King Gylfi was a wise man skilled in magic. He was amazed that the Æsir knew so much that everything went according to their wishes. He wondered whether this was because of their own nature or whether it came from the divine power of the gods they worshipped. He set out on a secret trip to Asgard and changed into the likeness of an old man to disguise himself. But the Æsir, because they had the gift of prophecy, were the wiser in such matters. Before his arrival they foresaw his coming and, in preparation for him, they conjured up visual illusions.1 When he entered the fortress, he saw a hall. It was so high that he could scarcely see over it, and golden shields covered its roof like shingles. As Thjodolf of Hvin2 says, Valhalla [Hall of the Slain] was roofed with shields:
On their backs they let shine hall shingles of Svafnir [Odin], when bombarded with stones, those resourceful men.
Gylfi saw a man in the doorway of the hall. He was juggling short swords and had seven in the air at once. The man spoke first, asking the visitor’s name. Gylfi named himself Gangleri, saying that he had travelled over trackless paths. He asked for a night’s lodging and inquired who owned the hall. The man answered that it belonged to their king.
‘I can take you to see him; then you can ask him his name yourself.’ The man then turned and went ahead into the hall. Gylfi followed him and immediately the door closed after him. He saw many living areas there and groups of people. Some were playing games, some were drinking, and some had weapons and were fighting. He looked around, and it seemed to him that much of what he was seeing was incredible. Then he said:
‘All doorways before entering gaze into carefully; one never knows where on the benches enemies are sitting.’
(Sayings of the High One. 1)
He saw three thrones, each one higher than the other. Three men sat there, one in each seat. He asked the name of their ruler. The man guiding him replied that the king was in the lowest of the high seats; he was called High. Next came the one called Just-as-High, while the one highest up was called Third.3
Then High asked the new arrival if there was some more pressing cause of his visit, although he was welcome to food and drink as were all in the hall of the High One. Gylfi replied that he wanted to know first whether there was a wise man in the hall. High said that Gylfi would not escape unharmed unless he grew wiser, adding:
‘Stand forward while you inquire; The one who recounts shall sit.’
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conjured up visual illusions : The text employs the word sjónhverfing (pl. sjónhverfingar ), with the sense of an optical illusion. In medieval Iceland sjónhverfing was understood to be the result of spells, part of a popular form of magic called galdr. ↩
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Thjodolf of Hvin : Thjodolf of Hvin or Hvinir was a Norwegian skald in the court of King Harald Fairhair around the year 900. He is credited with composing Ynglingatal ( The Counting of the Ynglings ), a poem treating mythological subjects and offering a genealogy of the kings of Sweden. ↩
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he was called High… was called Third : High ( Hár ), Just-as-High ( Jafnhár ) and Third ( Priði ) are names for Odin. ↩