114 
NOTES. 
bark where Eymer was, they sat down together. Thor placed 
himself in the middle of the bark, and plied both his oars at 
once. The Giant Eymer, who rowed also at the prow, saw 
with surprise how swiftly Thor drove the boat forward, and 
told him, that, by the landmarks on the coast, he discovered 
that they were come to the most proper place to angle for flat 
fish. But Thor assured him that they had better go a good 
way further; accordingly, they continued to row on, till at 
length Eymer told him if they did not stop they would be in 
danger from the Great Serpent of Midgard. Notwithstanding 
this, Thor persisted in rowing further, and, spite of the Giant, 
was a great while before he would lay down his oars. Then, 
taking out a fishing-line extremely strong, he fixed to it the 
ox’s head, unwound it, and cast it into the sea. The bait 
reached the bottom, the Serpent greedily devoured the head, 
and the hook stuck fast in his palate. Immediately the pain 
made him move with such violence, that Thor was obliged 
to hold fast with both his hands by the pegs which bear 
against the oars; but the strong effort he was obliged to make 
with his whole body caused his feet to force their way through 
the boat, and they went down to the bottom of the sea; whilst 
with his hands he violently drew up the Serpent to the side 
of the vessel. It is impossible to express the dreadful looks 
that the god darted at the Serpent, whilst the monster, raising 
his head, spouted out venom upon him. In the mean time, the 
Giant Eymer, seeing, with affright, the water enter his bark 
on all sides, cut, with his knife, the string of his fishing-line, 
just as. Thor was going to strike the Serpent with his mace. 
Upon this, the monster fell down again to the bottom of the 
sea; nevertheless, some add that Thor darted his mace after 
him, and bruised his head in the midst of the waves. But 
one may assert with more certainty, that he still lives in the 
waters. Then Thor struck the Giant a blow with his fist 
nigh the ear, and, throwing his head into the sea, waded af¬ 
terwards on foot to land.’ ” 
The translator thinks that this serpent is the same one that 
Pontoppidan has given an account of. 
