Ynglinga saga

The examples are taken from the following sources: Snorri Sturluson: Ynglinga Saga chapter 4: Freya who taught the art of seiðr to the Aesir. Skaldskáparmál (Prose Edda): Thor must leave his hammer, power-belt and iron gloves behind in order to fulfill his wow to go unprotected into the giant world and thus show his true courage. He seeks the aid of the giantess Gríðr ["Truce"], who teaches him about the true nature and the weak points of his opponent, and then lends him her magical wand, her power-belt and her gloves so that he may defeat his opponent. Poetic Edda: Hyndlulióð: Freya initiates young Óttarr by taking him down into the Underworld, in which a giantess, Hyndla,the she-wolf, teaches him about universal interconnectedness through a séance of seiðr [divination]. Gróagalðr: a young man called Svípdagr invokes his dead mother Gróa ["Growth"] at her burial mound, so that she may guide him and teach him spell-songs. The name Gróa is otherwise known to be that of a völva, a witch-priestess, who heals the god Thor by singing spell-songs over his wounds. The fornaldarsögur -- "The Sagas of Old Times": Kjalnesinga Saga, the hero Búi ["Inhabitant"] meets The Mountan King´s daughter Friðr ["Peace"], who assists him in his quest. Torsteins saga Geirnefjufostra ( The saga of Torstein, fostered by Geirnefja): The hero Torsteinn has to win over the giant Sökkolfr [Dark Wolf = Dark Death] before he can win the love of the giantess Geirnefja. Her name means Spear-Beak, which <b>...</b>