Hyndluljóð
© 2023 Edward Pettit, CC BY-NC 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0308.35
Hyndluljóð (Hdl.) ‘The Song of Hyndla’ survives in the late-fourteenth-century Icelandic Flateyjarbók ‘Book of Flatey’, fol. 2v–3r.1 SnEGylf quotes a variant version of st. 33, which it attributes to Vǫluspá hin skamma ‘The Short Vǫluspá’. From this, it seems either that Hdl. was known to Snorri as Vǫluspá hin skamma or that Vǫluspá hin skamma was a distinct poem (or series of stanzas) which has been incorporated, with some adaptation, into the surviving text of Hdl. Many scholars believe the latter and identify Vǫluspá hin skamma as Hdl. 29–44.
Hdl. is composed in fornyrðislag. Its date and place of composition are uncertain. It displays knowledge of heathen mythological traditions, by referring, for example, to Ragnarok (42), Heimdallr (35, 37–38, 43), the offspring of Loki (40–41), and events such as the death of Baldr (29) and Freyr’s marriage to Gerðr (30). But Hdl. 44 might indicate an awareness of Christ, which could suggest a post-Conversion date (many scholars favour the twelfth century), assuming this stanza is not a late accretion—it could be removed without damaging the poem’s flow. The genealogies in Hdl. which list human ancestors indicate both Danish and Norwegian connections.
Hdl. is the only surviving Eddic poem to feature the goddess Freyja, sister of Freyr, as a main character. She does, however, play briefer parts in other poems, notably Þrk. and Ls. Her reputation for sexual impropriety and promiscuity (cf. Ls. 32) is underlined by the giantess Hyndla’s repeated likening of her, in Hdl., to a she-goat who runs around at night with billy-goats. The audience’s appreciation of a sexual dimension to Freyja’s riding of a boar whom Hyndla calls Freyja’s verr ‘man/husband’ (Hdl. 6) might have been heightened by knowledge that the goddess was also called Sýr ‘Sow’,2 although Hdl. does not mention this name.
The identity of Freyja’s mount in Hdl., a man called Óttarr who has taken the form of a boar, is uncertain. He may be purely fictional. There is, however, a possibility that he represents Óttarr birtingr, a Norwegian of humble birth who married Ingiríðr Rǫgnvaldsdóttir, widow of the Norwegian King Harald Gilli, and who was killed in 1146. Ingiríðr was the grand-daughter of a Swedish king called Ingi, a fervent Christian whose name nevertheless points to an ancestral connection with Ing(v)i/Yngvi-Freyr, Freyja’s brother.
Freyja’s reluctant interlocutor, the giantess Hyndla, merits comparison with the seeresses of Vsp. and BDr.; her interrogative refrain ‘Do you want even more?’ resembles that of the former. Additionally, Hyndla’s implicitly canine aspect (her name means ‘Little Bitch’), lupine associations (she owns wolves and, as a likely seeress, might well descend from the Viðólfr ‘Wood Wolf’ of Hdl. 33), and possible fieriness ally her with some other Norse giantesses. These include, in the Old English poem Beowulf, Grendel’s nocturnal mother, with whom she also shares a violent, potentially fiery antagonism to a boar-man associated with the Vanir: Beowulf, the boar-helmeted adversary of Grendel’s mother, was the champion of the Danish King Hroðgar, the lord of the Ingwine ‘Friends of Ing’, in which Ing- is probably cognate with ON Ing(v)i/Yngvi(-Freyr), Freyja’s brother. In Beowulf (1192–1218), furthermore, Hroðgar’s wife presents Beowulf with a marvellous torc or necklace which the poet compares to the Brosinga mene ‘torc of the Brosingas’, a treasure doubtless closely related to the Old Norse Brísingamen ‘torc of the Brísingar’ possessed by Freyja in Þrk.
More than one scholar discerns a pagan initiation theme in Hdl. Thus one remarks: ‘Óttarr should be viewed as a king-to-be, who is to be initiated into kingship …, and central to this initiation is the acquisition of the knowledge he receives from Hyndla’.3 The initiation of Agnarr by the revelatory utterances of Óðinn in Grm. appears comparable in this regard.
Synopsis
Prose: A single sentence introduces ‘Hyndla’s Song’, a poem about Óttarr the Foolish.
Verse: The goddess Freyja wakens the giantess Hyndla at the dead of night (or at Ragnarok) and urges her to ride beside her to Valhǫll (1), to request the favour of Óðinn, who bestows gifts on men (2–3). Once there, Freyja will also sacrifice to Þórr, so that he might always be well-disposed to Hyndla (4).
Freyja urges Hyndla to ride one of the giantess’s own wolves beside Freyja’s boar, but Hyndla rejects this proposal on the basis that the boar is too slow and she does not want to load up her wolf (5). She accuses Freyja of treachery, as Freyja’s boar is really Óttarr (6). Freyja denies this by identifying her glowing, golden-bristled boar as Hildisvíni, which was made by two dwarves (7).
Freyja(?) says that they can stay where they are, where they will discuss the lineage of men of divine descent (8). She explains that Óttarr has made a bet with a certain Angantýr (probably his elder brother), and that it is right to help Óttarr win his patrimony (9), especially as he has worshipped her and the other goddesses faithfully (10). She urges Hyndla to begin her enumeration of Óttarr’s lineage (11).
Hyndla proceeds to recount Óttarr’s relatives (12–44), a listing that includes references to gods, giants and Ragnarok (29–30, 35–44).
Freyja then commands Hyndla to bring her boar a memory-enhancing drink, so that he may repeat it accurately when staking his claim against a certain Angantýr three days hence (45). Hyndla tells her to be off and accuses her of nocturnal promiscuity with billy-goats and of having had multiple sexual partners (46–47). Next, she casts fire at Freyja (or vice versa), and repeats her accusation (48). Hyndla then sees fire and the earth ablaze, observes that most people die, commands that Óttarr be brought a poisoned, cursed drink, and repeats her accusation against Freyja (49). Freyja denies that the giantess’s curse has any power, and asks all the gods to help Óttarr (50).
Further Reading
Fleck, J., ‘Konr—Óttarr—Geirrøðr: A Knowledge Criterion for Succession to the Germanic Sacred Kingship’, SS 42 (1970), 39–49.
Gräslund, B., ‘Swine, Swedes, and Fertility Gods’, in I. G. Losquiño, O. Sundqvist and D. Taggart, ed., Making the Sacred Profane: Essays in Honour of Stefan Brink (Turnhout: Brepols, 2020), pp. 229–42, https://doi.org/10.1484/m.tcne-eb.5.119350
Guðbrandr Vigfusson and C. R. Unger, ed., Flateyjarbok, en samling af norske konge-sagaer, 3 vols. (Christiania, 1860–68) [Hdl. is in volume I, 11–16]
Gurevich, A. Y., ‘Edda and Law: Commentary upon Hyndlolióð’, ANF 88 (1973), 72–84.
