Poetic EddaNorse MythologyAncient Myth / ComparativeOld NorseSharePoetic Edda 19Bellows - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableBellowsLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Poetic Edda 1Poetic Edda 2Poetic Edda 3Poetic Edda 4Poetic Edda 5Poetic Edda 6Poetic Edda 7Poetic Edda 8Poetic Edda 9Poetic Edda 10Poetic Edda 11Poetic Edda 12Poetic Edda 13Poetic Edda 14Poetic Edda 15Poetic Edda 16Poetic Edda 17Poetic Edda 18Poetic Edda 19Poetic Edda 20Poetic Edda 21Poetic Edda 22Poetic Edda 23Poetic Edda 24Poetic Edda 25Poetic Edda 26Poetic Edda 27Poetic Edda 28Poetic Edda 29Poetic Edda 30Poetic Edda 31Poetic Edda 32Poetic Edda 33Poetic Edda 34Poetic Edda 35Poetic Edda 36Poetic Edda 37Poetic Edda 38Poetic Edda 39Poetic Edda 40Poetic Edda 41Poetic Edda 42Poetic Edda 43Poetic Edda 44Poetic Edda 45Poetic Edda 46Poetic Edda 47Poetic Edda 48Poetic Edda 49Poetic Edda 50Poetic Edda 51Poetic Edda 52Poetic Edda 53Poetic Edda 54Poetic Edda 55Poetic Edda 56Poetic Edda 57Poetic Edda 58Poetic Edda 59Poetic Edda 60Poetic Edda 61Poetic Edda 62Poetic Edda 63Poetic Edda 64Poetic Edda 65Poetic Edda 66Poetic Edda 67Poetic Edda 68Poetic Edda 69Poetic Edda 70Poetic Edda 71Poetic Edda 72Poetic Edda 73Poetic Edda 74Poetic Edda 75Poetic Edda 76Poetic Edda 77Poetic Edda 78Poetic Edda 79Poetic Edda 80Poetic Edda 81Poetic Edda 82Poetic Edda 83Poetic Edda 84Poetic Edda 85Poetic Edda 86›Introductory NotePoetic Edda 19ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1No better summary of the Alvissmol can be given than Gering’s statement that “it is a versified chapter from the skaldic Poetics.” The narrative skeleton, contained solely in stanzas 1–8 and in 35, is of the slightest; the dwarf Alvis, desirous of marrying Thor’s daughter, is compelled by the god to answer a number of questions to test his knowledge. That all his answers are quite satisfactory makes no difference whatever to the outcome. The questions and answers differ radically from those of the Vafthruthnismol. Instead of being essentially mythological, they all concern synonyms. Thor asks what the earth, the sky, the moon, and so on, are called “in each of all the worlds,” but there is no apparent significance in the fact that the gods call the earth one thing and the giants call it another; the answers are simply strings of poetic circumlocutions, or “kennings.” Concerning the use of these “kennings” in skaldic poetry, cf. introductory note to the Hymiskvitha. 2Mogk is presumably right in dating the poem as late as the twelfth century, assigning it to the period of “the Icelandic renaissance of skaldic poetry.” It appears to have been the work of a man skilled in poetic construction,—Thor’s questions, for instance, are neatly balanced in pairs,—and fully familiar with the intricacies of skaldic diction, but distinctly weak in his mythology. In other words, it is learned rather than spontaneous poetry. Finnur Jonsson’s attempt to make it a tenth century Norwegian poem baffles logic. Vigfusson is pretty sure the poem shows marked traces of Celtic influence, which is by no means incompatible with Mogk’s theory (cf. introductory note to the Rigsthula). 3The poem is found only in Regius, where it follows the Thrymskvitha. Snorri quotes stanzas 20 and 30, the manuscripts of the Prose Edda giving the name of the poem as Alvissmol, Alsvinnsmol or Olvismol. It is apparently in excellent condition, without serious errors of transmission, although interpolations or omissions in such a poem might have been made so easily as to defy detection. 4The translation of the many synonyms presents, of course, unusual difficulties, particularly as many of the Norse words can be properly rendered in English only by more or less extended phrases. I have kept to the original meanings as closely as I could without utterly destroying the metrical structure. 51. “Now shall the bride | my benches adorn, And homeward haste forthwith; Eager for wedlock | to all shall I seem, Nor at home shall they rob me of rest.” 62. “What, pray, art thou? | Why so pale round the nose? By the dead hast thou lain of late? To a giant like | dost thou look, methinks; Thou wast not born for the bride.” 73. “Alvis am I, | and under the earth My home ’neath the rocks I have; With the wagon-guider | a word do I seek; Let the gods their bond not break.” 