for many fish there were in the force; now Otter, my brother, was ever wont to enter into the force, and bring fish aland, and lay them one by one on the bank. And so it befell that Odin, Loki, and Hœnir, as they went their ways, came to Andvari’s force, and Otter had taken a salmon, and ate it slumbering upon the river bank; then Loki took a stone and cast it at Otter, so that he gat his death thereby; the gods were well content with their prey, and fell to flaying off the otter’s skin; and in the evening they came to Hreidmar’s house, and showed him what they had taken: thereon he laid hands on them, and doomed them to such ransom, as that they should fill the otter skin with gold, and cover it over without with red gold; so they sent Loki to gather gold together for them; he came to Ran,[1] and got her net, and went therewith to Andvari’s force, and cast the net before the pike, and the pike ran into the net and was taken. Then said Loki—
Swims strong in the flood,
But hath learnt little wit to beware?
Thine head must thou buy,
From abiding in hell,
And find me the wan waters flame.’
He answered—
- ↑ Ran is the goddess of the sea, wife of Ægir. The otter was held sacred by Norsefolk and figures in the myth and legend of most races besides; to this day its killing is held a great crime by the Parsees (Haug. Religion of the Parsees, page 212). Compare penalty above with that for killing the Welsh king’s cat (Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales. Ed., Aneurin Owen. Longman, London, 1841, 2 vols. 8vo).
