Lokasenna
© 2023 Edward Pettit, CC BY-NC 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0308.08
Lokasenna (Ls.) ‘Loki’s Flyting’ is Old Norse literature’s longest and most famous instance of a genre of antagonistic verse exemplified earlier in R by Hrbl., an altogether rougher work. As a flyting, Ls. is especially distinguished in scope and ambition by the sheer number of personages—gods and goddesses—pierced by Loki’s verbal barbs and by the range of its mythic references. Ls. is also the principal showcase for Loki’s swiftness and causticity of thought and utterance. That such a trait was more widely recognized is indicated by the conclusion of a myth, recorded in SnESkáld (I, 35, p. 43), in which two dwarves attempt to sew Loki’s lips together but succeed merely in tearing off the edges of his mouth, a result probably shown earlier on a carving on a Viking Age stone found near Snaptun in Denmark.1 It also explains Loki’s (contextually irrelevant) question about the fate of those who ‘wound each other with words’ in Rm. 3.
Ls. survives only in R (fol. 15r–17r) and later, paper manuscripts, though there are related passages in SnEGylf and SnESkáld (see notes to the prose and st. 29). Additionally, Snorri probably alludes to Ls. when describing Loki as rœgjanda ok vélandi goðanna ‘the accuser and tricker of the gods’ and þrætudólgr Heimdalar ok Skaða ‘the disputatious opponent of Heimdallr and Skaði’ (SnESkáld, I, 16, p. 20).
Ls.’s date of composition is uncertain, though it clearly existed by c. 1225, the date of Snorri’s work. We cannot even say confidently whether it originated in heathen times or Christian (or during the transition period), as its scurrilous presentation of the Norse gods has been variously explained as tragicomedy within a strong heathen faith, disillusionment in the twilight years of paganism, Christian determination to discredit the old religion, and playful thirteenth-century antiquarianism.
It is also unclear whether similarities of wording with other Eddic poems are indications of borrowing or the shared use of oral formulas, the two most striking correspondences being with FSk. and Hrbl.:
Ls. 53/1–3: Heill ver þú nú, Loki, ok tak við hrímkálki,
fullum forns mjaðar.
FSk. 37/1–3: Heill verðu nú heldr, sveinn, ok tak við hrímkálki
fullum forns mjaðar.
Ls. 60/4-6: sízt í hanzka þumlungi hnúkðir þú, einheri,
ok þóttiska þú þá Þórr vera.
Hrbl. 26/3-5: af hrœzlu ok hugbleyði þér var í hanzka troðit,
ok þóttiska þú þá Þórr vera.
In either case, the poems may be drawing on a common source. The ironic twists that Ls. may well give to traditional myths makes it inherently more likely to be a borrower than a lender, and, if so, the possibility that it is a late work increases, though not necessarily by much.
The compositional date (or dates) of the prose prologue and epilogue are just as uncertain. We can, however, be fairly confident that a passage (probably in prose) resembling the prologue was known to Snorri, most likely in association with the poem, by c. 1225, since SnESkáld (I, 33, pp. 40–41) gives an account of the circumstances of Loki’s argument with the gods that contains several verbal similarities. In translation it reads (with similarities of wording to Ls. bracketed):
Why is gold called ‘Ægir’s fire’? There is this story about it, that Ægir—as was said before—went as a guest to Ásgarðr, and when he was ready for the journey home, he invited Óðinn and all the Æsir to visit him after a space of three months. On that journey were first Óðinn and Njǫrðr, Freyr, Týr, Bragi, Víðarr, Loki; and also the Ásynjur Frigg, Freyja, Gefjun, Skaði, Íðunn, Sif. Þórr was not there. He had gone on the eastern road to kill trolls [Þórr var eigi þar. Hann var farinn í austrveg at drepa trǫll]. And when the gods had sat themselves in their seats, then Ægir had shining gold [lýsigull] brought inside onto the hall-floor, which illuminated and lit up the hall like fire, and it was used instead of lights [ok þat var þar haft fyrir ljós] at his feast, just as in Valhǫll the swords took the place of fire. Then Loki wrangled [senti] with all the gods there and killed Ægir’s slave, who was called Fimafengr. Another slave of his is called Eldir ... At the feast everything served itself, both food and ale and all the utensils that were needed for the feast.
How much earlier the prologue existed, we cannot say. But it is likely that its account of Loki’s murder of Fimafengr, which is not mentioned in the poem, means that ‘this whole prose piece is based on some older text, except only the obvious borrowings from Lokasenna’.2 For its part, the epilogue appears to be drawn, ultimately at least, from a lost prose source also known to Snorri, though opinions differ about this. Again, we cannot determine its date.
The metre of Ls. is ljóðaháttr, apart from four instances of the expanded form, galdralag (13, 54, 62 and 65), all spoken by Loki. These exceptions perhaps lend his words a magical potency.
Ls.’s position between Hym. and Þrk. in R suggests that it was thought of as a Þórr-poem. And although Ls. is obviously Loki’s tour de force, not Þórr’s, it sits quite neatly there. For one thing, it apparently follows on logically from the events of Hym. For another, it provides an amusing prelude and contrast of mood to the light-hearted farce of Þrk. It also establishes a theme of sexual transgression that foreshadows Loki’s appearance as a woman and Freyja’s reputed licentiousness, and shows the vital importance of Þórr’s hammer.
But, for all its pungent comedy, Ls. is fundamentally different from its neighbours in the ‘Þórr-group’ in its underlying seriousness. For, unlike them, it appears to be an eschatological poem, set just before Ragnarok. That this point emerges only gradually makes it all the more telling. It pervades the poem as a tragic undertow, coming to the surface only intermittently: it informs Óðinn’s decision to command Víðarr to give up his seat to Loki (10); it returns in the reference to Baldr’s absence (death) and Loki’s role in the thwarting of his resurrection (27–28); it is explicit in stt. 39, 41–42; it is the reason for Heimdallr’s eternal wakefulness in st. 48; it is referred to in st. 58 (perhaps in st. 65, too); and finally it makes its presence felt in the prose epilogue.
Synopsis
Prose: A prologue sets the scene. Many of the gods—but not Þórr, who is away killing trolls—have gathered for a feast held by the giant Ægir, who now has the huge cauldron that once belonged to Hymir. The feast is held in a hall that was a place of sanctuary.
Loki, enraged at the gods’ praise for Ægir’s servants, kills the one called Fimafengr. The gods shout at Loki and chase him away to the woods, before returning to their drink. But Loki turns back and greets Eldir, Ægir’s surviving manservant.
Verse: The poem begins with a tense exchange of words between Loki and Eldir outside the hall. During this, Loki reveals his intention to join the feast and bring discord to the gods, despite Eldir’s warnings that he is unwelcome (1–5).
Loki enters the hall and everyone inside falls silent. He introduces himself, requests hospitality (6), and rebukes them for their silence (7). Bragi, the poet-god whose duty it may be to greet visitors, is first to reply: he refuses Loki a seat on behalf of the gods (8). Loki ignores Bragi and instead addresses Óðinn, the lord of the gods, reminding him of their blood-brotherhood and of his oath never to drink ale unless it were served to them both (9). His hand forced, Óðinn commands his son Víðarr to give up his place (10).
Having joined the feast, Loki proposes a toast to all the gods—except Bragi, whose insult he now has the chance to repay (11). In reply, Bragi offers Loki compensatory gifts, if he will refrain from angering the gods (12). Loki responds with the first accusation of a formal flyting—that is, a series of one-on-one verbal duels:
Loki vs. Bragi (11–15): Loki, having spurned the offer, says Bragi will always lack treasure, since he is a coward in war; Bragi asserts that he would behead Loki if they were outside. Loki likens him to an ornament and challenges him to battle.
Intervention by Iðunn, Bragi’s wife (16): She urges her husband not to insult Loki.
Loki vs. Iðunn (17–18): He accuses her of nymphomania and of sleeping with her brother’s killer.
Intervention by Gefjun (19): She tries to defuse the situation by claiming that Loki is merely joking.
Loki vs. Gefjun (20): He accuses her of having been seduced by the ‘white boy’ (probably Heimdallr) who gave her a piece of jewellery (probably the Brísingamen).
Intervention by Óðinn (21): He calls Loki mad to anger Gefjun, since she knows the world’s fate.
Loki vs. Óðinn (22–24): Loki accuses Óðinn of awarding victories unfairly; he, in turn, accuses Loki of sexual perversion in having been a milch-cow (or milkmaid) and a woman for eight years underground and in having given birth to children. Loki retorts that Óðinn was a seeress and a wandering wizard among men, which was again the sign of a pervert.
Intervention by Frigg, Óðinn’s wife (25): She urges the two not to rake up past events.
Loki vs. Frigg (26–28): He accuses her of nymphomania and of having slept with Óðinn’s brothers, Véi and Vili; she asserts that he would not escape if Baldr were there; he claims he is the reason she will never see Baldr again.
Intervention by Freyja (29): She calls Loki mad to speak like that, when Frigg knows all fates.
Loki vs. Freyja (30–32): He accuses her of having slept with all the assembled gods and elves; she denies this and says his tongue will hurt him one day; he reveals that the gods caught her having sex with her brother (Freyr).
Intervention by Njǫrðr (33): He declares it a small matter if a woman has several male partners, but an outrage that a male god who has given birth should be at the feast.
Loki vs. Njǫrðr (34–36): Loki recalls that Njǫrðr was sent as a hostage to the gods and that the daughters of the giant Hymir pissed in his mouth. Njǫrðr does not deny this, but takes comfort in his son (Freyr), who is loved by all; Loki discloses that the child’s mother was Njǫrðr’s sister.
Intervention by Týr (37): He praises Freyr’s virtues.
Loki vs. Týr (37–40): Loki taunts Týr with the accusation that he can never make a fair peace between men, and that Fenrir bit off his right hand. Týr reminds him that Loki is also missing something: Hróðrsvitnir (Fenrir), who lies bound until Ragnarok. Loki retorts that he fathered a son on Týr’s wife, and that Týr has received nothing in compensation.
Loki vs. Freyr (41–42): Freyr speaks up. He too refers to Fenrir’s bondage, and warns Loki to keep quiet unless he wants to be bound next to him. Loki says Freyr bought Gymir’s daughter (the giantess Gerðr) and gave away his sword, and so will be powerless when Muspell’s sons ride against the gods at Ragnarok.
Loki vs. Byggvir (43–46): Freyr’s servant Byggvir, a barley-spirit, says that if his lineage were as noble as Freyr’s, he would grind Loki like grain and tear him apart. Loki mocks him, apparently by likening him to a small twittering bird by a millstone. In reply, Byggvir takes pride in his contribution to the feast’s ale. Loki criticizes Byggvir’s ability to share out food and brands him a cowardly absentee whenever fights break out.
Loki vs. Heimdallr (47–48): Heimdallr upbraids Loki for drunkenness and reminds him of the power of alcohol over those inclined to talk too much. Loki’s comeback is to highlight Heimdallr’s unenviable lot in having to stay continually on watch with a muddy (or aching) back.
Loki vs. Skaði (49–52): The giantess Skaði warns that Loki’s fun will not last long, as the gods will bind him on a cliff-edge(?) with the guts of his son. Loki replies that he was foremost at the killing of her father, Þjazi—a claim that gets a frosty reply. Loki ends their exchange with an assertion that Skaði spoke more sweetly when she invited him to her bed.
