Norse mythology; or, The religion of our forefathers, containing all the myths of the Eddas, systematized and interpretedAnderson, Rasmus Björn
Religion
Norse mythology; or, The religion of our forefathers, containing all the myths of the Eddas, systematized and interpreted
Anderson, Rasmus Björn
Mythology, Norse; Northmen -- Religion; Old Norse literature; Tales, Medieval
What does Odin give all his guests to eat? If all the men who have
fallen in fight since the beginning of the world are gone to Odin in
Valhal, there must be a great crowd there. Yes, the crowd there is
indeed great, but great though it be, it will still be thought too
little when the wolf comes (the end of the world). But however great the
band of men in Valhal may be, the flesh of the boar Sæhrimner will more
than suffice for their sustenance. This boar is cooked every morning,
but becomes whole again every night. The cook is called Andhrimner and
the kettle Eldhrimner. Thus the Elder Edda:
Andhrimner cooks
In Eldhrimner
Sæhrimner;
’Tis the best of flesh;
But few know
What the einherjes eat.
What do the guests of Odin drink? Do you imagine that Allfather would
invite kings and jarls and other great men and give them nothing but
water to drink? In that case many of those, who had endured the greatest
hardships and received deadly wounds in order to obtain access to
Valhal, would find that they had paid too great a price for their water
drink, and would indeed have reason to complain were they there to meet
with no better entertainment. But we shall see that the case is quite
otherwise; for the she-goat Heidrun (the clear stream) stands above
Valhal and feeds on the leaves of a very famous tree. This tree is
called Lerad (affording protection), and from the teats of the she-goat
flows mead in such great abundance that every day a bowl, large enough
to hold more than would suffice for all the heroes, is filled with it.
And still more wonderful is what is told of the stag, Eikthyrner (the
oak-thorned, having knotty horns), which also stands over Valhal and
feeds upon the leaves of the same tree, and while he is feeding so many
drops fall from his antlers down into Hvergelmer that they furnish
sufficient water for the thirty-six rivers that issuing thence flow
twelve to the abodes of the gods, twelve to the abodes of men, and
twelve to Niflheim.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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