Horst, S., Merlin und die ‘völva’: Weissagungen im Altnordischen (Munich: Herbert Utz Verlag, 2010).
Hultgård, A., The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology: A Comparative Perspective on Ragnarök (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022).
McKinnell, J., ‘Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Hyndluljóð’, in R. Simek and W. Heizmann, ed., Mythological Women: Studies in Memory of Lotte Motz (1922–1997) (Vienna: Fassbaender, 2002), pp. 265–90; revised as ‘Two Sex Goddesses: Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Freyja in Hyndluljóð’, in D. Kick and J. D. Shafer, ed., Essays on Eddic Poetry (Toronto: Toronto University Press, 2014), pp. 268–91, https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442669260-013
McKinnell, J., Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend (Cambridge, UK: D. S. Brewer, 2005).
Motz, L., ‘The Goddess Freyja’, in Úlfar Bragason, ed., Snorrastefna. 25.–27. Júlí 1990 (Reykjavík: Stofnun Sigurðar Nordals, 1992), pp. 163–79.
Motz, L., ‘The Great Goddess of the North’, ANF 113 (1998), 29–57.
Näsström, B.-M., Freyja—the Great Goddess of the North (Lund: University of Lund, 1995).
Pettit, E., The Waning Sword: Conversion Imagery and Celestial Myth in ‘Beowulf’ (Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2020), https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0190
Puhvel, M., ‘The Mighty She-Trolls of Icelandic Saga and Folk-Tale’, Folklore 98 (1987), 175–79.
Quinn, J., ‘Dialogue with a vǫlva: Vǫluspá, Baldrs draumar and Hyndluljóð’, in P. Acker and C. Larrington, ed., The Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Mythology (New York: Routledge, 2002), pp. 245–74.
Quinn, J., ‘Liquid Knowledge: Traditional Conceptualisations of Learning in Eddic Poetry’, in S. Rankovic, L. Melve and E. Mundal, ed., Along the Oral-Written Continuum: Types of Texts, Relations and Their Implications (Turnhout: Brepols, 2010), pp. 175–217, https://doi.org/10.1484/m.usml-eb.3.4283
Steinsland, G., Det hellige bryllup og norrøn kongeideologi: en analyse av hierogami-myten i Skírnismál, Ynglingatal, Háleygjatal og Hyndluljóð (Larvik: Solum, 1991) [with English summary]
Steinsland, G., ‘The Fantastic Future and the Norse Sibyl of Vǫluspá’, in J. McKinnell; D. Ashurst and D. Kick, ed., The Fantastic in Old Norse/Icelandic Literature: Sagas and the British Isles: Preprint Papers of the Thirteenth International Saga Conference, Durham and York, 6th–12th August, 2006 (Durham: Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2006), pp. 918–25.
Von See, K., B. La Farge, E. Picard and K. Schulz, Kommentar zu den Liedern der Edda, Bd. 3: Götterlieder (Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2000).
Hyndluljóð
Hér hefr upp Hyndluljóð, kveðit um Óttar heimska.
1. ‘Vaki, mær meyja! Vaki, mín vina,
Hyndla systir, er í helli býr!
Nú er røkkr røkkra, ríða vit skulum
til Valhallar ok til vés heilags!
2. ‘Biðjum Herjafǫðr í hugum sitja!
Hann geldr ok gefr gull verðugum;
gaf hann Hermóði hjálm ok brynju,
en Sigmundi sverð at þiggja.
3. ‘Gefr hann sigr sumum, en sumum aura,
mælsku mǫrgum, ok manvit firum;
byri gefr hann brǫgnum, en brag skáldum,
gefr hann mansemi mǫrgum rekki.
4. ‘Þór mun hon blóta, þess mun hon biðja,
at hann æ við þik einart láti,
þó er honum ótítt við jǫtuns brúðir!
5. ‘Nú taktu úlf þinn einn af stalli,
lát hann renna með runa mínum!’
‘Seinn er gǫltr þinn goðveg troða!
Vil ek ei mar minn mætan hlœða!
6. ‘Flá ertu, Freyja, er þú freistar mín,
vísar þú augum á oss þannig,
er þú hefr ver þinn í valsinni,
Óttar junga, Innsteins bur!’
7. ‘Dulin ertu, Hyndla, draums ætlig þér,
er þú kveðr ver minn í valsinni!
Þar er gǫltr glóar, gullinbursti,
Hildisvíni, er mér hagir gørðu,
dvergar tveir, Dáinn ok Nabbi.
8. ‘Sennum vit ór sǫðlum! Sitja vit skulum
ok um jǫfra ættir dœma,
gumna þeira er frá goðum kvómu.
9. ‘Þeir hafa veðjat Vala málmi,
Óttarr jungi ok Angantýr;
skylt er at veita, svá at skati inn ungi
fǫðurleifð hafi eptir frœndr sína.
10. ‘Hǫrg hann mér gerði, hlaðinn steinum,
nú er grjót þat at gleri orðit;
rauð hann í nýju nauta blóði,
æ trúði Óttarr á Ásynjur.
11. ‘Nú láttu forna niðja talða
ok upp bornar ættir manna:
hvat er Skjǫldunga, hvat er Skilfinga,
hvat er Auðlinga, hvat er Ylfinga,
hvat er hǫlðborit, hvat er hersborit,
mest manna val und Miðgarði!’
12. ‘Þú ert, Óttarr, borinn Innsteini,
en Innsteinn var Álfi inum gamla,
Álfr var Úlfi, Úlfr Sæfara,
en Sæfari Svan inum rauða.
13. ‘Móður átti faðir þinn menjum gǫfga;
hygg ek at hon héti Hlédís gyðja;
Fróði var faðir þeirar, en Frjaut móðir,
ǫll þótti ætt sú með yfirmǫnnum.
14. ‘Áli var áðr ǫflgastr manna,
Hálfdan fyrri, hæstr Skjǫldunga;
fræg váru fólkvíg, þau er framir gerðu;
hvarfla þóttu hans verk með himins skautum.
15. ‘Eflðisk hann við Eymundr, œztan manna,
en hann vá Sigtrygg með svǫlum eggjum;
eiga gekk Álmveig, œzta kvinna,
ólu þau ok áttu átján sonu.
16. ‘Þaðan eru Skjǫldungar, þaðan eru Skilfingar,
þaðan Auðlingar, þaðan Ynglingar,
þaðan hǫlðborit, þaðan hersborit,
mest manna val und Miðgarði;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
17. ‘Var Hildigunn hennar móðir,
Svávu barn ok Sækonungs;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski;
varðar at viti svá — viltu enn lengra?
