Sörla Odin

East of Vanakvisl in Asia there was a place called Asialand or Asiaheim. And the people who lived there were called Aesir, and they called the chief town Asgard. Odin was the name of the king who reigned there. There was a great shrine there. Odin appointed Njord and Frey as high-priests. Njord's daughter was called Freyja. She accompanied Odin and was his lover.

There were some men in Asia, one called Alfrigg, the next Dvalin, then Berling and Grer. They had their home not far from the king's hall. They were such skilled craftsmen they could turn their hand to anything and do well. Men such as these were called dwarves. They lived in a certain stone. They mixed with people more in those days than now.

Odin loved Freyja a lot, and indeed she was the fairest of all women then living. She had a bower, both fair and strong--so strong, it is said, that when the door was shut and locked, no one could come in unless Freyja wanted them to.

One day Freyja was walking and happened to come to the rock. It was open. The dwarves were forging a gold necklace. It was nearly done. Freyja liked the looks of the necklace. The dwarves liked the looks of Freyja too. She asked to buy the necklace, offered gold and silver for it, and good treasures besides. They said they weren't short of money, but each would sell his share of the necklace for one thing, and they didn't want anything else, except for her to lie a night with each of them. And, whether this was gladly done on her part or otherwise, that's the deal they struck. And four nights later, when these conditions had been met, they handed over the necklace to Freyja. She went home to her bower, and kept quiet, as if nothing has happened.


- Sorli's Tale or The Saga of Hedin & Hogni (Sörla þáttr eða  Héðins Saga ok Högna), Chapter 1