Kvasir And The Mead Of Poetry

Ægir continued, ‘What is the origin of the accomplishment you call poetry?’

Bragi replied, ‘It originated when the gods were at war with that people called the Vanir, and the two sides agreed to hold a peace meeting. They reconciled their differences by the following procedure: both sides went to a vat and spat into it. At their parting, the gods, not wanting to lose this mark of the truce, took the spittle and from it they created a man called Kvasir. He was so wise that no one could ask him a question that he could not answer.

‘Kvasir travelled throughout the world, teaching men knowledge. Once he came as a guest to the dwarves Fjalar and Galar. They asked him for a word in private, but instead they killed him, letting his blood flow into two vats called Son and Bodn, and into a kettle named Odrerir. The dwarves blended honey with the blood and from this mixture came the mead that makes whoever drinks it a poet or a scholar. They told the Æsir that Kvasir had choked on his own knowledge because there was no one there learned enough to ask him questions.

‘The dwarves then invited the giant Gilling and his wife to come and visit them. They asked Gilling to row out to sea with them, and while travelling down the coast the dwarves rowed the boat on to some rocks just under the surface, overturning it. Gilling could not swim and was lost, but the dwarves righted their ship and rowed back to land. When they told Gilling’s wife what had happened, she took the news badly and cried loudly. Fjalar asked her if it would lighten her spirits to look out to sea to the spot where Gilling had drowned, and she wanted to do so. Then Fjalar told his brother Galar to climb up over the door and, as she went out, to drop a millstone on to her head. Fjalar said that he was tired of her wailing, so Galar did this.

‘When Suttung, Gilling’s son,¹ learned what had happened, he travelled there and seized the dwarves. He ferried them out to sea and stranded them on some rocks that would be covered at high tide. The dwarves begged Suttung for their lives. They offered him the valuable mead as compensation for his father, and that offer became the basis of their agreement. Suttung took the mead home with him. For safekeeping, he put it in the place called Hnitbjorg and set his daughter Gunnlod to watch over it.

‘For this reason we call poetry Kvasir’s blood, the drink or intoxication of the dwarves, or some kind of liquid of Odrerir, Bodn or Son. The mead is also called the ship of the dwarves because it provided the ransom that floated them off the rocks. It is also called Suttung’s mead or Hnitbjorg’s liquid.’

Then Ægir said, ‘It seems to me that calling poetry by these names obscures the truth. But how did the Æsir get Suttung’s mead?’

Odin Seeks the Mead

Bragi replied, ‘The story is that Odin travelled from home and came to a place where nine slaves were cutting hay. He asked if they wanted him to sharpen their scythes. They agreed. Then he took a whetstone from his belt and sharpened the scythes. To them it seemed that the scythes now cut much better, and they wanted to buy the whetstone. Odin set this price on the stone: he asked that whoever wanted to buy it should give what he thought was reasonable. They all said they wanted it and each asked to buy it, but instead he threw it into the air. They all scrambled to catch it with the result that they slit each other’s throats with their scythes.²

‘Odin sought lodgings for the night with the giant named Baugi, Suttung’s brother. Baugi complained that his wealth had decreased, saying that nine of his slaves had been killed and that he had no hope of finding other workmen. But Odin, who went under the name Bolverk, offered to undertake for Baugi the work of nine men. As payment, he asked for a drink of Suttung’s mead. Baugi said that he had no control over the mead, because Suttung wanted it all for himself. Baugi added, however, that he would go with Bolverk to see if together they could get the mead. That summer Bolverk did the work of nine men for Baugi.

‘Towards the beginning of winter, Bolverk asked Baugi for his wages. Then they went together to Suttung’s, where Baugi told his brother of his agreement with Bolverk. But Suttung flatly refused to give away a single drop of the mead. Then Bolverk said to Baugi that they should try a few tricks to see if they could get hold of the mead. Baugi was agreeable, and Bolverk brought out the auger called Rati and told Baugi that, if the auger would drill, he should bore a hole through the mountain. So he did. When Baugi said that he had bored through the mountain, Bolverk blew into the hole made by the auger, but chips came flying back at him. Realizing that Baugi wanted to betray him, Bolverk told Baugi to continue drilling until he had bored through the mountain. Baugi started to bore again, and when Bolverk blew for the second time, the chips flew inward. Then Bolverk changed himself into the shape of a snake and crawled into the auger hole. Baugi struck at him with the auger from behind, but missed him.

‘Bolverk moved forward until he came to the place where Gunnlod was. He lay with her three nights, and she then allowed him three drinks of the mead. With his first drink he emptied Odrerir. With the second, he drained Bodn. His third emptied Son, and now he possessed all the mead. Then, changing himself into the shape of an eagle, he flew away as fast as he could. When Suttung saw the eagle’s flight, he too put on his eagle shape and flew after him.

‘When the Æsir saw Odin flying, they placed their vats in the courtyard, and when Odin entered Asgard he spat the mead into the vats. It was such a close call, with Suttung almost catching him, that he blew some of the mead out of his rear. No one paid attention to this part, and whoever wanted it took it; we call this the bad poets’ portion. Odin gave Suttung’s mead to the Æsir and to those men who know how to make poetry. For this reason we call poetry Odin’s catch, find, drink or gift, as well as the drink of the Æsir.’