The Lay of Grímnir
© 2023 Edward Pettit, CC BY-NC 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0308.04
King Hrauðungr had two sons. One was called Agnarr and the other Geirrøðr. Agnarr was ten years old, and Geirrøðr eight years old. The two of them rowed in a boat with their fishing-lines to catch small fish. A wind drove them out to sea. In the darkness of night they were wrecked against land, and they went ashore [and] found a smallholder. They stayed there for the winter. The old woman fostered Agnarr, and the old man fostered Geirrøðr.
In the spring the old man got them a ship. And when he and the old woman led them to the shore, then the old man spoke in private to Geirrøðr. They got a fair wind and came to their father’s landing place. Geirrøðr was at the bow of the ship. He leapt ashore, and pushed the ship out and said: ‘Go where the fiends may have you!’ The ship rode out, and Geirrøðr went up to the settlement. He was warmly welcomed. By then his father was dead. Geirrøðr was then chosen as king and became a renowned man.
Óðinn and Frigg sat in Hliðskjálf and looked through all worlds. Óðinn said: ‘Do you see Agnarr, your foster-son, where he begets children on a giantess in the cave? But Geirrøðr, my foster-son, is a king and now rules over a land!’ Frigg says: ‘He’s so stingy with food that he tortures his guests if it seems to him too many come!’ Óðinn says that is the greatest lie. They had a bet on this matter.
Frigg sent her box-maiden, Fulla, to Geirrøðr. She told the king to beware lest a magic-knowing man, the one who had come to that land, should cast a spell on him. And she said the mark [of this man] was that no dog was so fierce that it would jump on him. But it was the greatest slander that Geirrøðr was not generous with food. And, even so, he had that man seized whom dogs would not attack. That one was in a dark-blue cloak and called himself Grímnir, and he said nothing more about himself, even though he was asked. The king had him tortured to make him talk and set between two fires, and he sat there for eight nights.
King Geirrøðr had a son, ten years old, and he was called Agnarr after his brother. Agnarr went to Grímnir and gave him a full horn to drink from. He said the king was acting disgracefully when he had him, an innocent man, tortured. Grímnir drained it. By then the fire had progressed so that the cloak was burning off Grímnir. He said:
- ‘You’re hot, hastener, and rather too huge;
go further from me, flame!
The loden coat is getting singed, though I bear it aloft,
the cloak burns before me. - ‘For eight nights I sat here amid fires,
without anyone having offered me food,
except Agnarr alone, who alone shall rule —
Geirrøðr’s son — the land of the Gotar. - ‘You shall be hale, Agnarr, since Veratýr
bids you be hale;
for one drink you shall never
receive a better reward! - ‘The land is holy which I see lying
near to Æsir and elves;
and Þórr shall be in Þrúðheimr,
until the powers are ripped apart. - ‘Ýdalir it’s called, where Ullr has
built halls for himself;
in early days the gods gave Álfheimr
to Freyr as a tooth-fee. - ‘The third homestead is the one where kindly powers
thatched halls with silver;
Válaskjálf it’s called, which an Áss built
ably for himself in early days. - ‘Sǫkkvabekkr is the name of the fourth, and there cool waves
plash over it;
there Óðinn and Sága drink through all days,
glad, from golden goblets. - ‘Glaðsheimr is the name of the fifth, where the gold-bright
Valhǫll stands broadly;
and there, each day, Hroptr chooses
men killed by weapons. - ‘Much is easily recognized by those who come to Óðinn’s,
to see his household:
the house is raftered with shafts, the hall is thatched with shields,
the benches [are] bestrewn with mail-coats. - ‘Much is easily recognized by those who come to Óðinn’s,
to see his household;
a wolf hangs west of the door
