33. Allfader, Oden. He is so called because he was supposed to be the father of men and of gods.
33. till smycke, as an ornament. This use of till is very common in Swedish.
34. Beles dotter. Ingeborg's father was Bele, king of Sogn in western Norway.
35. Till Oden … uppstiger hennes ättartal. The royal families were supposed to have descended from the gods (see note, canto XXIV: 237).
36. Torstens son. Fritiof was the son of Torsten Vikingsson, a viking chief.
37. Observe the numerous expressions of the defiant spirit of Fritiof prior to his going into exile. Note also in stanzas 37 and 38 his ingenuity in proving his own high rank.
38. Tor, god of thunder and of war, the strongest of the gods. All noble human strength came from him. He was the friend of man and the enemy of the giants with whom he had many hard conflicts. His abode, Trudvang, was marvelously beautiful. When he journeyed forth from Trudvang, driving a span of he-goats, to meet the giants, thunder and lightning arose.
CANTO II.
Stanza 1. bonde. This term is generally translated by the word peasant. The word yeoman is often used as an equivalent term and sometimes the original Scandinavian form bonde is used in English. A bonde was an independent land-holder, liberty-loving, and, as a rule, an active participant in public affairs.
3. mjöd, mead, a fermented drink made of water, honey and hops with a flavoring of spices.