Norsery Rhymes, Northern Mythology from A to Z Bolverkr - (Disguised Odin), The Worker of Evil Deeds Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, sometimes Celtic) mythological characters. This week it’s Bolverkr. Odin in disguise. Whose name literally meaning 'The Bale-Worker'. It’s connotation in this case means not only that but also; ‘The Evil Worker’, or ‘Evil Deeds’, or ’The Worker of Terrible deeds’, or ‘The Evil doer, or ‘The Malefactor’.
Buckle in this ones a long one, so get ready for some fun over-simplification ;)
Odin in his never ending search for knowledge discovers the Mead of the Skalds. The Precious mead, the great Mead of Inspiration and Poetry. Made by the evil Dwarves (Dvergrs) Gajarr and Fjalarr, out of honey and rum mixed with Kvasir’s Blood, with incantations said over it while brewing. It would provide great knowledge, inspiration, fine words, poetry and song to whoever drank it. Causing those who hear your words and song to be moved as you intend. And without a hangover to boot. Odin hears about all of this while inquiring in several places where Kvasir, whose absence has been felt in Asgard has disappeared too. He hears it from those he inquires to as well as his Ravens Hunin and Munin, who come to him with the news of the specific murder of not only Kvasir, but the Kind Jotun Gillingr and his wife at their home. With this he goes to his Uncle Mimir at his well of knowledge to find out the rest of the hidden details.
The Dvergr paid the Mead to the Giant (Jotun) Suttungr the son of Gillingr, as a repayment for killing his parents. He initially intended to kill them, but he took it as they claimed the deaths were accidents, and the mead wold make his life better. Keeping it at his castle Hnitbjorg, the Lock Rock, that was carved out of a mountain on the border of Jotunheim. Guarded in his treasure chambers by Suttungrs beautiful and gentle daughter Gunnlod, that he had turned into, or perhaps glamored, into an evil looking Hag until he could finish the mead.
Odin on learning of this last detail called an official meeting of the Aesir to determine what to do. Given what the mead represented to the Aesir, a greater understanding and a genesis of poetry, as well as what Suttungr had done to guard it, it was determined that Odin would go in disguise to win the mead.
He disguised himself as a labourer, with a scythe, auger, and whetstone. A man capable of working field and stone. On his arrival at Suttungrs brother Baugi’s farm he stopped to talk to the 9 thralls working the field. They told him Baugi was a fair man to them, and he valued his fields cu quickly. He offered to sharpen their scythes with his whetstone, it being magic. It made their scythes better than new, and sharper than anything. They all attempted to buy it from them. Revealing that they were each in turn evil men who had avoided payments, stolen, killed, and helped burn out other farms for Baugi. Odin claimed that they should decide who would pay and threw it on the ground in front of them. At which point they all intentionally or accidentally or both ended up cutting off each of their heads with their sharpened blades.
Odin waited until nightfall and introduced himself to Baugi, who was annoyed his thralls hadn’t finished with the hay before killing each other. And where would he find more followers that would be both mowers of field and mowers of men as he’d killed or driven everyone else around away. Odin as Bolverkr told him he was good with fields and dark deeds and he could finish his fields faster than his nine, or not pay him. Baugi said he could name his price if he could do that. Odin said he’d heard his brother had the best mead around and wanted a taste of that. Baugi was surprised, and didn’t have access to it, but he agreed to help Bolverkr steal a sip of it, through persuasion or deed.
Odin had everything harvested, stacked, gathered, threshed, culled, and stored in no time. Everything ready for the next spring. With that Baugi was impressed and agreed to take Bolverkr to his brother.
Suttungr sounded impressed but unmoved by the feat and since the deal was not his he would not honour it. Baugi and Odin discussed how they could get the mead. As they knew where the treasure vault was from the outside of the mountain by the singing of Gunnlod, they went to that spot where Odin showed Baugi his Auger ‘Rati’. It was tiny as it came out of his pocket, but Odin told him it would grow larger and as long as needed to dig any hole through stone with little effort. Baugi now doubted Bolverkr was who he said, and intended to trap him in the hole. Instead of a large hole he bore a tiny one after much exertion and asked if Bolverkr could fit in it. Odin knowing that the hole could have been any size with less effort blew into the hole. It did not blow clean through, and Odin confronted him about it, knowing Baugi would betray him. Bolverkr stated he had worked the field in good faith. Baugi then resumed his effort and felt the stone become harder to drill as he reached closer to the treasure rooms magically warded walls. Once through Odin checked again, but the air blew through the hole to the other side. Odin immediately turned into a snake and was through before Baugi could tell. Baugi tried to plug the hole with the auger but was too late. Baugi certain there would be trouble ran off home.
Odin once in, he transformed himself into a handsome young Jotun. In looking around he saw that while the palace was endless luxury and marvel, the treasure room was just a cave. Not fit for a girl to live in.
When Gunnlod saw Odin she was expecting thieves and asked him him he came for the mead. Odin lied and said he came for her. Showing her affection. She was excited that the spell might have been broken and welcomed him to a night together. In the morning he said he was thirsty and she brought him the first vat of mead ‘Odroerir’. He drank it down. But instead of leaving as she had expected once he had a taste of the mead, he welcomed her back to bed for another night. The next morning she brought him the vat ‘Bodn’, and the morning after that the last one ‘Son’. With that she begged him to stay forever, but he claimed her blue eyes reminded him of the sky and he needed to see it. She opened a hidden high up window. Odin changed into an eagle and flew off, sending her an affectionate look back. He had all the mead in his throat.
On his leaving Gunnlod screamed for him to come back, alerting the castle. Suttungr had his own giant black eagle transforming cloak ‘Orne-Ham’, and took off after Odin. The chase was long, with Heimdall alerting the Aesir long before Odin was visible. They place three large golden cauldrons for the mead, but as Odin delivered it some spilled into a pool outside Asgard's walls, the ‘Fools Portion’, ‘skald-fiflahlutr’ that anyone can drink. Suttungr was too slow and was caught by the rising sun turning him to stone.
That night the Aesir each had a drink so that they could each be wiser. They then parceled out some to deliver to Midgard so that there might be poetry there as well.
The mead was very shortly stolen from Asgard, and returned by a disguise using Odin before it would finally stay permanently in Asgard.
I guess even in Norse mythology there were sequels.
If you’re looking for a more traditional looking disguised wandering Odin with his wide hat and staff, I’ve done a couple of those as well:
https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/158192562554/happy-thorsday-alfodir-odin-well-here-we-are
https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/122423514019/wodensday-on-a-thorsday-well-its-another
