Mead of Poetry
This story can be found in the Prose Edda. Following the War Between the Ęsir and Vanir the man known as Kvasir wandered the world teaching wisdom to those he met. He once came to feast with some dwarves, Fjalar and Galar. These two called him aside for a provate word and killed him, letting his blood run into two crocks and one kettle. The kettle was called Odrorir and the crocks were known as Son and Bodhn. The dwarves mixed this blood with honey and this mixture became the mead which makes whoever drinks of it a poet or scholar. The dwarves told the Ęsir that Kvasir had choked with learning because there was no one who could compete with him in knowledge. The dwarves then invited a giant called Gilling and his wife to their home. They asked him to go rowing on the sea with them and after they were far out to sea they upset the boat. Gilling was unable to swim and was drowned while the dwarves righted to boat and rowed home. They told Gilling's wife of the accident and she became very upset and began weeping. Fjalar asked her if she would be comforted by looking out to sea in the direction of where Gilling had been drowned. She wanted to do this and Fjalar then told Galar to climb above the door and drop a stone onto her and thus end her wailing. When Gilling's son Suttung learned of what had occured he went to the dwarves, siezed them and put them on a skerry covered by the tide. The dwarves begged Suttung for their lives and offered them the mead as compensation for his father. Suttung took the mead home and set his daughter Gunnlod as its guardian. Odhinn left Asgard one day and happened upon nine serfs mowing hay. He offered to sharpen their scythes and they agreed. Odhinn took a hone and edged their tools and the serfs thought the tools cut much better and wanted to buy the hone. Odhinn said the one who bought it should pay by giving a banquet. The serfs replied they were all willing to do this and asked him to hand over the hone. Odhinn threw the hone into the air and in their efforts to catch it the serfs killed one another. Odhinn sought lodging that night with the giant Baugi, Suttung's brother. Baugi said things were not going well for him since he had found nine of his serfs killed and had no hope fo finding other labourers. Odhinn, using the name Bolverk, offered to do the work of nine men for the rest of the season in exchange for one drink of Suttung's mead. Baugi said he had nothing to do with Suttung's mead, but he would go along with Bolverk to try to obtain the mead. At the end of the summer Bolverk presented himself to his master and asked for his reward. Bolverk and Baugi went to Suttung and Baugi explained the bargain he had struck with Bolverk. Suttung refused to allow a single drop of the mead to leave his control. Bolverk told Baugi they would have to obtain the mead through guile and trickery. Together Baugi and Bolverk went to the mountain where Gunnold dwelt. Bolverk brought out the auger called Rati and bid Baugi bore through the mountain. Baugi bored through the stone and told Bolverk he was done. Bolverk blew into the hole and chips flew into his face. Bolverk realized Baugi was trying to cheat him. He told Baugi to continue to bore until he was through the mountain. Baugi bored again and when he stopped Bolverk blew into the hole and the chips were blown right through. Bolverk then changed himself into a serpent and crawled through the hole left by the auger. Baugi stabbed at him with the auger but missed. After entering the mountain Odhinn resumed his normal form and spent three nights with Gunnlod in exchange for three drinks of the mead. With his first drink he drank up all that was in Odhrorir, with his second, Bodhn, and all of Son with his third. Having gained all of the mead Odhinn then donned his eagle plumes and flew for Asgard. While still far from Asgard , Odhinn realized he was being pursued. Having seen the eagle depart the mountain Suttung changed into eagle shape and set off in pursuit. Realizing he might be caught, Odhinn flew faster and faster while the Ęsir prepared vessels to receive the mead. Seeing the eagle pursuing Odhinn, the Ęsir gathered combustible material and piled it inside the walls of Asgard. As Odhinn cleared the walls, the materials were set afire and the flames reahced up and singed the wings of Suttung causing him to fall into the fire where he burned to death. Odhinn flew to the vessels that had been prepared and spat the mead into the crocks with such force and urgency that a few drops of the mead fell and this became the poetasters' share. Anyone tasting this mead would gain the ability to compose world renown poetry.
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