18. ‘Dagr átti Þóru drengjamóður;
ólusk í ætt þar œztir kappar:
Fraðmarr ok Gyrðr ok Frekar báðir,
Ámr ok Jǫsurmarr, Álfr inn gamli;
varðar at viti svá — viltu enn lengra?
19. ‘Ketill hét vinr þeira, Klypps arfþegi;
var hann móðurfaðir móður þinnar;
þar var Fróði fyrr en Kári;
hinn eldri var Álfr um getinn.
20. ‘Nanna var næst þar, Nǫkkva dóttir,
var mǫgr hennar mágr þíns fǫður;
fyrnd er sú mægð — fram tel ek lengra;
kunna ek báða Brodd ok Hǫrvi;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
21. ‘Ísólfr ok Ásólfr, Ǫlmóðs synir
ok Skúrhildar, Skekkils dóttur;
skaltu til telja skatna margra;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
22. ‘Gunnarr bálkr, Grímr arðskafi,
járnskjǫldr Þórir, Úlfr gínandi,
23. ‘Búi ok Brámi, Barri ok Reifnir,
Tindr ok Tyrfingr ok tveir Haddingjar;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
24. ‘Áni, Ómi váru bornir,
Arngríms synir ok Eyfuru;
braukun berserkja bǫls margskonar
um lǫnd ok um lǫg, sem logi, fœri;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
25. ‘Kunna ek báða Brodd ok Hǫrvi —
váru þeir í hirð Hrólfs ins gamla —
allir bornir frá Jǫrmunreki,
Sigurðar mági — hlýð þú sǫgu minni! —
fólkum grimms, þess er Fáfni vá.
26. ‘Sá var vísir frá Vǫlsungi,
ok Hjǫrdís frá Hrauðungi,
en Eylimi frá Auðlingum;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
27. ‘Gunnarr ok Hǫgni, Gjúka arfar,
ok it sama Guðrún, systir þeira;
eigi var Guthormr Gjúka ættar,
þó var hann bróðir beggja þeira;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
28. ‘Haraldr hilditǫnn, borinn Hrœreki
sløngvanbauga, sonr var hann Auðar;
Auðr djúpauðga Ívars dóttir,
en Ráðbarðr var Randvés faðir;
þeir váru gumnar goðum signaðir;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
29. ‘Váru ellifu Æsir talðir,
Baldr er hné við banaþúfu;
þess létz Váli verðr at hefna,
síns bróður sló hann handbana;
allt er þat ætt þín, Óttarr heimski!
30. ‘Var Baldrs faðir Burs arfþegi;
Freyr átti Gerði, hon var Gymis dóttir,
jǫtna ættar, ok Aurboðu;
þó var Þjazi þeira frœndi,
skautgjarn jǫtunn — hans var Skaði dóttir.
31. ‘Mart segjum þér ok munum fleira;
vǫrumk at viti svá — viltu enn lengra?
32. ‘Haki var Hvæðnu hóti beztr sona,
en Hvæðnu var Hjǫrvarðr faðir;
Heiðr ok Hrossþjófr Hrímnis kindar.
33. ‘Eru vǫlur allar frá Viðólfi,
vitkar allir frá Vilmeiði,
skilberendr frá Svarthǫfða,
jǫtnar allir frá Ymi komnir.
34. ‘Mart segjum þér ok munum fleira;
vǫrumk at viti svá — viltu enn lengra?
35. ‘Varð einn borinn í árdaga,
rammaukinn mjǫk, rǫgna kindar;
níu báru þann, naddgǫfgan mann,
jǫtna meyjar, við jarðar þrǫm.
36. ‘Mart segjum þér ok munum fleira;
vǫrumk at viti svá — viltu enn lengra?
37. ‘Hann Gjálp um bar, hann Greip um bar,
bar hann Eistla ok Eyrgjafa;
hann bar Úlfrún ok Angeyja,
Imðr ok Atla ok Járnsaxa.
38. ‘Sá var aukinn jarðar megni,
svalkǫldum sæ ok sonardreyra.
39. ‘Mart segjum þér ok munum fleira;
vǫrumk at viti svá — viltu enn lengra?
40. ‘Ól úlf Loki við Angrboðu,
en Sleipni gat við Svaðilfara;
eitt þótti skars allra feiknast,
þat var bróður frá Býleists komit.
41. ‘Loki át af hjarta lindi brendu,
fann hann hálfsviðinn hugstein konu;
varð Loptr kviðugr af konu illri;
þaðan er á foldu flagð hvert komit.
42. ‘Haf gengr hríðum við himin sjálfan,
líðr lǫnd yfir, en lopt bilar;
þaðan koma snjóvar ok snarir vindar;
þá er í ráði at regn um þrjóti.
43. ‘Varð einn borinn ǫllum meiri;
sá var aukinn jarðar megni;
þann kveða stilli stórauðgastan,
sif sifjaðan sjǫtum gǫrvǫllum.
44. ‘Þá kemr annarr, enn mátkari,
þó þori ek eigi þann at nefna;
fáir sjá nú fram um lengra
en Óðinn man úlfi mœta.’
45. ‘Ber þú minnisǫl mínum gelti,
svá hann ǫll muni orð at tína —
þessa rœðu — á þriðja morni,
þá er þeir Angantýr ættir reikna!’
46. ‘Snúðu burt heðan! Sofa lystir mik —
fær þú fát af mér fríðra kosta!
Hleypr þú, eðlvina, úti á náttum,
sem með hǫfrum Heiðrún fari!
47. ‘Rant at œði, ey þreyjandi —
skutusk þér fleiri und fyrirskyrtu!
Hleypr þú, eðlvina, úti á náttum,
sem með hǫfrum Heiðrún fari!
48. ‘Ek slæ eldi af íviðju,
svá at þú ei kemsk á burt heðan!
Hleypr þú, eðlvina, úti á náttum,
sem með hǫfrum Heiðrún fari!
49. ‘Hyr sé ek brenna, en hauðr loga —
verða flestir fjǫrlausn þola!
Ber þú Óttari bjór at hendi,
eitri blandinn mjǫk, illu heili!
Hleypr þú, eðlvina, úti á náttum,
sem með hǫfrum Heiðrún fari!’
50. ‘Orðheill þín skal engu ráða,
þóttu, brúðr jǫtuns, bǫlvi heitir!
Hann skal drekka dýrar veigar!
Bið ek Óttari ǫll goð duga!’
The Song of Hyndla
Here begins Hyndluljóð [‘The Song of Hyndla’],4 told about Óttarr the Foolish.5
1. ‘Wake up, girl of girls!6 Wake up, my friend,
sister Hyndla,7 who lives in a cave!
