8. Öder, the faithless and restless husband of Freja. Once when he left her and remained away a long time she sought him in all lands. The tears she wept while on this sad errand were so precious that they turned to gold; hence this metal is found in all lands. According to one version of the story, she finally found Öder in the South, sitting under the myrtle tree; hence the custom that every bride in Scandinavia must wear a crown of myrtle.
CANTO X.
Stanza 1. tänk på, think of.
2. Sam and Hejd were two monsters that Helge had sent for and offered presents with the request that they raise a storm that would destroy Fritiof and his men. They appeared in the guise of polar bear and eagle.
2. gudars hem, the heavens.
3. Solundar-ö, an island near the Norwegian coast, probably at the outlet of Sognefjord. Today the group is called the Outer and the Inner Sol Islands.
4. gudatimrade, built by the gods. See note, canto 3: 164 seq.
5. kan du icke se för natt, could not see because of the darkness.
5. dra seglaren i kvav. Drag the sailor into the deep. Gå i kvav, to founder, go down.
5. Ran(a), wife of Ägir and goddess of the sea, was hostile to men and sought to drag them down into the deep. She was passionately fond of gold, and sailors deemed it wise to have some of the yellow metal with them with which to appease her in case they foundered at sea. (See stanza 6.)