1. Freyja: "Maiden, awake! wake thee, my friend, My sister Hyndla, in thy hollow cave! Already comes darkness, and ride must we To Valhall to seek the sacred hall.

2. "The favor of Heerfather seek we to find, To his followers gold he gladly gives; To Hermoth gave he helm and mail-coat, And to Sigmund he gave a sword as gift.

3. "Triumph to some, and treasure to others, To many wisdom and skill in words, Fair winds to the sailor, to the singer his art, And a manly heart to many a hero.

4. "Thor shall I honor, and this shall I ask, That his favor true mayst thou ever find; Though little the brides of the giants he loves.

5. "From the stall now one of thy wolves lead forth, And along with my boar shalt thou let him run; For slow my boar goes on the road of the gods, And I would not weary my worthy steed."

6. Hyndla: "Falsely thou askest me, Freyja, to go, For so in the glance of thine eyes I see;

7. On the way of the slain thy lover goes with thee. Ottar the young, the son of Instein."

8. Freyja: "Wild dreams, methinks, are thine when thou sayest My lover is with me on the way of the slain; There shines the boar with bristles of gold, Hildisvini, he who was made By Dain and Nabbi, the cunning dwarfs.

9. "Now let us down from our saddles leap, And talk of the race of the heroes twain; The men who were born of the gods above,

10. "A wager have made in the foreign metal Ottar the young and Angantyr;

11. We must guard, for the hero young to have, His father's wealth, the fruits of his race.

12. "For me a shrine of stones he made,— And now to glass the rock has grown;— Oft with the blood of beasts was it red; In the goddesses ever did Ottar trust.

13. "Tell to me now the ancient names, And the races of all that were born of old: Who are of the Skjoldungs, who of the Skilfings, Who of the Othlings, who of the Ylfings, Who are the free-born, who are the high-born, The noblest of men that in Mithgarth dwell?"

14. Hyndla: "Thou art, Ottar, the son of Instein, And Instein the son of Alf the Old, Alf of Ulf, Ulf of Saefari, And Saefari's father was Svan the Red.

15. "Thy mother, bright with bracelets fair, Hight, methinks, the priestess Hledis; Frothi her father, and Friaut her mother;— Her race of the mightiest men must seem.

16. "Of old the noblest of all was Ali, Before him Halfdan, foremost of Skjoldungs; Famed were the battles the hero fought, To the corners of heaven his deeds were carried.

17. "Strengthened by Eymund, the strongest of men, Sigtrygg he slew with the ice-cold sword; His bride was Almveig, the best of women, And eighteen boys did Almveig bear him.

18. "Hence come the Skjoldungs, hence the Skilfings, Hence the Othlings, hence the Ynglings, Hence come the free-born, hence the high-born, The noblest of men that in Mithgarth dwell: And all are thy kinsmen, Ottar, thou fool!

19. "Hildigun then her mother hight, The daughter of Svava and Saekonung; And all are thy kinsmen, Ottar, thou fool! It is much to know,— wilt thou hear yet more?

20. "The mate of Dag was a mother of heroes, Thora, who bore him the bravest of fighters, Frathmar and Gyrth and the Frekis twain, Am and Jofurmar, Alf the Old; It is much to know,— wilt thou hear yet more?

21. "Her husband was Ketil, the heir of Klypp, He was of thy mother the mother's-father;

22. Before the days of Kari was Frothi, And horn of Hild was Hoalf then.

23. "Next was Nanna, daughter of Nokkvi, Thy father's kinsman her son became; Old is the line, and longer still, And all are thy kinsmen, Ottar, thou fool!

24. "Isolf and Osolf, the sons of Olmoth, Whose wife was Skurhild, the daughter of Skekkil, Count them among the heroes mighty, And all are thy kinsmen, Ottar, thou fool!

25. "Gunnar the Bulwark, Grim the Hardy, Thorir the Iron-shield, Ulf the Gaper, Brodd and Horvir both did I know; In the household they were of Hrolf the Old.

35 more verses…