Now it’s the darkness of darknesses,8 we two must ride
to Valhǫll9 and to the holy sanctuary!
2. ‘Let’s ask Herjafǫðr10 to be in good heart!
He hands out gold and gives it to the worthy;
he gave Hermóðr a helm and a mail-coat,11
and Sigmundr a sword to receive.12
3. ‘He gives victory to some, and to some wealth,
eloquence to many, and innate sense to the living;
a fair wind he gives to men,13 and poetic artistry to poets,
he gives manliness to many a warrior.
4. ‘She’ll14 sacrifice to Þórr, she’ll ask him this,
that he always be well-inclined towards you,
even though that’s unusual for him with [regard to] a giant’s brides!15
5. ‘Now take one of your wolves from its stall,16
let it run beside my boar!’
‘Your gelded boar is slow to tread the god-road!17
I don’t want to load up my excellent steed!18
6. ‘You’re treacherous, Freyja, when you test me,
[when] you turn your eyes toward us19 in that way,20
when you have your man21 [with you] on the slaughter-road,22
young Óttarr, Innsteinn’s son!’23
7. ‘You’re deluded, Hyndla, I think you’re dreaming,
when you say it’s my man on the slaughter-road!
There’s my glowing gelded boar, golden-bristled,24
Hildisvíni,25 which skilful ones made for me,
two dwarves, Dáinn26 and Nabbi.27
8.28 ‘Let’s dispute out of our saddles! We two shall sit down
and discuss the families of boars,29
of those people who descended from gods.
9. ‘They’ve wagered in metal of the Valir,30
young Óttarr and Angantýr;31
it’s proper to help, so that the young warrior32
may have33 his patrimony from his kinsmen.34
10. ‘He built me an altar, stacked with stones,35
now that rock has turned to glass;36
he reddened it with the fresh blood of cattle;
Óttarr always had faith in the Ásynjur.37
11. ‘Now let ancient kinsmen be enumerated
and the families of people which have been born:
who is of the Skjǫldungar,38 who is of the Skilfingar,39
who is of the Auðlingar,40 who is of the Ylfingar,41
who is freeholder-born, who is chieftain-born,
the greatest choice42 of humans under43 Miðgarðr!’44
12. ‘You, Óttarr,45 were born to Innsteinn,
and Innsteinn was born to Álfr the Old,46
Álfr47 was born to Úlfr,48 Úlfr to Sæfari,49
and Sæfari to Svanr50 the Red.51
13. ‘Your father had a mother stately in torcs;
I think that she was called Hlédís the priestess;
Fróði was her father, and Frjaut her mother,52
all that family was considered among the superior people.
14. ‘Before that, Áli53 was the mightiest of men,
Hálfdan54 before him, highest of the Skjǫldungar;
famous were the battles, those which the excellent ones fought;
[the fame of] his55 deeds seemed to spread to the sky’s corners.
15. ‘He strengthened himself with [a marriage tie to] Eymundr,56 best of men,
and he killed Sigtryggr57 with cold edges;58
he59 married Álmveig,60 best of women;
they bore and brought up61 eighteen sons.62
16. ‘[Descended] from there are the Skjǫldungar, from there are the Skilfingar,
from there the Auðlingar, from there the Ynglingar,63
from there the freeholder-born, from there the chieftain-born,
the greatest choice of humans under Miðgarðr;
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
17. ‘Hildigunn64 was her65 mother,
the child of Sváva and of Sækonungr;66
all these are your family, Óttarr the Foolish;
it’s important that it be known thus — do you want even more?67
18. ‘Dagr68 married Þóra, Mother of Heroes;
there grew up in that family the greatest champions:
Fraðmarr69 and Gyrðr70 and both Frekis,71
Ámr72 and Jǫsurmarr,73 Álfr the Old;74
it’s important that it be known thus — do you want even more?
19. ‘Their friend was called Ketill,75 Klyppr’s heir;
he was the grandfather of your mother;
there was Fróði earlier than Kári;76
Álfr was begotten the elder.77
20. ‘Next there was Nanna,78 Nǫkkvi’s79 daughter,
her son was your father’s in-law;
that marital kinship is forgotten — I’ll count on further;
I knew both Broddr80 and Hǫrvir;81
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
21. ‘Ísólfr and Ásólfr,82 sons of Ǫlmóðr83
and of Skúrhildr,84 Skekkill’s85 daughter;
you must count them among many warriors;
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!86
22. ‘Gunnarr Baulk, Grímr87 Plough-Scraper,88
Þórir Iron-Shield,89 Úlfr90 the Gaping,
23. ‘Búi91 and Brámi, Barri and Reifnir,92
Tindr and Tyrfingr and the two Haddingjar;93
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
24. ‘Áni [and] Ómi were born,94
the sons of Arngrímr95 and Eyfura;96
the noise of berserkers’ numerous kinds of evil
spread across lands and across sea, like fire;97
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!98
25. ‘I knew both Broddr and Hǫrvir99 —
they were in the retinue of Hrólfr the Old100 —
[and] all [those] descended from Jǫrmunrek(k)r,101
son-in-law of Sigurðr102 — listen to my story! —
of the one hostile to hosts,103 of the one who slew Fáfnir.104
26. ‘That prince105 was descended from Vǫlsungr,106
and Hjǫrdís107 from Hrauðungr,108
and Eylimi109 from the Auðlingar;110
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
27. ‘Gunnarr and Hǫgni, Gjúki’s heirs,
and so too Guðrún, their sister;
Guthormr was not of Gjúki’s family,111
though he was the brother of them both;112
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
28. ‘Haraldr War-Tooth,113 born to Hrœrekr114
Ring-Slinger,115 he116 was the son of Auðr;
Auðr117 the Deeply Rich [was] Ívarr’s daughter,118
and Ráðbarðr119 was Randvér’s father;
they were humans marked120 by the gods;
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
29.121 ‘There were eleven Æsir122 all told,123
[and?] Baldr who sank down against the death-mound;124
Váli declared himself worthy to avenge this,
he slew his brother’s hand-slayer;125
all that is your family, Óttarr the Foolish!
30. ‘Baldr’s father126 was Burr’s heir;
Freyr married Gerðr, she was Gymir’s daughter,
of the kindred of giants, and of Aurboða;127
the covering(?)-eager128 giant — his daughter was Skaði.129
31. ‘We130 say much to you and will say more;
I expect that it should be known thus — do you want even more?
32. ‘Haki was by far the best of Hvæðna’s sons,
and Hjǫrvarðr131 was father to Hvæðna;
Heiðr132 and Hrossþjófr133 [were] of Hrímnir’s kin.134
33.135 ‘All seeresses are [descended] from Viðólfr,136
all wizards from Vilmeiðr,137
message(?)-bearing ones138 from Svarthǫfði,139
all giants are descended from Ymir.140
34. ‘We say much to you and will say more;
I expect that it should be known thus — do you want even more?