84. “Break it shall I, | for over the bride Her father has foremost right; At home was I not | when the promise thou hadst, And I give her alone of the gods.” 95. “What hero claims | such right to hold O’er the bride that shines so bright? Not many will know thee, | thou wandering man! Who was bought with rings to bear thee?” 106. “Vingthor, the wanderer | wide, am I, And I am Sithgrani’s son; Against my will | shalt thou get the maid, And win the marriage word.” 117. “Thy good-will now | shall I quickly get, And win the marriage word; I long to have, | and I would not lack, This snow-white maid for mine.” 128. “The love of the maid | I may not keep thee From winning, thou guest so wise, If of every world | thou canst tell me all That now I wish to know. 139. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the earth, | that lies before all, In each and every world?” 1410. “‘Earth’ to men, ‘Field’ | to the gods it is, ‘The Ways’ is it called by the Wanes; ‘Ever Green’ by the giants, | ‘The Grower’ by elves, ‘The Moist’ by the holy ones high.” 1511. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the heaven, | beheld of the high one, In each and every world?” 1612. “‘Heaven’ men call it, | ‘The Height’ the gods, The Wanes ‘The Weaver of Winds’; Giants ‘The Up-World,’ | elves ‘The Fair-Roof,’ The dwarfs ‘The Dripping Hall.’” 1713. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the moon, | that men behold, In each and every world?” 1814. “‘Moon’ with men, ‘Flame’ | the gods among, ‘The Wheel’ in the house of hell; ‘The Goer’ the giants, | ‘The Gleamer’ the dwarfs, The elves ‘The Teller of Time.’” 1915. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the sun, | that all men see, In each and every world?” 2016. “Men call it ‘Sun,’ | gods ‘Orb of the Sun,’ ‘The Deceiver of Dvalin’ the dwarfs; The giants ‘The Ever-Bright,’ | elves ‘Fair Wheel,’ ‘All-Glowing’ the sons of the gods.” 2117. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the clouds, | that keep the rains, In each and every world?” 2218. “‘Clouds’ men name them, | ‘Rain-Hope’ gods call them, The Wanes call them ‘Kites of the Wind’; ‘Water-Hope’ giants, | ‘Weather-Might’ elves, ‘The Helmet of Secrets’ in hell.” 2319. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the wind, | that widest fares, In each and every world?” 2420. “‘Wind’ do men call it, | the gods ‘The Waverer,’ ‘The Neigher’ the holy ones high; ‘The Wailer’ the giants, | ‘Roaring Wender’ the elves, In hell ‘The Blustering Blast.’” 2521. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the calm, | that quiet lies, In each and every world?” 2622. “‘Calm’ men call it, | ‘The Quiet’ the gods, The Wanes ‘The Hush of the Winds’; ‘The Sultry’ the giants, | elves ‘Day’s Stillness,’ The dwarfs ‘The Shelter of Day.’” 2723. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the sea, | whereon men sail, In each and every world?” 2824. “‘Sea’ men call it, | gods ‘The Smooth-Lying,’ ‘The Wave’ is it called by the Wanes; ‘Eel-Home’ the giants, | ‘Drink-Stuff’ the elves, For the dwarfs its name is ‘The Deep.’” 2925. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the fire, | that flames for men, In each of all the worlds?” 3026. “‘Fire’ men call it, | and ‘Flame’ the gods, By the Wanes is it ‘Wildfire’ called; ‘The Biter’ by giants, | ‘The Burner’ by dwarfs, ‘The Swift’ in the house of hell.” 3127. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the wood, | that grows for mankind, In each and every world?” 3228. “Men call it ‘The Wood,’ | gods ‘The Mane of the Field,’ ‘Seaweed of Hills’ in hell; ‘Flame-Food’ the giants, | ‘Fair-Limbed’ the elves, ‘The Wand’ is it called by the Wanes.” 3329. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the night, | the daughter of Nor, In each and every world?” 3430. “‘Night’ men call it, | ‘Darkness’ gods name it, ‘The Hood’ the holy ones high; The giants ‘The Lightless,’ | the elves ‘Sleep’s Joy,’ The dwarfs ‘The Weaver of Dreams.’” 3531. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the seed, | that is sown by men, In each and every world?” 3632. “Men call it ‘Grain,’ | and ‘Corn’ the gods, ‘Growth’ in the world of the Wanes; ‘The Eaten’ by giants, | ‘Drink-Stuff’ by elves, In hell ‘The Slender Stem.’” 3733. “Answer me, Alvis! | thou knowest all, Dwarf, of the doom of men: What call they the ale, | that is quaffed of men, In each and every world?” 3834. “‘Ale’ among men, | ‘Beer’ the gods among, In the world of the Wanes ‘The Foaming’; ‘Bright Draught’ with giants, | ‘Mead’ with dwellers in hell, ‘The Feast-Draught’ with Suttung’s sons.” 3935. “In a single breast | I never have seen More wealth of wisdom old; But with treacherous wiles | must I now betray thee: The day has caught thee, dwarf! (Now the sun shines here in the hall.)” ‹Previous chapterPoetic Edda 18Next chapterPoetic Edda 20›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain in the United States via Project Gutenberg