Loki vs. Sif (53–54): Sif gives Loki a mead-cup in a vain bid to stop him attacking her character. He drinks the mead, but accuses her of being anything but cold towards men, and of having betrayed her husband, Þórr, with him.
Loki vs. Beyla, Byggvir’s wife (55–56): She hears Þórr returning and asserts that he will silence Loki. In reply, Loki calls her a shitty dairymaid.
Þórr arrives.
Loki vs. Þórr (57–64): Þórr threatens to behead Loki with his hammer. Loki asks him why he is so angry and claims Þórr will not be daring when he has to fight Fenrir after Óðinn’s death. Þórr threatens to throw him eastwards. Loki accuses Þórr of having cowered in the glove of a giant when in the east. Þórr threatens to crush Loki with his hammer. Loki retorts that Þórr could not even manage to get at the food in the giant Skrýmir’s bag. Þórr threatens to send Loki to Hel with his hammer. Loki says he will leave, because he knows Þórr will strike.
Loki’s final words are a curse on Ægir and his possessions, one that perhaps anticipates the fires of Ragnarok (65).
Prose: An epilogue tells how Loki then took the form of a salmon and hid in a waterfall. But the gods caught him and bound him with the intestines of his son Nari (another son, Narfi, had turned into a wolf). Skaði suspended a snake above Loki’s face, and Sigyn, his wife, sat by him catching the dripping venom in a basin. But when she went to empty it, the poison fell on to Loki, making him writhe and cause earthquakes.
Further Reading
Anderson, P. N., ‘Form and Content in Lokasenna: A Re-evaluation’, Edda 81 (1981), 215–25.
Ármann Jakobsson, ‘Óðinn as Mother: The Old Norse Deviant Patriarch’, ANF 126 (2011), 5–16.
Clover, C. J., ‘The Germanic Context of the Unferþ Episode’, Speculum 55 (1980), 444–68.
Clunies Ross, M., Prolonged Echoes: Old Norse Myths in Medieval Northern Society, 2 vols. (Odense: Odense University Press, 1994–98).
Clunies Ross, M., ‘Þórr’s Honour’, in H. Uecker, ed., Studien zum Altgermanischen: Festschrift für Heinrich Beck (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1994), pp. 48–76.
Dronke, U., ed. and trans., The Poetic Edda: Volume II. Mythological Poems (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997).
Dumézil, G., ‘Two Minor Scandinavian Gods: Byggvir and Beyla’, in G. Dumézil, Gods of the Ancient Northmen (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1973), pp. 89–117.
Frakes, J. C., ‘Loki’s Mythological Function in the Tripartite System’, JEGP 86 (1987), 473–86; rpt. in P. Acker and C. Larrington, ed., The Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Mythology (New York: Routledge, 2002), pp. 159–75.
Frotscher, A. G., ‘The War of the Words — A History of Flyting from Antiquity to the Later Middle Ages’ (PhD thesis, University of Oxford, 2004).
Grundy, S., God in Flames, God in Fetters: Loki’s Role in the Northern Religions (New Haven, CT: Troth Publications, 2015).
Gunnell, T., The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia (Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1995).
Gurevich, A. Y., ‘On the Nature of the Comic in the Elder Edda: A Comment on an Article by Professor Höfler’, Mediaeval Scandinavia 9 (1976), 127–37.
Harris, J., ‘The senna: From Description to Literary Theory’, Michigan Germanic Studies 5 (1979), 65–67.
Harris, J., ‘The Dossier on Byggvir, God and Hero Cur deus homo’, Arv 55 (1999), 7–23.
Hultgård, A., The End of the World in Scandinavian Mythology: A Comparative Perspective on Ragnarök (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022).
Karlsson, S., ‘Loki’s Threat: On Lokasenna 3.4’, in H. F. Nielsen and E. Hansen, ed., Twenty-Eight Papers Presented to Hans Bekker-Nielsen on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday 28 April 1993 (Odense: Odense University Press, 1993), pp. 257–66.
Laidoner, T., ‘The Flying Noaidi of the North: Sámi Tradition Reflected in the Figure Loki Laufeyjarson in Old Norse Mythology’, Scripta Islandica 63 (2012), 59–91.
Marteinn S. Sigurðsson, ‘bera tilt með tveim: On Lokasenna 38 and the One-Handed Týr’, ANF 121 (2006), 139–59.
McKinnell, J., ‘Motivation in Lokasenna’, Saga-Book 22 (1987-8), 234–62; also revised as ‘Motivation and Meaning in Lokasenna’, in J. McKinnell, Essays on Eddic Poetry, ed. D. Kick and J. D. Shafer (Toronto: Toronto University Press, 2014), pp. 172–99, https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442669260-009
Meulengracht Sørensen, P., The Unmanly Man: Concepts of Sexual Defamation in Early Northern Society ([Odense]: Odense University Press, 1983).
Meulengracht Sørensen, P., ‘Loki’s Senna in Ægir’s Hall’, in G. W. Weber, ed., Idee, Gestalt, Geschichte: Festschrift Klaus von See (Odense: Odense University Press, 1988), pp. 239–59; rpt. in P. Meulengracht Sørensen, At Fortælle Historien. Telling History. Studier i den gamle nordiske litteratur. Studies in Norse Literature (Trieste: Parnaso, 2001), pp. 93–112.
Quinn, J., ‘What Frigg Knew: The Goddess as Prophetess in Old Norse Mythology’, in M. E. Ruggerini and V. Szöke, ed., Dee, profetesse, regine e altre figure femminili nel Medioevo germanico (Cagliari: CUEC, 2015), pp. 67–88.
Rooth, A. B., Loki in Scandinavian Mythology (Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, 1961).
Ruggerini, M. E., ed. and trans., Le invettive di Loki (Rome: Istituto di Glottologia, Università di Roma, 1979) [includes English summary].
Sayers, W., ‘Norse “Loki” as Praxonym’, Journal of Literary Onomastics 5 (2016), 17–28, http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/jlo/vol5/iss1/2
Swenson, K., Performing Definitions: Two Genres of Insult in Old Norse Literature (Columbia, SC: Camden House, 1991).
Van Hamel, A. G., ‘The Prose-Frame of Lokasenna’, Neophilologus 14 (1929), 204–14.
Von See, K., B. La Farge, E. Picard, I. Priebe and K. Schulz, Kommentar zu den Liedern der Edda, Bd. 2: Götterlieder (Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 1997).
Wanner, K. J., ‘Cunning Intelligence in Norse Myth: Loki, Óðinn, and the Limits of Sovereignty’, History of Religions 48 (2009), 211–46, https://doi.org/10.1086/598231
Wanner, K. J., ‘Sewn Lips, Propped Jaws, and a Silent Áss (or Two): Doing Things with Mouths in Norse Myth’, JEGP 111 (2012), 1–24, https://doi.org/10.5406/jenglgermphil.111.1.0001
Frá Ægi ok Goðum
Ægir, er ǫðru nafni hét Gymir, hann hafði búit Ásum ǫl, þá er hann hafði fengit ketil inn mikla, sem nú er sagt.
Til þeirar veizlu kom Óðinn ok Frigg, kona hans. Þórr kom eigi, þvíat hann var í austrvegi. Sif var þar, kona Þórs, Bragi ok Iðunn, kona hans. Týr var þar. Hann var einhendr: Fenrisúlfr sleit hǫnd af honum, þá er hann var bundinn. Þar var Njǫrðr ok kona hans, Skaði, Freyr ok Freyja, Víðarr, son Óðins. Loki var þar, ok þjónustumenn Freys, Byggvir ok Beyla. Mart var þar Ása ok álfa.
Ægir átti tvá þjónustumenn, Fimafengr ok Eldir. Þar var lýsigull haft fyrir eldsljós. Sjálft barsk þar ǫl. Þar var griðastaðr mikill. Menn lofuðu mjǫk, hversu góðir þjónustumenn Ægis váru. Loki mátti eigi heyra þat, ok drap hann Fimafeng.
Þá skóku Æsir skjǫldu sína ok œpðu at Loka, ok eltu hann braut til skógar, en þeir fóru at drekka. Loki hvarf aptr ok hitti úti Eldi.
Loki kvaddi hann:
Lokasenna
1. ‘Segðu þat, Eldir, svá at þú einugi
feti gangir framarr:
hvat hér inni hafa at ǫlmálum
sigtíva synir?’
Eldir kvað:
2. ‘Of vápn sín dœma ok um vígrisni sína
sigtíva synir;
Ása ok álfa er hér inni eru,
mangi er þér í orði vinr!’
Loki kvað:
3. ‘Inn skal ganga Ægis hallir í
á þat sumbl at sjá;
jǫll ok áfu fœri ek Ása sonum,
ok blend ek þeim svá meini mjǫð!’
Eldir kvað:
4. ‘Veiztu, ef þú inn gengr Ægis hallir í,
á þat sumbl at sjá,
hrópi ok rógi ef þú eyss á holl regin,
á þér munu þau þerra þat!’
Loki kvað:
5. ‘Veiztu þat, Eldir, ef vit einir skulum
sáryrðum sakask,
auðigr verða mun ek í andsvǫrum,
ef þú mælir til mart!’
Síðan gekk Loki inn í hǫllina. En er þeir sá, er fyrir váru, hverr inn var kominn, þǫgnuðu þeir allir.
Loki kvað:
6. ‘Þyrstr ek kom þessar hallar til,
Loptr, um langan veg,
Ásu at biðja at mér einn gefi
mæran drykk mjaðar.
7. ‘Hví þegið ér svá, þrungin goð,
at þér mæla né meguð?
Sessa ok staði velið mér sumbli at,
eða heitið mik heðan!’
Bragi kvað:
8. ‘Sessa ok staði velja þér sumbli at
Æsir aldregi,
þvíat Æsir vitu hveim þeir alda skulu
gambansumbl um geta!’
Loki kvað:
9. ‘Mantu þat, Óðinn, er vit í árdaga
blendum blóði saman?
Ǫlvi bergja léztu eigi mundu,
nema okkr væri báðum borit!’
Óðinn kvað:
10. ‘Rístu þá, Víðarr, ok lát úlfs fǫður
sitja sumbli at,
síðr oss Loki kveði lastastǫfum
Ægis hǫllu í!’
Þá stóð Víðarr upp ok skenkti Loka. En áðr hann drykki, kvaddi hann Ásuna:
11. ‘Heilir Æsir, heilar Ásynjur
ok ǫll ginnheilug goð,
nema sá einn Áss er innar sitr,
Bragi, bekkjum á!’
Bragi kvað:
12. ‘Mar ok mæki gef ek þér míns fjár,
ok bœtir þér svá baugi Bragi,
síðr þú Ásum ǫfund um gjaldir;
gremðu eigi goð at þér!’
Loki kvað:
13. ‘Jós ok armbauga mundu æ vera
beggja vanr, Bragi;
Ása ok álfa er hér inni eru,
þú ert við víg varastr
ok skjarrastr við skot!’
Bragi kvað:
14. ‘Veit ek, ef fyr útan værak, svá sem fyr innan emk
Ægis hǫll um kominn,
hǫfuð þitt bæra ek í hendi mér;
lítt er þér þat fyr lygi!’
Loki kvað:
15. ‘Snjallr ertu í sessi, skalattu svá gøra,
Bragi bekkskrautuðr;
vega þú gakk ef þú vreiðr sér —
hyggsk vætr hvatr fyrir!’
