Chapters 44-95 - Germanic Mythology

or betrothed of Suttung-Fjalar's daughter, Gunnlod. On that night the wedding of the
giant's daughter is to be celebrated.
Odin arrives, but in disguise. He is received as the guest of honor, and is
conducted to the golden high-seat. It follows of necessity that the guise assumed by Odin,
when he descends to the mortal foes of the gods and of himself, is that of the expected
lover. Who the latter was Hávamál does not state, unless strophe 110:5, like so many
other passages, is purposely ambiguous and contains his name, a question which I shall
consider later.
After the adventure has ended happily, Odin looks back with pleasure upon the
success with which he assumed the guise of the stranger and played his part (str. 107).
Vel keypts litar hefi eg vel notið: "From the well changed exterior I reaped great
advantage." 11 In regard to the mythological meaning of litur, see No. 95. The expression
keyptur litur, which literally means "purchased appearance," may seem strange, but
kaupa means not only to "buy," but also to "change," "exchange"; kaupa klæðum við einn
means "to change clothes with some one." 12 Of a queen who exchanged her son with a
slave woman, it is said that she keypti um sonu við ambátt. 13 But the cause of Odin's joy
is not that he successfully carried out a cunning trick, but that he in this way
accomplished a deed of inestimable value for Asgard and for man (str. 107:4-6), and he is
sorry that poor Gunnlod's trust in him was betrayed (str. 105). This is a characterization
of Odin's personality.
Nor does Hávamál tell us what hinders the real lover from putting in his
appearance and thwarting Odin's plan, while the latter is acting his part; but of this we
learn something from another source, which we shall consider below.
The adventure undertaken by Odin is extremely dangerous, and he ran the risk of
losing his head (str. 106:6). For this reason he has, before entering Suttung-Fjalar's halls,
secured an egress, through which he must be able to fly, and, if possible, with the skaldic
mead as his booty. There is no admittance for everybody to the rocky abode where the
mead-treasure so much desired by all powers is kept. The dwelling is, as Eyvind tells us,
situated in an abyss, and the door is, as another record tells us, watched. But Odin has let
Rati bore ("gnaw") a tunnel through the mountain large enough to give him room to retire
secretly (str. 106). In regard to Rati, see No. 82.
When the pretended lover has seated himself in the golden high-seat, a
conversation begins around the banquet table. It is necessary for Odin to guard well his
words, for he represents another person, well known there, and if he is not cautious he
may be discovered. It is also necessary to be eloquent and winning, so that he may charm
Gunnlod and secure her devotion, for without her knowledge he cannot gain his end, that
of carrying away the supply of inspiration-mead kept at Suttung's. Odin also boasts (str.
11 Vel keypts litar hefi eg vel notið, the meaning of this phrase is uncertain. Rydberg gives powerful reasons
to interpret it as "exchanging appearance," i.e. donning a disguise, or using glamour. Over the years, several
different interpretations have been offered. In his commentary to Hávamál (1986), David Evans notes that
litur has never been satisfactorily explained. For a complete discussion, see Evans' pg. 121. He concludes
"In all probability the line is corrupt without redemption." Rydberg's interpretation makes good sense here.
12 Fornmanna Sögur II, pg. 156, Ólafs konúngs Tryggvassonar ch. 201.
13 Fornaldasögur Norðurlanda, Hálfs Saga og Hálfsrekka 17