Freyr, the son of Njorth, had sat one day in Hlithskjolf, and looked over all the worlds. He looked into Jotunheim,
and saw there a fair maiden, as she went from her father's house to her bower. Forthwith he felt a mighty
love-sickness. Skirnir was the name of Freyr's servant; Njorth bade him ask speech of Freyr. He said:
1. "Go now, Skirnir! | and seek to gain
Speech from my son;
And answer to win, | for whom the wise one
Is mightily moved."
Skirnir spake:
2. "Ill words do I now | await from thy son,
If I seek to get speech with him,
And answer to win, | for whom the wise one
Is mightily moved."
Skirnir spake:
3. "Speak prithee, Freyr, | foremost of the gods,
For now I fain would know;
Why sittest thou here | in the wide halls,
Days long, my prince, alone?"
Freyr spake:
4. "How shall I tell thee, | thou hero young,
Of all my grief so great?
Though every day | the elfbeam dawns,
It lights my longing never."
Skirnir spake:
5. "Thy longings, methinks, | are not so large
That thou mayst not tell them to me;
Since in days of yore | we were young together,
We two might each other trust."
[Prose. Freyr: concerning his father, Njorth, and the race of the Wanes in general, cf. Voluspo, 21 and note. Snorri thus describes Njorth's
family: "Njorth begat two children in Noatun; the son was named Freyr, and the daughter Freyja; they were fair of aspect and mighty. Freyr is
the noblest of the gods; he rules over rain and sunshine, and therewith the fruitfulness of the earth; it is well to call upon him for plenty
and welfare, for he rules over wealth for mankind. Freyja is the noblest of the goddesses. When she rides to the fight, she has one-half of
the slain, and Othin has half. When she goes on a journey, she drives her two cats, and sits in a cart. Love-songs please her well, and it is
good to call on her in love-matters." Hlithskjolf: Othin's watch-tower; cf. Grimnismol, introductory prose. He said: both manuscripts have
"Then Skathi said:" (Skathi was Njorth's wife), but Bugge's emendation, based on Snorri's version, is doubtless correct.
1. My son: both manuscripts, and many editors, have "our son," which, of course, goes with the introduction of Skathi in the prose. As the
stanza is clearly addressed to Skirnir, the change of pronouns seems justified. The same confusion occurs in stanza 2, where Skirnir in the
manuscripts is made to speak of Freyr as {footnote p. 108}"your son" (plural). The plural pronoun in the original involves a metrical error,
which is corrected by the emendation.
4. Elfbeam: the sun, so called because its rays were fatal to elves and dwarfs; cf. Alvissmol, 35.]
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Freyr, sonr Njarđar, hafđi einn dag setzt í Hliđskjálf, ok sá um heima alla. Hann sá í Jötunheima ok sá ţar mey fagra, ţá er hon gekk frá skála
föđur síns til skemmu. Ţar af fekk hann hugsóttir miklar. Skírnir hét skósveinn Freys. Njörđr bađ hann kveđja Frey máls. Ţá mćlti Skađi:
1. "Rístu nú, Skírnir,
ok gakk skjótt at beiđa
okkarn mála mög ok ţess at fregna,
hveim inn fróđi sé ofreiđi afi."
Skírnir kvađ:
2. "Illra orđa er mér ón at ykkrum syni,
ef ek geng at mćla viđ mög
ok ţess at fregna,
hveim inn fróđi sé
ofreiđi afi."
3. "Segđu mér ţat, Freyr, folkvaldi gođa,
ok ek vilja vita:
Hví ţú einn sitr endlanga sali,
minn dróttinn, um daga?"
Freyr kvađ:
4. "Hví um segjak ţér, seggr inn ungi,
mikinn móđtrega?
Ţví at álfröđull lýsir um alla daga
ok ţeygi at mínum munum."
Skírnir kvađ:
5. "Muni ţína hykk-a ek svá mikla vera,
at ţú mér, seggr, né segir,
ţví at ungir saman várum í árdaga,
vel mćttim tveir trúask."
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