ing her Wife of Bragi, and Keeper of the Apples; and the apples should be called Age-Elixir of the Æsir. Idunn is also called Spoil of the Giant Thjazi, according to the tale that has been told before, how he took her away from the Æsir. Thjódólfr of Hvin composed verses after that tale in the Haustlöng: How shall I make voice-payment Of the war-wall Thórleifr gave me? Of the three gods strife-foremost, The Spoiler of the Lady To the fire-pit; the Giant Of the rocks was called no faint-heart. The skilful god-deceiver To the gods proved a stern sharer Of bones: the high Instructor Of Æsir, helmet-hooded, Saw some power checked the seething; The sea-mew, very crafty, Spake from the ancient tree-trunk; The wolfish monster ordered The comely Lord of All Things To part the bull's-meat, slaughtered Of the Æsir filched the quarters, And the hungry Sire of Giants From the oak-tree's sheltering branches,— That was in ancient ages,— Ere the wise-minded Loki, Warder of war-spoil, smote him, The Arm-Burden then of Sigyn, Firmly forthwith was fastened To Jötunheim's Strong Dweller Of Hænir, clung to the pole's end. The Bird of Blood flew upward Then Hymir's Kinsman ordered The Dame of Brunnakr's brooklet At that the steep slope-dwellers Hasted; grewsome of fashion And ugly all the gods were. This heard I, that the Staunch Friend With wiles he tricked the Æsir Flew, in hawk-wings hidden; And the vile Sire of Giants, Swiftly the gods have kindled Sole-bridge, the shield which, painted "This is the correct manner of periphrasing the Æsir: To call each of them by the name of another, and to designate him in terms of his works or his possessions or his kindred. XXIII. "How should the heaven be periphrased? Thus: call it Skull of Ymir, and hence, Giant's Skull; Task or Burden of the Dwarves, or Helm of Vestri and Austri, Sudri, or Nordri; Land of the Sun, of the Moon, and of the 1“Brjálaður texti”— Jónsson, Edda (Reykjavik, 1907), p. 384. The condition of the text makes translation impossible. Stars of Heaven, of the Wains and the Winds; Helm, or House, of the Air and the Earth and the Sun. So sang Arnórr Earls'-Skald: So large of gifts ne'er mounted Young Lord of Shields on ship-deck And as he sang again: Bright grows the sun at dusking, All the ocean on the fells breaks. Thus sang Bödvarr the Halt: For never 'neath the Sun's Plain And as Thjódólfr of Hvin sang: Jörd's Son drove to the steel-play Even as sang Ormr Barrey's-Skald: Lady of Draupnir's gore-streak, However great I know him, |