and an eagle stoops above. - ‘Þrymheimr is the name of the sixth, where Þjazi lived,
that almighty giant;
but now Skaði, the gods’ shining bride, inhabits
the ancient sites of her father. - ‘Breiðablik is the seventh, and there Baldr
has built halls for himself,
on the land where I know fewest
fell staves lie. - ‘Himinbjǫrg is the eighth, and there Heimdallr,
they say, presides over sanctuaries;
there the gods’ watchman drinks in a homely hall,
glad, the good mead. - ‘Fólkvangr is the ninth, and there Freyja decides
the choice of seats in the hall;
half the slain she selects each day,
and Óðinn has [the other] half. - ‘Glitnir is the tenth, it’s supported by golden pillars
and similarly thatched with silver;
and there Forseti dwells most days
and soothes all disputes. - ‘Nóatún is the eleventh, and there Njǫrðr has
built halls for himself;
a lord of men, the blameless one
rules a high-built altar. - ‘Overgrown with brushwood and tall grass
is Víðarr’s land, with a wood;
and there the brave youth asserts from his steed’s back
that he will avenge his father. - ‘Andhrímnir has Sæhrímnir
boiled in Eldhrímnir;
[it’s] the best of flesh, but few know
on what the unique champions live. - ‘Battle-trained, glorious Herjafǫðr
feeds Geri and Freki;
but on wine alone weapon-noble
Óðinn always lives. - ‘Huginn and Muninn fly every day
over the vast earth;
I fear for Huginn, that he won’t come back,
yet I’m more concerned about Muninn. - ‘Þund thunders, Þjóðvitnir’s fish
resides contentedly in the flood;
the river-current seems too strong
for the steed of the slain(?) to wade. - ‘Valgrind it’s called, which stands on open ground,
holy, before holy doors;
ancient is that gate, but few know
how it’s locked with a latch. - [24]. ‘Five hundred rooms and forty
are in Bilskírnir altogether, so I think;
of those buildings that I know are roofed,
I know my son’s is biggest. - [23]. ‘Five hundred doors and forty
are in Valhǫll, so I think;
eight hundred unique champions walk from one door,
when they go to fight the wolf. - ‘Heiðrún is the name of the goat which stands on Herjafǫðr’s hall
and bites on Læraðr’s limbs;
she must fill a specially-crafted vat with the shining mead,
that intoxicating drink cannot run out. - ‘Eikþyrnir is the name of the hart which stands on Herjafǫðr’s hall
and bites on Læraðr’s limbs;
and from his horns drops fall into Hvergelmir,
whence all waters take their courses. - ‘Síð and Víð, Sœkin and Eikin,
Svǫl and Gunnþró,
Fjǫrm and Fimbulþul,
Rín and Rennandi,
Gipul and Gǫpul,
Gǫmul and Geirvimul —
they flow around the hoards of the gods —
Þyn and Vín,
Þǫll and Hǫll,
Gráð and Gunnþorin. - ‘A river is called Vín, moreover, a second Vegsvinn,
a third Þjóðnuma,
Nyt and Nǫt, Nǫnn and Hrǫnn,
Slíð and Hríð, Sylgr and Ylgr,
Víð and Ván, Vǫnd and Strǫnd,
Gjǫll and Leiptr, they fall near humans,
and fall from here to Hel. - ‘Kǫrmt and Ǫrmt and two Kerlaugar,
Þórr must wade them,
every day, when he goes to give judgement
at the ash of Yggdrasill,
because all the god-bridge burns with flame,
holy waters boil(?). - ‘Glaðr and Gyllir, Gler and Skeiðbrimir,
Silfrintoppr and Sinir,
Gísl and Falhófnir, Gulltoppr and Léttfeti —
the Æsir ride these steeds,
every day, when they go to give judgement
at the ash of Yggdrasill. - ‘Three roots extend in three directions
from under the ash of Yggdrasill;
Hel lives under one, frost-giants [under] another,
human beings [under] a third. - ‘Ratatoskr is the name of the squirrel which must run
in the ash of Yggdrasill;
an eagle’s words he must bring from above
and speak them to Niðhǫggr beneath. - ‘There are also four stags, those which gnaw on its shoots,
with necks bent back:
Dáinn and Dvalinn,
Duneyrr and Duraþrór. - ‘More snakes lie under the ash of Yggdrasill
than any unwise ape would think;
Góinn and Móinn — they are Grafvitnir’s sons —
Grábakr and Grafvǫlluðr;
