SECTION VI.
THOR AND THRYM.
This is a
very beautiful myth, and we will give it complete as it is found
in the Elder Edda, in the lay of Thrym. We give our own
translation:
1. Wrathful
was Vingthor
As he awaked
And his hammer
Did miss;
His beard shook,
His hair trembled,
The son of earth
Looked around him.
Thus first
of all
2. He
spoke:
Mark now
Loke
What I say!
What no one
knows
Either on
earth
Or in high
heaven,—
The hammer
is stolen.
3. Went
they to Freyja's
Fair dwelling;
There in
these words
Thor first spoke:
Wilt thou, Freyja, lend
Me thy feather-guise,
That I my hammer
Mjolner may fetch?
I gave it
thee gladly
5. Though
it were of gold;
I would instantly give it
Though it were of silver.
Flew then
Loke —
The
feather-guise whizzed;
Out he flew
From home
of asas,
In he flew
To home of
giants.
5.On the
hill sat Thrym;
The king of giants
Twisted gold-bands
For his dogs,
Smoothed at leisure
The manes of his horses.
THRYM:
6. How fare
the asas?
How fare the elves?
Why comest thou alone
To Jotunheim?
LOKE:
Ill fare
the asas,
Ill fare the
elves.
Hast thou concealed
The hammer of Thor?
THRYM:
7. I have
concealed
The hammer of Thor
Eight rasts
Beneath the ground ;
No man
Brings it back
Unless he gives me
Freyja as my bride.
8. Flew
then Loke —
The
feather-guise whizzed;
Out he flew
From home
of giants,
In he flew
To home of
asas.
Met him
Thor
First of
all
And thus
addressed him:
9. Hast
thou succeeded
In doing thine errand?
Then tell before perching
Long messages;
What one says sitting
Is often of little value,
And falsehood speaks he
Who reclines.
LOKE:
10. Well have I succeeded
In doing my errand ;
Thrym has thy hammer.
The king of the giants.
No man
Brings it back
Unless he gives him
Freyja as bride.
11. Went
they then the fair
Freyja to find,
First then Thor
Thus addressed her :
Dress thyself, Freyja,
In bridal robes,
Together we will ride
To Jotunheim.
12. Angry
grew Freyja,
And she
raged
So the hall
of the Asas
Must shake.
Her heavy
necklace,
Brisingamen, broke:
Then would
I be
A lovesick
maid
If with
thee I would ride
To
Jotunheim.
Then all
the asas
Went to the Thing,
13. To the
Thing went
All the asynjes.
The powerful divinities,
And held consult,
How they should get
The hammer back.
14. Then
spake Heimdal
The whitest god —
Foreknowing was he,
As the vans are all:
Dress we Thor
In bridal robes,
Brisingamen
Must he wear.
15. Let
jingle keys
About his waist;
Let a woman's dress
Cover his knees;
On his bosom we put
Broad broaches,
And artfully we
His hair braid.
16. Spoke
then Thor,
The mighty god:
Mock me all
The asas would,
If in
bridal robes
I should be dressed.
17. Spoke
then Loke
Laufeyarson:
Be silent Thor;
Stop such talk.
Soon will giants
Build in Asgard
If thou thy hammer
Bring not back.
18. Dressed
they then Thor
In
bridal-robes;
Brisingamen
He had to
wear;
19. Keys
let they jingle
About his
waist,
And a
woman's dress
Fell over
his knees;
On his
bosom they placed
Broad
broaches,
And
artfully they
His hair
did braid.
20. Spoke
then Loke
Laufeyarson:
For thee must I
Be servant-maid;
Ride we both
To Jotunheim.
21. Home
were driven
Then the goats,
And hitched to the car;
Hasten they must —
The mountains crashed,
The earth stood in flames,
Odin's son
Rode to Jotunheim.
22. Spoke
then Thrym.
The king of giants:
Giants!
arise
And spread
my benches!
Bring to me
Freyja as
bride,
Njord's
daughter,
From
Noatun.
23. Cows
with golden horns
Go in the yard.
Black oxen
To please the giant;
Much wealth have I,
Many gifts have I;
Freyja, methinks,
Is all I lack.
24. Early
in the evening
Came they
all;
Ale was
brought
Up for the
giant.
One ox Thor
ate,
Eight
salmon
And all the
delicacies
For the
women intended;
Sif's
husband beside*
Drank three
barrels of mead.
25. Spoke
then Thrym,
The king of giants:
Where hast thou seen
Such a hungry bride?
I ne'er saw a bride
Eat so much.
And never a maid
Drink more mead.
26. Sat
there the shrewd
Maid-servant near;*
Thus she replied
To the words of Thrym:
Nothing ate Freyja
In eight nights,
For
Jotunheim.
27. Behind
the veil
Thrym sought a kiss,
But back he sprang
The length of the hall:
Why are Freyja's
Eyes so sharp?
From her eyes it seeing
That fire doth burn.
28. Sat
there the shrewd
Maid-servant near,
And thus she spake,
Answering the giant:
Slept has not Freyja
For eight nights,
So much did she long
For Jotunheim.
29. In came
the poor
Sister of Thrym ;
For bridal gift
She dared to ask :
Give from thy hand
The golden rings,
If thou desirest
Friendship of me,
Friendship of me —
And love.
30. Spoke
then Thrym,
The king of giants:
Bring me the hammer
My bride to hallow :
Place the hammer
In the lap of the maid;
Wed us together
In the name of Var.*
*The
goddess who presides over marriages.
31. Laughed
then Thor's
Heart in his breast;
Severe in mind
He knew his hammer.
First slew he Thrym,
The king of giants,
Crashed then all
That race of giants;
32.
Slew the
old
Sister
of Thrym,
She who asked
For a bridal gift;
Slap she got
For shining gold,
Hammer blows
For heaps of rings;
Thus came
Odin's son
Again by his hammer.