Prose Edda — Old Norse facing a living language
Þá mælti Gangleri: "Allmikill er fyrir sér Útgarða-Loki, en með vélum ok fjölkynngi ferr hann mjök, en þat má sjá, at hann er mikill fyrir sér, at hann átti hirðmenn þá, er mikinn mátt hafa, eða hvárt hefir Þórr ekki þessa hefnt?"
Then Gangleri said: "Utgard-Loki is a formidable one, and works heavily in tricks and sorcery — you can tell from the sheer power of the men he keeps as his household. But did Thor ever get his revenge for this?"
Hárr svarar: "Eigi er þat ókunnigt, þótt eigi sé fræðimenn, at Þórr leiðrétti þessa ferðina, er nú var frá sagt, ok dvalðist ekki lengi heima, áðr hann bjóst svá skyndiliga til ferðarinnar, at hann hafði eigi reið ok eigi hafrana ok ekki föruneyti. Gekk hann út of Miðgarð svá sem ungr drengr ok kom einn aftan at kveldi til jötuns nökkurs. Sá er Hymir nefndr.
High answered: "It's no secret, even to those who aren't scholars, that Thor made good on this journey I've just told you about, and didn't stay home long before setting out again — so fast, in fact, that he took no chariot, no goats, and no company at all. He walked out through Midgard disguised as a young man, and came one evening at dusk to a certain giant's house. That giant was named Hymir. Thor stayed there as a guest for the night.
Þórr dvalðist þar at gistingu of nóttina. En í dagan stóð Hymir upp ok klæddist ok bjóst at róa á sæ til fiskjar, en Þórr spratt upp ok varð skjótt búinn ok bað, at Hymir skyldi hann láta róa á sæ með sér, en Hymir segir, at lítil liðsemð myndi at honum vera, er hann var lítill ok ungmenni eitt - "ok mun þik kala, ef ek sit svá lengi ok útarliga sem ek em vanr."
At dawn Hymir got up, dressed, and made ready to row out to sea to fish, and Thor jumped up, got ready quickly, and asked Hymir to let him row out with him. Hymir said he'd be little help, being so small and young — "and you'll freeze, if I stay out as long and as far as I usually do."
En Þórr sagði, at hann myndi róa mega fyrir því langt frá landi, at eigi var víst, hvárt hann myndi fyrr beiðast at róa útan, ok reiddist Þórr jötninum svá, at þá var búit, at hann myndi þegar láta hamarinn skjalla honum, en hann lét þat við berast, því at hann hugðist þá at reyna afl sitt í öðrum stað. Hann spurði Hymi hvat, þeir skyldu hafa at beitum, en Hymir bað hann fá sér sjálfan beitur.
But Thor said he'd manage to row far from shore just fine — it wasn't at all certain who'd ask to turn back first — and Thor grew so angry at the giant that he very nearly let the hammer crash down on him right there, but he held back, since he meant to test his strength somewhere else. He asked Hymir what they should use for bait, and Hymir told him to get his own bait. So Thor went off to where he saw a herd of oxen belonging to Hymir. He took the biggest ox, called Heaven-Bellower, tore off its head, and carried it down to the sea.
Þá snerist Þórr á braut þangat, er hann sá öxnaflokk nökkurn, er Hymir átti. Hann tók inn mesta uxann, er Himinhrjóðr hét, ok sleit af höfuðit ok fór með til sjávar. Hafði þá Hymir út skotit nökkvanum. Þórr gekk á skipit ok settist í austrrúm, tók tvær árar ok reri, ok þótti Hymi skriðr verða af róðri hans. Hymir reri í hálsinum fram, ok sóttist skjótt róðrinn.
By then Hymir had already pushed the boat out. Thor climbed aboard and sat down in the bailing-seat, took up two oars, and rowed — and it seemed to Hymir that the boat picked up real speed from his rowing. Hymir rowed at the bow, and they made quick progress. Then Hymir said they'd reached the banks where he usually anchored to fish for flatfish, but Thor said he wanted to row much farther out, and they pulled hard a while longer.