Iðunn kvað:
16. ‘Bið ek, Bragi — barna sifjar duga
ok allra óskmaga —
at þú Loka kveðira lastastǫfum
Ægis hǫllu í!’
Loki kvað:
17. ‘Þegiðu, Iðunn! Þik kveð ek allra kvenna
vergjarnasta vera,
síztu arma þína lagðir ítrþvegna
um þinn bróðurbana!’
Iðunn kvað:
18. ‘Loka ek kveðka lastastǫfum
Ægis hǫllu í;
Braga ek kyrri bjórreifan,
vilkat ek, at it vreiðir vegisk!’
Gefjun kvað:
19. ‘Hví it Æsir tveir skuluð inni hér
sáryrðum sakask?
Lopzki þat veit, at hann leikinn er
ok hann fjǫrg ǫll frjá?’
Loki kvað:
20. ‘Þegi þú, Gefjun! Þess mun ek nú geta
er þik glapði at geði,
sveinn inn hvíti er þér sigli gaf,
ok þú lagðir lær yfir!’
Óðinn kvað:
21. ‘Œrr ertu, Loki, ok ørviti,
er þú fær þér Gefjun at gremi,
þvíat aldar ørlǫg hygg ek at hon ǫll um viti
jafngǫrla sem ek!’
Loki kvað:
22. ‘Þegi þú, Óðinn! Þú kunnir aldregi
deila víg með verum;
opt þú gaft þeim er þú gefa skyldira,
inum slævurum, sigr!’
Óðinn kvað:
23. ‘Veiztu, ef ek gaf, þeim er ek gefa né skylda,
inum slævurum, sigr,
átta vetr vartu fyr jǫrð neðan
kýr mólkandi ok kona,
ok hefir þú þar bǫrn borit,
ok hugða ek þat args aðal!’
Loki kvað:
24. ‘En þik síga kóðu Sámseyju í,
ok draptu á vétt sem vǫlur;
vitka líki fórtu verþjóð yfir,
ok hugða ek þat args aðal!’
Frigg kvað:
25. ‘Ørlǫgum ykkrum skylið aldregi
segja seggjum frá,
hvat it Æsir tveir drýgðuð í árdaga;
firrisk æ forn rǫk firar!’
Loki kvað:
26. ‘Þegi þú, Frigg! Þú ert Fjǫrgyns mær
ok hefir æ vergjǫrn verit,
er þá Véa ok Vilja léztu þér, Viðris kvæn,
báða í baðm um tekit!’
Frigg kvað:
27. ‘Veiztu, ef ek inni ættak, Ægis hǫllum í
Baldri líkan bur,
út þú né kvæmir frá Ása sonum,
ok væri þá at þér vreiðum vegit!’
Loki kvað:
28. ‘Enn vill þú, Frigg, at ek fleiri telja
mína meinstafi?
Ek því réð, er þú ríða sérat
síðan Baldr at sǫlum!’
Freyja kvað:
29. ‘Œrr ertu, Loki, er þú yðra telr
ljóta leiðstafi;
ørlǫg Frigg hygg ek at ǫll viti,
þótt hon sjálfgi segi!’
Loki kvað:
30. ‘Þegi þú, Freyja! Þik kann ek fullgerva,
era þér vamma vant;
Ása ok álfa er hér inni eru,
hverr hefir þinn hór verit!’
Freyja kvað:
31. ‘Flá er þér tunga! Hygg ek at þér fremr myni
ógott um gala;
reiðir ru þér Æsir ok Ásynjur,
hryggr muntu heim fara!’
Loki kvað:
32. ‘Þegi þú, Freyja! Þú ert fordæða
ok meini blandin mjǫk,
síztik at brœðr þínum stóðu blíð regin,
ok mundir þú þá, Freyja, frata!’
Njǫrðr kvað:
33. ‘Þat er válítit, þótt sér varðir vers fái,
hós eða hvárs;
hitt er undr er Áss ragr er hér inn of kominn,
ok hefir sá bǫrn of borit!’
Loki kvað:
34. ‘Þegi þú, Njǫrðr! Þú vart austr heðan
gísl um sendr at goðum;
Hymis meyjar hǫfðu þik at hlandtrogi
ok þér í munn migu!’
Njǫrðr kvað:
35. ‘Sú erumk líkn, er ek vark langt heðan
gísl um sendr at goðum:
þá ek mǫg gat, þann er mangi fjár,
ok þikkir sá Ása jaðarr!’
Loki kvað:
36. ‘Hættu nú, Njǫrðr, haf þú á hófi þik!
Munka ek því leyna lengr:
við systur þinni gaztu slíkan mǫg,
ok era þó ónu verr!’
Týr kvað:
37. ‘Freyr er beztr allra ballriða
Ása gǫrðum í;
mey hann né grœtir, né manns konu,
ok leysir ór hǫptum hvern!’
Loki kvað:
38. ‘Þegi þú, Týr! Þú kunnir aldregi
bera tilt með tveim;
handar innar hœgri mun ek hennar geta,
er þér sleit Fenrir frá!’
Tyr kvað:
39. ‘Handar em ek vanr, en þú Hróðrsvitnis,
bǫl er beggja þrá;
úlfgi hefir ok vel, er í bǫndum skal
bíða ragna røkrs!’
Loki kvað:
40. ‘Þegi þú, Týr! Þat varð þinni konu
at hon átti mǫg við mér;
ǫln né penning hafðir þú þess aldregi
vanréttis, vesall!’
Freyr kvað:
41. ‘Úlf sé ek liggja árósi fyrir,
unz rjúfask regin;
því mundu næst, nema þú nú þegir,
bundinn, bǫlvasmiðr!’
Loki kvað:
42. ‘Gulli keypta léztu Gymis dóttur,
ok seldir þitt svá sverð;
en er Muspells synir ríða Myrkvið yfir,
veizta þú þá, vesall, hvé þú vegr!’
Byggvir kvað:
43. ‘Veiztu, ef ek øðli ættak sem Ingunar-Freyr,
ok svá sællikt setr,
mergi smæra mølða ek þá meinkráku
ok lemða alla í liðu!’
Loki kvað:
44. ‘Hvat er þat it litla er ek lǫggra sék
ok snapvíst snapir?
At eyrum Freys muntu æ vera,
ok und kvernum klaka!’
Byggvir kvað:
45. ‘Byggvir ek heiti, en mik bráðan kveða
goð ǫll ok gumar;
því em ek hér hróðugr, at drekka Hropts megir
allir ǫl saman!’
Loki kvað:
46. ‘Þegi þú, Byggvir! Þú kunnir aldregi
deila með mǫnnum mat;
ok þik í flets strá finna né máttu,
þá er vágu verar!’
Heimdallr kvað:
47. ‘Ǫlr ertu, Loki, svá at þú ert ørviti,
hví né lezkaðu, Loki?
Þvíat ofdrykkja veldr alda hveim,
er sína mælgi né manað!’
Loki kvað:
48. ‘Þegi þú, Heimdallr! Þér var í árdaga
it ljóta líf um lagit;
aurgu baki þú munt æ vera,
ok vaka vǫrðr goða!’
Skaði kvað:
49. ‘Létt er þér, Loki, munattu lengi svá
leika lausum hala,
þvíat þik á hjǫrvi skulu ins hrímkalda magar
gǫrnum binda goð!’
Loki kvað:
50. ‘Veiztu, ef mik á hjǫrvi skulu ins hrímkalda magar
gǫrnum binda goð;
fyrstr ok øfstr var ek at fjǫrlagi,
þars vér á Þjaza þrifum!’
Skaði kvað:
51. ‘Veiztu, ef fyrstr ok øfstr vartu at fjǫrlagi,
þá er ér á Þjaza þrifuð;
frá mínum véum ok vǫngum skulu
þér æ kǫld ráð koma!’
Loki kvað:
52. ‘Léttari í málum vartu við Laufeyjar son,
þá er þú létz mér á beð þinn boðit;
getit verðr oss slíks, ef vér gǫrva skulum
telja vǫmmin vár!’
Þá gekk Sif fram ok byrlaði Loka í hrímkálki mjǫð, ok mælti:
53. ‘Heill ver þú nú, Loki, ok tak við hrímkálki,
fullum forns mjaðar,
heldr þú hana eina látir með Ása sonum
vammalausa vera!’
Hann tók við horni ok drakk af:
54. ‘Ein þú værir, ef þú svá værir,
vǫr ok grǫm at veri;
einn ek veit, svá at ek vita þikkjumk,
hór ok af Hlórriða,
ok var þat sá inn lævísi Loki!’
Beyla kvað:
55. ‘Fjǫll ǫll skjálfa, hygg ek á fǫr vera
heiman Hlórriða;
hann ræðr ró þeim er rœgir hér
goð ǫll ok guma!’
Loki kvað:
56. ‘Þegi þú, Beyla! Þú ert Byggvis kvæn
ok meini blandin mjǫk;
ókynjan meira koma með Ása sonum —
ǫll ertu, deigja, dritin!’
Þá kom Þórr at ok kvað:
57. ‘Þegi þú, rǫg vaettr! Þér skal minn þrúðhamarr,
Mjǫllnir, mál fyrnema;
herða klett drep ek þér hálsi af,
ok verðr þá þínu fjǫrvi um farit!’
Loki kvað:
58. ‘Jarðar burr er hér nú inn kominn —
hví þrasir þú svá, Þórr?
En þá þorir þú ekki, er þú skalt við úlfinn vega,
ok svelgr hann allan Sigfǫður!’
Þórr kvað:
59. ‘Þegi þú, rǫg vættr! Þér skal minn þrúðhamarr,
Mjǫllnir, mál fyrnema;
upp ek þér verp ok á austrvega,
síðan þik mangi sér!’
Loki kvað:
60. ‘Austrfǫrum þínum skaltu aldregi
segja seggjum frá,
sízt í hanzka þumlungi hnúkðir þú, einheri,
ok þóttiska þú þá Þórr vera!’
Þórr kvað:
61. ‘Þegi þú, rǫg vættr! Þér skal minn þrúðhamarr,
Mjǫllnir, mál fyrnema;
hendi inni hœgri drep ek þik Hrungnis bana,
svá at þér brotnar beina hvat!’
Loki kvað:
62. ‘Lifa ætla ek mér langan aldr,
þóttu hœtir hamri mér;
skarpar álar þóttu þér Skrýmis vera,
ok máttira þú þá nesti ná,
ok svaltz þú þá hungri, heill!’
Þórr kvað:
63. ‘Þegi þú, rǫg vættr! Þér skal minn þrúðhamarr,
Mjǫllnir, mál fyrnema;
Hrungnis bani mun þér í Hel koma,
fyr nágrindr neðan!’
Loki kvað:
64. ‘Kvað ek fyr Ásum, kvað ek fyr Ása sonum,
þats mik hvatti hugr;
en fyr þér einum mun ek út ganga,
þvíat ek veit at þú vegr!
65. ‘Ǫl gørðir þú, Ægir, en þú aldri munt
síðan sumbl um gøra;
eiga þín ǫll, er hér inni er,
leiki yfir logi,
ok brenni þér á baki!’
Frá Loka
En eptir þetta falsk Loki í Fránangrsforsi í laxlíki. Þar tóku Æsir hann.