35. ‘There was one born in ancient days,
much infused with supernatural strength, of the powers’ family;141
nine bore him, the stud-ennobled(?)142 man,
giants’ maidens, at the earth’s edge.143
36. ‘We say much to you and will say more;
I expect that it should be known thus — do you want even more?
37. ‘Gjálp bore him,144 Greip bore him,145
Eistla146 bore him and Eyrgjafa;147
Ulfrún148 bore him and Angeyja,149
Ímðr150 and Atla151 and Járnsaxa.152
38. ‘He153 was strengthened by earth’s power,
ice-cold sea and sacrificial boar’s blood.154
39. ‘We say much to you, and will say more;
I expect that it should be known thus — do you want even more?
40. ‘Loki engendered a wolf on Angrboða,155
and conceived Sleipnir by Svaðilfari;156
one witch157 was thought most evil of all,
that one had come from the brother of Býleistr.158
41. ‘Loki ate of a heart burnt on159 linden-wood,
he found the half-charred spirit160-stone161 of a woman;
Loptr162 became pregnant by the evil woman;
from that every ogress on earth has come.163
42. ‘The sea rises in storms against the sky itself,164
flows over lands, and the firmament fails;165
from there come snows and strong winds;
then it is ordained that the powers166 will end.167
43. ‘There was one born greater than all;
he was strengthened by earth’s power;
they call that one the most greatly wealthy prince,
one related by kinship to all seats.168
44. ‘Then comes another, even mightier,
though I dare not name that one;169
few now see further ahead
than when Óðinn will encounter the wolf.’170
45. ‘Bring the memory-ale171 to my gelded boar,172
so that he may remember to173 recount all the words —
this conversation — on the third morning,174
when he and Angantýr enumerate their families!’175
46. ‘Get away from here! I want to sleep —
you’ll get few good choices from me!
You run around, noble(?) friend,176 outside at night,177
like Heiðrún178 gadding with he-goats!179
47. ‘You ran in a sexual frenzy(?),180 forever yearning —
several have thrust themselves under your fore-skirt!
You run around, noble(?) friend, outside at night,
like Heiðrún gadding with he-goats!
48.181 ‘I strike with fire from the wood-dweller(?),182
so that you won’t get away from here!
You run around, noble(?) friend, outside at night,
like Heiðrún gadding with he-goats!183
49.184 ‘I see fire burning, and the earth blaze,185
most will have to suffer life-loss!186
much blended with poison, with bad luck!
You run around, noble(?) friend, outside at night,
like Heiðrún gadding with he-goats!’187
50. ‘Your curse shall command no one,188
even though, giant’s bride, you threaten evil!
He shall drink precious drinks!
I ask all gods to aid Óttarr!’
Textual Apparatus to Hyndluljóð
Hyndluljóð] This title is taken, in emended form, from the initial line of prose, which is rubricated in the manuscript, Flateyjarbók (F)
Hyndluljóð] F hyndlu hliod
2/1 Herjafǫðr] F heriansfaudur ‘Herjan’s father’, Herjan being an alias of Óðinn, whose father was Burr/Borr (cf. Hdl. 30)
3/1 sumum] F sonum ‘sons’
4/1 Þór] F þo followed by a one-letter space (possibly an erased or faded ‘r’)
5/2 einn] F ein
7/6 gullinbursti] F gullin busti
11/7 hvat er Auðlinga] F absent
15/3 vá] F absent
15/6 kvinna] F kvinnu
17/3 Svávu] F suofu
17/7 varðar] F uardi
19/2 Klypps] F klyps
20/1 Nanna] F Manna
21/7–8] F abbreviates allt
23/5–6] F abbreviates allt er þat
24/9–10] F abbreviates allt er þat
26/7–8] F abbreviates allt er þat
27/9–10] F abbreviates allt er þat
28/4 sonr] F sonar
28/11–12] F abbreviates allt.
29/9–10] F abbreviates allt er þat
30/4 Gymis] F geymis
31/4 lengra] F fleira (cf. 31/2 and 34/4)
35/6 naddgǫfgan] F nadbaufgann
36/1] F includes only the first three words of this repeated stanza
39/1] F includes only the first three words of this repeated stanza
41/1 át] F absent
41/4 konu] F komu
45/5 þessa] F þersa
46/4 fríðra] F fridia
47/3 þér] F þeir
47/7–8] F absent; text supplied editorially on the model of the previous stanza
48/6–8] F absent; text supplied editorially on the model of the previous two stanzas
49/9–12] F abbreviates Hleypr þu
1 Flatey is an island in Breiðafjörður, northwest Iceland. For photographs of the manuscript, see ‘GKS 1005 fol.’, handrit.is, https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/GKS02-1005/0#page/n0/mode/2up, and Flateyjarbók (Codex Flateyensis) Ms. No. 1005 fol. in the Old Royal Collection in The Royal Library of Copenhagen with an Introduction by Finnur Jónsson, Corpus Codicum Islandicorum Medii Aevi I (Copenhagen: Levin and Munksgaard, 1930).
2 E.g., in SnEGylf (35, p. 29).
3 J. P. Schjødt, ‘Eddic Poetry and pre-Christian Scandinavia’, in C. Larrington, J. Quinn and B. Schorn, ed., A Handbook to Eddic Poetry: Myths and Legends of Early Scandinavia (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2016), pp. 132–46 at 142, https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781316471685.008
4 Editors traditionally emend the manuscript title Hyndluhljóð ‘Hyndla’s Hearing/Audience’ to Hyndluljóð ‘Hyndla’s Song’, though this sacrifices the ‘harder’, and therefore potentially original, reading; cf. the vǫlva’s request for a hljóð ‘hearing/audience’ in Vsp. 1.
5 Óttarr is a commonly attested male personal name, the etymological meaning of which is perhaps ‘Fear(some) Army’. Heimskr ‘foolish, ignorant’ means literally ‘home-ish’—that is, lacking knowledge as a ‘stay at home’.
6 A superlative; cf. Hrbl. 1, Gðr. II 1. The speaker, we learn from Hdl. 6, is the goddess Freyja. Hyndla’s sleep might be akin to death.
7 ‘Little Bitch’, a giantess. Freyja’s use of the word ‘sister’, like ‘friend’, appears ingratiating, but her brother, Freyr, did marry a giantess, Gerðr, and her stepmother was, for a time, another giantess, Skaði (see FSk. and Hdl. 30).
8 I.e., possibly a night when the moon is in its dark phase; alternatively, ‘twilight of twilights’. Either way, an intimation of Ragnarok seems likely.
9 ‘Hall of the Slain’, residence of the god Óðinn and his warriors.
