Source text: “The Riddles of Heidrek”

Heiðreksgátur

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English translation made by AI from the Old Norse.

1

“I would have that
which I had yesterday;
find out what it was:
a crippler of men,
a hinderer of words,
and a starter of words.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
Give him ale. It cripples many men's wits. Some become talkative from it, while others find their tongues tangled.”
Gestumblindi said:

2

“From home I went,
from home I made my journey;
I saw ways upon my way:
a way lay beneath,
a way lay above,
and ways on every side.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You crossed a bridge, and the river's way lay beneath it, while birds flew above your head and on either side of you; that was their way. You saw a salmon in the river, and that was its way.”
Gestumblindi said:

3

“What was the drink
I drank yesterday?
It was neither wine nor water,
neither mead nor ale,
nor any food,
yet I left there free of thirst.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You lay down in the shade and cooled your lips with dew. But if you are the Gestumblindi I thought you were, you are wiser than I supposed, for I have heard foolish words from you, but now, as we go on, they grow wise.”
“I will likely run out soon,” says Gestumblindi, “but I would still like you to listen:

4

Who is the shrill one
who walks hard roads
and has travelled them before,
kisses very firmly,
and has two mouths,
and walks on gold alone?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is a goldsmith's hammer, with which gold is beaten. It rings loudly when it strikes the hard anvil, and that is its road.”
Gestumblindi said:

5

“Who is the mighty one
who passes over the earth,
swallows waters and marshes,
fears the storm,
but fears no men,
and brings charges against the sun?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is darkness. The sun cannot be seen through it, but it vanishes as soon as the wind comes, and people can do nothing to it; it quenches the sunshine. But you are cunning in posing such riddles and misleading words, whoever you are.”
Gestumblindi said:

6

“Who is the mighty one
who governs much
and turns halfway toward Hel,
saves men's lives,
but contends with the earth,
if he has a trusty friend?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is an anchor with a thick, strong rope. It governs many a ship. It grips the earth with one fluke, and that one points toward Hel; it saves many a man's life. But I marvel greatly at your skill with words and your wisdom.”
Gestumblindi said: “I too have nearly run out of riddles now, but everyone is eager to preserve his life.

7

Who dwells on high mountains,
who falls into deep valleys,
who lives without breath,
who is never silent?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
The raven always dwells on high mountains, while dew always falls into deep valleys; a fish lives without breath, while a roaring waterfall is never silent.”
“It will grow difficult now,” says Gestumblindi, “and I do not know what will come to mind.

8

What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors?
Its head
points toward Hel,
but it turns its feet toward the sun.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is a leek. Its head points into the earth, but its leaves into the air.”
Gestumblindi said:

9

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
two restless ones,
without breath,
cooked the leek of wounds?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
They are smith's bellows. They have wind, but no breath.”
Gestumblindi said:

10

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
white fliers
strike the stone,
but black ones bury themselves in sand?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
The riddles grow smaller now, but it is hail and rain, for hail strikes the street, while raindrops sink into the sand and make their way into the earth.”
Gestumblindi said:

11

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
a black boar
I saw wading in filth,
yet no bristles rose on its back?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is a dung beetle, and many things have now been dragged in, when dung beetles become questions for powerful men.”
Gestumblindi answers: “Delay is best in trouble, but many a man seeks something greater, and so some overlook things. I too see now that every way out must be sought.

12

What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
it has ten tongues,
twenty eyes,
forty feet;
that creature moves swiftly?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You saw a sow, and inside her were nine piglets.” Then the king had the sow killed, and inside her were nine piglets, as Gestumblindi had said.
Then the king said: “For all I know, wise beings may now have a hand in this, and I do not know what sort of man you are.”
Gestumblindi answers: “I am as you can see, and I would gladly be granted my life and be free of these trials.”
The king answers: “You must pose riddles until either you run out or I fail to solve them.”
Gestumblindi said:

13

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
it flies on high,
the elm-bow's voice rings out;
hard they are, ruler?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is an arrow,” says the king.
Gestumblindi said:

14

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
it has eight feet
and four eyes,
and carries its knees higher than its belly?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
The king said: “You wear your hat low, yet you see more beneath it than most other men, since you give thought to every strange creature on earth. But it is a spider.”
Gestumblindi said:

15

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
it gives light to people,
but flame swallows it,
and wolves always strive for it?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
It is the sun. It lights every land and shines over all people, but the beasts are called Skalli and Hati; they are wolves, and one goes before the sun and the other behind it.”
Gestumblindi said:

16

“What is that marvel
I saw outside
before Delling's doors:
harder than horn,
blacker than a raven,
straighter than a shaft,
whiter than an eggshell's membrane?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You saw a piece of obsidian lying in a house, and a sunbeam shone upon it. Or can you find no other way of posing riddles than to give them the same beginning, though you seem to me a learned man?”
Then Gestumblindi said:

17

“Pale-haired women,
two serving maids,
carried
ale to the chamber;
it was neither shaped by hands
nor hammered with a hammer;
yet out beyond the islands
is the vigorous one who made the vessel.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle.”
“Good is your riddle,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
They are two female eiders laying eggs. Eggs are made neither with a hammer nor with hands, but serving maids carried the ale in the eggshell.”
Gestumblindi said: “He who has a small knife and little knowledge must look for a joint, and I would still like to say more, or

18

Who are those women
on the mighty mountain?
Woman bears a child with wife,
maiden with maiden
begets a son,
yet these women have no husbands?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
Those are two mountain angelicas together, and a young angelica shoot springs up between them."
Gestumblindi said:

19

"Who are those women
who around their lord
fight without weapons?
The brown ones shield him
throughout every day,
but the fairer ones revile him.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is hnefatafl. The pieces strike one another down without weapons around the king-piece, and the red ones follow him."

