Gift of Prophecy

King Gylfi was clever and skilled in magic. He was quite
amazed that the Æsir-people had the ability to make everything
go in accordance with their will. He wondered whether this could
be as a result of their own nature, or whether the divine powers
they worshipped could be responsible. He set out to Asgard and
travelled in secret and assumed the form of an old man and so
disguised himself. But the Æsir were the wiser in that they had the
gift of prophecy, and they saw his movements before he arrived,
and prepared deceptive appearances for him. When he got into
the city he saw there a high hall, so that he could scarcely see over
it. Its roof was covered with gilded shields like tiles. Thiodolf of
Hvinir refers thus to Val-hall being roofed with shields:

On their backs they let shine — they were bombarded with
stones — Svafnir’s [Odin’s] hall-shingles [shields], those
sensible men.

In the doorway of the hall Gylfi saw a man juggling with knives,
keeping seven in the air at a time. This man spoke first and asked
him his name. He said it was Gangleri and that he had travelled
trackless ways; he requested that he might have a night’s lodging
there and asked whose hall it was. The man replied that it
belonged to their king.


- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning