Freyja spake:
11. "Tell to me now | the ancient names,
And the races of all | that were born of old:
Who are of the Skjoldungs, | who of the Skilfings,
Who of the Othlings, | who of the Ylfings,
Who are the free-born, | who are the high-born,
The noblest of men | that in Mithgarth dwell?"
Hyndla spake:
12. "Thou art, Ottar, | the son of Instein,
And Instein the son | of Alf the Old,
Alf of Ulf, | Ulf of Sæfari,
And Sæfari's father | was Svan the Red.
13. Thy mother, bright | with bracelets fair,
Hight, methinks, | the priestess Hledis;
Frothi her father, | and Friaut her mother;--
Her race of the mightiest | men must seem.
14. Of old the noblest | of all was Ali,
Before him Halfdan, | foremost of Skjoldungs;
Famed were the battles | the hero fought,
To the corners of heaven | his deeds were carried.
15. Strengthened by Eymund, | the strongest of men,
Sigtrygg he slew | with the ice-cold sword;
His bride was Almveig, | the best of women,
And eighteen boys | did Almveig bear him."
[11. Possibly two stanzas, or perhaps one with interpolations. The manuscript omits the first half of line 4, here filled out from
stanza 16, line 2. Skjoldungs: the descendants of Skjold, a mythical king who was Othin's son and the ancestor of the Danish kings;
cf. Snorri's Edda, Skaldskaparmal, 43. Skilfings: mentioned by Snorri as descendants of King Skelfir, a mythical ruler in "the East."
In Grimnismol, 54, the name Skilfing appears as one of Othin's many appellations. Othlings: Snorri derives this race from Authi, the son of
Halfdan the Old (cf. stanza 14). Ylfings: some editors have changed this to "Ynglings," as in stanza 16, referring to the descendants of Yng or
Yngvi, another son of Halfdan, but the reference may be to the same mythical family to which Helgi Hundingsbane belonged (cf. Helgakvitha
Hundingsbana I, 5).
12. Instein: mentioned in the Halfssaga as one of the warriors of King Half of Horthaland (the so-called Halfsrekkar). The others mentioned in this
stanza appear in one of the later mythical accounts of the settlement of Norway.
14. Stanzas 14-16 are clearly interpolated, as Friaut (stanza 13, line S) is the daughter of Hildigun (stanza 17, line 1). Halfdan the Old, a
mythical king of Denmark, called by Snorri "the most famous of all kings," of whom it was foretold that "for three hundred years there should
be no woman and no man in his line who was not of great repute." After the. slaying of Sigtrygg he married Almveig (or Alvig), daughter of King
Eymund of Holmgarth (i.e., Russia), who bore him eighteen sons, nine at one birth. These nine were all slain, but the other
nine were traditionally the ancestors of the most famous families in Northern hero lore.]
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Freyja kvað:
11. "Nú láttu forna niðja talða
ok upp bornar ættir manna:
Hvat ek Skjöldunga, hvat ek Skilfinga,
hvat er Öðlinga, hvat er Ylfinga,
hvat er höldborit, hvat er hersborit
mest manna val und Miðgarði?"
Hyndla kvað:
12. "Þú ert, Óttarr, borinn Innsteini,
en Innsteinn var Alfi inum gamla,
Alfr var Ulfi, Ulfr Sæfara,
en Sæfari Svan inum rauða.
13. Móður átti faðir þinn menjum göfga,
hygg ek, at hon héti Hlédís gyðja;
Fróði var faðir þeirar, en Fríund móðir;
öll þótti ætt sú með yfirmönnum.
14. Auði var áðr öflgastr manna,
Halfdan fyrri hæstr Skjöldunga;
fræg váru folkvíg, þau er framir gerðu,
hvarfla þóttu hans verk með himins skautum.
15. Eflðisk hann við Eymund æðstan manna,
en hann vá Sigtrygg með svölum eggjum,
eiga gekk Almveig, æðsta kvinna,
ólu þau ok áttu átján sonu."
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