Blood Brothers

Afterwards Loki went into the hall. And when those inside saw who had come in, they all fell silent.

Loki said:
6 ‘Thirsty I come to this hall,
Loki, come a long way,
to ask the Æsir that they should give me
one drink of magnificent mead.

7 ‘Why are you so silent, you pride-swollen gods,
that you are unable to speak?
Assign me a place to sit at the feast,
or tell me to go away!’

Bragi said:
8 ‘A place to sit at the feast
the Æsir will never assign you,
for the Æsir know for whom they should
provide their potent feast.’

Loki said:
9 ‘Do you remember, Odin, when in bygone days
we blended our blood together?*
You said you’d never imbibe beer
unless it were brought to both of us.’

Odin said:
10 ‘Get up then, Vidar, and let the wolf’s father*
sit down at the feast,
lest Loki speak words of blame to
us in Ægir’s hall.’


- Poetic Edda, Lokasenna


("blended our blood: Odin and Loki had thus sworn blood-brotherhood in the past." - from the Explanatory Notes section included with the translation)