Ófnir and Sváfnir I think must always
wear away at the tree’s twigs. - ‘The ash of Yggdrasill suffers hardship,
more than men may know;
a stag bites it from above, and its side rots,
Niðhǫggr gnaws it from beneath. - ‘Hrist and Mist I want to bring me a horn,
Skeggjǫld and Skǫgul,
Hildi and Þrúði,
Hlǫkk and Herfjǫtur,
Gǫll and Geirǫlul,
Randgríð and Ráðgríð and Reginleif;
they bring ale to the unique champions. - ‘Árvakr and Alsviðr, those scrawny ones must drag
Sól up from here;
but under their shoulders kindly powers,
Æsir, concealed iron coolers(?). - ‘Svǫl is its name — it stands before Sól —
a shield, [before] the shining god;
I know that rocks and surf shall burn up,
if it falls away from it. - ‘Skǫll is the name of the wolf which pursues the shiny-faced god
to the shelter of the wood;
and the other, Hati, he is Hróðvitnir’s son,
he must be before the shining bride of the sky. - ‘From Ymir’s flesh the earth was formed,
and from his “sweat” the sea,
boulders from his bones, trees from his hair,
and from his skull the sky. - ‘And from his eyelashes the kindly powers made
Miðgarðr for the sons of men,
and from his brain all those hard-hearted
clouds were created. - ‘Whoever first takes hold of the fire will have the favour
of Ullr and of all gods,
because worlds become open around the sons of the Æsir,
when the cauldrons are taken off. - ‘Ívaldi’s sons went in early days
to build Skíðblaðnir,
best of ships, for shining Freyr,
for the able son of Njǫrðr. - ‘The ash of Yggdrasill, it’s the greatest of trees,
and Skíðblaðnir of ships,
Óðinn of Æsir, and Sleipnir of steeds,
Bilrǫst of bridges, and Bragi of poets,
Hábrók of hawks, and Garmr of hounds,
and Brimir of swords. - ‘I have now lifted my fleeting disguises before the sons of the victory gods;
with that, welcome relief shall awake;
for all the Æsir it shall come inside,
to Ægir’s benches,
at Ægir’s drinking feast. - ‘They called me Grímr, they called me Gangleri,
Herjan and Hjálmberi,
Þekkr and Þriði, Þundr and Uðr,
Helblindi and Hár. - ‘Saðr and Svipall and Sanngetall,
Herteitr and Hnikarr,
Bileygr, Báleygr, Bǫlverkr, Fjǫlnir,
Grímr and Grímnir, Glapsviðr and Fjǫlsviðr. - ‘Síðhǫttr, Síðskeggr, Sigfǫðr, Hnikuðr,
Alfǫðr, Valfǫðr, Atríðr and Farmatýr;
by one name they have never called me,
since I travelled among troops. - ‘Grímnir they called me at Geirrøðr’s,
and Jálkr at Ásmundr’s,
and then Kjalarr when I drew a sledge;
Þrór at assemblies,
Viðurr in battles,
Óski and Ómi, Jafnhár and Biflindi,
Gǫndlir and Hárbarðr among the gods. - ‘Sviðurr and Sviðrir when I was named at Sǫkkmímir’s,
and I concealed it from that ancient giant,
when I alone had become slayer
of the eminent son of Miðviðnir. - ‘You’re drunk, Geirrøðr, you’ve drunk too much!
You’re robbed of much when you’re not in my company,
[namely] all the unique champions and Óðinn’s favor. - ‘Much have I told you, but few things you remember —
friends deceive you;
I see the sword of my friend lying
all soaked in blood! - ‘Your edge-weary corpse Yggr will now have,
your life, I know, has ebbed away;
the spirit-women are angry — now you can see Óðinn,
approach me, if you can! - ‘I am called Óðinn now, I was called Yggr earlier,
they called me Þundr before that;
Vakr and Skilfingr, Váfuðr and Hroptatýr,
Gautr and Jálkr among the gods,
Ófnir and Sváfnir, all of which I think have
arisen from me alone.’
King Geirrøðr sat and had a sword on his knee, and it was drawn to the middle. And when he heard that Óðinn had come there, he stood up and wanted to take Óðinn from the fires. The sword slipped from his hand, the hilt pointed downwards. The king lost his footing and toppled forward, and the sword ran him through, and he got his death. Óðinn disappeared then. And Agnarr was king there for a long time after.
* Original text modified by the editor for clarification and ease of reading