Prose Edda — Old Norse facing a living language
Lét hann þar eftir hafra ok byrjaði ferðina austr í Jötunheima ok allt til hafsins, ok þá fór hann út yfir hafit þat it djúpa. En er hann kom til lands, þá gekk hann upp ok með honum Loki ok Þjálfi ok Röskva. Þá er þau höfðu litla hríð gengit, varð fyrir þeim mörk stór. Gengu þau þann dag allan til myrkurs. Þjálfi var allra manna fóthvatastr. Hann bar kýl Þórs, en til vista var eigi gott.
He left the goats behind there and set out eastward into Jotunheim, all the way to the sea, and then he went out over that deep sea. When he reached land, he went ashore, and with him Loki, Thjalfi, and Roskva. After they'd walked a little while, a great forest stood in their path. They walked the whole day until dark. Thjalfi was the swiftest of all men on foot — he carried Thor's pack — but there wasn't much good to be had in the way of food.
Þá er myrkt var orðit, leituðu þeir sér náttstaðar ok fundu fyrir sér skála nokkurn mjök mikinn. Váru dyrr á enda ok jafnbreiðar skálanum. Þar leituðu þeir sér náttbóls. En of miðja nótt varð landskjálfti mikill. Gekk jörðin undir þeim skykkjum, ok skalf húsit. Þá stóð Þórr upp ok hét á lagsmenn sína, ok leituðust fyrir ok fundu afhús til hægri handar í miðjum skálanum ok gengu þannig.
Once it had grown dark, they looked for a place to spend the night and found ahead of them a very large hall. There was a door at one end, as wide as the hall itself. There they settled down for the night. But around midnight a great earthquake struck — the ground shook violently beneath them, and the house trembled.
Settist Þórr í dyrrnar, en önnur þau váru innar frá honum, ok váru þau hrædd, en Þórr helt hamarskaftinu ok hugði at verja sik. Þá heyrðu þau ym mikinn ok gný. En er kom at dagan, þá gekk Þórr út ok sér mann, hvar lá skammt frá honum í skóginum, ok var sá eigi lítill. Hann svaf ok hraut sterkliga. Þá þóttist Þórr skilja, hvat látum verit hafði of nóttina.
Thor got up and called to his companions, and they searched around and found a side-chamber to the right, in the middle of the hall, and went in there. Thor sat down in the doorway, with the others further inside, and they were frightened, but Thor held the hammer's shaft, ready to defend himself. Then they heard a great groaning and crashing sound. As day broke, Thor went outside and saw a man lying not far off in the woods — and he was no small man.
Hann spennir sik megingjörðum, ok óx honum ásmegin. Ok í því bili vaknar sá maðr ok stóð skjótt upp, en þá er sagt, at Þór varð bilt einu sinni at slá hann með hamrinum ok spurði hann at nafni. En sá nefndist Skrýmir, - "en eigi þarf ek", sagði hann, "at spyrja þik at nafni. Kenni ek, at þú ert Ása-þórr. En hvárt hefir þú dregit á braut hanzka minn?" Seildist þá Skrýmir til ok tók upp hanzkann.
He was asleep, snoring loudly. Thor thought he understood now what had made the noise in the night. He buckled on his belt of strength, and his godly power surged — and at that moment the man woke and jumped quickly to his feet, and it's said that this was the one time Thor hesitated to strike with the hammer. He asked the man his name. He called himself Skrymir — "though I don't need,"
Sér Þórr þá, at þat hafði hann haft of nóttina fyrir skála, en afhúsit, þat var þumlungrinn hanzkans. Skrýmir spurði, ef Þórr vildi hafa föruneyti hans, en Þórr játti því. Þá tók Skrýmir ok leysti nestbagga sinn ok bjóst til at eta dögurð, en Þórr í öðrum stað ok hans félagar. Skrýmir bauð þá, at þeir legðu mötuneyti sitt, en Þórr játti því.
he said, "to ask your name. I can tell you're Aesir-Thor. But tell me — have you made off with my glove?" Skrymir reached out and picked up the glove, and Thor saw then that what he'd taken for a hall in the night was the glove, and the side-chamber was its thumb. Skrymir asked if Thor wanted his company, and Thor agreed.
Þá batt Skrýmir nest þeira allt í einn bagga ok lagði á bak sér. Hann gekk fyrir of daginn ok steig heldr stórum, en síð at kveldi leitaði Skrýmir þeim náttstaðar undir eik nökkurri mikilli. Þá mælti Skrýmir til Þórs, at hann vill leggjast niðr at sofa, - "en þér takið nestbaggan ok búið til nótturðar yðr."
Then Skrymir untied his food-bag and set about eating his breakfast, and Thor and his companions did the same elsewhere. Skrymir suggested they pool their food, and Thor agreed. So Skrymir tied all their food into one bag and slung it on his own back. He walked ahead all day, taking huge strides, and late in the evening he found them a place to sleep under a great oak.
Því næst sofnar Skrýmir ok hraut fast, en Þórr tók nestbaggann ok skal leysa, en svá er at segja, sem ótrúligt mun þykkja, at engi knút fekk hann leyst ok engi álarendann hreyft, svá at þá væri lausari en áðr.