Hann var bundinn með þǫrmum sonar Nara. En Narfi, sonr hans, varð at vargi. Skaði tók eitrorm ok festi upp yfir andlit Loka. Draup þar ór eitr. Sigyn, kona Loka, sat þar ok helt munnlaug undir eitrit. En er munnlaugin var full bar hon út eitrit, en meðan draup eitrit á Loka. Þá kipptisk hann svá hart við, at þaðan af skalf jǫrð ǫll; þat eru nú kallaðir landskjálptar.
About Ægir and the Gods3
Ægir,4 who by another name was called Gymir,5 had brewed ale for the Æsir,6 after he had received the great cauldron, as has now been said.7
To that feast came Óðinn and Frigg, his wife. Þórr did not come, because he was on the east-way.8 Sif, Þórr’s wife, was there, and Bragi and Iðunn, his wife.9 Týr was there. He was one-handed: Fenrisúlfr10 bit off his hand when he was bound.11 Njǫrðr was there, as was his wife, Skaði,12 Freyr and Freyja, [and] Víðarr, Óðinn’s son. Loki was there, and Freyr’s servants, Byggvir and Beyla.13 Many of the Æsir and elves were there.14
Ægir had two serving-men, Fimafengr and Eldir.15 Shining gold was used there instead of firelight.16 Ale served itself there.17 It was a great place of sanctuary.18 People were full of praise for how good Ægir’s serving-men were. Loki could not bear to hear that, and he slew Fimafengr.19
Then the Æsir shook their shields and screamed at Loki, and chased him away to the forest, and they went to drink. Loki turned back and met Eldir outside.
Loki’s Flyting
1. ‘Tell [me] this,20 Eldir, before you take
another step forward:
what do the sons of the victory-gods21
have as their ale-talk inside here?’
2. ‘The sons of the victory-gods converse about their weapons
and their battle-prowess;22
of the Æsir and elves who are in here,
not one is a friend to you in words!’23
3. ‘I shall go inside, into Ægir’s halls
to gaze upon that feast;
discord and dissension24 I’ll bring to the sons of the Æsir,
and thus I’ll mix their mead with harm!’25
4. ‘Know [this, that] if you go inside, into Ægir’s halls
to gaze upon that feast,
if you pour slander and scorn on the gracious powers,
they’ll wipe it off on you!’
5. ‘Know this, Eldir, if we two alone
shall argue with wounding words,
I shall be rich in answers,
if you talk too much!’
Then Loki went into the hall. And when those who were there saw who had come in, they all fell silent.
6. ‘Thirsty, I came to this hall,
Loptr,26 from a long way off,
one magnificent drink of mead.
7. ‘Why are you so silent, puffed-up27 gods,
that you cannot speak?
Select a seat and a place for me at the feast,
or order me out of here!’
Bragi said:28
8. ‘A seat and a place at the feast
the Æsir will never select for you,
because the Æsir know the type of people they should
provide a tribute(?)-feast29 for!’
9. ‘Do you recall it, Óðinn, when in ancient days
we two blended blood together?30
You said you wouldn’t taste ale,
unless it were brought to us both!’
10. ‘Arise, then, Víðarr, and let the wolf’s father31
sit at the feast,
lest Loki address us with insulting words32
in Ægir’s hall!’33
Then Víðarr stood up and poured for Loki. But before he34 drank, he toasted the Æsir:
11. ‘Hail Æsir, hail Ásynjur35
and all the most holy gods,
except for that one Áss36 who sits further in,
Bragi, on the benches!’37
12. ‘I shall give you a steed and a sword from my treasure,
and Bragi will also recompense you with a ring,38
lest you requite the Æsir with ill-will;39
don’t make the gods angry at you!’
13. ‘Of horse and arm-rings you’ll
of the Æsir and elves who are in here
you’re the wariest of war
and the shyest of shots!’40
14. ‘I know, if I were outside,41 as surely as I’ve come
inside Ægir’s hall,42
your head I’d bear in my hand;
that’s little for you [to pay] for lying!’43
15. ‘You’re bold in your seat, [but] you shan’t act thus,
you come and do battle if you’re irate44 —
a brave man balks at nothing!’45
Iðunn said:
16. ‘I ask, Bragi — the ties of blood-children
and of all adopted sons are strong —
that you don’t address Loki with insulting staves46
in Ægir’s hall!’ 47
17. ‘Silence, Iðunn! I say that of all women
you’re the most man-eager,48
since you laid your splendidly washed arms
around your brother’s slayer!’49
18. ‘I shan’t address Loki with insulting staves
I’ll calm Bragi, [who’s] high on beer,
I don’t want you two wrathful ones to fight!’50
Gefjun said:51
19. ‘Why must you two Æsir52 argue inside here
with wounding words?
Isn’t it well known that Loptr has a playful nature53
and that all the living54 love him?’55
20. ‘Silence, Gefjun! Now I’ll speak of the one
who lured you into lust,56
the white boy who gave you a pendant,57
and [whom] you put your thigh over!’58
Óðinn said:
21. ‘You’re mad, Loki, and out of your mind,59
when you rouse Gefjun to anger against you,60
because I think she knows all the world’s fate
just as well as I!’61
22. ‘Silence, Óðinn! You never knew how
to share out battles among men;
often you gave to those you shouldn’t have given,
to the less valiant, victory!’62
23. ‘Know [this, that] if I gave to those I shouldn’t have given,
to the less valiant, victory,
you were eight winters beneath the earth
[as] a milch-cow and a woman,63
and you’ve given birth to children there,64
and I considered that the essence of a pervert!’65
24. ‘But you, they said, sank [down]66 in Sámsey,67
and struck a drum(?) as seeresses do;68
in wizard’s shape you went among69 mankind,
and I considered that the essence of a pervert!’70
25. ‘You two should never tell people71
about your fates,72
of what you two Æsir73 did in ancient days;
let the living always distance themselves from old destinies!’74
Loki said:
26. ‘Silence, Frigg! You’re Fjǫrgynn’s daughter,75
and have always been man-eager,
since, Viðrir’s76 wife, you took both
Véi and Vili77 in your embrace!’
27. ‘Know [this, that] if I had inside, in Ægir’s halls,
a boy like Baldr,78
you wouldn’t escape79 from the sons of the Æsir,
and you’d then be fought by furious ones!’80
28. ‘Do you still wish, Frigg, that I speak more
of my wicked words?
I brought it about81 that you’ll never again
29. ‘You’re mad, Loki, when you speak your
hideous, loathsome words;82
I think that Frigg knows all fates,
though she doesn’t say them herself!’83
30. ‘Silence, Freyja! I know you full well,
you’re not short of vices;
of the Æsir and elves who are in here,
every one has been your lover!’84
Freyja said:
31. ‘Your tongue is false! I think it will yet
conjure up no good for you;
Æsir and Ásynjur are angry with you,
you’ll go home unhappy!’
32. ‘Silence, Freyja! You’re a sorceress85
and shot-through with sinister power,
for the kindly powers caught you with your brother,86
and then, Freyja, you must have farted!’87
33. ‘It matters little, even if women get themselves
a husband, a lover or both;88
it’s an outrage that a perverted Áss has come in here,
and this one’s borne children!’89
34. ‘Silence, Njǫrðr! You were sent east from here
as a hostage to the gods;90
Hymir’s daughters had you as a piss-trough,91
and peed in your mouth!’92
35. ‘This is my comfort, when I was sent far from here
as a hostage to the gods:
I fathered a son then, the one whom no one hates,
and he’s considered the Æsir’s protector!’93
Loki said:
36. ‘Leave off now, Njǫrðr, keep yourself in check!
I’ll not keep this secret any longer:
you begot such a boy on your sister,94
and yet that’s no worse than expected!’95
37. ‘Freyr is the best of all bold riders
in the Æsir’s courts;96
he doesn’t make a girl weep, or a man’s wife,
and he frees everyone from fetters!’
38. ‘Silence, Týr! You never knew how to
make fair [peace] between two [parties];97
I will refer to it, the right hand
39. ‘I’m wanting a hand, and you [are wanting] Hróðrsvitnir,98
the affliction is intense pain for us both;
things don’t go well for the wolf, either, who must wait
in bonds99 for the darkness of the powers!’100
40. ‘Silence, Týr! It befell your wife
that she had a boy by me;101
you’ve never had an ell102 or a penny
for this outrage, you wretch!
Freyr said:
41. ‘I see a wolf103 lying by a river-mouth,104
until the powers are ripped apart;
you’ll be bound next, unless you keep quiet now,
mischief-maker!’
42. ‘With gold you had Gymir’s daughter bought,
and so gave your sword;105
but when Muspell’s sons ride over106 Myrkviðr,107
then, wretch, you won’t know how you’ll fight!’108
Byggvir said:109
43. ‘Know [this, that] if I had ancestry like Ingunar-Freyr110
and so felicitous a seat,111
finer than marrow112 I’d have milled the harm-crow113
and torn him limb from limb!’114
44. ‘What’s that little thing115 which I see wagging its tail116
and snappily snapping?117
At Freyr’s ears you’ll always be,
and under quern-stones chattering!’118
45. ‘I’m called Byggvir,119 and all gods and men
declare me nimble;120
I’m proud of this here, that Hroptr’s sons121
all drink ale together!’122
Loki said:
46. ‘Silence, Byggvir! You never knew how to
share out food among men,123
and they couldn’t find you in the floor’s124 straw
when men were fighting!’125
47. ‘You’re drunk, Loki, so that you’ve lost your wits,
why don’t you control yourself, Loki?
Because, for every man, excess drinking ensures
that he doesn’t recall his prattling!’
48. ‘Silence, Heimdallr! In early days
the loathsome life was allotted to you;
with a muddy back126 you’ll always be,
and stay awake as the gods’ warder!’127
49. ‘You’re in a light mood, Loki, [but] you won’t wag
your tail freely like this for long,128
because the gods shall bind you on a cliff-edge(?)129
with the guts of your frost-cold son!’130
50. ‘Know [this], if the gods shall bind me on a cliff-edge
with the guts of my frost-cold son;
I was first and last at the life-loss,131
when we laid hands on Þjazi!’132
Skaði said:
51. ‘Know this, if first and last you were at the life-loss,
from my sanctuaries and fields
cold counsels shall always come to you!’
52. ‘You were lighter in speech to Laufey’s son133
when you had me bidden to your bed;134
such a matter must be mentioned by us,
if we’re fully to count our faults!’
Then Sif135 came forward and poured [mead] for Loki into a frost-cup,136 and said:
53. ‘Hail to you now, Loki, and take the frost-cup
full of ancient mead,137
[so] you may the sooner declare her138 alone among the Æsir’s sons
to be free from fault!’
He took a horn139 and drained it:
54. ‘Alone you’d be, if140 you were thus,
wary and wrathful towards a man;
I know one [man] — at least, I think I know this —
a lover [you had], even at Hlórriði’s expense,141
and that was the crafty Loki!’142
55. ‘All the mountains are shaking, I think Hlórriði’s
on his journey from home;143
he’ll force silence on the one who here defames
all gods and men!’
Loki said:
56. ‘Silence, Beyla! You’re Byggvir’s wife144
and shot-through with sinister power;145
a more monstrous thing hasn’t come among the sons of the Æsir —
you, dairymaid,146 are all shit-spattered!’147
57. ‘Silence, perverted creature!148 My power-hammer,
Mjǫllnir, shall deprive you of speech;
I’ll knock the crag of the shoulders149 off your neck,
and then your life will be gone!’
