1. Wild was Vingthor | when he awoke,
And when his mighty | hammer he missed;
He shook his beard, | his hair was bristling,
As the son of Jorth | about him sought.
2. Hear now the speech | that first he spake:
"Harken, Loki, | and heed my words,
Nowhere on earth | is it known to man,
Nor in heaven above: | our hammer is stolen."
3. To the dwelling fair | of Freyja went they,
Hear now the speech | that first he spake:
"Wilt thou, Freyja, | thy feather-dress lend me,
That so my hammer | I may seek?"
Freyja spake:
4. "Thine should it be | though of silver bright,
And I would give it | though 'twere of gold."
Then Loki flew, | and the feather-dress whirred,
Till he left behind him | the home of the gods,
And reached at last | the realm of the giants.
5. Thrym sat on a mound, | the giants' master,
Leashes of gold | he laid for his dogs,
And stroked and smoothed | the manes of his steeds.
[1. Vingthor ("Thor the Hurler"): another name for Thor, equivalent to Vingnir (Vafthruthnismol, 51). Concerning Thor and
his hammer, Mjollnir, cf. Hymiskvitha, Lokasenna, and Harbarthsljoth, passim. Jorth: Earth, Thor's mother, Othin being his father.
2. Loki: cf. Lokasenna, passim.
3. Freyja: Njorth's daughter, and sister of Freyr; cf. Lokasenna, introductory prose and note, also Skirnismol, introductory prose.
Freyja's house was Sessrymnir ("Rich in Seats") built in Folkvang ("Field of the Folk"); cf. Grimnismol, 14. Feather-dress: this flying
equipment of Freyja's is also used in the story of Thjazi, wherein Loki again borrows the "hawk's dress" of Freyja, this time to rescue
Ithun; cf. Harbarthsljoth, 19 and note.
4. The manuscript and most editions have lines 1-2 in inverse order. Several editors assume a lacuna before line I, making a stanza out of
the two conjectural lines (Bugge actually supplies them) and lines 1-2 of stanza 4. Thus they either make a separate stanza out of lines
3-5 or unite them in a six-line stanza with 5. The manuscript punctuation and capitalization--not wholly trustworthy guides--indicate the
stanza divisions as in this translation.]
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1. Vreiðr var þá Vingþórr er hann vaknaði
ok síns hamars of saknaði,
skegg nam at hrista, skör nam at dýja,
réð Jarðar burr um at þreifask.
2. Ok hann þat orða alls fyrst of kvað:
"Heyrðu nú, Loki, hvat ek nú mæli
er eigi veit jarðar hvergi
né upphimins:
áss er stolinn hamri!"
3. Gengu þeir fagra Freyju túna,
ok hann þat orða alls fyrst of kvað:
"Muntu mér, Freyja, fjaðrhams léa,
ef ek minn hamar mættak hitta?".
Freyja kvað:
4. "Þó munda ek gefa þér þótt ór gulli væri,
ok þó selja, at væri ór silfri."
5. Fló þá Loki, - fjaðrhamr dunði, -
unz fyr útan kom ása garða
ok fyr innan kom jötna heima.
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