Loki's Tale (Lokka Táttur)
A Faroese Ballad from a collection issued around 1850. Neat story about Loki saving a child with his cleverness when neither Odin nor Honir were able to solve a peasant's Giant problem (which he admittedly got into of his own doing). Read the left column first, then the right. About time to find a straight out 'good' story of Loki!
1. A peasant and a giant [held] a match,
The giant won and the peasant lost. Refrain: What avails me this harp That is by my hand, Will no stalwart man follow me To another land ? 2. "I have fulfilled my [end of the] bargain, Now I will have your son. 3. I will have the son of yours You'll not conceal him from me." 4. The peasant said to his lad: "Bid Odin to step in for me." 5 "Summon now Odin the Asa-king, Who can guard him, hid away for long. 6."I wish Odin wert right here, And knew where to hide the boy!" 7. Ere he hath said the word, There stood Odin before the table. 8. "Hark thou Odin, I bid to thee, Thou shalt hide mine son for me!" 9. Odin fared off with the boy, The wife and the peasant were woebegone. 10.Odin commanded a field of crop, To grow tall after scarce one night, 11. Odin commanded the boy become A single ear among the crop. 12. A single ear among all the crop, A barley-grain amid one ear. 13. "Lie in there, do not pain, When I should hail, come to me! 14. Lie in there, don't you fear When I should hail, come hither out!" 15. The giant has a heart as hard as horn, He grasps a whole arm's-full at the corn. 16. He now grasps the corn in his sight, Bearing a keen-biting sword in hand 17. And bearing a keen-biting sword in hand He sets out to mow the boy down. 18. Then was the boy affrighted, The barley-corn squirmed out of the fist. 19. Then was the boy overcome with pain Odin hailed unto him. 20. Odin fared with the boy back home The peasant and his wife gave them embrace. 21. "Here I have the young son of yours, Now I am done with hiding him." 22. The peasant said to his boy: "Bid Hønir to step in for me!" 23. "I wish Hønir wert right here, And knew where to hide the boy!" 24. Ere he had said the word, There stood Hønir before the table. 25. "Harken Hønir, I bid to thee Thou shall hide mine son for me!" 26. Hønir fared off with the boy, The wife and the peasant were woebegone. 27. Hønir gang over the green ground, Seven swans flew across the sound. 28. Eastward flew two swans They alighted beside Hønir. 29. Hønir commanded now the boy to become A single feather in the head of the swan. 30. "Lie in there, do not pain, When I call you, come out to me! 31. Lie in there, don't you fear, When I call you, come hither out! 32. The monster gang over the green ground, Seven swans flew across the sound. 33. The giant dropt down on his knees And grabbed the swan which was at the forefront. 34. He took a bite out of the forefront swan, Gashing its throat down to the shoulder. 35. Then was the boy turned affright, A feather slipped out of the giant's clutches. 36. Then was the boy overcome with pain, Hønir hailed unto him. 37. Hønir fared with the boy back homeward, The wife and the peasant gave them embrace. 38."Here I have the young son of yours, Now I am done hiding him. 39. The peasant said to his lad: "Bid Lokki step in for me!" 40. "I wish Lokki wert right here, And knew where to hide the boy!" 41. Ere he said the word, There stood Lokki before the table. 42. "Thou canst but imagine my dire need, The monster means to have my son dead. 43. Harken, thou Lokki, I bid to thee, Thou shall hide mine son for me! 44. Hide him so good, as well as you can, So the lad can never captured be!" 45. "If I am to hide your son, You must do my bidding! 46. You shall build a boathouse, While I am gone away. |
47. You shall cut out a window wide,
And bar it with an iron rod! 48. Lokki fared off with the boy, The wife and the peasant were woebegone. 49. Lokki appears over the strand, With a skiff ashore by the land. 50. Lokki rows out to the remotest fishing banks That was told in the lore of yore. 51. Lokki utters not another word, He casts the hook and sinker overboard. 52. He casts the hook and sinker overboard And anon hauls in a halibut (helliflounder) 53. He hauls in one, he hauls in two, The third had a blackish hue. 54. Lokki commands now the boy become, An egg-grain in the halibut's (helliflounder) roe. 55. "Lie in there, do not pain, When I call you, come out to me! 56. Lie in there, don't you fear, When I call you, come out hither!" 57. Lokki now rows back towards land, The giant awaiting in the sand. 58. The giant asked him straightaway: "Lokki, where have you been tonight?" 59. "Little peace had I, For I sailed and fared all over the sea." 60. The giant rushes for the iron skiff, Lokki shouts: "The waves are bad". 