The Danish king Fróði, a grandson of Odin, rules in a legendary time of peace, the famous Peace of Fróði, when no man harms another and a gold ring lies long untouched by the road. On a royal visit to Sweden he buys two giant-strong bond-women, Fenja and Menja, and sets them to the wonder-mill Grotti, which grinds out whatever the grinder asks for. Fróði makes them grind gold, peace and happiness, and grants them no rest longer than the cuckoo stays silent or a song may be sung. So the two sing their own song: they recall their giant descent and their old deeds of war, and in revenge grind out for the king, instead of gold, a hostile army and his doom. That very night the sea-king Mýsingr comes, slays Fróði and ends the Peace of Fróði. The Old Norse text follows Guðni Jónsson’s edition in the Skáldskaparmál (Prose Edda); the English verse is the public-domain translation of Benjamin Thorpe (1866). Both are public domain.
St.Old NorseEnglish (Bellows)
1
Nú eru komnar
til konungs húsa
framvísar tvær,
Fenja ok Menja;
þær ro at Fróða
Friðleifssonar
máttkar meyjar
at mani hafðar.
Now are come to the king’s house
two prescient damsels, Fenia and Menia;
they are with Frodi, Fridleif’s son,
the powerful maidens, in thraldom held.
2
Þær at lúðri
leiddar váru
ok grjóts gréa
gangs of beiddu;
hét hann hvárigri
hvíld né ynði,
áðr hann heyrði
hljóm ambátta.
To the mill they both were led,
and the grey stone to set a-going ordered;
he to both forbade rest and solace,
before he heard the maidens’ voice.
3
Þær þyt þulu
þögnhorfinnar:
„Leggjum lúðra,
léttum steinum.“
Bað hann enn meyjar,
at þær mala skyldu.
They made resound the clattering quern,
with their arms swung the light stones.
The maidens he commanded yet more to grind.
4
Sungu ok slungu
snúðga-steini,
svá at Fróða man
flest sofnaði;
þá kvað þat Menja,
var til meldrs komin:
They sung and swung the whirling stone,
until Frodi’s thralls nearly all slept.
Then said Menia — to the meal ’twas come —
5
„Auð mölum Fróða,
mölum alsælan,
mölum fjölð féar
á feginslúðri;
siti hann á auði,
sofi hann á dúni,
vaki hann at vilja,
þá er vel malit.
‚Riches we grind for Frodi,
all happiness we grind, wealth in abundance,
in gladness’ mill.
On riches may he sit, on down may he sleep,
to joy may he wake:
then ’tis well ground!
6
Hér skyli engi
öðrum granda,
til böls búa
né til bana orka,
né höggva því
hvössu sverði,
þó at bana bróður
bundinn finni.“
Here shall not one another harm,
evil machinate, nor occasion death,
nor yet strike with the biting sword,
although a brother’s slayer he find bound.‘
7
En hann kvað ekki
orð it fyrra:
„Sofið eigi meir
en of sal gaukar
eða lengr en svá
ljóð eitt kveðak.“
He had not yet said one word before:
‚Sleep ye not longer than the gowks round the house,
or than while one song I sing.‘
8
„Var-at-tu, Fróði,
fullspakr of þik,
málvinr manna,
er þú man keyptir;
kaustu at afli
ok at álitum,
en at ætterni
ekki spurðir.
‚Thou wast not, Frodi, for thyself over-wise,
or a friend of men, when thralls thou boughtest;
for strength thou chosest them, and for their looks,
but of their race didst not inquire.
9
Harðr var Hrungnir
ok hans faðir,
þó var Þjazi
þeim öflgari;
Iði ok Aurnir,
okkrir niðjar,
bræðr bergrisa,
þeim erum bornar.
Stout was Hrungnir, and his father,
yet was Thiassi stronger than they;
Idi and Ornir our relations are,
brothers of the mountain-giants, from whom we are born.
10
Kæmi-a Grótti
ór gréa fjalli
né sá inn harði
hallr ór jörðu,
né mæli svá
mær bergrisa,
ef vissi vit
vætr til hennar.
Grotti had not come from the grey fell,
nor yet the hard stone from the earth;
nor so had ground the giant maid,
if her race had aught of her known.
11
Vér vetr níu
várum leikur
öflgar alnar
fyr jörð neðan;
stóðu meyjar
at meginverkum,
færðum sjalfar
setberg ór stað.
Nine winters we playmates were,
strong, and nurtured beneath the earth.
We maidens stood at mighty works;
ourselves we moved the fast rock from its place.
