Sæhrimnir and Heidrun

Then High replied: ‘It did not matter much when he and Beli
met. Freyr could have killed him with his fist. There will come a
time when Freyr will find being without the sword a greater
disadvantage when Muspell’s sons come and wage war.’

Then spoke Gangleri: ‘You say that all those men that have
fallen in battle since the beginning of the world have now come to
Odin in Val-hall. What has he got to offer them for food? I should
have thought that there must be a pretty large number there.’

Then High replied: ‘It is true what you say, there is a pretty
large number there, and many more have yet to arrive, and yet
there will seem too few when the wolf comes. But there will never
be such a large number in Val-hall that the meat of the boar called
Saehrimnir will not be sufficient for them. It is cooked each day
and whole again by evening. But this question that you are now
asking, it seems to me very likely that there can be few so wise as to
be able to give the correct answer to it. The cook is called
Andhrimnir and the pot Eldhrimnir. Thus it says here:

Andhrimnir has Sæhrimnir cooked in Eldhrimnir, best of
meats. But there are few that know on what the Einheriar
feed.

Then spoke Gangleri: ‘Does Odin have the same fare as the
Einheriar?’

High said: ‘The food that stands on his table he gives to two
wolves of his called Geri and Freki. He himself needs no food:
wine is for him both drink and meat. Thus it says here:

Geri and Freki the battle-accustomed father of hosts feeds,
but on wine alone splendidly weaponed Odin ever lives.

Two ravens sit on his shoulders and speak into his ear all the news
they see or hear. Their names are Hugin and Munin. He sends
them out at dawn to fly over all the world, and they return at
dinner-time. As a result he gets to find out about many events.
From this he gets the name raven-god. As it says:

Hugin and Munin fly each day over the mighty earth. I fear
for Hugin lest he come not back, yet I am afraid more about
Munin.’

Then spoke Gangleri: ‘What do the Einheriar have as drink that
lasts them as plentifully as the food? Is water drunk there?’

Then said High: ‘This is a strange question you are asking,
whether All-father would invite kings and earls and other men of
rank to his house and would give them water to drink, and I swear
by my faith that there comes many a one to Val-hall who would
think he had paid a high price for his drink of water if there were
no better cheer to be got there, when he had previously endured
wounds and agony leading to his death. I can tell you a different
story about this. There is a goat called Heidrun standing on top of
Val-hall feeding on the foliage from the branches of that tree
whose name is well known, it is called Lerad, and from the goat’s
udder flows mead with which it fills a vat each day. This is so big
that all the Einheriar can drink their fill from it.’

Then spoke Gangleri: ‘That is a terribly handy goat for them. It
must be a jolly good tree that it is feeding on.’

Then spoke High: ‘There is a matter of even more note regarding
the stag Eikthymir which stands on Val-hall and feeds on the
branches of this tree, and from its horns comes such a great
dripping that it flows down into Hvergelmir, and from there flow
the rivers whose names are: Sid, Vid, Sekin, Ekin, Svol, Gunnthro,
Fiorm, Fimbulthul, Gipul, Gopul, Gomul, Geirvimul; these flow
through where the Æsir live. These are the names of others: Thyn,
Vin, Tholl, Boll, Grad, Gunnthrain, Nyt, Not, Nonn, Hronn,
Vina, Veg, Svinn, Thiodnuma.’

Then spoke Gangleri: ‘That is amazing information that you
have just given. Val-hall must be a terribly large building, it must
often be pretty crowded around the doorways.’


- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning