Plot Summary of “The Mead of Poetry”
After the war between the Aesir and the Venir, a truce was made. Each god and goddess spat into
a great jar. The Aesir wanted this truce to never be forgotten for a single moment, so they carried off the
jar and fashioned a man, Kvasir. He was extremely wise and intelligent. Wherever he went, his advice
was sought, for he answered all questions modestly and kindly. Word of Kvasir’s wisdom soon reached
the dwarf brothers Fjalar and Galar. Their interest soon turned to greed and envy, for anything they
admired they wanted for themselves. They invited Kvasir to feast with them and a large gathering of
dwarfs in their cave. They went to a private room and stabbed Kvasir in the chest with knives. They
caught all the blood spurting from his chest in two large jars, Son and Bodn, and a cauldron called
Odrorir. Fjalar and Galar then poured honey into the jars and cauldron filled with Kvasir’s blood,
forming a mead that made whoever drank it a poet or a wise man. The brothers kept this mead a secret. A
giant’s son, Suttung, soon came from Jotunheim to look for his parents. Upon hearing the dwarfs’
explanations for the disappearance of his parents, he threatened to drown them in the ocean, far away
from shore. Desperate not to die, they offered to give him the mead made from Kvasir’s blood. Suttung
took the mead back to the mountain Hnitbjorg, where he lived. He made his daughter Gunnlod to guard it
by day and guard it by night. Suttung was very boastful about his treasure. Odin went to reclaim the
mead. He disguised himself as an evil man named Baugi, and killed a giant’s, Bolverk’s, thralls. He
offered to replace them, for some of the magical mead. After working for an entire summer, he went to
collect his wages from Bolverk’s brother, Suttung. He refused. Baugi and Bolverk were so angry that ...