12
Veltum grjóti
of garð risa,
svá at fold fyrir
fór skjalfandi;
svá slöngðum vit
snúðga-steini,
höfga-halli,
at halir tóku.
We rolled the stone o’er the giants’ house,
so that earth thereby shrank trembling;
so hurled we the whirling rock,
that men could take it.
13
En vit síðan
á Svíþjóðu
framvísar tvær
í folk stigum,
beiddum björnu,
en brutum skjöldu,
gengum í gögnum
gráserkjat lið.
But afterwards, in Sweden,
we prescient two among people went,
chased the bear, and shattered shields;
went against a grey-sarked host.
14
Steypðum stilli,
studdum annan,
veittum góðum
Gothormi lið;
var-a kyrrseta,
áðr Knúi felli.
We overthrew one prince, propped up another,
to the good Guthorm afforded aid;
no quiet was there ere Knui fell.
15
Fram heldum því
þau misseri,
at vit at köppum
kenndar várum;
þar sorðu vit
skörpum geirum
blóð ór benjum
ok brand ruðum.
Thus we went on all those winters,
so that in conflicts we were known;
there we carved, with our sharp spears,
blood from wounds, and reddened brands.
16
Nú erum komnar
til konungs húsa
miskunnlausar
ok at mani hafðar;
aurr etr iljar,
en ofan kulði,
drögum dolgs sjötul,
daprt er at Fróða.
Now are we come to a king’s house, unpitied both,
and in thraldom held; gravel gnaws our feet,
and above ’tis cold; a foe’s host we draw.
Sad ’tis at Frodi’s!
17
Hendr skulu hvílask,
hallr standa mun,
malit hefi ek fyr mik
mitt of leiti;
nú mun-a höndum
hvíld vel gefa,
áðr fullmalit
Fróða þykki.
Hands must rest, the stone shall stand still;
for me I have my portion ground.
To hands will not rest be given,
until Frodi thinks enough is ground.
18
Hendr skulu höndla
harðar trjónur,
vápn valdreyrug,
vaki þú, Fróði,
vaki þú, Fróði,
ef þú hlýða vill
söngum okkrum
ok sögnum fornum.
Hands shall hold falchions hard,
the weapon slaughter-gory.
Wake thou, Frodi! Wake thou, Frodi!
if thou wilt listen to our songs and sagas old.
19
Eld sé ek brenna
fyr austan borg,
vígspjöll vaka,
þat mun viti kallaðr,
mun herr koma
hinig af bragði
ok brenna bæ
fyr buðlungi.
Fire I see burning east of the burgh;
tidings of war are rife:
that should be a token;
a host will forthwith hither come,
and the town burn over the king.
20
Mun-at þú halda
Hleiðrar stóli,
rauðum hringum
né regingrjóti;
tökum á möndli,
mær, skarpara,
erum-a varmar
í valdreyra.
Thou wilt not hold the throne of Lethra,
rings of red gold, or mighty mill-stone.
Let us ply the winch, girl! yet more rapidly:
are we not grown up in deadly slaughter?
21
Mól míns föður
mær rammliga,
því at hon feigð fira
fjölmargra sá;
stukku stórar
steðr frá lúðri
járni varðar,
mölum enn framar!
My father’s daughter has stoutly ground,
because the fate of many men she saw.
Huge fragments spring from the mill-stone
into the Orneflord. Let us grind on!
22
Mölum enn framar!
Mun Yrsu sonr,
niðr Halfdanar,
hefna Fróða;
sá mun hennar
heitinn verða
burr ok bróðir,
vitum báðar þat.
Let us grind on! Yrsa’s son, Halfdan’s kinsman,
will avenge Frodi:
he will of her be called son and brother:
we both know that.‘
23
Mólu meyjar,
megins kostuðu,
váru ungar
í jötunmóði;
skulfu skaptré,
skauzk lúðr ofan,
hraut inn höfgi
hallr sundr í tvau.
The maidens ground, their might applied;
the damsels were in Jotun-mood,
the axes trembled; the stone fell from above,
the ponderous rock was in shivers split.
24
En bergrisa
brúðr orð of kvað:
„Malit höfum, Fróði,
sem munum hætta,
hafa fullstaðit
fljóð at meldri.“
But the mountain-giants’ maiden said:
‚Frodi! we have ground; together we cease.
The maidens have stood at the grinding long.‘
Old Norse after the Skáldskaparmál of the Prose Edda (edition Guðni Jónsson); English after Benjamin Thorpe (1866). Thorpe’s rendering has been divided to match the Old Norse stanza numbering (he ran Old Norse stanzas 13–14 together). Both public domain. Compiled by Glanz & Gravur.
