SÖRLA ÞÄTTR / THE THÁTTR OF SÖRLI

Chapters 1-3 presented with Old Icelandic and English facing text, as
translated by N. Kershaw (1902)



I. KAPÍTULI

Fyrir austan Vanakvísl í Asía var kallat Asíaland eða
Asíaheimr, en þat fólk var kallat Æsir, er þar byggðu, en
höfuðborgina kölluðu þeir Ásgarð. Óðinn var þar nefndr konungr yfir.
Þar var blótstaðr mikill. Njörð ok Frey setti Óðinn blótgoða. Dóttir
Njarðar hét Freyja. Hún fylgdi Óðni ok var friðla hans. Menn þeir
váru í Asía, er einn hét Álfrigg, annarr Dvalinn, þriði Berlingr,
fjórði Grérr. Þeir áttu heima skammt frá höll konungs. Þeir váru menn
svá hagir, at þeir lögðu á allt gerva hönd. Þess háttar menn, sem
þeir váru, kölluðu menn dverga. Þeir byggðu einn stein. Þeir
blönduðust þá meir við mannfólk en nú.



CHAPTER I.

To the East of Vanakvisl in Asia was a country called Asialand
or Asiaheim. Its inhabitants were called Æsir 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 Njörth and Frey as
priests. Njörth 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.



Óðinn unni mikit Freyju, enda var hún allra kvenna fegrst í þann
tíma. Hún átti sér eina skemmu. Hún var, bæði fögr ok sterk, svá at
þat segja menn, at ef hurðin var aftr ok læst, at engi maðr mætti
koma í skemmmuna án vilja Freyju. Þat var einn dag, er Freyju varð
gengit til steinsins, hann var þá opinn. Dvergarnir váru at smíða
eitt gullmen. Þat var þá mjök fullgert. Freyju leist vel á menit.
Dvergunum leist ok vel á Freyju. Hún falaði menit at dvergunum, bauð
í móti gull ok silfr ok aðra góða gripi. Þeir kváðust ekki féþurfi,
sagðist hverr vilja sjálfr sinn part selja í meninu ok ekki annat
fyrir vilja hafa en hún lægi sína nótt hjá hverjum þeira. Ok hvárt
sem hún lét at þessu komast betr eða verr, þa keyptu þau þessu. Ok at
liðnum fjórum náttum ok enduðum öllum skildaga, afhenda þeir Freyju
menit. Fór hún heim í skemmu sína ok lét kyrrt yfir sér, sem ekki
hefði í orðit.





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.



II. KAPÍTULI





Maðr hét Fárbauti. Hann var karl einn ok átti sér kerlingu þá, er
Laufey er nefnd. Hún var bæði mjó ok auðþreiflig; því var hún Nál
kölluð. Þau áttu sér einn son barna. Sá var Loki nefndr. Hann var
ekki mikill vöxtum, orðskár var hann snemma ok skjótligr í bragði.
Hann hafði fram yfir aðra menn visku þá, er slægð heitir. Hann var
mjök kyndugr þegar á unga aldri, því var hann kallaðr Loki lævíss.
Hann réðst til Óðins í Ásgarð ok gerðist hans maðr. Óðinn mælti
hvatvetna eftir honum, hvat sem hann tók til, enda lagði hann oft
stórar þrautir fyrir hann, ok leysti hann þær allar vánu betr af
höndum. Hann varð ok náliga alls víss, þess er við bar, sagði hann ok
allt Óðni, þat er hann vissi.



CHAPTER II.



There was a man called Farbauti who was a peasant and had a wife
called Laufey. She was thin and meagre, and so she was
called 'Needle.' They had no children except a son who was called
Loki. He was not a big man, but he early developed a caustic tongue
and was alert in trickery and unequalled in that kind of cleverness
which is called cunning. He was very full of guile even in his youth,
and for this reason he was called Loki the Sly. He set off to Othin's
home in Asgarth and became his man. Othin always had a good word for
him whatever he did, and often laid heavy tasks upon him, all of
which he performed better than could have been expected. He also knew
almost everything that happened, and he told Othin whatever he knew.



Þat er ok sagt, at Loki varð víss, er Freyja hafði fengit menit ok
svá, hvat hún hafði móti gefit; sagði hann þetta Óðni. En er Óðinn
varð þess víss, sagði hann, at Loki skyldi ná meninu ok fá sér. Loki
kvað þat óvænligt sakir þess, at engi maðr má í skemmuna komast fyrir
utan vilja Freyju. Óðinn sagði, at hann skyldi fara verða ok eigi
aftr koma, fyrr en hann hefði nát meninu. Loki sneri þá í brottu
æpandi. Flestir urðu við þat kátir, er Loka gekk lítt til. Hann gengr
til skemmu Freyju, ok var hún læst. Hann leitaði við inn at komast ok
gat eigi. Kuldaveðr var úti mikit, ok tók honum fast at kólna. Hann
varð þá at einni flugu. Hann flökti þá um alla lása ok með öllum
fellum ok gat hvergi loft fundit, svá at hann mætti inn komast. Uppi
allt hjá burstinni ok þó eigi meiri boru fann hann en sem stinga
mætti í nál; þá boru bograr hann inn. En er hann kom inn, var hann
flenneygr mjök ok hugði at, ef nokkurir vekti, en hann gat þat sét,
at allt svaf í skemmunni. Hann ferr þá innar at sænginni Freyju ok
skynjar þá, at hún hefir menit á hálsi sér ok at nistin horfðu niðr
á. Loki verðr þá at einni fló. Hann sest á kinn Freyju ok höggr svá,
at Freyja vaknar ok snerist við ok sofnar aftr. Þá dregr Loki af sér
flóar haminn, lokkar þá af henni menit, lýkr þá upp skemmunni ok ferr
í burt ok færir Óðni.