20

"Who are those maidens
who travel over lands,
rousing their father's curiosity?
A white shield
they bear in winter,
but a black one in summer.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Those are ptarmigans. They are white in winter but black in summer."
Gestumblindi said:

21

"Who are those women
who go mourning,
rousing their father's curiosity?
They have pale hair,
those white-hooded ones,
and must grow in the wind.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
Those are waves, which are called Aegir's maidens."
Gestumblindi said:

22

"Who are those maidens
who go in great numbers together,
rousing their father's curiosity?
To many a man
they have brought harm,
yet these women have no husbands.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
But these are waves, as before."
Gestumblindi said:

23

"Who are those brides
who walk in shirts of surf
and journey along the fjord?
They have a hard bed,
those white-hooded ones,
and play little in calm weather.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
Those are Aegir's maidens again. Your invention is failing you badly now, and you must now be willing to submit to the judgment of wise men."
Gestumblindi said: "I am reluctant to do that, but I expect it will soon come to that now.

24

I saw the earth's
soil-dweller travelling;
a corpse sat upon a corpse.
The blind rode the blind
to ride the surf,
a horse bereft of breath.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You came to a river, and an ice floe was drifting down it. A dead horse lay on it, and on the horse lay a dead snake. There the blind bore the blind, all three together."
Gestumblindi said:

25

"What beast is that
which destroys men's wealth
and is ringed with iron outside?
It has eight horns
but no head,
and runs as well as it can.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is a die in hnefatafl; it has the same name as a bear. It runs whenever it is thrown."
Gestumblindi said:

26

"What beast is that
which shields the Danes,
bears a bloody back,
yet saves men,
meets spears,
gives life to some,
and against his palm
a man lays its body?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is a shield; it saves many men and often bears a bloody back."
Gestumblindi said:

27

"Many eggs once were laid
by a full-grown nose-goose;
eager for offspring, she gathered
building-timbers together.
She was sheltered
by straw's biting swords,
yet drink's bellowing
rock lay above her.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
A duck lay there on her eggs between an ox's jawbones, which you call straw's biting swords; by the bellowing rock you mean the skull, and by the building-timbers the nest."

28

"Four walk,
four hang,
two show the way,
two ward off dogs,
one trails behind,
and is usually dirty.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is a cow; she has four feet and four teats, two horns and two eyes, while her tail trails behind."
Gestumblindi said:

29

"Who is that solitary one
who sleeps in a heap of ashes
and is made from stone alone?
Neither father nor mother
has that mischief-maker;
will he spend his life there?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is a fire banked on the hearth, struck from flint."
Gestumblindi said:

30

"I saw a stallion standing,
flogging a mare,
wagging his dangling tail,
thrusting his rump beneath her belly;
it must be drawn out
and worked for a good while.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
Then the king answered: "My retainers shall solve this riddle."
They made many guesses, and few were very decent.
Then the king said, when he saw that they were making no progress: "The horse you speak of is a linen loom, and its mare is the reed, which must shake the woven cloth up and down."
Gestumblindi said:

31

"Who are those thanes
who ride to the assembly,
sixteen together?
Their people
they send across lands
to settle homesteads.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is King Itrek's board game."
Gestumblindi said:

32

"I saw in summer,
among sunny crags,
a company keeping watch,
far from cheerful.
The earls drank
ale in silence,
but screaming
the ale-vessel stood.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
That is a sow with piglets. When the piglets suckle her, she squeals while they are silent. But I do not know what sort of man you are, who fashions such things so smoothly from so little material." And now the king quietly ordered the hall doors to be barred.
Gestumblindi said:

33

"I saw maidens
who looked like earth;
rocks were their beds.
Black and dusky
in sunny weather,
but fairer when they shed their clothes.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
Those are embers grown pale on the hearth."
Gestumblindi said:

34

"I sat on a sail;
I saw dead men
carrying bloody flesh
in the bark of a tree.
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
"Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You were sitting on a wall and saw a falcon flying, carrying an eider in its claws."
Gestumblindi said:

35

"Who are those two
who have ten feet,
three eyes
and one tail?
King Heidrek,
ponder the riddle."
Your riddle is good,
Gestumblindi;
it has been solved:
You are trying many things now, finding events from long ago to put before me. That is when Odin rode the horse Sleipnir. He had eight feet and Odin two, and they had three eyes: Sleipnir two and Odin one."
Gestumblindi said:

36

"Tell me this last, then,
[if you, Heidrek, are
wiser than every ruler]:
What did Odin say
in Baldr's ear
before he was laid on the pyre?"
The king answered:

37

"Shameful things and perversion
and every kind of cowardice,
[I expect it was,
but the words you spoke,
you alone know],
you evil, wretched being."
Then the king drew Tyrfing and struck at Gestumblindi, but he changed into a falcon's shape and flew out through a window of the hall. The sword struck the falcon's tail, and that is why it has always had a short tail ever since, as heathen people believe. Odin had now become angry with him because he had struck at him, and that night the king was killed.