Sigurth went to Hjalprek's stud and chose for himself a horse, who thereafter was called Grani. At that time Regin, the son of Hreithmar, was come to Hjalprek's home; he was more ingenious than all other men, and a dwarf in stature; he was wise, fierce and skilled in magic. Regin undertook Sigurth's bringing up and teaching, and loved him much. He told Sigurth of his forefathers, and also of this: that once Othin and Hönir and Loki had come to Andvari's waterfall, and in the fall were many fish. Andvari was a dwarf, who had dwelt long in the waterfall in the shape of a pike, and there he got his food. "Otr was the name of a brother of ours," said. Regin, "who often went into the fall in the shape of an otter; he had caught a salmon, and sat on the high bank eating it with his eyes shut. Loki threw a stone at him and killed him; the gods thought they bad had great good luck, and stripped the skin off the otter. That same evening they sought a night's lodging at Hreithmar's house, and showed their booty. Then we seized them, and told them, as ransom for their lives, to fill the otter skin with gold, and completely cover it outside as well with red gold. Then they sent Loki to get the gold; he went to Ron and got her net, and went then to Andvari's fall and cast the net in front of the pike, and the pike leaped into the net." Then Loki said:

1. "What is the fish | that runs in the flood,
And itself from ill cannot save?
If thy head thou wouldst | from hell redeem,
Find me the water's flame."

Andvari spake:

2. "Andvari am I, | and Oin my father,
In many a fall have I fared;
An evil Norn | in olden days
Doomed me In waters to dwell."

Loki spake:

3. "Andvari, say, | if thou seekest still
To live in the land of men,
What payment is set | for the sons of men
Who war with lying words?"

Andvari spake:

4. "A mighty payment | the men must make
Who in Valthgelmir's waters wade;
On a long road lead | the lying words
That one to another utters."

Loki saw all the gold that Andvari had. But when he had brought forth all the gold, he held back one ring, and Loki took this from him. The dwarf went into his rocky hole and said:

5. "Now shall the gold | that Gust once had
Bring their death | to brothers twain,
And evil be | for heroes eight;
joy of my wealth | shall no man win."

[Prose. Hjalprek: father of Alf, Sigurth's step-father; cf. Fra Dautha Sinfjotla, and note. Grani: cf. Gripisspo, 5 and note. Regin ("Counsel-Giver"): undoubtedly he goes back to the smith of the German story; in the Thithrekssaga version he is called Mimir, while Regin is there the name of the dragon (here Regin's brother, Fafnir). The Voluspo (stanza 12) names a Regin among the dwarfs, and the name may have assisted in making Regin a dwarf here. Hreithmar: nothing is known of him outside of this story. Othin, Hönir and Loki: these same three gods appear in company in Voluspo, 17-18. Andvari's fall: according to Snorri, who tells this entire story in the Skaldskaparmal, Andvari's fall was in the world of the dark elves, while the one when Loki killed the otter was not; here, however, the two are considered identical. With his eyes shut: according to Snorri, Otr ate with his eyes shut because be was so greedy that he could not bear to see the food before him diminishing. Ron: wife of the sea-god Ægir, who draws down drowning men with her net; cf. Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar, 18 and note. Snorri says that Loki caught the pike with his hands.

1. Snorri quotes this stanza. Water's game: gold, so called because Ægir, the sea-god, was wont to light his hall with gold.

2. Snorri quotes this stanza. The name of the speaker is not given in the manuscripts. Oin: nothing further is known of Andvari's father. Norn: cf. Voluspo, 20.

3. Stanzas 3-4 may well be fragments of some other poem. Certainly Loki's question does not fit the situation, and the passage looks like an extract from some such poem as Vafthruthnismol. In Regius the phrase "Loki spake" stands in the middle of line 1.

4. The manuscript does not name the speaker. Vathgelmir ("Raging to Wade"): a river not elsewhere mentioned, but cf. Voluspo, 39.

5. This stanza apparently comes from a different source from stanzas 1-4 (or 1-2 if 3-4 are interpolated) and 6-10; cf. Introductory Note. In the Volsungasaga Andvari lays his curse particularly on the ring. Gust: possibly a name for Andvari himself, or for an earlier possessor of the treasure. Brothers twain: Fafnir and Regin. Heroes eight: the word "eight" may easily have been substituted for something like "all" to make the stanza fit the case; the "eight" in question are presumably Sigurth, Gotthorm, Gunnar, Hogni, Atli, Erp, Sorli and Hamther, all of whom are slain in the course of the story. But the stanza may originally not have referred to Andvari's treasure at all.]

 



Sigurðr gekk til stóðs Hjálpreks ok kaus sér af hest einn, er Grani var kallaðr síðan. Þá var kominn Reginn til Hjálpreks, sonr Hreiðmars. Hann var hverjum manni hagari ok dvergr of vöxt. Hann var vitr, grimmr ok fjölkunnigr. Reginn veitti Sigurði fóstr ok kennslu ok elskaði hann mjök. Hann sagði Sigurði frá forellri sínu ok þeim atburðum, at Óðinn ok Hænir ok Loki höfðu komit til Andvarafors. Í þeim forsi var fjölði fiska. Einn dvergr hét Andvari. Hann var löngum í forsinum í geddu líki ok fekk sér þar matar. "Otr hét bróðir várr," kvað Reginn, " er oft fór í forsinn í otrs líki. Hann hafði tekit einn lax ok sat á árbakkanum ok át blundandi. Loki laust hann með steini til bana. Þóttust æsir mjök heppnir verit hafa ok flógu belg af otrinum. Þat sama kveld sóttu þeir gisting til Hreiðmars ok sýndu veiði sína. Þá tókum vér þá höndum ok lögðum þeim fjörlausn at fylla otrbelginn með gulli ok hylja útan með rauðu gulli. Þá sendu þeir Loka at afla gullsins. Hann kom til Ránar ok fekk net hennar ok fór þá til Andvarafors ok kastaði netinu fyrir gedduna, en hon hljóp í netit. Þá mælti Loki:

1. "Hvat er þat fiska, er renn flóði í,
kann-at sér við víti varask? Höfuð þitt
leystu helju ór, finn mér lindar loga."

Geddan kvað:

2. "Andvari ek heiti, Óinn hét minn faðir,
margan hef ek fors of farit; aumlig norn
skóp oss í árdaga, at ek skylda í vatni vaða."

Loki kvað:

3. "Segðu þat, Andvari, ef þú eiga vill
líf í lýða sölum, hver gjöld fáa
gumna synir, ef þeir höggvask orðum á?"

Andvari kvað:

4. "Ofrgjöld fáa gumna synir,
þeir er Vaðgelmi vaða; ósaðra orða,
hverr er á annan lýgr, oflengi leiða limar."

Loki sá allt gull þat, er Andvari átti. En er hann hafði framreitt gullit, þá hafði hann eftir einn hring, ok tók Loki þann af hánum. Dvergrinn gekk inn í steininn ok mælti:

5. "Þat skal gull, er Gustr átti,
bræðrum tveim at bana verða
ok öðlingum átta at rógi; mun míns féar
manngi njóta."



























 


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