Chapters 44-95 - Germanic Mythology

follows that "Fánn's brewing" and Fánn himself, like their possessor, must have been in
some way connected with the lower world.
From the mythic tradition in Guðrúnarkviða in forna, we already know that a
serpent, "a long heath-fish," is engraved and painted on the subterranean horn, whose
sorrow-allaying mead is composed of the liquids of the three Hades-fountains.
When King Gorm (Saxo, Book 8; cp. No. 46) made his journey of discovery in
the lower world, he saw a vast ox-horn (ingens bubali cornu) there. It lay near the goldclad
mead-cisterns, the fountains of the lower world. Its purpose of being filled with their
liquids is sufficiently clear from its location. We are also told that it was carved with
figures (nec cælaturæ artificio vacuum), 5 like the subterranean horn in Guðrúnarkviða.
One of Gorm's men is anxious to secure the treasure. Then the horn lengthens into a
dragon who kills the would-be robber (cornu in draconem extractum sui spiritum latoris
eripuit). 6 Like Slidrugtanni and other subterranean treasures, the serpent or dragon on the
drinking-horn of the lower world is endowed with life when necessary, or the horn itself
acquires life in the form of a dragon, and punishes with death him who has no right to
touch it. The horn itself is accordingly a Fánn, an artificial serpent or dragon, and its
contents is Fánn's hrosti (Fánn's brewing).
The Icelandic middle-age sagas have handed down the memory of an aurochshorn
(úrarhorn), which was found in the lower world, and was there used to drink from
(Fornaldarsögur, Sturlaugs saga).
Thus it follows that the hilmir Fáns hrosta, "the lord of Fán's brewing,"
mentioned by Egil, is the master of the Hades-horn, he who determines to whom it is to
be handed, in order that they may imbibe vigor and forgetfulness of sorrow from "Urd's
strength, cool sea, and Son's liquid." And thus the meaning of the strophe here discussed
(Sonatorrek 19) is made perfectly clear. Egil's deceased sons have drunk from this horn,
and thus they have been initiated as dwellers for ever in the lower world. Thus the skald
can say that Hilmir Fáns hrosta was inexorably firm against him, their father, who
desired to keep his sons with him.
The interpretation of the passage, which has previously prevailed, begins with a
text emendation. 7 Fánn is changed to Finn. Finn is the name of a dwarf. Finns hrosti is
"the dwarf's drink," and "the dwarf's drink" is, on the authority of the Prose Edda,
synonymous with poetry. The possessor of Finns hrosti is Odin, the lord of poetry. With
text emendations of this sort (they are numerous, are based on false notions in regard to
the adaptability of the Icelandic Christian poetics to the heathen poetry, and usually quote
Gylfaginning as authority) we can produce anything we like from the statements of the
ancient records. Odin's character as the lord of poetry has not the faintest idea in common
with the contents of the strophe. His character as judge at the court near Urd's fountain,
and as the one who, as the judge of the dead, has authority over the liquor in the
subterranean horn, is on the other hand closely connected with the contents of the
strophe, and is alone able to make it consistent and intelligible. Further on in the poem,
Egil speaks of Odin as the lord of poetry. Odin, he says, has not only been severe against
5 "A huge auruch's horn, set with attractively gleaming jewels and dextrously carved." Fisher tr.
6 "The horn lengthened out into a serpent, and took the life of the man who bore it." Elton tr.
7 This paragraph, which appears as a footnote in the original text, seems to indicate that Rydberg himself
was not aware of the actual reading "fanst," found in the Sonnatorrek manuscript, Egil's Saga chapter 78.
He likely was working from a copy of the manuscript which did not note the emendation, as no critical
editions of these works were published in his day.