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Hymiskvitha

Thou steerer of ships,  than when still thou sittest."................................
21.[1] The lord of the goats  bade the ape-begottenFarther to steer  the steed of the rollers;But the giant said  that his will, forsooth,Longer to row  was little enough.
22. Two whales on his hook  did the mighty HymirSoon pull up  on a single cast;In the stern the kinsman  of Othin sat,And Veur with cunning  his cast prepared.
23.[2] The warder of men,  the worm's destroyer,Fixed on his hook  the head of the ox;There gaped at the bait  the foe of the gods,The girdler of all  the earth beneath.

    The manuscripts have no superscription. Steerer of ships: probably merely a reference to Thor's intention to go fishing. The lacuna after stanza 20 is assumed by most editors.

  1. ↑ Lord of the goats: Thor, because of his goat-drawn chariot. Ape-begotten: Hymir; the word "api," rare until relatively late times in its literal sense, is fairly common with the meaning of "fool." Giants were generally assumed to be stupid. Steed of the rollers: a ship, because boats were pulled up on shore by means of rollers.
  2. ↑ Warder of men: Thor; cf. stanza 11. Worm's destroyer: likewise Thor, who in the last battle slays, and is slain by, Mithgarthsorm; cf. Voluspo, 56. The foe of the gods: Mithgarthsorm, who lies in the sea, and surrounds the whole earth.

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