58. ‘Jǫrð’s son150 has now come in here —
why are you so aggressive, Þórr?
But you won’t be daring then, when you ought to151 fight against the wolf,152
and he153 swallows Sigfaðir154 whole!’
59. ‘Silence, perverted creature! My power-hammer,
Mjǫllnir, shall deprive you of speech;
I’ll hurl you up and onto the east-way,155
No one will see you again!’
60. ‘Your eastern journeys you ought never
to tell people about,
since, unique champion,156 you cowered in the thumb of a glove,
and you didn’t seem to be Þórr then!’157
Þórr said:
61. ‘Silence, perverted creature! My power-hammer,
Mjǫllnir, shall deprive you of speech;
with my right hand I’ll strike you with Hrungnir’s slayer,158
so that all your bones will be broken!’
62. ‘For myself, I intend to live a long life,
though you threaten me with your hammer;
Skrýmir’s straps seemed hard to you,
and you couldn’t get your supplies159 then,
and you were dying of hunger, [though] healthy!’160
63. ‘Silence, perverted creature! My power-hammer,
Mjǫllnir, shall deprive you of speech;
Hrungnir’s slayer will send you to Hel,161
down below corpse-gates!’162
64. ‘I have said before the Æsir, I have said before the sons of the Æsir,
that which my disposition incited me to;
but for you alone will I go out,
because I know that you attack!
65. ‘Ale you have brewed, Ægir, but never again
will you prepare a feast;
may flame163 play164 over all your possessions
which are inside here,
and burn you on the back!’
About Loki165
And after that Loki hid in Fránangrsfors166 in salmon-form. There the Æsir caught him.167
He was bound with the intestines of his son, Nari.168 But Narfi,169 his son, turned into a wolf.170 Skaði took a venomous snake and fastened it up over Loki’s face. Venom dripped from it there. Sigyn, Loki’s wife, sat there and held a hand-basin under the venom. But when the hand-basin was full she carried the venom away, and meanwhile the venom dripped on Loki.171 Then he writhed at that so hard that all the earth shook; these [tremors] are now called earthquakes.172
Textual Apparatus to Lokasenna
Frá Ægi ok goðum] A rubricated heading, but illegible in the photograph in the facsimile volume of R; the reading is therefore taken from the transcription therein. Some later, paper manuscripts have Ægisdrekka ‘Ægir’s Drinking-Feast’.
Ægir] The first letter is a large, rubricated, lightly ornamented and inset E in R
nafni] R nafi
Byggvir] R BeyGvir (cf. 45/1)
kvaddi] R qvadi
Lokasenna] A rubricated heading, but illegible in the photograph in the facsimile volume of R; the reading is therefore taken from the transcription therein. Some later, paper manuscripts have Lokaglepsa ‘Loki’s Diatribe’.
1/1 Segðu] The first letter is large and rubricated, but faded, in R
2 Eldir kvað] R e. in margin. Probably originally e.q., for Eldir qvað, but the edge of the leaf is lost. Many of the speech directions in Ls. were damaged or lost when the pages were trimmed.
3/4 jǫll] R ioll, apparently following an erasure of the underdotted letters hrop (cf. hrópi in 4/3)
9 Loki kvað] These words are not present in R; however, they probably were written in the margin before it was trimmed—like many other missing speaker directions for subsequent stanzas
10 Óðinn kvað] R absent
12 Bragi kvað] R absent
13 Loki kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
eru] The erased letters mang follow this word in R; evidently the scribe had begun to repeat the second half of Ls. 2
14 Bragi kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
14/1 fyr] R þyr
14/6 er] R ec (i.e. ek ‘I’)
14/6 er] R ec (i.e. ek ‘I’)
15 Loki kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
15/5 vreiðr] R reiþr
16 Iðunn kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
17 Loki kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
18 Iðunn kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
19 Gefjun kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
19/6 fjǫrg ǫll] R fiorgvall
20 Loki kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
21 Óðinn kvað] Crossed þ abbreviation in R
22 Loki kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
23 Óðinn kvað] Only q, for qvað, remains in R
23/7 bǫrn] R absent
24 Loki kvað] Only a fragmentary q, for qvað, remains in R
25 Frigg kvað] R absent
25/4 tveir] R ii.
26 Loki kvað] R absent
27 Frigg kvað] R absent
28 Loki kvað] R absent
29 Freyja kvað] R absent
29/5 hygg] R hvg
30 Loki kvað] R absent
31 Freyja kvað] R absent
31/2 hygg] R hyG
31/2 myni] R mý
32 Loki kvað] Only a fragmentary l remains in R
32/4 síztik] R sitztv
32/5 stóðu] R siþo
33 Njǫrðr kvað] Only a fragmentary n remains in R
34 Loki kvað] Only a fragmentary l remains in R
34/3 gísl] R gils
35 Njǫrðr kvað] n. in R
36 Loki kvað] l. in R
36/6 era] R þera with þ underdotted for deletion
36/6 verr] R yeR
37 Týr kvað] t. in R
38 Loki kvað] l. in R
38/5 hennar] R hiNar
39 Tyr kvað] t. in R
39/5 bǫndum] R bondom
40 Loki kvað] l. in R
41 Freyr kvað] Abbreviation for fre in R
42 Loki kvað] l. in R
43 Byggvir kvað] Only ByGvir in R, as part of the main text
43/3 sællikt] R sælict
44 Loki kvað] Only a fragmentary l remains in R
44/2 er ek] R er ec þat, probably influenced by er þat in the preceding half-line
45 Byggvir kvað] R absent
45/1 Byggvir] R BeyGvir (cf. prose prologue)
46 Loki kvað] R absent
47 Heimdallr kvað] R absent
47/1 ert] R er
48 Loki kvað] R absent
49 Skaði kvað] R absent
49/4 skulu] Preceded by the erasure of ii (the second underdotted) in R
50 Loki kvað] R absent
51 Skaði kvað] R absent
52 Loki kvað] R absent
52 prose Sif] R absent; the scribe omitted this name, noticed his mistake and put a sign of omission after gecc (gekk); presumably he wrote Sif in the margin, but the word was lost when the leaf was trimmed
53/6 vammalausa] R vamma lausom (-m is a macron abbreviation)
55 Beyla kvað] R absent
56 Loki kvað] R absent
58 Loki kvað] R absent
58/1 burr] R absent
59 Þórr kvað] R absent
59/1–3] Abbreviated Þegi þ. r. v. þer in R
60 Loki kvað] R absent
60/6 þóttiska] R þóttis followed by two erased or eroded letters
61 Þórr kvað] R absent
61/1–3] Abbreviated Þegi þ. r. v. in R
62 Loki kvað] R absent
63 Þórr kvað] R absent
63/1–3] Abbreviated Þegi þv. r. v. þer in R
63 Loki kvað] R absent
Frá Loka] Illegible in the facsimile volume of R; this reading is taken from the transcription therein, where it is bracketed
final prose landskjálptar] R landsciaptar
1 The stone is described and illustrated in H. J. Madsen, ‘Loke fra Snaptun/The god Loki from Snaptun’,in P. Kjærum and R. A. Olsen, ed., Oldtidens Ansigt/Faces of the Past (Copenhagen: Kongelige Nordiske oldskriftselskab, 1980), pp. 180–81. See also K. J. Wanner, ‘Sewn Lips, Propped Jaws, and a Silent Áss (or Two): Doing Things with Mouths in Norse Myth’, JEGP 111 (2012), 1–24, https://doi.org/10.5406/jenglgermphil.111.1.0001; S. Grundy, God in Flames, God in Fetters: Loki’s Role in the Northern Religions (New Haven, CT: Troth Publications, 2015), pp. 36–39.
2 A. G. van Hamel, ‘The Prose-Frame of Lokasenna’, Neophilologus 14 (1929), 204–14 at 205.
3 Another version of the events described in the following prose prologue appears in SnESkáld (I, 33, pp. 40–41), where it explains why gold is called ‘Ægir’s fire’.
4 The sea-giant; see Hym.
5 Cf. SnESkáld (I, 25, p. 37). Gymir is the father of Gerðr, Freyr’s future wife, in Ls. 42, Hdl. 30 and FSk.
6 In Ls. a term for all the gods, including the Vanir.
7 In Hym.
8 I.e., in the east slaying giants or trolls, as stated in the related passage in SnESkáld (I, 33, p. 40). Ls. 55 possibly contradicts these accounts by describing Þórr travelling to the feast heiman ‘from home’; cf. Hrbl. 3.
9 Bragi is a poet-god (see Grm. 44). His wife, the goddess Iðunn, is best known for owning the apples that kept the gods young. She was abducted by the giant Þjazi, but reclaimed with Loki’s help (SnESkáld, I, 22, pp. 30–33; cf. Ls. 50).
10 The wolf Fenrir.
11 These details about Týr, presumably derived from Ls. 38–39, seem superfluous. The myth of how Týr lost a hand to the bound Fenrir is told in SnEGylf (25, p. 25; 34, pp. 27–29). It might explain two Viking Age carvings from northern England: a hogback stone from Sockburn on Tees, which shows a man with his right hand in the mouth of a chained, wolf-like beast; and the south face of the Gosforth Cross, which depicts a wolf-like creature escaping its bonds, above a rider with a short arm.
12 Njǫrðr, a sea-god, is one of the Vanir and the father of Freyr and Freyja; see Vm. 38. His wife, Skaði, is a giantess, about whom see SnEGylf (23, pp. 23–24), SnESkáld (I, G56, p. 2) and chapter 8 of Ynglinga saga.
13 For the obscure god Byggvir (here and in st. 45 spelt Beyggvir in R) and his wife Beyla, see Ls. 43–46, 55–56. The prose omits to mention the goddess Gefjun (Ls. 19–21) and the god Heimdallr (Ls. 47–48).
14 The location is Ægir’s hall.
15 The name Fimafengr ‘Quick Seizer’, is unknown outside Ls. and the corresponding passage in SnESkáld (I, 33, p. 41). The name Eldir suggests responsibility for tending fires (eldar), though in Ls. he may perform the traditional function of door-guardian. His name occurs in the same passage of SnESkáld and in a term for ‘giant’ (SnESkáld, I, 57, p. 87).
16 As in the related passage in SnESkáld (I, 33, p. 40), which uses the same word, lýsigull ‘shining gold’.
17 Again, as in SnESkáld (I, 33, p. 41). Note, however, that Loki is served by Víðarr and Sif later in Ls.
18 The holiness of Ægir’s hall helps to explain subsequent events. Not only will Loki’s lurid accusations defile a sacred place, but he will utter them without fear of physical punishment, at least until Þórr arrives. Cf. SnEGylf (34, p. 29; 49, p. 46) and SnESkáld (I, 1, p. 6).
19 In SnESkáld (I, 33, p. 41), the slaying of Fimafengr is not said to precede the flyting between Loki and the gods.
20 Literally, ‘Say it’.
21 The ‘sons of the victory-gods’ are the gods themselves.
22 Or ‘their battle-readiness/keenness’.
23 The gods’ hostility to Loki arguably results not just from his slaying of Fimafengr, but also from his instigation of the death of Baldr at the hands of Hǫðr, both of whom are conspicuously absent from the feast. As it stands, the final line of this stanza does not alliterate according to conventional rules, since er ‘is’ ought not to bear alliterative stress here. Three possible explanations: exceptional alliteration of v- (in vinr) with a vowel; alliteration of v- with an earlier form of orð (< Germanic *wurða); some untraceable corruption.