10 ‘Father of Armies’, an alias of Óðinn.
11 Hermóðr ‘Army-Spirited One’ is apparently a man here and in Hák. 14; cf. the early Danish king Heremōd in Beowulf. In SnEGylf (49, pp. 46–47), however, Hermóðr is a son of Óðinn and therefore presumably at least partly divine; Óðinn lends him Sleipnir to ride to Hel after the slain Baldr, but the gift of helmet and mail-coat is known only from Hdl.
12 Sigmundr (Sigemund in Beowulf) is the father of the greatest Northern hero, Sigurðr. His taking of a sword from the tree-trunk in which Óðinn had plunged it is described in VS 3.
13 Presumably sailors in particular.
14 Freyja speaks of herself in the third person.
15 Þórr is famous for killing giants. That a goddess should sacrifice to a god is a unique, perhaps absurd, idea.
16 A wolf is a typical mount for a giantess.
17 Despite Freyja’s denial in Hdl. 7, it seems clear from Hdl. 6 and 45 that her boar is, indeed, a shape-shifted Óttarr.
18 I.e., her wolf.
19 Hyndla either uses the royal ‘we’ or refers to herself and her wolves.
20 Possibly Freyja’s gaze compelled Hyndla to reveal the information she wanted to know. Cf. Vsp. 28.
21 Or ‘husband’.
22 Either the road to Valhǫll or to Hel. Alternatively, ‘in the slaughter-escort’. Either way, this reference might allude to Freyja’s claiming of the slain (Grm. 14).
23 Chapter 10 of the fourteenth-century Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka ‘Saga of Hálfr and Hálfr’s Warriors’ identifies Innsteinn as the elder son of Jarl Álfr the Old of Hǫrðaland, Norway; see also Hdl. 12.
24 Cf. Freyr’s dwarf-made boar Gullinbu(r)sti ‘Golden-Bristled’, mentioned in SnEGylf (49, p. 47), SnESkáld (I, 7, p. 18; 35, p. 42); Húsdr. 7.
25 ‘Battle Swine’. This is also the name of a (probably boar-ornamented) helmet in SnESkáld (I, 44, p. 58).
26 ‘One Who Has Died’.
27 ‘Bump’.
28 This stanza might be spoken by either Freyja or Hyndla. This edition attributes it to Freyja, who perhaps concedes that they may stay where they are as long as they can talk.
29 A common metaphor for ‘princes’, but the literal sense ‘boars’ is obviously also relevant.
30 I.e., Welsh or foreign gold.
31 ‘Fragrant God’, but the name is quite likely an alteration of *Anganþér ‘Fragrant Servant’. In Vsp. 52, Angantýr may be an alias of Óðinn, but here it is possibly the name of Óttarr’s elder brother. Cf. OE Ongentheow and his son Othere (cognate with ON *Anganþér and Óttarr) in Beowulf, though the familial relationships differ.
32 Óttarr.
33 Or ‘keep’.
34 The nature of the bet is not made clear, but we can probably infer that it was about which of them had more knowledge of their glorious ancestry and the better ability to recount it. The winner would gain the right to inherit their father’s lands and wealth.
35 A secondary sense might be ‘gemstones’.
36 Presumably from the heat of sacrificial fires.
37 Goddesses. Here they presumably include Freyja, although she was one of the Vanir by birth.
38 The descendants of Skjǫldr ‘Shield’ (OE Scyld in Beowulf), a Danish dynasty (the Scyldingas of Beowulf).
39 The descendants of a skjálf ‘shelf’ or perhaps of Skilfingr, an alias of Óðinn. They were a Swedish dynasty (the Scylfingas of Beowulf).
40 SnESkáld (I, 64, p. 103) identifies Auði, from whom this dynasty descends, as a son of King Hálfdan the Old (mentioned in Hdl. 14).
41 The dynasty to which Helgi Hundingsbani also belonged (HH. I 5). It corresponds to the Wylfingas ‘Wolfings’ of Beowulf. Hdl. 16 has Ynglinga instead.
42 Freyja’s word val ‘choice’, ‘selection’ is also suggestive of valr ‘the slaughtered dead’; cf. Hdl. 6, Grm. 14.
43 I.e., under the cover of, in the protection of. Miðgarðr was a term for both the world of humans and the wall surrounding it.
44 This statement and the following ones in this stanza could also be interrogative.
45 Hyndla presumably addresses Freyja’s boar, which she perceives to be Óttarr.
46 See note to Hdl. 6.
47 ‘Natural/Noble Wolf’ or, less likely here, ‘Elf’.
48 ‘Wolf’.
49 ‘Seafarer’.
50 ‘Swan’.
51 The genealogy from Svanr to Álfr also appears elsewhere in Flateyjarbók, in chapter 1 of the text Hversu Noregr bygðisk ‘How Norway was settled’.
52 Hlédís ‘Lee Lady’, ‘Protecting Supernatural Female’ and Frjaut (or Frjǫt) are otherwise unknown names. Fróði ‘Wise/Fertile One’ was a common name among legendary Danish kings.
53 Áli is the name of several figures in the legendary sagas, though some editors think it is here a mistake for Auði, a son of Hálfdan and the progenitor of the Auðlingar of Hdl. 11.
54 ‘Half-Dane’; see SnESkáld (I, 64, pp. 101–03) and Ættartala frá Haud ‘Genealogy from Hǫðr’ in Flateyjarbók. He appears as Healfdene in Beowulf.
55 I.e., Hálfdan.
56 Hálfdan married Eymundr’s daughter.
57 ‘Victory True/Confident’, a king whom Hálfdan slew in single combat in the East.
58 I.e., a sword.
59 Hálfdan.
60 Perhaps ‘Elm Strength’. Elsewhere she is called Alvig/Alvíg and Álfný.
61 Literally, ‘had’.
62 SnESkáld (I, 64, p. 101) places Hálfdan’s marriage after his defeat of Sigtryggr in single combat in the East. It identifies his wife as Alvig in spaka ‘the Wise’ and her father as E(y)mundr inn ríki ‘the Powerful’ from Hólmgarðr, Novgorod; their eighteen sons are named.
63 The descendants of Yngvi, one of Hálfdan’s sons, though Yngvi is also a name of the god Freyr. See further Ynglinga saga. Cf. Ylfingar in Hdl. 11.
64 ‘Battle Fight’.
65 Álmveig in Hdl. 15 is the most recently mentioned female.
66 Another Sváva ‘Swabian (Woman)’ appears in HHv. Sækonungr means ‘Sea King’.
67 Literally, ‘do you want still longer?’ Cf. the seeress’s similar repeated question in Vsp.
68 ‘Day’, a son of Hálfdan the Old.
