translated by Anthony Faulkes
Prologue
(In his Prologue to the Edda, Snorri attempts to place the gods in a historical setting in order to explain their place in contemporary genealogies.)
[Odin] was an outstanding person for wisdom and all kinds of accomplishments. His wife was called Frigida, whom we call Frigg. Odin had the gift of prophecy and so did his wife, and from this science he discovered that his name would be remembered in the northern part of the world and honoured above all kings.
Gylfaginning
In the city there is a seat called Hlidskialf, and when Odin sat in that throne he
saw over all worlds and every man's activity and understood everything he saw. His wife
was called Frigg Fiorgvin's daughter, and from them is descended the family line that
we call the Æsir race, who have resided in Old Asgard and the realms that belong
to it, and that whole line of descent is of divine origin. And that is why he can be
called All-father, that he is the father of all the gods and of men and of everything
that has been brought into being by him and his power. The earth was his daughter and
his wife.
Odin is the highest and most ancient of the Æsir. He rules all things, and mighty
though the other gods are, yet they submit to him like children to their father. Frigg
is his wife, and she knows men's fates though she does not prophesy.
The highest is Frigg. She has a dwelling called Fensalir and it is very splendid.
[...] Fifth is Fulla. She too is a virgin and goes around with her hair
flowing free and has a gold band around her head. She carries Frigg's
casket and looks after her footwear and shares her secrets. Freyia is highest in
rank next to Frigg. [...] Eighth Lofn: she is so kind and good to pray to that she gets leave from All-father or
Frigg for people's union, between women and men, even if before it was forbidden or
refused. [...] Twelfth Hlin: she is given to the function of protecting people whom Frigg
wishes to save from danger. [...] Fourteenth Gna: she is sent by Frigg into various worlds
to carry out her business.
Here begins the Story of Baldr's Death
And the beginning of the story is that Baldr the Good dreamed great dreams boding peril to
his life. And when he told the Æsir the dreams they took counsel together and
it was decided to request immunity for Baldr from all kinds of danger, and Frigg
received solemn promises so that Baldr should not be harmed by fire and water, iron
and all kinds of metal, stones, the earth, trees, diseases, the animals, the birds,
poison, snakes. And when this was done and confirmed, then it became an entertainment
for Baldr and the Æsir that he should stand up at assemblies and all the others
should either shoot at him or strike at him or throw stones at him. But whatever they
did he was unharmed, and they all thought this a great glory. But when Loki
Laufeyiarson saw this he was not pleased that Baldr was unharmed. He went to Fensalir
to Frigg and changed his appearance to that of a woman. Then Frigg asked this woman
if she knew what the Æsir were doing at the assembly. She said that everyone
was shooting at Baldr, and moreover that he was unharmed. Then said Frigg:
"Weapons and wood will not hurt Baldr. I have received oaths from them all."
Then the woman asked: "Have all things sworn oaths not to harm Baldr?"
Then Frigg replied: "There grows a shoot of a tree to the west of Val-hall. It is
called Mistletoe. It seems young to me to demand the oath from."
Straight away the woman disappeared. And Loki took mistletoe and plucked it and went to
the assembly. Hod was standing at the edge of the circle of people, for he was blind.
Then Loki said to him:
"Why are you not shooting at Baldr?"
He replied: "Because I cannot see where Baldr is, and secondly because I have no weapon."
Then said Loki: "Follow other people's example and do Baldr honour like other people. I
will direct you to where he is standing. Shoot at him this stick."
Hod took the mistletoe and shot at Baldr at Loki's direction. The missle flew through
him and he fell dead to the ground, and this was the unluckiest deed ever done
among gods and men. [...]
And when the gods came to themselves then Frigg spoke, and asked who there was among the
Æsir who wished to earn all her love and favour and was willing to ride the
road to Hel and try if he could find Baldr, and offer Hel a ransom if she would let
Baldr go back to Asgard. Hermod the Bold, Odin's boy, is the name of the one who
undertook the journey.
Baldr's body is placed on a ship, and the ship set on fire. Baldr's
wife Nanna dies from grief and her body is placed beside his.
This burning was attended by beings of many different kinds: firstly to tell of Odin,
that with him went Frigg and valkyries and his ravens, while Freyr drove in a chariot
with a boar called Gullinbursti or Slidrugtanni. But Heimdall rode a horse called
Gulltopp and Freya her cats. [...]
Meanwhile Hermod rides through the gates of Hel.
In the morning Hermod begged Hel that Baldr might ride home with him and said what great
weeping there was among the Æsir. But Hel said that it must be tested whether
Baldr was as beloved as people said in the following way,
"And if all things in the world, alive and dead, weep for him, then he shall go back to
the AEsir, but be kept with Hel if any objects or refuses to weep."
Then Hermod got up and Baldr went with him out of the hall and took
the ring Draupnir and sent it to Odin as a keepsake, and Nanna sent
Frigg a linen robe and other gift's too; to Fulla a finger-ring.
Everything weeps for Baldr except one old giantess sitting in a cave, who
announces, "Let Hel hold what she has." Presumably this giantess is Loki in
disguise.
Thiodolf of Hvinir said this:
[...] For it had befallen Loki, having gone flying once for fun with Frigg's
falcon form, that out of curiousity he had flown into Geirrod's courts [...]
How shall Baldr be referred to? By calling him son of Odin and Frigg, [...]
How shall Frigg be referred to? By calling her daughter of Fiorgyn,
wife of Odin, mother of Baldr, rival of Iord and Rind and Gunnlod and
Gerd, mother-in-law of Nanna, queen of Æsir and Asyniur, of Fulla and
falcon form and Fensalir.
How shall earth be referred to? By calling it Ymir's flesh and mother of
Thor, daughter of Onar, bride of Odin, rival of Frigg and Rind and Gunnlod [...]
Snorri also includes Frigg in three lists of Asyniur
In answer to 'Who are the Asyniur?'
Skaldskaparmal
The fallen lay there on the sand, destined for the one-eyed dweller in Frigg's
embrace [i.e. for her husband Odin in Val-hal]. We rejoice in such achievement.
