Poetic Edda Captured

Sigurd went to Hialprek’s stud and chose himself a horse who was afterwards called Grani* Then Regin came to Hialprek’s; he was the son of Hreidmar; he was more skilful in making things than anyone else and a dwarf in height; he was clever, fierce, and knowledgeable about magic. Regin offered to foster Sigurd and to teach him, and he loved him a great deal. He told Sigurd about his parents and these events: Odin, Hænir, and Loki had come to Andvara-falls; in those falls there were a great many fish. There was a dwarf called Andvari; he had spent a long time in the falls in the form of a pike and got himself food that way. ‘Otter was the name of our brother,’ said Regin, ‘and he used often to go in the falls in the form of an otter. He had caught a salmon and was sitting on the river bank, eating it with his eyes shut. Loki struck him with a stone and killed him. The Æsir thought this was great good fortune and flayed off the otter’s skin for a bag. The same evening they stayed the night with Hreidmar and showed what they had caught. Then we seized them and made them ransom their lives by filling the otterskin bag with gold and also by covering the outside with red gold. Then they sent Loki to collect the gold. He went to Ran and borrowed her net and then went to Andvara-falls and cast the net ahead of the pike; and he jumped into it. Then Loki said:

1 ‘“What sort of fish is that which courses through the water,
and doesn’t know how to avoid danger?
Your head you can save from hell;
find the serpent’s flame for me!”

2 ‘“Andvari is my name, Oin was my father’s name,
I’ve swum through many a fall;
a wretched norn shaped my fate in the early days,
that I must wade in the water.”

3 ‘“Tell me, Andvari,” said Loki, “if you want to retain
your life in the halls of men:
what requital do the sons of men get,
if they wound one another with words?”

4 ‘“A mighty requital the sons of men get,
those who must wade in Vadgelmir;
for untrue words, when one man slanders another,
a long time he’ll suffer the consequences.”

Loki saw all the gold which Andvari possessed, and when he had handed over the gold, he had one ring* left, and Loki took that from him. The dwarf went into a rock and said:

5 ‘“That gold, which Gust owned,
will be the death of two brothers,
and cause of strife between eight princes;*
my treasure will be no use to anyone.”

‘The Æsir gave Hreidmar the treasure and stuffed the otterskin and stood it on its legs. Then the Æsir had to heap up the gold to cover it. And when that was done, Hreidmar went forwards and saw a single whisker, and said it must be covered. Then Odin produced the ring, Andvari’s Jewel, and covered the hair.

6 ‘“The gold now is given to you” (said Loki), “and you have
a great payment for my head;
for your son no good fortune is ordained;
it will be the death of both of you!”

‘Hreidmar said:
7 ‘“Gifts you gave, you did not give love-gifts,
you did not give them wholeheartedly;
I would have taken your lives from you
if I’d known of this mischief before.”

‘Loki said:
8 ‘“It is worse still—or so I think—
the enduring strife of kinsmen;
the princes are not yet born for whom I believe
this hatefulness is intended.”

9 ‘“Red gold”, said Hreidmar, “I reckon I’ll have at my disposal
as long as I may live;
your threat doesn’t frighten me in the slightest,
now go home! Go away!”

‘Fafnir and Regin demanded a share of the compensation from Hreidmar for their brother Otter. He refused. And Fafnir stabbed his father with a sword while he was asleep. Hreidmar called out to his daughters:


- Poetic Edda, Reginsmal