison drips on to Loki's face. He convulses so violently that the whole earth shakes â it is what is known as an earthquake. He will lie bound there until Ragnarok.'
Then Gangleri asked, âWhat is to be said about Ragnarok? I have not heard it spoken of before.'
High replied: âThere are many important things to be said about it. First will come the winter called Fimbulvetr [Extreme Winter]. Snow will drive in from all directions; the cold will be severe and the winds will be fierce. The sun will be of no use. Three of these winters will come, one after the other, with no summer in between. But before that there will have been another three winters with great battles taking place throughout the world. Brothers will kill brothers for the sake of greed, and neither father nor son will be spared in the killings and the collapse of kinship.
1
So it is said in
The Sibyl's Prophecy
:
Brothers will fight,
bringing death to each other.
Sons of sisters
will split their kin bonds.
Hard times for men,
rampant depravity,
age of axes, age of swords,
shields split,
wind age, wolf age,
until the world falls into ruin.
(
The Sibyl's Prophecy. 45
)
âNext will come an event thought to be of much importance. The wolf will swallow the sun, and mankind will think it has suffered a terrible disaster. Then the other wolf will catch the moon, and he too will cause much ruin. The stars will disappear from the heavens.
âSo, also, there is this to be told: the whole earth, together with the mountains, will start to shake so that the trees will loosen from the ground, the mountains will fall, and all fetters
and bonds will sever and break. Then the Fenriswolf will break free. The sea will surge on to the land as the Midgard Serpent writhes in giant fury and advances up on the land. Then it also will happen that the ship Naglfar loosens from its moorings. It is made from the nails of dead men, and for this reason it is worth considering the warning that if a person dies with untrimmed nails he contributes crucial material to Naglfar, a ship that both gods and men would prefer not to see built. On the flooding sea, Naglfar comes floating. The giant steering Naglfar is named Hrym. Meanwhile, the Fenriswolf advances with its mouth gaping: its upper jaw reaches to the heavens and the lower one drops down to the earth. He would open it still wider, if only there were room. Flames shoot out of his eyes and nostrils. The Midgard Serpent spews out so much venom that it spatters throughout the air and into the sea. He is terrible and will be on one side of the wolf.
âAmid this din the sky splits apart and in ride the sons of Muspell. Surt comes first, riding with fires burning both before and behind him. His sword is magnificent, and the glare from it is brighter than that from the sun. As they ride across Bifrost, it will break, as was told earlier. Muspell's sons advance until they reach the plain called Vigrid [Battle Plain]. The Fenriswolf and the Midgard Serpent also go there. Then Loki arrives and also Hrym. The latter is accompanied by all the frost giants, while all of Hel's own follow Loki. The sons of Muspell have their own battle troop, and it shines brilliantly. The field Vigrid lies a hundred leagues in each direction.
2
âAs these events occur, Heimdall stands up and blows the Gjallarhorn with all his strength. He wakens all the gods, who then hold an assembly. Odin now rides to Mimir's Well, seeking Mimir's counsel for both himself and his followers. The ash Yggdrasil shakes, and nothing, whether in heaven or on earth, is without fear.
âThe Ãsir and all the Einherjar dress for war and advance on to the field. Odin rides in front of them. He wears a gold helmet and a magnificent coat of mail, and he carries his spear called Gungnir. He goes against the Fenriswolf with Thor advancing at his side. Thor will be unable to assist Odin because he will have
his hands full fighting the Midgard Serpent. Frey will fight against Surt, and it will be a fierce exchange before Frey falls. His death will come about because he lacks the good sword, the one that he gave to Skirnir. By now the hound Garm, who was bound in front of Gnipahellir,
3
will also have broken free. He, the worst of monsters, will fight against Tyr. They will be each other's death.
âThor will kill the Midgard Serpent, and then he will step back nine feet. Because of the poison the serpent spits on him, he will fall to the earth, dead. The wolf will swallow Odin, and that will be his death. But immediately afterwards Vidar will stride forward and thrust one of his feet into the lower jaw of the wolf. He wears on that foot the shoe that has been assembled through the ages by collecting the extra pieces that people cut away from the toes and heels when fashioning their shoes. Thus those who want to help the Ãsir should throw these extra pieces away. With one hand he takes hold of the wolf's upper jaw and rips apart its mouth, and this will be the wolf's death. Loki will battle with Heimdall, and they will be the death of each other. Next Surt will throw fire over the earth and burn the whole world. So says
The Sibyl's Prophecy
:
Heimdall blows loudly
his horn in the air.
Odin speaks
to Mimir's head.
The ash of Yggdrasil trembles
as it stands,
the old tree groans
and the giant breaks free.
4
What of the Ãsir?
What of the elves?
All Giant Land groans.
The Ãsir meet in assembly.
The dwarves moan
before their doors of stone,
they who know the cliffs.
Do you know now or what?
Hrym drives from the east,
holding his shield before him;
Jormungand thrashes
in giant wrath.
The serpent lashes the waves;
the eagle screeches,
Nidfol, rips apart corpses.
5
Naglfar breaks loose.
A ship sails from the east,
Muspell's followers are coming
across the sea,
and Loki is steering.
There with the Wolf
6
are all the giant sons.
With them on the voyage
is Byleist's brother [Loki].
Surt comes from the south
with the fiery destruction of branches.
The sun shines from the sword
of the gods of the slain.
Stone cliffs tumble
and troll witches stumble.
Men tread the Road to Hel
as the sky splits apart.
7
Then comes to Hlin [Frigg]
her second sorrow
when Odin goes
to fight with the wolf,
and Beli's bright bane [Frey]
advances against Surt.
There Frigg's beloved [Odin]
will fall.
Odin's son goes
to fight with the wolf,
Vidar on the way
to the carrion beast;
he lets his sword
hew to the heart
of Hvedrung's son [the wolf Fenrir].
Thus the father is avenged.
Steps back the renowned
son of Earth
8
[Thor]
doomed from the serpent,
fearing no shame.
All men will
abandon their world
when Midgard's protector
strikes in rage.
The sun grows black,
the earth sinks into the sea.
The bright stars
vanish from the heavens.
Steam surges up
and the fire rages.
9
Heat reaches high
against heaven itself.
(
The Sibyl's Prophecy. 46â57
)
âHere it is also said:
Vigrid is the plain's name
where Surt and the dear gods
meet in battle.
One hundred leagues
it extends in each direction.
That field is destined for them.'
(
The Lay of Vafthrudnir. 18
)
Then Gangleri asked, âWhat will be after heaven and earth and the whole world are burned? All the gods will be dead, together with the Einherjar and the whole of mankind. Didn't you say earlier that each person will live in some world throughout all ages?'
And Third replied, âThere will be, at that time, many good places to live. So also there will be many evil ones. It is best to be in Gimle in heaven. For those who take pleasure in good drink, plenty will be found in the hall called Brimir.
1
It stands at the place Okolnir [Never Cold]. There is likewise a splendid hall standing on Nidafjoll [Dark Mountains]. It is made of red gold and is called Sindri [Sparkling]. In this hall, good and virtuous men will live. On Nastrandir [Corpse Strands]
2
there is a large, foul hall whose doors look to the north. It is constructed from the spines of snakes like a house with walls woven from branches.
3
The heads of all the snakes turn into the house, spitting venom so that a river of poison runs through the hall, and down it must wade those who are oath breakers and murderers. As it says here:
I know a hall, standing
far from the sun
on Corpse Strand.
The doors face north.
Poison drips in
through the smoke hole.
Walls of that hall are
woven from snakes' spines.
There oath breakers
and murderers wade
through heavy streams.
(
The Sibyl's Prophecy. 38â39
)
âBut the worst place is in Hvergelmir.
There Nidhogg torments
the corpses of the dead.'
(
The Sibyl's Prophecy. 39
)
Then Gangleri asked, âWill any of the gods be living then? Or will there be anything of the earth or the sky?'
High said, âThe earth will shoot up from the sea, and it will be green and beautiful. Self-sown acres of crops will then grow. Vidar and Vali survive, as neither the flood nor Surt's fire destroyed them, and they will inhabit Idavoll, the place where Asgard was earlier. To there will come Thor's sons Modi and Magni, and they will have Mjollnir with them. Next Baldr and Hod will arrive from Hel. They will all sit together and talk among themselves, remembering mysteries and speaking of what had been, of the Midgard Serpent and the Fenriswolf. Then they will find in the grass the gold playing pieces which the Ãsir had owned. So it is said:
Vidar and Vali will live
in the sanctuaries of the gods
when Surt's fire goes dark.
Modi and Magni
will have Mjollnir
at Vingnir's
1
[Thor's] end of battle.
(
The Sibyl's Prophecy. 51
)
âIn the place called Hoddmimir's Wood, two people will have hidden themselves from Surt's fire. Called Lif [Life] and Leifthrasir [Life Yearner], they have the morning dew for their food. From these will come so many descendants that the whole world will be inhabited. So it says here:
