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Poetic Edda

2.[1] The mountain-dweller  sat merry as boyhood,But soon like a blinded  man he seemed;The son of Ygg  gazed in his eyes:"For the gods a feast  shalt thou forthwith get."
3.[2] The word-wielder toil  for the giant worked,And so revenge  on the gods he sought;He bade Sif's mate  the kettle bring:"Therein for ye all  much ale shall I brew."
4.[3] The far-famed ones  could find it not,And the holy gods  could get it nowhere;Till in truthful wise  did Tyr speak forth,And helpful counsel  to Hlorrithi gave.
5.[4] "There dwells to the east  of ElivagarHymir the wise  at the end of heaven;A kettle my father  fierce doth own,A mighty vessel  a mile in depth."

  1. Mountain-dweller: the giant (Ægir). Line 2: the principal word in the original has defied interpretation, and any translation of the line must be largely guesswork. Ygg: Othin; his son is Thor. Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.
  2. Word-wielder: Thor. The giant: Ægir. Sif: Thor's wife; cf. Harbarthsljoth, 48. The kettle: Ægir's kettle is possibly the sea itself.
  3. Tyr: the god of battle; his two great achievements were thrusting his hand into the mouth of the wolf Fenrir so that the gods might bind him, whereby he lost his hand (cf. Voluspo, 39, note), and his fight with the hound Garm in the last battle, in which they kill each other. Hlorrithi: Thor.
  4. Elivagar ("Stormy Waves"): possibly the Milky Way;

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