Sagði þá Hymir, at þeir váru komnir á þær vastir, er hann var vanr at sitja ok draga flata fiska, en Þórr kveðst vilja róa miklu lengra, ok tóku þeir enn snertiróðr. Sagði Hymir þá, at þeir váru komnir svá langt út, at hætt var at sitja útar fyrir Miðgarðsormi, en Þórr kveðst myndu róa enn um hríð, ok svá gerði hann, en Hymir var þá allókátr.
Then Hymir said they'd gone so far out now that it was dangerous to sit any farther, because of the Midgard Serpent, but Thor said he meant to row on a little longer, and he did — and by then Hymir was thoroughly unhappy about it. Once Thor shipped the oars, he readied a very strong fishing line, with a hook no smaller or weaker than the line itself.
En þá er Þórr lagði upp árarnar, greiddi hann til vað heldr sterkjan, ok eigi var öngullinn minni eða óramligri. Þar lét Þórr koma á öngulinn uxahöfuðit ok kastaði fyrir borð, ok fór öngullinn til grunns, ok er þér þat satt at segja, at engu ginnti þá Þórr miðr Miðgarðsorm en Útgarða-Loki hafði spottat Þór, þá er hann hóf orminn upp á hendi sér.
Thor baited the hook with the ox-head and cast it overboard, and the hook sank to the bottom — and I promise you, Thor tricked the Midgard Serpent every bit as badly that day as Utgard-Loki had once mocked Thor, back when he lifted the Serpent in his own hand. The Midgard Serpent snapped at the ox-head, and the hook caught in its jaw — and when the Serpent felt it, it lunged so hard that both Thor's fists slammed into the gunwale.
Miðgarðsormr gein yfir uxahöfuðit, en öngullinn vá í góminn orminum. En er ormrinn kenndi þess, brá hann við svá hart, at báðir hnefar Þórs skullu út at borðinu. Þá varð Þórr reiðr ok færðist í ásmegin, spyrnði við fast, svá at hann hljóp báðum fótum gegnum skipit ok spyrnði við grunni, dró þá orminn upp at borði.
Thor grew furious, called up his godly strength, and braced himself so hard that both his feet went straight through the bottom of the boat, and he planted them on the seabed and hauled the Serpent up to the gunwale.
En þat má segja, at engi hefir sá sét allógurligar sjónir, er eigi mátti þat sjá, er Þórr hvessti augun á orminn, en ormrinn starði neðan í mót ok blés eitrinu. Þá er sagt, at jötunninn Hymir gerðist litverpr, fölnaði ok hræddist, er hann sá orminn ok þat er særinn féll út ok inn of nökkvann.
And it's fair to say that no one has seen a more terrifying sight than this: Thor glaring down at the Serpent with blazing eyes, and the Serpent staring back up at him from below, spitting venom. It's said that the giant Hymir turned pale, went white with fear, when he saw the Serpent, and saw the sea washing in and out through the boat.
Ok í því bili, er Þórr greip hamarinn ok færði á loft, þá fálmaði jötunninn til agnsaxinu ok hjó vað Þórs á borði, en ormrinn sökkðist í sæinn. En Þórr kastaði hamrinum eftir honum, ok segja menn, at hann lysti af honum höfuðit við hrönnunum, en ek hygg hitt vera þér satt at segja, at Miðgarðsormr lifir enn ok liggr í umsjá.
And in that instant, just as Thor grabbed for the hammer and swung it up, the giant fumbled for his bait-knife and hacked through Thor's line at the gunwale, and the Serpent sank back down into the sea. Thor threw the hammer after it, and some people say he struck its head off down there in the depths, but I think it's truer to tell you that the Midgard Serpent still lives, coiled in the surrounding ocean.
En Þór reiddi til hnefann ok setr við eyra Hymi, svá at hann steypðist fyrir borð, ok sér í iljar honum, en Þórr óð til lands."
But Thor swung his fist and caught Hymir on the ear, so hard that he pitched overboard, and Thor watched the soles of his feet go under. And Thor waded back to land."