Kvasir

Spittle from the Aesir and Vanir filled a vat after their war. Frey and Freya, who were to remain with the Aesir in Asgard under the truce, reached into it. The spittle changed beneath Freya’s fingers and formed a naked man. Odin named him Kvasir. Kvasir knew Odin’s names, poems, chants and kennings. Born from the joining of the two divine groups, he became the wisest of the gods. The gods crowded around him with questions, and his answers were wise.

Kvasir travelled from town to town and from village to village. He met people of every kind, treated them well and answered their questions. He explained how to purify water and make cloth from nettles. He told a woman who had stolen her knife, and why. Each place was better after his visit. He also understood hidden things. When he saw a net in a fire made by Loki, he recognised it as a fishing net. This gave the Aesir knowledge that helped them capture Loki.

Two dwarf brothers, Fjalar and Galar, lived in a fortress or cave by the sea. They practised magic and alchemy and worked in their forge. They envied the respect Kvasir received. When he came to a nearby town, they found him in the great hall answering questions. After the townspeople had fed him, the brothers invited him home. They challenged him to guess their question and explain the purpose of their equipment. Kvasir answered that intelligent and evil hosts might kill him, drain his blood into the vats Son and Bodn, heat it in the kettle Odrerir, and mix it with honey. The fermented mead would intoxicate those who drank it and grant the gifts of poetry and scholarship.

Fjalar admitted that they were intelligent, and that some might call them evil. Galar cut Kvasir’s throat. They hung him by his feet above the vats until every drop of his blood had drained away. His blood became the mead of poetry and scholarship, and Kvasir’s wisdom passed into the drink.

After the Aesir and Vanir made peace, they gathered the spittle of both groups in a vessel. The act marked the end of their war and joined the two divine peoples in one creation. Frey and Freya, brother and sister and leaders of the Vanir, were to remain with the Aesir in Asgard under the terms of the truce.

Frey looked at the vessel and said that they could make something from it. Freya proposed making a man and reached into the spittle. The substance changed beneath her fingers and took shape. It became a naked man who stood before the gods. They named him Kvasir.

Odin asked Kvasir whether he knew who he was. Kvasir replied that Odin was All-Highest, Grimnir and Third, and that he had many other names. He knew them all, along with the poems, chants and kennings connected with them. Kvasir had been formed from the joining of the Aesir and Vanir, and possessed the wisdom of both. The gods crowded around him and competed to ask questions. His answers were always wise. He watched carefully, understood what he saw and interpreted it for others. Nothing was a mystery to him. He later travelled through the cosmos, carrying his knowledge with him.