24 Whether the unique form jǫll ‘discord, enmity, insult(?)’ should stand is uncertain. It might be a mistake for oll, which, although not otherwise attested in Old Norse, appears several times in Old English in the sense ‘scorn, insult, mockery’. Either way, a pun on serving ǫl ‘ale’ seems likely; cf. ǫlmálum in Ls. 1. Another possibility is that the text should read í ǫlluk áfu fœri ek Ása sonum ‘at the ale-ending I’ll bring disgrace to the Æsir’s sons’.
25 The image is of Loki mixing a poisonous herbal extract into the gods’ mead, instead of a sweetener or other flavouring. Cf. Sd. 8.
26 An alias of Loki, probably related to lopt ‘air’, ‘sky’. As a thirsty hall-visitor who uses an alias, the argumentative Loki appears comparable to Óðinn as Gagnráðr ‘Contrary Counsellor’ in Vm. 8. At root, the name Loki itself probably means ‘Blamer’, ‘Mocker’, a nature exemplified in Ls.
27 Þrunginn, literally ‘thronged’, ‘pressed’, implies that the gods are bursting with barely controlled rage and, perhaps, drink.
28 As a god of poetry (bragr), it may have been Bragi’s duty to announce, greet or test newcomers.
29 If gamban- means ‘tribute’ (cf. OE gambe, -an ‘tribute’; also ON gambanteinn ‘tribute(?)-twig’ and gambanreiði ‘tribute(?)-wrath’ in FSk. 32–33), a gambansumbl could be a ‘feast given in tribute’ or a ‘feast worthy of tribute’—either way, a magnificent banquet.
30 The blood-brotherhood of Óðinn and Loki is mentioned only in Ls. However, Helblindi, an alias of Óðinn in the R text of Grm. 46 (A has Herblindr) and SnEGylf (20, p. 21), is the name of one of Loki’s brothers according to SnEGylf (33, p. 26) and SnESkáld (I, 16, p. 19; see also I, p. 168, note to p. 20/2).
31 The same term, úlfs faðir ‘wolf’s father’, describes Loki in Haust. 8. Loki is the father of Fenrir, the monstrous wolf that Víðarr slays at Ragnarok in Vsp. 53 (cf. Ls. 58). As it stands, the first line of this stanza does not alliterate according to the usual rules. Three possible explanations: exceptional alliteration of v- with a vowel; alliteration of v- with an earlier form of úlfr (Germanic *wulfaz); some untraceable corruption.
32 Literally ‘(rune-)staves’.
33 Many early societies founded on concepts of personal honour and shame take the prospect of public calumny very seriously.
34 Loki.
35 Goddesses.
36 Sg. of Æsir.
37 Loki has ignored Bragi’s insult of Ls. 8 until now, when he gets a seat on the bench. Bragi, however, still has a more prestigious sitting position (‘further in’).
38 An arm-ring, presumably to make up for his initial rebuff to Loki. Horses, swords and arm-rings were among the most prized possessions of warriors.
39 The precise sense of ǫfundr, here translated ‘ill-will’, is uncertain; possible alternatives include ‘envy’, ‘resentment’ and ‘(a) malicious deed’.
40 Horses and arm-rings were taken by warriors from vanquished foes and given by victorious warlords to their best soldiers as rewards. Loki’s accusation that Bragi is a coward finds no support in other Norse texts, but few tell us anything about him. In this stanza, as in Ls. 54, 62 and 65, Loki uses the extended form of ljóðaháttr known as galdralag. It gives these stanzas extra weight, perhaps even magical force. Óðinn, god of poetry and magic, also uses galdralag in Ls. 23.
41 Ægir’s hall is a place of sanctuary, where physical violence is forbidden, as indicated in the opening prose.
42 Ægis hǫll um kominn lacks standard alliteration, as alliterative stress does not normally fall on um.
43 This line requires emendation in R. Even then, the wording appears elliptical, in that the literal sense, ‘it’s little for you for lying’, must be expanded to ‘it’s little for you (to pay) for lying’ or ‘it’s little (punishment) for you for lying’. A different solution corrects R’s litt to lít, the first-person sg. present indicative of líta ‘to look upon’: lít ek þér þat fyr lygi ‘I look upon it (as retaliation) for your lie’.
44 For the Old Norse line to alliterate, it requires an East Norse or preliterary West Norse form of reiðr, namely *vreiðr; it seems likely that vega vreiðr is an old poetic formula; cf. Ls. 18. 27; Fm. 7, 17, 30; Sd. 27.
45 Although the exact meaning of the last, proverbial-sounding line is uncertain, it is clear that Loki calls Bragi’s bluff. Alternative translations include ‘a brave man has no regard for his safety’, ‘a brave man doesn’t think ahead’ and ‘a brave man thinks nothing stands in his way’.
46 I.e., words.
47 The meaning of the first half of this stanza is unclear, as is the identity of the óskmegir ‘wish-sons’, ‘adopted sons’. But, in addition to Loki (whose father was the giant Fárbauti), they may include Bragi (possibly an apotheosis of the ninth-century poet Bragi Boddason the Old) and the human einherjar, who are known by the similar term óskasynir in SnEGylf (20, p. 21). If the term óskmegir is not truly gender-specific—cf. references to ‘sons of the victory gods’ and ‘sons of the Æsir’ in Ls. 1, 64—its field of reference may also extend to the giantess Skaði and the valkyries (Brynhildr is an óskmær ‘wish-maiden’ in Od. 16).
48 If Loki is accusing Iðunn—like Frigg in Ls. 26—of being lustful or even a nymphomaniac, his accusation is not supported by other texts. He may simply be claiming that, merely by marrying a posturing coward like Bragi, Iðunn has shown herself to be the woman most desperate for a man—any man.
49 Hrfn. 6 confirms that Iðunn had siblings, but her brother’s identity is uncertain. The identity of Iðunn’s ‘brother’s killer’ (bróðurbani; cf. FSk. 16)—or perhaps, if the word may be interpreted more broadly, ‘mortal enemy’—is also uncertain. He might be Bragi or Loki himself. If the latter, Loki may be claiming to have cuckolded Bragi.
50 For the last line to have standard alliteration, it requires an East Norse or preliterary West Norse form of reiðir, namely *vreiðir.
51 The goddess Gefjun ‘Giving One’ was overlooked in the prose prologue.
52 Here the term Æsir includes Loki, perhaps as a placatory strategy on Gefjun’s part; cf. Ls. 25 and contrast Iðunn’s words in Ls. 16.
53 The often grotesque antics of Loki, the Norse trickster-god, are recorded in texts such as Þrk., SnEGylf and SnESkáld.
54 Perhaps specifically the ‘living (gods)’.
55 The gods have a love-hate relationship with Loki, who, whilst often causing harm, also finds ingenious ways to get them out of trouble—as, for example, in Þrk.
56 Or ‘who led your senses astray’.
57 The ‘white boy’ may well be Heimdallr, who is identified as white in Þrk. 15 and SnEGylf (27, p. 25), and who took possession of a precious object associated with a goddess (see below). If Heimdallr means ‘Home/World Tree’, he is probably identifiable with the world-ash, in which case his blondness may reflect this tree being ‘sprinkled with white clay’ (Vsp. 19 and perhaps Ls. 48); it may also reflect his associations with sheep (SnEGylf 27, pp. 25–26; SnESkáld, I, 75, p. 131). To judge from Vkv. 2, whiteness was thought attractive in a man, but here Loki’s allusion to the boy’s colour probably implies cowardice or effeminacy. Loki’s designation of him as a sveinn ‘boy’ also appears pejorative (cf. Hrbl. 1–2). Alternatively, the ‘white boy’ might be Bragi, the cowardly god associated with jewellery by the term ‘Bench-Ornament’ in Ls. 15.
58 This accusation may have been especially stinging for Gefjun, as SnEGylf (35, p. 29) calls her a mær ‘maiden’ whom all those who died as maidens served, and some Christian translators equated her with the chaste classical goddesses Athena/Minerva, Artemis/Diana and Vesta. Furthermore, it is Gefjun who is addressed by a woman reluctantly grasping a horse’s phallus in the Old Norse Vǫlsa þáttr ‘Tale of Vǫlsi’. On the other hand, there is evidence to associate Gefjun with the sphere of love and fertility. She has four giant sons and receives plough-land from Óðinn as a reward for skemtun ‘entertainment’ (probably sexual) in SnEGylf (1, p. 7). She marries Skjǫldr, progenitor of Danish aristocracy, in Ynglinga saga. In addition, her name, which means ‘Giving One’, and her links with Freyja (see below) may suggest fecundity. She is equated with Venus in Stjórn, a collection of Norse texts based on the Old Testament. The story mentioned in the present stanza cannot be identified with certainty; possibly it is Loki’s invention. It might, however, refer to a possible myth about Heimdallr’s recovery of a jewel, girdle or neck-ring—the Brísingamen ‘torc of the Brísingar’—from the sea, after he and Loki had fought over it in the form of seals; cf. Húsdr. 2, SnESkáld (I, 16, p. 20) and Beowulf ll. 1197–1201. Elsewhere, in Þrk. and the fourteenth-century Sǫrla þáttr ‘Tale of Sǫrli’, the precious object is in Freyja’s possession, not Gefjun’s. It is, however, possible that these two goddesses were once identified, since one of Freyia’s names, Gefn ‘Giver’, is etymologically related to Gefjun.
59 Cf. HH. II 34; Od. 15 [11].
60 Or ‘when you direct your wrath against Gefjun’ (literally ‘when you seize Gefjun to yourself in wrath’).
61 Cf. Hrfn. 11–15, in which Gefjun weeps when asked about the end of the world. It is unclear why Óðinn should declare it mad of Loki to provoke a goddess who knows the fate of the world. Cf. Ls. 29.
62 Óðinn was inclined to give lesser men victory so that the better ones, having fallen in battle, could become members of the einherjar ‘unique warriors’ who would fight beside him at Ragnarok.
63 Or ‘as a milker of a cow [milking being considered lowly women’s work; cf. Ls. 56] and a woman’. Either way, this myth of subterranean transformation is otherwise unknown, unless it connects with Loki’s manifestation as the giantess sitting í helli nǫkkvorum ‘in a certain cave’ in SnEGylf (49, p. 48). Loki is, however, famous for cross-gender metamorphosis. Comparing a man to a female animal is a serious offense in early Norse legal texts.
64 The early Norwegian Gulaþingslǫg ‘Gulaþing’s Law’ specifically outlaws any man who accuses another man of having barn boret ‘given birth to babies’. Such accusations were punishable by death under early Icelandic law.
65 The adjective argr ‘perverse’, here used substantively, implies the highly stigmatized violation of sexual and gender norms, and especially a man’s ‘unmanliness’—that is, his failure to enact the culturally expected masculinity.
66 Loki may mean that Óðinn collapsed upon entering a shamanistic trance involving seiðr, or when emerging from one. Seiðr was a kind of sorcery involving spirits (see Vsp. 22) that was deemed unacceptable for men, but which Óðinn is known to have practised: seið Yggr ‘Yggr [an Óðinn-alias] practised seiðr’, according to st. 3 of the tenth-century Sigurðardrápa ‘Sigurðr’s Poem’ by the Icelander Kormákr Ǫgmundarson (SPSMA III, 277–79). Cf. the sinking of the seeress in Vsp. 63; Óðinn’s ritualistic falling from a tree in Háv. 139; and the ritualistic-sounding description of a man who sigeð sworcenferð ‘sinks dark in mind’ from a high tree in the Old English poem The Fates of Mortals (l. 25). Alternatively, translate ‘you lowered (yourself)’. Alternatively again, emend síga to síða and translate ‘they said you practised seiðr (i.e., a form of feminine sorcery)’.
