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Poetic Edda

Out of the draught  that down had dropped From the head of Heithdraupnir, And the horn of Hoddrofnir.
14.[1] On the mountain he stood  with Brimir's sword, On his head the helm he bore;Then first the head  of Mim spoke forth, And words of truth it told.
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15.[2] He bade write on the shield  before the shining goddess,On Arvak's ear,  and on Alsvith's hoof,On the wheel of the car  of Hrungnir's killer,On Sleipnir's teeth,  and the straps of the sledge.
16.[3] On the paws of the bear,  and on Bragi's tongue,
  1. ↑ This stanza is clearly in bad shape; perhaps, as the manuscript indicates, a new stanza, of which most has been lost, should begin with line 3. Brimir: a giant (cf. Voluspo, 9 and 37); why Othin should have his sword is unknown.
  2. ↑ Stanzas 15-17 constitute a wholly distinct rune-chant. Line 1 is unusually long in the original, as here. Shield: the shield Svalin ("Cooling") that stands in front of the sun; cf. Grimnismol, 38. Arvak ("Early Waker") and Alsvith ("All-Swift"): the horses that draw the sun's car; cf. Grimnismol, 37. Hrungnir: the slayer of the giant Hrungnir was Thor (cf. Harbarthsljoth, 14 and note), but the line is in bad shape; the name may not be Hrungnir, and "killer" is a conjectural addition. Sleipnir: Othin's eight-legged horse; cf. Grimnismol, 44 and note. Sledge: perhaps the one mentioned in Grimnismol, 49.
  3. ↑ Bragi: the god of poetry; cf. Grimnismol, 44 and note.

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