106. Gunnloth gave | on a golden stool
A drink of the marvelous mead;
A harsh reward | did I let her have
For her heroic heart,
And her spirit troubled sore.

107. The well-earned beauty | well I enjoyed,
Little the wise man lacks;
So Othrörir now | has up been brought
To the midst of the men of earth.

108. Hardly, methinks, | would I home have come,
And left the giants' land,
Had not Gunnloth helped me, | the maiden good,
Whose arms about me had been.

109. The day that followed, | the frost-giants came,
Some word of Hor to win,
(And into the hall of Hor;)
Of Bolverk they asked, | were he back midst the gods,
Or had Suttung slain him there?

110. On his ring swore Othin | the oath, methinks;
Who now his troth shall trust?
Suttung's betrayal | he sought with drink,
And Gunnloth to grief he left.


[106. Probably either the fourth or the fifth line is a spurious addition.

107. Othrörir: here the name of the magic mead itself, whereas in stanza 141 it is the name of the vessel containing it. Othin had no intention of bestowing any of the precious mead upon men, but as he was flying over the earth, hotly pursued by Suttung, he spilled some of it out of his mouth, and in this way mankind also won the gift of poetry.

108. Hor: Othin ("the High One"). The frost-giants, Suttung's kinsmen, appear not to have suspected Othin of being identical with Bolverk, possibly because the oath referred to in stanza I to was an oath made by Othin to Suttung that there was no such person as Bolverk among the gods. The giants, of course, fail to get from Othin the information they seek concerning Bolverk, but Othin is keenly conscious of having violated the most sacred of oaths, that sworn on his ring.]

 




106. Rata munn létumk
rúms of fá ok um grjót gnaga;
yfir ok undir
stóđumk jötna vegir,
svá hćtta ek höfđi til.

107. Vel keypts litar hefi ek vel notit,
fás er fróđum vant,
ţví at Óđrerir
er nú upp kominn á alda vés jađar.

108. Ifi er mér á, at ek vćra enn kominn
jötna görđum ór,
ef ek Gunnlađar né nytak,
innar góđu konu,
ţeirar er lögđumk arm yfir.

109. Ins hindra dags gengu hrímţursar
Háva ráđs at fregna Háva höllu í;
at Bölverki ţeir spurđu,
ef hann vćri međ böndum kominn
eđa hefđi hánum Suttungr of sóit.

110. Baugeiđ Óđinn, hygg ek, at unnit hafi;
hvat skal hans tryggđum trúa?
Suttung svikinn hann lét sumbli frá
ok grćtta Gunnlöđu.










 


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