Quotes by Snorri Sturluson

“The story is that Odin travelled from home and came to a place where nine slaves were cutting hay. He asked if they wanted him to sharpen their scythes. They agreed. Then he took a whetstone from his belt and sharpened the scythes. To them it seemed that the scythes now cut much better, and they wanted to buy the whetstone. Odin set this price on the stone: he asked that whoever wanted to buy it should give what he thought was reasonable. They all said they wanted it and each asked to buy it, but instead he threw it into the air. They all scrambled to catch it with the result that they slit each other’s throats with their scythes.””

“The Midgard Serpent opened its mouth and swallowed the ox head. The hook dug into the gums of its mouth, and when the serpent felt this, he snapped back so hard that both of Thor’s fists slammed against the gunwale. Thor now became angry and, taking on his divine strength, he strained so hard that both his feet pushed through the bottom of the boat. Using the sea floor to brace himself, he began pulling the serpent up on board. It can be said that no one has seen a more terrifying sight than this: Thor, narrowing his eyes at the serpent, while the serpent spits out poison and stares straight back from below. It is told that the giant Hymir changed colour. He grew pale and feared for his life when he saw the serpent and also the sea rushing in and out of the boat.””

“Obłęd i szał, rozczarowanie i żal,Siądź tu, a opowiem tobie o męce tęsknotyI zdwojonym bólu.””

“Loki was now captured, and with no thought of mercy he was taken to a cave. They [the Æsir] took three flat stones and, setting them on their edges, broke a hole through each of them. Then they caught Loki’s sons, Vali and Nari or Narfi. The Æsir changed Vali into a wolf, and he ripped apart his brother Narfi. Next the Æsir took his guts, and with them they bound Loki on to the top of the three stones – one under his shoulders, a second under his loins and the third under his knees. The fetters became iron. ‘Then Skadi took a poisonous snake and fastened it above Loki so that its poison drips on to his face. But Sigyn, his wife, placed herself beside him from where she holds a bowl to catch the drops of venom. When the bowl becomes full, she leaves to pour out the poison, and at that moment the poison drips on to Loki’s face. He convulses so violently that the whole earth shakes – it is what is known as an earthquake. He will lie bound there until Ragnarok.””

“The past is the mirror that reflects the future.””

“Wiem, gdzie jesion stoi, Yggdrasill się zowie,Lśniącą wilgotnością pień jego zroszony;Z niego idzie rosa, co w dolinach spada,Koło Urs studni wciąż zielony stoi.””

“When the builder saw that the work would not be finished, he flew into a giant’s rage. Once the Æsir realized for certain that they were facing a mountain giant, they no longer respected their oaths. They called upon Thor, who came immediately, and the next thing to happen was that the hammer Mjollnir was in the air. In this way Thor paid the builder his wages, but not the sun and the moon. Rather, Thor put an end to the giant’s life in Jotunheim. He struck the first blow in such a way that the giant’s skull broke into small pieces, and so Thor sent him down to Niflhel.””

“King Atli had Hogni’s heart cut out while he was alive, and that was his death.””

“Men will know misery,adulteries be multiplied,an axe-age, a sword-age,shields will be cloven,a wind-age, a wolf-age,before the world's ruin.””

“Og Sigurd som skjenket ravnen, Odins svane, blodig øl, mistet livet; landets herre ødela ham ved Oglo.Gullets øder, den uredde, livet lot i luende ild, da landkongene brøt sitt løfte, sveik i trygd Tys ætling.””

“Jeg vet ei om den jeg priser er død eller i live, ofte hans blinkende økser døyvde ørnens hunger; folk sier begge deler og sverger på det er sannhet. Såret var han i hvert fall; vondt er å vite mere.Menn som kom fra kampen sa at kongen levde; de fører dunkel tale om svikløs sønn til Tryggve. Olav, sier de, slapp vel ut av våpenstormen; folk taler langt fra sannhet, verre var det enn dette.Hør det kvad jeg kveder. Dengang kjempene søkte mot den kraftige konge kunne lagnaden ikke slippe ham av striden, den sølvrike herre, elsket av mange. Annet kan jeg ikke tro på.Enda sier meg somme menn at såret var han, at kongen kom seg unna fra kampen der i østen. Men nå har jeg sannspurt sørfra, han falt i storslaget. Jeg kan ikke med å fylle folk med løse rykter.””

“Det tridje kann eg, um turvast kannmot fiendar rame råder:eggjar eg døyverfor uvener mine,so det bit korkje våpen eller velur.””

“There is nothing but good to be told of [Balder]. He is the best of them and everyone sings his praises. He is so fair of face and bright that a splendor radiates from him, and there is a flower so white that it is likened to Balder’s brow; it is the whitest of all flowers. From that you can tell how beautiful his body is, and how bright his hair. He is the wisest of gods, and the sweetest-spoken, and the most merciful, but it is a characteristic of his that once he has pronounced a judgement it can never be altered.””