Chapter 35

Then Gangleri asked, ‘Who are the goddesses?’

High answered, ‘Frigg is the foremost. She owns the dwelling called Fensalir, and it is splendid in all ways.

‘A second goddess is Saga. She lives at Sokkvabekk, which is a large dwelling.

‘A third is Eir, the best of doctors.

‘A fourth is Gefjun. She is a maiden, and women who die as virgins serve her.

‘A fifth is Fulla. She, too, is a virgin, and she goes about with her hair falling loose and a gold band around her head. She carries Frigg’s ashen box, looks after her footwear, and shares secrets with her.

‘Freyja, along with Frigg, is the most noble. She married the man called Od. Their daughter, Hnoss, is so beautiful that from her name comes the word for a treasure that is exceptionally handsome and valuable. Od went travelling on distant paths while Freyja remained behind, crying tears of red gold. Freyja has many names, because she gave herself different names as she travelled among unknown peoples searching for Od. She is called Mardoll and Horn and Gefn and Syr. Freyja owned Brisingamen¹ [Necklace of the Brisings]. She is called the goddess of the Vanir.

‘The seventh goddess, Sjofn, is deeply committed to turning the thoughts of both men and women to love. The word for lover, sjafni, is derived from her name.

‘The eighth goddess is Lofn [Loving]. She is so gentle and so good to invoke that she has permission from All-Father or Frigg to arrange unions between men and women, even if earlier offers have been refused and unions have been banned. From her name comes the word lof, meaning permission as well as high praise.

‘The ninth is Var [Beloved]. She listens to the oaths and private agreements that are made between men and women. For this reason such agreements are called várar. She takes vengeance on those who break trust.

‘The tenth, Vor [Careful], is so knowledgeable and inquires so deeply that nothing can be hidden from her. Hence the expression that a woman becomes “aware” [vor] of what she learns.

‘The eleventh is Syn [Refusal]. She guards the doors in the hall and locks out those who ought not to enter. She is also appointed to defend cases that she wants to see refuted in the courts. From this situation comes the expression that a denial [syn] is advanced when something is refused.

‘The twelfth, Hlin [Protector], is appointed to guard over people whom Frigg wishes to protect from danger. From her name comes the expression that he who escapes finds hleinir [peace and quiet].

‘The thirteenth, Snotra, is wise and courtly. From her name comes the custom of calling a clever woman or man snotr.

‘The fourteenth is Gna. Frigg sends her to different worlds on errands. She has the horse named Hofvarpnir [Hoof Kicker], which rides through the air and on the sea. Once some Vanir saw her path as she rode through the air, and one of them said:

“What flies there? What fares there or moves through the air?”

‘She replied:

“I fly not though I fare and move through the air on Hofvarpnir, the one whom Hamskerpir got with Gardrofa.”

‘From Gna’s name comes the custom of saying that something gnaefir [looms] when it rises up high.

‘Sol [Sun] and Bil, whose natures have already been described, are counted among the goddesses.