69 Possibly ‘Wise (and) Glorious One’.
70 Perhaps originally ‘Good/God Peace/Protection’.
71 I.e., two of the males were each called Freki ‘Greedy’, which is also a poetic term for ‘wolf’.
72 Ostensibly at least, ‘Dark/Loathsome One’.
73 Jǫsur(r) is a name of uncertain meaning; -marr probably means ‘famous, glorious’.
74 These seven great champions are little more than names now.
75 ‘Kettle’, ‘Cauldron’.
76 Possibly the same Fróði was mentioned earlier in Hdl. 13. Elsewhere kári is a poetic term for the wind.
77 These might be the names of men from Hǫrðaland, Norway.
78 Possibly distinct from Baldr’s wife Nanna.
79 ‘Ship’.
80 ‘Spike’.
81 These names recur in Hdl. 25.
82 ‘Ice Wolf’ and ‘God Wolf’.
83 ‘Ale Courage’.
84 ‘Shower Battle’.
85 This name, which possibly means ‘Wry (One)’, is that of a sea-king in SnESkáld (I, 75, p. 109).
86 Óttarr’s relatives in this stanza are obscure.
87 ‘Masked One’.
88 He was possibly a ploughman or a maker of ploughs.
89 Þórir Iron-Shield also appears in Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar.
90 ‘Wolf’.
91 ‘Dweller’ or ‘Neighbour’.
92 A sea-king, elsewhere at least.
93 Elsewhere, these last two are the youngest sons of Arngrímr (named in the next stanza); cf. Gðr. II 22.
94 In the Old Norse line vowels alliterate with the v- in váru (vóru, óru).
95 ‘Eagle-Masked One’.
96 ‘Island Fir’.
97 I.e., wildfire.
98 On the relationships of names listed in stt. 22-4 to similar passages in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Ǫrvar-Odds saga and GD, see von See et al., Kommentar, III, 750–75.
99 These names appeared earlier in Hdl. 20.
100 Identity uncertain.
101 Jǫrmunrek(k)r, king of the Goths, married Svanhildr, daughter of Sigurðr and Guðrún (see VS 41–42, Ghv., Hm.).
102 Greatest legendary hero of the ancient North, who appears in some of the heroic Eddic poems in R.
103 I.e., hosts of enemies.
104 A dragon; for his death, see Fm. and VS 18.
105 Sigurðr.
106 Sigurðr was the son of Sigmundr, son of Vǫlsungr (VS 2, 13).
107 Sigurðr’s mother.
108 Possibly Hjǫrdís’s maternal grandfather. The name appears in SnESkáld (I, 75, pp. 110, 114) as that of a sea-king and a giant; see also the prose introduction to Grm.
109 Father of Hjǫrdís.
110 See Hdl. 11.
111 I.e., blood.
112 These famous characters appear in some of the heroic poems in this collection, as well as in VS; the poet implies that Guthormr, Sigurðr’s killer, was Gjúki’s stepson.
113 A legendary Danish king whose name means ‘Army Ruler’; see especially Books 7 and 8 of GD (with the name ‘War-Tooth’ explained in 7.10.4).
114 For Hrœrekr, a legendary king of Denmark, see especially Book 3 of GD, in which he appears as Roricus Slyngebond, whose father was Hotherus (ON Hǫðr), slayer of Balderus (ON Baldr; cf. Hdl. 29).
115 An honorific indicating a king’s generosity, but applied somewhat ironically to Hrœrekr as he slung his arm-ring into the sea by mistake, according to GD (3.5.6).
116 Haraldr.
117 Fem. auðr means ‘fate, destiny’, but note also masc. auðr ‘riches’.
118 Ívarr, known as Ívarr viðfaðmi ‘Ívarr the Widely Embracing’, was a legendary king of Sweden.
119 ‘Counsel Beard’, a king of Russia; Auðr’s second husband.
120 I.e., blessed, though some distinctive physical feature is also possible.
121 Scholars often call stt. 29–44 Vǫluspá hin skamma ‘The Short Vǫluspá [Prophecy of the Seeress]’, this being the name of the poem from which a version of Hdl. 33 is taken, according to SnEGylf (5, p. 10).
122 Heathen gods. The term sometimes describes a group, led by Óðinn, which was originally distinct from another divine group, the Vanir.
123 Or perhaps the intended sense is that there were eleven Æsir when (i.e., after) Baldr died. SnEGylf (20, p. 21) claims there are twelve Æsir. A list in SnESkáld (I, G55, p. 1) also runs to twelve.
124 Presumably a barrow. Baldr was killed by Hǫðr.
125 I.e., Hǫðr, who slew Baldr by casting a spear from his hand; cf. Vsp. 31–33, SnEGylf (49, pp. 45–46).
126 Óðinn.
127 ‘Mud Offerer/Announcer/Summoner’, a giantess; for this story, see FSk., Ls. 42 and SnEGylf (37, pp. 30–31).
128 Perhaps this term indicates a penchant for disguises, shape-changing or sailing (skaut can denote the corner of a sail). Elsewhere, Þjazi takes the form of an eagle (SnESkáld, I, G56, pp. 1–2). Alternatively, perhaps emend to skóðgjarn ‘harm-eager’, skrautgjarn ‘jewelry-eager’ or skotgjarn ‘shot/shooting-eager’.
129 A giantess who married Freyja’s father, Njǫrðr.
130 Either a royal ‘we’ or an indication that another being speaks through Hyndla.
131 ‘Sword Guardian’.
132 Cf. Vsp. 22.
133 ‘Horse Thief’; attested as a giant-name.
134 Hrímnir was a giant; he also appears in FSk. 28.
135 A variant of this stanza appears in SnEGylf (5, p. 10), where it is attributed to Vǫluspá hin skamma ‘The Short Vǫluspá’; Snorri interprets the giants as hrímþursar ‘rime/frost-giants’.
136 ‘Wood Wolf’. GD (7.2.2) mentions a certain Vitolfus, who was skilled in medicine and sorcery. In SnEUpp (8, p. 16) the name is Viktólfr.
137 Possibly ‘Wish Tree/Banch’; alternatively, Vílmeiðr, which could mean ‘Misery Tree/Branch’. Either way, this person is otherwise unknown.
138 The otherwise unattested noun skilberendr could mean literally ‘message/knowledge/discernment-bearing ones’, which might denote ‘wise men’ or ‘sorcerers’. It is, however, metrically abnormal here, as sk- usually alliterates only with sk-. In its place the version of this stanza in SnEGylf (5, p. 10) has another unique noun: seiðberendr, literally ‘seiðr-bearing ones’, i.e., male practitioners of the type of fem. sorcery called seiðr. To eliminate the alliterative abnormality, many editors replace Hdl.’s word with that of SnEGylf, which is there preceded by en ‘and/but’.
139 ‘Black Head’. He is otherwise unknown.
