This _th·ttr_ has been translated into English under the title of _The Tale of Hogni and Hedinn_ in _Three Northern Love Stories_ by W. Morris and EirÌkr Magn˙sson, London, 1875. For a full bibliography of MSS., translations, and the general literature dealing with this saga, cf. _Islandica_, Vol. v, pp. 41, 42. [Footnote 1: _Oldnorske og Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. II, p. 837.] [Footnote 2: The life of this prince is told at length in another saga--_Sˆrla Saga Sterka_ which is published in Vol. III of ¡smundarson's edition of the _Fornaldarsˆgur_.] [Footnote 3: Cf. Finnur JÛnsson, _op. cit._, Vol. II, pp. 34, 35.] [Footnote 4: Cf. _A Tour through the Islands of Orkney and Schetland_, by George Low, edited by J. A. Anderson (Kirkwall, 1879), p. 108 ff.] [Footnote 5: On p. 217 ff. below I have attempted a translation of the first twelve stanzas from HÊgstad's corrected text.] [Footnote 6: _Op. cit._, p. 113.] [Footnote 7: Cf. The _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_ translated below, p. 87 ff.] [Footnote 8: Cf. Panzer, _Hilde-Gudrun_ (Halle, 1901), _passim_; Frazer, _Pausanias's Description of Greece_ (London, 1898), Vol. II, p. 443 ff.; etc.] THE TH¡TTR OF S÷RLI I. To the East of Vanakvisl in Asia was a country called Asialand or Asiaheim. Its inhabitants were called ∆sir and the chief city they called Asgarth. Othin was the name of their King, and it was a great place for heathen sacrifices. Othin appointed Njˆrth and Frey as priests. Njˆrth had a daughter called Freyja who accompanied Othin and was his mistress. There were four men in Asia called Alfregg, Dvalin, Berling and Grer, who dwelt not far from the King's hall, and who were so clever that they could turn their hands to anything. Men of this kind were called dwarfs. They dwelt in a rock, but at that time they mixed more with men than they do now. Othin loved Freyja very much, and she was the fairest of all women in her day. She had a bower of her own which was beautiful and strong, and it was said that if the door was closed and bolted, no-one could enter the bower against her will. It chanced one day that Freyja went to the rock and found it open, and the dwarfs were forging a gold necklace, which was almost finished. Freyja was charmed with the necklace, and the dwarfs with Freyja. She asked them to sell it, offering gold and silver and other costly treasures in exchange for it. The dwarfs replied that they were not in need of money, but each one said that he would give up his share in the necklace.... And at the end of four nights they handed it to Freyja. She went home to her bower and kept silence about it as if nothing had happened.