67 The Danish island of Samsø in the Kattegat. Cf. HH. I 37.
68 Conceivably to summon spirits, but the translation ‘struck a drum’ is uncertain; cf. Vsp. 22.
69 Or ‘over’, if we are to think of Óðinn flying like a witch (cf. Háv. 155).
70 Sorcerers often appear in Icelandic stories. In them, men who, like Óðinn, practised seiðr were generally despised, perhaps because of the perceived sexual perversions demanded by their art.
71 Cf. the similar use of seggr ‘man’ to denote a god in FSk. 4–5.
72 Judging from the rest of the stanza, Frigg means ‘past events that were fated to happen to you’.
73 Loki is again counted among the Æsir.
74 This line might be translated more idiomatically as ‘Let bygones be bygones!’
75 ON mær can denote ‘maiden’, ‘daughter’, ‘lover’ or ‘wife’, but SnESkáld (I, 19, p. 30) calls Frigg dóttur Fjǫrgyns ‘daughter of Fjǫrgynn’ and SnEGylf (9, p. 13) Fjǫrgvinsdóttir ‘Fiǫrgvinn’s daughter’. The identity of Fjǫrgynn ‘Earth/Mountain’ is uncertain, but the name is apparently a masc. equivalent of Fjǫrgyn, the giantess also known as Jǫrð ‘Earth’ who gave birth to Þórr after a sexual union with Óðinn.
76 Óðinn. The name might identify him as a god of the weather (veðr).
77 Óðinn’s brothers. Their names mean roughly ‘Holy One’ and ‘Will/Desire’. Chapter 3 of Ynglinga saga states that they shared Frigg between them when they thought Óðinn would not return from his wanderings.
78 The son of Frigg and Óðinn. SnEGylf (49, p. 45) calls him Baldr inn góða ‘Baldr the good’.
79 Literally, ‘come out’.
80 Or ‘and you’d then be fought furiously’. Frigg’s intervention plays into the hands of Loki, who, according to SnEGylf (49, pp. 45–46), contrived the death of Baldr at the hand of the victim’s brother, Hǫðr, with a branch of mistletoe and later thwarted his resurrection from Hel. Perhaps Frigg does not know of Loki’s involvement. Or perhaps she does, but is too distraught to think clearly. She might even be in a state of denial about the killing, since, according to SnEGylf, it was she who exempted the mistletoe from swearing not to harm Baldr, and she again who unwittingly revealed this knowledge to Loki. A martial side to Baldr’s character is evident from the account of his battles in the third book of GD. Elsewhere, it is not pronounced. For the final line of this stanza to alliterate, it probably requires an East Norse or preliterary West Norse form of reiðum, namely *vreiðum.
81 Or ‘I shall bring it about’. The line might refer to Loki’s (presumed) disguise as the giantess Þǫkk ‘Thanks’, who alone refuses to cry for the dead Baldr and so thwarts Frigg’s attempt to rescue him from Hel (SnEGylf 49, pp. 47–48).
82 Or ‘hideous misdeeds’.
83 What prompts Freyja to intervene at this point is unclear, as is the thrust of her statement. Perhaps she is trying to bring Loki down a notch by stressing that his contemptuous words, though hurtful to Frigg, cannot tell her anything she does not know already—and that, for all his cleverness and self-confidence, he, like everyone else (‘all fates’), is subject to destiny. Cf. a stanza attributed to Loki in SnEGylf (20, p. 21); SnEUpp (17, pp. 35–36). Snorri may have conflated parts of Ls. 29 with parts of Ls. 21 and 47. Alternatively, he may be quoting from a different version of the poem, since lost.
84 Freyja had a reputation for promiscuity: cf. e.g. Ls. 32, Þrk. 13, Hdl. 6, 46–47.
85 According to chapter 4 of Ynglinga saga, Freyja var blótgyða. Hon kendi fyrst með Ásum seið, sem Vǫnum var títt ‘was a sacrifice-priestess. She was the first to teach sorcery, which was customary for the Vanir, among the Æsir’.
86 This line is corrupt in R, but two traditional emendations make sense of it. Firstly, the verb is pl., so R’s nom. sg. sitztu (= sízt ‘since’ + þú ‘you’) is presumably a scribal error for the acc. sg. form, which serves as this line’s direct object. Secondly, R’s verb siþo ‘they bewitched, enchanted, ‘practised sorcery (on)’ is hard to understand in context: the possibility that the passage means ‘since the kind gods enchanted you to your brother’ seems remote, as it is Freyja, not the gods, whom Loki accuses of witchcraft in this stanza. It is likely, therefore, that siþo is a scribal error for stóþu, the idiom standa einhvern ‘to surprise someone’ being well-attested. The brother in question is doubtless Freyr. The siblings’ names suggest a pairing, as they mean ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady’.
87 This line may implicitly accuse Freyja of having had anal sex.
88 Njǫrðr intervenes to defend his daughter. The Vanir were originally incestuous, according to chapter 4 of Ynglinga saga.
89 Accusations of men giving birth are found elsewhere in Old Norse texts, which suggests they were conventional, though outrageous.
90 Chapter 4 of Ynglinga saga reports that Njǫrðr and his son, Freyr, were sent as hostages to the Æsir at the end of that tribe’s war with the Vanir. SnEGylf (23–24, pp. 23–24) also records that Njǫrðr was sent as a hostage to the Æsir, but says, in agreement with Ls. 35, that Freyr was born later. It is curious that Loki says that Njǫrðr was sent ‘east from here’, since that direction is usually associated with the land of hostile giants; it appears, then, that Ægir’s hall is far (Ls. 35 langr) to the west of the Æsir’s realm.
91 Probably a reference to the communal piss-trough that was often a feature of Norse households.
92 The relationship between the two halves of this stanza is unclear. The allusion in the second half is probably to giantesses (‘Hymir’s daughters’), from whom rivers of urine flow into an estuary (‘piss-trough’) imagined as the ‘mouth’ of the sea-god, Njǫrðr. Cf. a story from SnESkáld (I, 18, p. 25) in which a giantess makes a river swell by standing astride it and almost drowns Þórr; also that tale’s source in Eilífr Guðrúnarson’s tenth-century skaldic poem Þórsdrápa (SnESkáld, I, 18, pp. 25–28), in which the torrent is caused by the urine of two giantesses.
93 Freyr.
94 Chapter 4 of Ynglinga saga records that Freyr was the child of Njǫrðr and Njǫrðr’s sister, though this information might simply derive from Ls. The name of Njǫrðr’s sister is unknown.
95 The last line of this stanza does not alliterate according to conventional rules. Three possible explanations: exceptional alliteration of v- with a vowel; alliteration of v- with the form *vánu or *vónu (for ónu); some untraceable corruption.
96 Freyr rode a horse or a boar. His horse is mentioned in FSk. 8–9. According to Húsdr. 7, Freyr rode a golden-bristled boar. SnEGylf (49, p. 47) says Freyr rode in a chariot pulled by a gold-bristled boar called Gullinbursti ‘Golden Bristle’ or Slíðrugtanni ‘Dangerously Sharp-Toothed’. SnESkáld (I, 35, p. 42) records that Freyr’s boar could cross sky and sea faster than any horse, and that its bristles lit up the darkest night.
97 Literally bera tilt með tveim means ‘to carry well with two’, so this line probably contains a cruel pun at the expense of Týr’s one-handedness. SnEGylf (25, p. 25) says that Týr is not known as a peace-maker. The idea of imbalance relates to his one-handedness. However, the story of the loss of his right (more benign?) hand to Fenrir shows that Týr kept his side of the bargain with the wolf. Also, a faint memory of his trustworthiness might survive in st. 17 of the Old English Rune Poem, which says that Tir biþ tacna sum; healdeð trywa wel / wiþ æþelingas ‘Tir is one of the guiding signs; it keeps faith well with princes’.
98 Hróðrsvitnir ‘Glory’s Wolf’ is Fenrir; cf. Hróðvitnir in Grm. 39. Loki lacks his son, the wolf Fenrir, whom the gods have bound.
99 The third line of this stanza lacks alliteration in R. Possible fixes include replacing bǫndum ‘bonds’ with ǫngum ‘constraints’ or jǫrnum ‘irons’, or substituting betr ‘better’ for vel ‘well’.
100 Or ‘for the twilight of the powers’—that is (either way), for Ragnarok. Ragna røk(k)r (or ragnarøk(k)r, as in SnEGylf and SnESkáld) might well derive by folk etymology from ragna rǫk ‘doom/fate of the powers’, the words used in Vsp. and other Eddic poems.
101 Týr’s wife is otherwise unknown, as is the child (assuming there was one).
102 Ostensibly an ell (ǫln) of cloth, but there is probably also a punning allusion to Týr’s one-handedness, since ǫln also means ‘fore-arm’ (cf. English ‘elbow’ from OE el(n)boga) and ǫlnliðr meant ‘wrist’.
103 Fenrir, who was bound by the gods (SnEGylf 34, pp. 27–29).
104 The precise location appears deliberately vague (but note the Danish city of Århus, earlier Áróss ‘River Mouth’, on the Århus River). SnEGylf (34, pp. 28–29) places the bound Fenrir on an island called Lyngvi in a lake called Amsvartnir; a river of slaver called Ván ‘Expectation/Hope’ runs from his mouth.
105 Or ‘You said you bought Gymir’s daughter with gold, …’. In FSk. Skírnir undertakes a quest to win Gerðr, radiant daughter of the giant Gymir, on behalf of his master, Freyr, having received from him his giant-slaying (and probably golden-hilted) sword. Skírnir offers her golden apples and a ring, which she refuses, initially at least (it might be that she received them later, after giving in to Skírnir’s threats). See also Vsp. 51 and SnEGylf (51, p. 50).
106 Or ‘through’.
107 Muspell’s sons are giants or other evil beings who advance against the gods at Ragnarok; see Vsp. 49. Myrkviðr ‘Murk Wood’, the archetypal ‘Black Forest’, was originally a name for the vast mountainous forest of central Europe, but came to signify a wooded mythological barrier between worlds.
108 Cf. SnEGylf (51, p. 50).
109 Byggvir (also Beyggvir) is an obscure figure, unknown elsewhere in Norse records. Judging from the vocabulary of milling in Ls. 43–44, his name may well derive from ON bygg ‘barley’. He is probably a barley-spirit. Cf. Sir John Barleycorn in English folklore and OE Béow ‘Barley’ in Beowulf l. 18 (an emendation), who may have been originally a grain-god. Byggvir is probably also related to the Estonian deity Pek(k)o, whose name can be derived from ON *beggw-, an antecedent of bygg. Note also the likely ‘grain-giants’ Bergelmir and Aurgelmir of Vm. 29–35.
110 Byggvir, as Freyr’s servant, uses a grand, perhaps archaic, title for his lord. The meaning and etymology of Ingunar are uncertain. It might be the gen. sg. of *Ingun(n), a woman’s name, and may incorporate a descendant of a Germanic god-name, Inguz. Cf. Yngvi-Freyr, Freyr’s better known title; Ingwina ‘(of) Ing-friends’ in Beowulf l. 1044 and, in association with frea (the Old English cognate of ON Freyr), fréa(n) Ingwina ‘lord of Ing-friends’ in Beowulf l. 1319.
