svipdagsmal 97
Surtsey Island (Photo by Pinpin/Used under a Creative Commons license)
S vadilfari
The stallion belonging to the
Giant Master Builder who built the Asgard wall.
Svadilfari was a mighty animal, immensely powerful.
He was lured from his task of helping the builder by
a pretty mare (Loki in disguise) and became the sire
of Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse.
S valin ( The
Cooling ) The shield in front of
“the shining god,” whom scholars say refers to Sol,
the Sun goddess. The shield protects the mountains,
the seas, and the Earth from the heat of Sol’s flames.
The shield Svalin is named in the poem G rim -
nismal and is referred to in Sigrdrifumol, a heroic
legend in the P oetic E dda . (See also “Sun and
Moon” under creation.)
S vartalfheim (D ark A lfheim ) The realm
of the black, or dark, elves, who were also called
dwarfs. It lay deep underground, beneath the roots
of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. It was there that Loki
went to ask the dwarfs, who were skilled craftsmen, to
produce treasures for the gods (see “Treasures of the
Dwarf” under Loki).
S vipdag (Swift
Day) The human son of the
seeress Groa and the hero of S vipdagsmal (Ballad of
Svipdag) in the P oetic E dda . Svipdag goes to Nifl-
heim to seek the advice of Groa. He summoned her
from the grave to ask her the best way to woo and win
Menglod, the fair maiden he loves. Groa chants him
a series of charms that will protect him in his travels.
Svipdag sets off to seek Menglod. In Jotunheim he
finds a massive gate guarded by the giant Fjolsvid.
After a series of questions and answers in which
Svipdag learns about the gods and giants and their
worlds, the giant finally lets Svipdag enter the gates,
where he finds the beautiful Menglod waiting for him
with open arms.
S vipdagsmal (Lay of Svipdag)
A poem or com-
bination of poems included in some translations of
the P oetic E dda . Svipdagsmal is found only in the
paper manuscripts of the Poetic Edda, all of which
were copied in the 17th century or later.
Svipdagsmal tells the story of Svipdag, the human
son of the witch Groa, who seeks help from his
dead mother to win the love of the beautiful giantess