140 For the primordial giant Ymir, see Vsp. 3.
141 I.e., of the gods.
142 The emended adjective naddgǫfgan could mean ‘stud-ennobled’ or ‘spear-ennobled’, the former sense might allude to the Pole Star as the ‘stud’ about which the sky was thought to revolve. In Gg. 14 it may describe Mímir. Alternative emendations include naddhǫfgan, náðhǫfgan and náðgǫfgan, respectively ‘stud/spear-heavy’, ‘mercy-heavy’ and ‘mercy-ennobled’.
143 The ‘man’ is actually the god Heimdallr. SnEGylf (27, p. 26) quotes a couplet from Heimdalargaldr ‘Heimdallr’s Incantation’, an otherwise lost poem, in which the god declares: Níu em ek mœðra mǫgr, / níu em ek systra sonr ‘I am the son of nine mothers, I am the son of nine sisters’. Earlier, the tenth-century Icelandic poet Úlfr Uggason described Heimdallr as mœðra mǫgr ... ok einnar átta ‘the son of eight mothers and of one’ (SnESkáld, I, 16, p. 20). His nine mothers, named in Hdl. 37, and mentioned in Húsdr. 2, are apparently giantesses (cf. Vsp. 2), possibly daughters of the sea-giant Ægir, who personify waves. The ‘earth’s edge’ might be the seashore or the horizon; cf. the prose preface to Rþ.
144 I.e., Heimdallr.
145 Gjálp and Greip, probably ‘Yelp’ and ‘Grip’, are daughters of the giant Geirrøðr in SnESkáld (I, 18, p. 25).
146 Basically ‘Stormy One’.
147 ‘Sandbank/Mud Giver’.
148 ‘Wolf Rune’.
149 Meaning uncertain.
150 Possibly ‘Embered One’; cf. HH. I 43.
151 ‘Terrible One’.
152 Járnsaxa ‘(One With) Iron Knife’. Járnsaxa is also the mother of Þórr’s son, Magni, in SnESkáld (I, 17, p. 22).
153 I.e., Heimdallr.
154 Cf. Gðr. II 21.
155 ‘Anguish Offerer/Announcer’. Loki’s union with this giantess produced the wolf Fenrir, as well as the Miðgarðsormr and Hel, ruler of the underworld; see SnEGylf (34, p. 27).
156 ‘Slippery-Place Traveller’ (the pl. svaðilfarar, -ferðir means ‘disasters’). Sleipnir ‘Slippy One’ is Óðinn’s eight-legged horse; the story is told in SnEGylf (42, p. 34–35). Loki was sometimes male, sometimes female.
157 Probably Hel.
158 The brother of Býleistr ‘Farmstead Foot/Sock(?)’ is Loki, Býleistr probably being Óðinn, Loki’s blood-brother; cf. Vsp. H 43, R 49.
159 Or ‘with’.
160 Or ‘mood-’, ‘courage-’, ‘mind-’.
161 I.e., heart.
162 ‘Lofty’, ‘Airy’, a by-name of Loki.
163 This episode is otherwise unknown, but cf. Ls. 23.
164 Or ‘The sea often rises [literally, “goes”] against the sky itself.’
165 I.e., the sky gives way. The words lopt bilar might also hint at ‘Loptr [i.e., Loki] breaks (free)’; cf. Vsp. 46.
166 Or ‘rain’.
167 A concise description of the mighty winter that heralds Ragnarok.
168 I.e., dynastic seats, families. The person described is probably Heimdallr; cf. Hdl. 35–38, Vsp. 1.
169 Possibly Christ; see Vsp. H 57 and note thereto.
170 I.e., at Ragnarok, when the wolf Fenrir will devour Óðinn; cf. Vsp. 52.
171 I.e., a drink to strengthen Óttarr’s memory of what he has just heard. Cf. Sd. 2 pr.
172 I.e., to Óttarr.
173 Or ‘he will’.
174 I.e., three mornings hence.
175 With these words, Freyja acknowledges that Hyndla’s identification of the boar as Óttarr is correct.
176 The meaning of eðl- in eðlvina ‘eðl-friend’ is uncertain, but the word might be related to ON øðli ‘origin, lineage’ and óðal ‘nature’, and to OE æðel ‘noble’. Whatever its meaning, a sarcastic response to Freyja’s similar use of vina in Hdl. 1 seems likely; if eðl- means ‘natural’, the sarcasm might extend to Freyja’s claim to be Hyndla’s ‘sister’. Here, as in Hdl. 47 and 48, Jónas Kristjánsson and Vésteinn Ólason, ed., Eddukvæði (Reykjavík, 2014), I, emends to Óðs vina ‘Óðr’s friend’ (cf. Vsp. 25), Óðr being Freyja’s husband in Vsp. 25 and SnEGylf (35, p. 29). Cf. note to Hdl. 47.
177 Literally, ‘nights’.
178 A mythical she-goat, the subject of Grm. 25, from whose udder flows mead for the champions in Valhǫll.
179 Freyja had a reputation for promiscuity. Þórr owned two billy-goats.
180 Some editors emend at œði ‘in a sexual frenzy(?)’ to at Óði ‘to Óðr’; cf. note to Hdl. 46.
181 It is uncertain whether the first half of this stanza is spoken by Hyndla or Freyja (see below).
182 Íviðja, perhaps literally `she (who dwells) in a tree/wood’, is attested as a term for a troll-woman (see note to Vsp. 2); arguably, Hyndla refers to herself as such in the third person (cf. Freyja in Hdl. 4 and the seeress in Vsp.). Alternatively, maybe she strikes fire from some sort of withy/branch (ON viðja).
183 Many scholars consider the second half of this stanza, abbreviated in the manuscript, a mistaken repetition from the previous two stanzas.
184 This stanza is certainly spoken by Hyndla.
185 This significance of this statement is unclear; possibly it is deliberately polysemous. It might confirm that Hyndla’s(?) fire is taking hold. Alternatively, it might signal the dawn, when the sun’s rays (cast by Freyja in the previous stanza?), would turn Hyndla to stone (cf. HHv. 29–30, Alv. 35). Equally, it might signal the imminent arrival of Þórr in his chariot drawn by goats, doubtless to kill Hyndla (cf. Þrk. 21; SnESkáld, I, 17, pp. 22–23). Or, since graves were often imagined as fiery, it might mark the readiness of Hyndla’s open, tomb-like cave to receive her, now that her discourse with Freyja is over. Yet another possibility, in view of prior references to Ragnarok, is that Hyndla sees the apocalyptic, world-consuming fire brought by the giants.
186 I.e., death.
187 Again, many scholars consider the last two lines of this stanza a mistaken repetition.
188 I.e., Hyndla’s poisoned, cursed drink will fail.