The wisdom of the Dvergar
Recently I've been making an effort to familiarise myself with the lore relating to the Dvergar, the dwarves of Norse lore. This is a rich field and I can already see I'm going to get a lot out of it. I'll do a longer entry on this at some point down the line, but for now I just wanted to jot down a couple of thoughts. (Largely coz I got back from camping yesterday and I'm shagged.)
Here's the famous exchange between Loki and Andvari when the former capures the latter in Ran's net with a view to stealing His gold:
...Then Loki said:
1. "What is the fish | that runs in the flood,
And itself from ill cannot save?
If thy head thou wouldst | from hell redeem,
Find me the water's flame."
Andvari spake:
2. "Andvari am I, | and Oin my father,
In many a fall have I fared;
An evil Norn | in olden days
Doomed me In waters to dwell."
Loki spake:
3. "Andvari, say, | if thou seekest still
To live in the land of men,
What payment is set | for the sons of men
Who war with lying words?"
Andvari spake:
4. "A mighty payment | the men must make
Who in Valthgelmir's waters wade;
On a long road lead | the lying words
That one to another utters."
--Bellows trans.
This is interesting, because although according to the poem Loki is on an errand to obtain the Dverg's vast wealth, he doesn't start out by asking for money. What Loki first obtains from Andvari is information--wisdom. The clear implication here is that the knowledge held by the Dvergar is of great worth, maybe as much as gold itself.
Also interesting is the content of the information requested and given up. Here is Loki, asking what fate is reserved for liars and slanderers. As has often been observed, Loki's reputation as a liar and a deciever Himself is grossly unfair, if one sits down and actually combs through the lore. Much rests on two points: the translation of frumkveða flærðanna as "Father of Lies," and on the popular interpretation of Lokasenna as consisting of slander.
In fact the accusations in Lokasenna can be seen to be more-or-less accurate when one knows about the characters and histories of those on the recieving end. It is interesting to note that in the poem, nobody really seems to be able to offer a solid defence against Loki's accusations; they must rely on distraction and tu quoque instead.
As for frumkveða flærðanna meaning "Father of Lies," this translation is up for dispute. First of all we must note that "Father of Lies" is plainly a Christian interpolation, being a Biblical title for the Christian devil (John 8:44). It is true that one interpretation of the phrase might be "originator of deceptive speech" but alternative translations have been offered in recent years, such as Selvårv Stigårð's rendering: "seductive-speaking." (Although I have to confess I'm not good enough at ON yet to work out how Stigårð arrived at his interpretation, I'm still at the plodding-through-dictionaries stage.)
A thorough investigation reveals that Loki is recorded as lying on only one occasion, and that was to decieve the hostile Thrym who had already forfeited the right to fair treatment by ripping off Thor and trying to force Freyja into marriage. Despite being short of practice Loki lies effectively and splendidly throughout the poem.
The verse quoted above is another example. Here Loki is holding Andvari to ransom, and yet asking what the fate is of those who "war with lying words." Evidently we're meant to understand that the idea of lying about someone was viewed more harshly than just tying them up and nicking all their stuff. And it is Loki who is digging out this information. Sly Loki, the trickster, will do a lot of things--He'll steal, cheat, and even murder--but we are being given to understand that He draws the line at slander.
The implications of all this are really interesting to me. Genuine information was so very precious to the culture which produced this poem that it is treated like a literal treasure--Loki will steal Andvari's knowledge before He will steal the wise dwarf's gold. False information--attacking another with "lying words"--is seen as so venomous that spreading it around gets you sent to one of Hel's rougher neighbourhoods. (Valthgelmir only shows up in this one place, but it's likely the same river mentioned in Voluspa, where murderers and the foresworn wade.)
Here's the famous exchange between Loki and Andvari when the former capures the latter in Ran's net with a view to stealing His gold:
...Then Loki said:
1. "What is the fish | that runs in the flood,
And itself from ill cannot save?
If thy head thou wouldst | from hell redeem,
Find me the water's flame."
Andvari spake:
2. "Andvari am I, | and Oin my father,
In many a fall have I fared;
An evil Norn | in olden days
Doomed me In waters to dwell."
Loki spake:
3. "Andvari, say, | if thou seekest still
To live in the land of men,
What payment is set | for the sons of men
Who war with lying words?"
Andvari spake:
4. "A mighty payment | the men must make
Who in Valthgelmir's waters wade;
On a long road lead | the lying words
That one to another utters."
--Bellows trans.
This is interesting, because although according to the poem Loki is on an errand to obtain the Dverg's vast wealth, he doesn't start out by asking for money. What Loki first obtains from Andvari is information--wisdom. The clear implication here is that the knowledge held by the Dvergar is of great worth, maybe as much as gold itself.
Also interesting is the content of the information requested and given up. Here is Loki, asking what fate is reserved for liars and slanderers. As has often been observed, Loki's reputation as a liar and a deciever Himself is grossly unfair, if one sits down and actually combs through the lore. Much rests on two points: the translation of frumkveða flærðanna as "Father of Lies," and on the popular interpretation of Lokasenna as consisting of slander.
In fact the accusations in Lokasenna can be seen to be more-or-less accurate when one knows about the characters and histories of those on the recieving end. It is interesting to note that in the poem, nobody really seems to be able to offer a solid defence against Loki's accusations; they must rely on distraction and tu quoque instead.
As for frumkveða flærðanna meaning "Father of Lies," this translation is up for dispute. First of all we must note that "Father of Lies" is plainly a Christian interpolation, being a Biblical title for the Christian devil (John 8:44). It is true that one interpretation of the phrase might be "originator of deceptive speech" but alternative translations have been offered in recent years, such as Selvårv Stigårð's rendering: "seductive-speaking." (Although I have to confess I'm not good enough at ON yet to work out how Stigårð arrived at his interpretation, I'm still at the plodding-through-dictionaries stage.)
A thorough investigation reveals that Loki is recorded as lying on only one occasion, and that was to decieve the hostile Thrym who had already forfeited the right to fair treatment by ripping off Thor and trying to force Freyja into marriage. Despite being short of practice Loki lies effectively and splendidly throughout the poem.
The verse quoted above is another example. Here Loki is holding Andvari to ransom, and yet asking what the fate is of those who "war with lying words." Evidently we're meant to understand that the idea of lying about someone was viewed more harshly than just tying them up and nicking all their stuff. And it is Loki who is digging out this information. Sly Loki, the trickster, will do a lot of things--He'll steal, cheat, and even murder--but we are being given to understand that He draws the line at slander.
The implications of all this are really interesting to me. Genuine information was so very precious to the culture which produced this poem that it is treated like a literal treasure--Loki will steal Andvari's knowledge before He will steal the wise dwarf's gold. False information--attacking another with "lying words"--is seen as so venomous that spreading it around gets you sent to one of Hel's rougher neighbourhoods. (Valthgelmir only shows up in this one place, but it's likely the same river mentioned in Voluspa, where murderers and the foresworn wade.)