Now it is said that Loki got to know that Freyja had received the
necklace ...and this he told to Othin. And when Othin heard of it he
told Loki to fetch him the necklace. Loki said that there was not
much hope of that, because no one could get into Freyja's bower
against her will. Othin told him to go, and not come back without the
necklace. So Loki went off howling, and everyone was glad that he had
got into trouble.

He went to Freyja's bower, but it was locked. He tried to get in, but
could not. The weather outside was very cold and he became thoroughly
chilled. Then he turned himself into a fly, and flew around all the
bolts and along the whole of the woodwork, but nowhere could he find
a hole big enough to enter by, right up to the gable. He found only a
hole no bigger than would allow of the insertion of a needle. Through
this hole he crept. And when he got inside he stared around,
wondering if anyone was awake. But he found that the room was all
wrapped in slumber. Then he went in and up to Freyja's bed and found
that she was wearing the necklace and that the clasp was underneath
her. Loki thereupon turned himself into a flea and settled on
Freyja's cheek and stung her, till she awoke and turned over and went
to sleep again. Then he laid aside his flea-form, drew the necklace
from her gently, opened the door and departed, carrying the necklace
to Othin.



Freyja vaknar um morgininn ok sér, at opnar eru dyrrnar, en ekki
brotit, en menit var í brottu it góða. Hún þykkist vita, hver brögð í
munu vera, gengr inn í höllina, þegar hún er klædd, fyrir Óðin konung
ok talar um, at hann hafi illa látit gera at stela frá henni góðgrip
hennar ok biðr hann fá sér aftr góðgrip sinn. Óðinn segir, at hún
skal þat aldri fá, svá at eins hefir hún at því komist, - "nema þú
orkir því, at þeir konungar tveir, at tuttugu konungar þjóna hvárum,
verði missáttir ok berist nieð þeim álögum ok atkvæðum, at þeir skulu
jafnskjótt upp standa ok berjast sem þeir áðr falla, utan nokkurr
maðr kristinn verði svá röskr ok honum fylgi svá mikil gifta síns
lánardrottins, at hann þori at ganga í bardaga þeira ok vega með
vápnum þessa menn. Þá it fyrsta skal þeira þraut lyktast, hverjum
höfðingja sem þat verðr lagit at leysa þá svá ór ánauð ok erfiði
sinna fárligra framferða." Freyja játtaði því ok tók við meninu.



When Freyja awoke in the morning she found that the door was open,
though it had not been forced, and that her lovely necklace was gone.
She had a shrewd idea of the trick that had been played on her, and
when she was dressed she went into the hall to King Othin, and told
him that he had done ill to rob her of her trinket, and begged him to
return it. Othin replied that considering how she had come by it she
should never get it back: " Unless you bring about a quarrel between
two kings, each of whom has twenty kings subject to him; so that they
shall fight under the influence of such spells and charms that as
fast as they fall they shall start up again and fight on-unless
there be some Christian man so brave and so much favoured by the
great good fortune of his liege lord that he shall dare to take arms
and enter among the combatants and slay them. Then and not till then
shall the labours of those princes be brought to an end-whoever may
be the chief who is destined to free them from the oppression and
toil of their disastrous lot." Freyja agreed to this and recovered
the necklace.



III. KAPÍTULI



Í þann tíma, er liðnir váru frá falli Frið-Fróða fjórir vetr ok
tuttugu, réð sá konungr Upplöndum í Noregi, at Erlingr hét. Hann átti
sér drottningu ok tvá sonu. Hét Sörli sterki inn ellri, en Erlendr
inn yngri. Þeir váru efniligir menn. Sörli var þeira sterkari. Þeir
lögðu í hernað, þegar þeir höfðu aldr til. Þeir börðust við Sindra
víking Sveigisson, Hákasonar sækonungs í Elfarskerjum, ok fell þar
Sindri víkingr ok allt lið hans. Í þeiri orrostu fell ok Erlendr
Erlingsson. Eftir þat helt Sörli í it Eystra salt ok herjaði þar ok
vann svá mörg stórvirki, at seint er öll at skrifa.



CHAPTER III



Four and twenty years after the death of Frithfrothi a King
called Erling ruled over the Highlands of Norway. He had a wife and
two sons, of whom the elder was called Sörli the Strong, and the
younger Erlend. They were promising young men. Sörli was the Stronger
of the two. As soon as they were old enough they took to raiding, and
fought against the Viking Sindri, the son of Sveigir, the son of
Haki, a sea-king in the Skerries of the Elf. There fell Sindri the
Viking, and with him all his host; and Erlend the son of Erling fell
in that battle. After that Sörli sailed to the Baltic and harried
there, and performed so many great deeds that it would take too long
to recount them all.