Loki the mischief-maker, was writhing uncomfortably in Thor’s iron grip. The previous night, while the rest of the gods slept, he’d snuck up on Thor’s wife Sif and shorn off her beautiful hair. It’d seemed like a funny prank at the time, but now Thor was about to break every bone in his body. Loki had to think of some way to fix what he’d done. Yet who could replace Sif’s matchless hair, golden like a field of summer wheat?
Urostifteren Loke vred seg i Tors jerngrep. Natten før, mens de andre gudene sov, hadde han sneket seg inn til Tors kone, -Siv, og klippet av henne det vakre håret. Det hadde vært ment som en morsom spøk, -men nå ville Tor brekke hvert bein i kroppen hans. Loke måtte tenke ut noe for å rydde opp i dette. Men hvem kunne erstatte Sivs makeløse hår, gyllent som en hveteåker om sommeren?
The dwarves! – their legendary smiths could make anything. So Loki rushed to their realm, deep within the mountains of the earth. Even before he arrived, the wily Loki was already scheming how he would get the dwarves to do his bidding. He decided that his best bet was to pit two families against each other. He first visited the masterful sons of Ivaldi. He told them that their rivals, a pair of brothers named Brokk and Eitri, had claimed that they were the best craftsmen in the world and were determined to prove it in a competition. The rules were that each family had to create three gifts for the gods, including, for the Ivaldis, golden hair.
Dvergene! Deres berømte smeder kunne lage hva som helst. Så Loke hastet til riket deres, dypt inne i fjellene på Jorda. På veien var den slu Loke allerede i gang med å pønske ut- -hvordan han skulle få dvergene til å gjøre jobben for seg. Hans beste sjanse ville være å sette to familier opp mot hverandre. Først besøkte han de dyktige sønnene til Ivalde. Han fortalte dem at deres rivaler, brødrene Brokk og Eitre, -hadde erklært at de var verdens beste håndverkere, -og at de ville bevise det med en konkurranse. Reglene var at hver familie skulle lage tre gaver til gudene— inkludert gullhåret, som ble Ivaldesønnenes ansvar.
Then Loki visited Brokk and Eitri, and told them the same thing, only now claiming that the sons of Ivaldi had issued the challenge. But Brokk and Eitri couldn’t be fooled so easily, and only agreed to participate if Loki put his own head on the line. Literally—if Brokk and Eitri won, Loki would forfeit his head to them.
Så dro Loke til Brokk og Eitre, og fortalte dem det samme, -bare at det var Ivaldesønnene som var kommet med utfordringen. Men Brokk og Eitre var ikke lettlurte, -og ville bare delta hvis Loke satset hodet sitt. Bokstavelig talt — hvis Brokk og Eitre vant, skulle de få Lokes hode.
Loki had no choice but to agree, and to save himself had to find a way to make sure the sons of Ivaldi emerged victorious. Both sets of dwarves got to work. Eitri set Brokk to man the bellows and told him not to stop for any reason, or the treasures would be ruined. Soon a strange black fly flew into the room. As a piece of pigskin was placed in the forge, the fly stung Brokk’s hand, but he didn’t flinch. Next, while Eitri worked a block of gold, the fly bit Brokk on the neck. The dwarf carried on. Finally, Eitri placed a piece of iron in the furnace. This time the fly landed right on Brokk’s eyelid and bit as hard as it could. And for just a split second, Brokk’s hand left the bellows.
Loke måtte gå med på avtalen, men for å redde skinnet sitt- -skulle han sørge for at Ivaldesønnene vant. Begge dvergfamiliene gikk til verks. Brokk skulle dra blåsebelgen og holde den gående uansett hva, -ellers ville skattene bli ødelagt. Snart fløy en underlig mygg inn i rommet. Idet et svineskinn ble lagt i essen, stakk myggen Brokk på hånda, -men han reagerte ikke. Mens Eitre jobbet med en gullbarre, bet myggen Brokk i nakken. Dvergen fortsatte som før. Til slutt la Eitre en jernbit i masovnen. Nå landet myggen på øyelokket til Brokk, og bet så hardt den kunne. For ett millisekund glapp Brokk blåsebelgen.
That’s all it took; their final treasure hadn’t stayed in the fire long enough. Loki now reappeared in his normal form, overjoyed by their failure, and accompanied the dwarves to present their treasures to the gods.
Det var nok: Den siste skatten fikk for lite tid i ilden. Loke dukket opp i sin vante form, henrykt over feilgrepet deres, -og slo følge med dvergene for å presentere skattene for gudene.
First, Loki presented the treasures from the sons of Ivaldi. Their golden hair bound to Sif’s head and continued to grow, leaving her even more radiant than before. Next, for Odin the all-father, a magnificent spear that could pierce through anything. And finally a small cloth that unfolded into a mighty ship built for Freyr, god of the harvest.
Først presenterte Loke gavene fra Ivaldesønnene. Det gylne håret festet seg til Sivs hode og fortsatte å vokse, -slik at hun ble enda vakrere enn før. Den neste var allfader Odin, -som fikk et praktfullt spyd som kunne gjennombore alt. Det siste var et lommetørkle som kunne foldes ut til et mektig skip, -laget til Frøy, guden for innhøsting.
Then Brokk presented the treasures made by him and his brother. For Freyr they’d forged a golden-bristled boar who’d pull Freyr’s chariot across the sky faster than any mount. For Odin, a golden arm ring which would make eight more identical rings on every ninth night. And for Thor, a hammer called Mjolnir. Its handle was too short, and Loki smirked at the obvious defect. But then Brokk revealed its abilities. Mjolnir would never shatter, never miss its mark and always return to Thor’s hand when thrown. Despite the short handle, the gods all agreed this was the finest gift of all.
Så presenterte Brokk gavene fra ham selv og broren. Til Frøy hadde de smidd et gullbustete villsvin- -som kunne trekke Frøys vogn over himmelen raskere enn noe dyr. Odin fikk en armring av gull som lagde åtte nye, identiske ringer- -hver niende natt. Og Tor fikk en hammer kalt Mjølner. Skaftet var for kort, og Loke flirte av den åpenbare mangelen. Men så fortalte Brokk om dens egenskaper. Mjølner var uknuselig, alltid treffsikker, -og ville alltid vende tilbake til Tors hånd når han kastet den. Selv om skaftet var kort, var denne gaven utvilsomt den flotteste.
Remembering what was at stake, Loki tried to flee, but Thor reached him first. But before the dwarves could have their due, clever Loki pointed out that they had won the rights to his head, but not his neck, and thus had no right to cut it. All begrudgingly admitted the truth in that, but Brokk would have the last laugh. Taking his brother’s awl, he pierced it through Loki’s lips and sewed his mouth shut, so the trickster god could no longer spread his malicious deceit. Yet the irony was not lost on the gods. For it was Loki’s deceit that had brought them these fine treasures and given Thor the hammer for which he’s still known today.
Loke husket hva han hadde satset, og forsøkte å flykte, men Tor var raskere. Før dvergene fikk krevd sin gevinst, -påpekte Loke at de hadde vunnet retten til hodet hans, -men ikke strupen, så den fikk de ikke røre. Ingen kunne motsi dette, men Brokk skulle le sist. Han stakk brorens syl gjennom Lokes lepper- -og sydde igjen munnen hans, -slik at luringguden ikke lenger kunne spinne sine onde renker. Men ironien gikk ikke gudene hus forbi. Det var tross alt Lokes renkespill som hadde skaffet dem skattene, -og gitt Tor hammeren som han i dag er så kjent for.