111 I.e., residence. Freyr’s hall may have stood in Álfheimr ‘Elf World’; see Grm. 5. Byggvir’s origins are presumably humble.
112 Bone-marrow.
113 I.e., ‘slanderer’ (Loki). This line has double alliteration in its second half.
114 The last line is loosely translated.
115 Loki refers to Byggvir in the neut., perhaps because bygg ‘barley’ is neut.
116 Cf. a wagtail.
117 The literal sense is ‘and (that being) snap-wise snaps’.
118 The comparison in the second half of this stanza seems to be to a small bird.
119 Spelt Beyggvir here in R, as in the prose prologue.
120 Bráðr ‘nimble’ has connotations of rashness and drunken anger; it is related to brugga ‘to brew’.
121 The Æsir. Hroptr is an alias of Óðinn.
122 Byggvir may be proud of the gods’ communal drinking because barley was a basic ingredient of ale.
123 As a likely barley-god, Byggvir may be responsible for bread as well as drink.
124 ON flet, here translated ‘floor’, more specifically denotes the raised platform that ran along the wall of a Norse hall, where there were benches and tables and where people slept.
125 Loki might again imagine Byggvir as a hungry little bird, a creature sometimes seen in the straw during times of peace, but invariably absent at the first sign of trouble. He might also be imputing that Byggvir fails to defend straw, the natural home of a grain-god. In addition, he is probably implying that the ale in which Byggvir takes such pride as a source of conviviality also often causes men to fight.
126 Or ‘stiff back’, if R’s spelling of the adjective (aurgo) represents ǫrgu ‘erect, stiff’, the syncopated dat. sg. neut. of ǫrðugr. Either way, if, as elsewhere, Loki is travestying something sacred, the explanation is that Heimdallr ‘Home/World Tree’ is a manifestation of the towering world-ash, which is drenched in white mud (aurr) and associated with a muddy (aurugr) waterfall in Vsp. 19 and 27. Loki perhaps also alludes to bird-droppings. Alternatively, Loki may be denigrating Heimdallr’s eternal wakefulness by attributing it not to the resilient strength of a tree or unwavering devotion to duty, but simply to the discomfort of a stiff back. A pun on the two words is possible, perhaps also with a nod to ǫrgu ‘sexually perverse’ (from argr); cf. the possible relationship between Heimdallr’s alias Rígr and ON rígr ‘stiffness’ in Rþ. Ls.’s possible portrayal of Heimdallr as rigidly erect is not supported by SnEGylf, which has him sitting down on watch, before standing up at Ragnarok (SnEGylf 27, p. 25; 51, p. 50). The white mud might also reflect the foamy seashore where Heimdallr was born (cf. Hdl. 38).
127 Heimdallr’s unenviable duty is to watch and listen unceasingly, using his extraordinary sight and hearing, for the advance of giants at Ragnarok. When he detects their coming, he will blow his horn; see Vsp. 45 and SnEGylf (27, p. 25; 51, p. 50). In the last line of this stanza, Loki perhaps imputes that Heimdallr’s life is demeaning because it restricts him to one place. Guardsmen are often of low status in Norse texts.
128 Literally, ‘you won’t play with a loose tail like this for long’.
129 Perhaps more specifically a sharp cliff-edge, as hjǫrr (cf. ON hǫrgr ‘stone altar’ or ‘cairn’, and Swedish dialect har ‘stony ground’) elsewhere means ‘sword’. On Loki’s torture, see also Vsp. 34, SnEGylf (50, p. 49) and a carving on the west face of the Gosforth Cross in Cumbria, England.
130 See the prose epilogue.
131 Literally, ‘life-laying’, i.e., death, killing.
132 SnESkáld (I, G56, pp. 1–2) tells of Loki’s part in the killing of the giant Þjazi, Skaði’s father, who with Loki’s help had made off with the goddess Iðunn and the apples that kept the gods young. St. 6 of Kormákr Ǫgmundarson’s Sigurðardrápa records that ‘the gods tricked (véltu) Þjazi’, which suggests that Loki, the trickster-god, may have been involved (SPSMA III, 283–84). In Hrbl. 19, though, Þórr appears to claim sole credit for the killing. A very different account of Þjazi’s death survives in one redaction of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks.
133 Loki. His mother, Laufey, appears briefly as an old woman, the wife of an old man called Fárbauti (a giant according to SnEGylf), in a description of Loki’s origins in chapter 2 of Sǫrla þáttr ‘Sǫrli’s Tale’. A versified list of names includes Laufey among a list of goddess-names for women (SPSMA III, 960–61).
134 No other text records this event.
135 Þórr’s wife. Her name is supplied editorially.
136 Either a cup made of frosted glass or a cup covered with frost.
137 Cf. FSk. 37.
138 Sif refers to herself.
139 Unless there is an inconsistency, it seems that Loki rejects Sif’s hrímkálkr ‘frost-cup/goblet’ in favour of a drinking-horn.
140 The alliteration falls unusually on ef ‘if’, giving it emphasis.
141 Hlórriði is a name for Þórr. That Loki claims to have cuckolded him is clear, but the grammatical construction and, hence, the translation of this passage, is not. Cf. Hrbl. 48.
142 No other text confirms that Loki slept with Sif. However, the revelation of SnESkáld (I, 35, p. 41) that Loki cut off all her hair ‘for love of mischief’ (til lævísi) necessitates physical proximity, because the cutting could presumably have been done only while Sif was off-guard, perhaps while asleep in bed with her hair loose; in medieval Iceland, married women usually wore their hair tied beneath headdresses when in public.
143 The prose prologue places Þórr in the east, not at home; cf. Hrbl. 3. Þórr travels in a goat-drawn chariot, beneath which rocks break and sparks fly; cf. Þrk. 21.
144 This statement can be understood as an insult, given Loki’s opinion of Byggvir. Beyla (cf. ON baula ‘cow’) is unknown outside Ls.
145 Loki uses identical words of Freyja in Ls. 32. Here, though, he may exploit their literal sense, ‘much mixed with harm’, to hint that Beyla blends dirt, or worse, into the drink or food she provides: cf. Ls. 3, Sg. 8 and Háv. 137.
146 Deigja denotes a kind of maidservant, probably either a dairymaid or one responsible for making bread with dough.
147 Literally ‘… are all dirtied’.
148 Vættr ‘wight’, ‘creature’ is a fem. noun.
149 A kenning for ‘head’.
150 The son of Jǫrð ‘Earth’ is Þórr. Alternative emendations of the first half of this line insert sonr ‘son’ or arfi ‘heir’ in place of burr.
151 Or ‘shall’.
152 Fenrir. According to Vsp. 54 and SnEGylf (51, p. 50), Þórr will fight Miðgarðsomr at Ragnarok, not the Wolf. Possibly Ls. alludes to a variant tradition (cf. Hym. 11 and the unemended Vsp. 54). Alternatively, Loki may simply be asserting that Þórr will be too scared to fight the wolf; cf. his accusation of cowardice in Ls. 60. Note the word-play: Þórr will not þorir ‘dare’.
153 The wolf Fenrir.
154 ‘Victory/Battle Father’, an alias of Óðinn here obviously spoken mockingly (cf. Vsp. 53). On Óðinn’s death at Ragnarok, see Vsp. 52-3, Vm. 53 and SnEGylf (51, p. 50).
155 I.e., into Jǫtunheimar, the realm of giants.
156 Einheri is the sg. of einherjar, otherwise the ‘unique/only warriors’ who, having fallen in battle, enter Valhǫll and await Ragnarok, when they will help Óðinn in his doomed fight against the wolf. The term might be a survival of an Indo-European conception of the ultimate warrior, but Loki doubtless uses it mockingly. He at once scorns the ‘lone (einn) warrior’ (cf. Hym. 22 einbani ‘lone slayer’) who cowers, and puns on the sense ‘solitary hare’ (einn ‘one’ + heri ‘hare’), the hare being an animal likely to flee at the first sign of trouble.
157 Or ‘and you didn’t think yourself to be Þórr then!’ Loki can comment because he, unlike the guests at Ægir’s feast, was there. The story is told in SnEGylf (45, pp. 37–38); see also Hrbl. 26, which contains the same words.
158 ‘Hrungnir’s slayer’ is Mjǫllnir, Hrungnir being a famous giant whom Þórr slew; see Hrbl. 14–15.
159 Of food.
160 An allusion to an episode in the journey of Þórr, his servants and Loki to Útgarða-Loki, alluded to in Ls. 60 and Hrbl. 26. According to SnEGylf (45, p. 38), the giant Skrýmir gave Þórr a knapsack containing their pooled provisions, but Þórr could not undo the straps, which are later revealed to be made of (magical?) iron (SnEGylf 47, pp. 42-3).
161 The underworld of the dead, or the female who ruled it.
162 In SnEGylf (49, p. 47) the word used is Helgrindr ‘Hel-gates’.
163 Logi ‘flame’ may prefigure the fire of Ragnarok, the heat from which similarly leikr ‘plays/sports’ against the sky in Vsp. 55. It may also pun on Loki’s name; the same association of names is found in the tale of Loki’s doomed attempt to consume meat faster than Logi, a personified flame, in SnEGylf (46, p. 40; 47, p. 43).
164 I.e., flicker.
165 This prose epilogue is related to the account in SnEGylf (50, pp. 48–49) of Loki’s capture and punishment after the gods’ failure to redeem Baldr from Hel.
166 Probably ‘Waterfall of the Sparkling Fjord’.
167 The method of capture can possibly be inferred from the related account of Ægir’s feast and Loki’s quarrel with the gods in SnESkáld (I, 33, pp. 40–41), which ends Þá urðu Æsir þess varir at Rán átti net þat er hon veiddi í menn alla þá er á sæ kómu ‘Then the gods became aware that Rán had a net in which she caught all those people who took to sea.’ Presumably, in this account, Loki was caught by the net of Ægir’s wife, the sea-goddess Rán ‘Plunder(?)’, and not, as in SnEGylf (50, p. 49), by the hand of Þórr.
168 In the Old Norse text, the possessive pronoun síns ‘his’ has perhaps dropped out before sonar ‘son’. Nari is also known from a kenning in the skaldic poem Hǫfuðlausn ‘Head-Ransom’ (in Egils saga) by the tenth-century Icelander Egill Skallagrímsson: Hel, goddess of the underworld, is nipt Nara ‘sister of Nari’.
169 St. 7 of Ynglingatal ‘The Tally of the Ynglingar’ by Þjóðólfr of Hvin identifies Narfi as a sibling of the goddess Hel and the wolf (Fenrir).
170 A wolf-like creature is shown below a likely depiction of Loki’s torture on the c. 800 Ardre VIII stone from Gotland.
171 Loki’s torture is shown on the west face of the tenth-century Gosforth Cross from Cumbria and probably on the Ardre VIII stone; see also Vsp. 34. The Gosforth Cross shows, in addition to a prostrate Loki, the snake, and Sigyn kneeling with the hand-basin. Vsp. 34, like Ls.’s epilogue, has her sitting, but SnEGylf has her standing.
172 This explanation might indicate an origin in Iceland, a country of frequent seismic activity.