61. Lokki speaks, and here's what he said: "Giant, let me tag along." 62. The giant took the tiller by the hand Lokki now rowed away from land. 63. Lokki rows a good long ways, But the iron skiff doesn't budge a bit, 64. Lokki swears by the truth, "I can steer one better than you." 65. The giant then takes the oars, The iron skiff sped over the sea. 66. The giant rows a good long ways, Nigh did Lokki to the sternpost stay. 67. The giant rows out to the remotest fishing banks, That was told in the lore of yore. 68. The giant utters not another word, He casts the hook and sinker overboard 69. He casts the hook and sinker overboard And anon did catch a halibut (helliflounder). 70. He hauls in one, he hauls in two, The third was of blackish hue. 71. Lokki swears by his faith, "Giant, let me have the fish" 72. The giant replies and nay says he, "No, my Lokki, you shan't have it." 73. He put the fish between his knees, And counted each egg in the roe. 74. He counted each egg in the roe. He meant to catch the boy. 75. Then was the boy turned affright, And an egg leapt out of the hand. 76. Then was the boy overcome with pain, Lokki hailed unto him. 77. "Sit yourself behind me, Let not the giant see you. 78. You must leap lithely upon the land, Do not leave a track in the sand!" 79. The giant then rows back to land. Straight into the white sand. 80. The giant rows onto land, Lokki turns 'round the iron skiff. 81. The giant runs the sternpost aground on land, The boy leaps lithely upon the land. 82. The giant gave gaze to the land, There stood the boy on the sand. 83. The boy leapt so lithely on to land, He left no track upon the sand. 84. The giant leapt heftily on to shore, Sinking knee-deep in the sand, 85. The boy scurries away as best as he could, Scurries right through his father's boathouse. 86. He scurries right through his father's boathouse, The giant, after him in hot pursuit. 87. The giant gets himself stuck in the window, Smashing his head on the iron bar. 88. Loki then did not bide, He struck off one of the giant's shins. 89. To giant was rather amused by this, The wound mended back to whole again. 90. Loki then did not bide, He struck off giant's other shin. 91. He struck off the giant's other shin. And tossed in-between, a stick and stone. 92. To the boy was rather amused by this, Watching the giant sundered to pieces altogether. 93. Lokki fared with the boy back homeward, The wife and the peasant gave them embrace. 94. "Here I have the young son of yours, Now I am done with hiding him. 95. I've kept my words to you, Now the giant has lost his life." |
From: http://www.northvegr.org/misc%20primary%20sources/lokka_tattur/index.html
(translated using the Danish translation and Old Icelandic dictionary, and with the indispensible help of Anker Eli Petersen)
Origin: * A Faroese Ballad. The Hammershaimb collection originally issued in 1846 or 1851[?] was the first Faroese edition to be published. This statement needs to be qualified. Serious collection of the ballads began around the late 18c. Jens Kristian Svabo collected some 52 during his visit to the islands in 1781-2, and though these were committed to writing, and entered the royal collection, they were never published. Others took up the cause of ballad-collecting. It was the collection of ballads gathered by Lyngbye (who was Danish pastor and an expert on marine algae) that was the first to be published in book form (1822). However, he did not know the Faroese language, and his transcription of them were often phonetic, often idiosyncratic. Corrections had to be made on them by Faroese learned men; thus the first collection of authority (transcribed in normalized orthography) was the Hammershaimb edition.
(translated using the Danish translation and Old Icelandic dictionary, and with the indispensible help of Anker Eli Petersen)
Origin: * A Faroese Ballad. The Hammershaimb collection originally issued in 1846 or 1851[?] was the first Faroese edition to be published. This statement needs to be qualified. Serious collection of the ballads began around the late 18c. Jens Kristian Svabo collected some 52 during his visit to the islands in 1781-2, and though these were committed to writing, and entered the royal collection, they were never published. Others took up the cause of ballad-collecting. It was the collection of ballads gathered by Lyngbye (who was Danish pastor and an expert on marine algae) that was the first to be published in book form (1822). However, he did not know the Faroese language, and his transcription of them were often phonetic, often idiosyncratic. Corrections had to be made on them by Faroese learned men; thus the first collection of authority (transcribed in normalized orthography) was the Hammershaimb edition.