Then Skrymir told Thor he meant to lie down and sleep — "take the food-bag and get your own supper ready."
Ok er hann sér, at þetta verk má eigi nýtast, þá varð hann reiðr, greip þá hamarinn Mjöllni tveim höndum ok steig fram öðrum fæti at þar, er Skrýmir lá, ok lýstr í höfuð honum, en Skrýmir vaknar ok spyrr, hvárt laufsblað nakkvat felli í höfuð honum eða hvárt þeir hafi þá matazt ok sé búnir til rekkna. Þórr segir, at þeir munu þá sofa ganga. Ganga þau þá undir aðra eik.
Then Skrymir fell asleep and snored hard, while Thor took the food-bag and tried to untie it — but here's a thing that will sound hard to believe: he couldn't loosen a single knot, or shift a single strap-end, not by the slightest bit. Seeing that this wasn't going to work, he grew angry, gripped the hammer Mjollnir in both hands, strode over to where Skrymir lay, and struck him on the head. Skrymir woke and asked whether a leaf had fallen on his head, or whether they'd finished eating and were ready to sleep.
Er þat þér satt at segja, at ekki var þá óttalaust at sofa. En at miðri nótt, þá heyrir Þórr, at Skrýmir hrýtr ok sefr fast, svá at dunar í skóginum. Þá stendr hann upp ok gengr til hans, reiðir hamarinn títt ok hart ok lýstr ofan í miðjan hvirfil honum. Hann kennir, at hamarsmuðrinn sökkr djúpt í höfuðit. En í því bili vaknar Skrýmir ok mælti: "Hvat er nú?
Thor said they were just about to. They moved under another oak. It's fair to say there wasn't much peace of mind in that sleep. At midnight Thor heard Skrymir snoring away so hard the woods shook with it. He got up and went to him, swung the hammer fast and hard, and struck him square on the crown of the head — he felt the hammer's face sink deep into his skull.
Fell akarn nökkut í höfuð mér, eða hvat er títt um þik, Þórr?" En Þórr gekk aftr skyndiliga ok svarar, at hann var þá nývaknaðr, sagði, at þá var mið nótt ok enn væri mál at sofa. Þá hugsaði Þórr þat, ef hann kæmi svá í færi at slá hann it þriðja högg, at aldri skyldi hann sjá sik síðan, liggr nú ok gætir, ef Skrýmir sofnaði enn fast.
At that moment Skrymir woke and said: "What's this now? Did an acorn fall on my head? What's going on with you, Thor?" Thor slipped away quickly and answered that he'd only just woken, and said it was still the middle of the night, plenty of time left to sleep. Thor thought to himself that if he could land a third blow, the giant would never see the light of day again — he lay there waiting, watching for Skrymir to fall soundly asleep once more.
En litlu fyrir dagan þá heyrir hann, at Skrýmir mun sofnat hafa, stendr þá upp ok hleypr at honum, reiðir þá hamarinn af öllu afli ok lýstr á þunnvangann, þann er upp vissi. Sökkr þá hamarrinn upp at skaftinu. En Skrýmir settist upp ok strauk of vangann ok mælti: "Hvárt munu fuglar nökkurir sitja í trénu yfir mér? Mik grunaði, er ek vaknaða, at tros nökkut af kvistunum felli í höfuð mér.
A little before dawn, he heard that Skrymir must be fast asleep, so he got up, ran at him, swung the hammer with all his strength, and struck him on the temple that lay uppermost. The hammer sank in right up to the handle. But Skrymir sat up, rubbed his cheek, and said: "There must be birds roosting in the tree above me — I thought when I woke that some twigs had fallen on my head.
Hvárt vakir þú, Þórr? Mál mun vera upp at standa ok klæðast, en ekki eiguð þér nú langa leið fram til borgarinnar, er kölluð er Útgarðr. Heyrt hefi ek, at þér hafit kvisat í milli yðvar, at ek væra ekki lítill maðr vexti, en sjá skuluð þér þar stærri menn, ef þér komit í Útgarð. Nú mun ek ráða yðr heilræði. Látið þér eigi stórliga yfir yðr.
Are you awake, Thor? Time to get up and dressed — you don't have far to go now to the stronghold called Utgard. I've heard you whispering among yourselves that I'm no small man in size, but you'll see bigger men still, once you reach Utgard. Now I'll give you some good advice: don't put on airs there.
Ekki munu hirðmenn Útgarða-Loka vel þola þvílíkum kögursveinum köpuryrði. En at öðrum kosti hverfið aftr, ok þann ætla ek yðr betra af at taka. En ef þér vilið fram fara, þá stefnið þér í austr, en ek á nú norðr leið til fjalla þessa, er þér meguð nú sjá." Tekr Skrýmir nestbaggann ok kastar á bak sér ok snýr þvers á braut í skóginn frá þeim, ok er þess eigi getit, at æsirnir bæði þá heila hittast
Utgard-Loki's men won't take kindly to big talk from such little fellows. Otherwise, turn back now, and I think that would be the wiser choice for you. But if you mean to go on, head east — I'm heading north myself, toward those mountains you can see." Skrymir took the food-bag, slung it on his back, and turned off into the forest away from them — and it's not recorded that the Aesir wished him a safe journey.