There is not the slightest reason to doubt that in this instance, as in so many other cases, Loke boasts of the evil deeds he has committed, and of the successes he has had among the asynjes, according to his own assurances. With the reproaches cast on Idun we should compare what he affirms in regard to Freyja, in regard to Tyr's wife, in regard to Skade and Sif, in reference to all of whom he claims that they have secretly been his mistresses. Against Idun he could more easily and more truthfully bring this charge, for the reason that she was at one time wholly in his power, namely, when he stole into Thjasse's halls and carried her away thence to Asgard (Younger Edda, i. 210-214). Under such circumstances, that slayer of Idun's brother, whom she is charged with embracing, can be none other than Loke himself. As a further allusion to this, the author of the poem makes Loke speak of a circumstance connected with the adventure--namely, that Idun, to sweeten the pleasure of the critical hour, washed her arms shining white--a circumstance of which none other than herself and her secret lover could know. Thus Loke is the cause of the slaying of one of the famous artists, Ivalde's sons. The murders of which Loke boasts in the poem are two only, that of Balder and that of Thjasse. He says that he advised the killing of Balder, and that he was the first and foremost in the killing of Thjasse (_fyrstr oc ofstr_). Balder was not Idun's brother. So far as we can make out from the mythic records extant, the Ivalde son slain must have been identical with Thjasse, the son of Alvalde. There is no other choice.
(10) It has already been shown above that Volund and the swan-maid who came to him in the Wolfdales were either brother and sister or half-brother and half-sister. From what has been stated above, it follows that Thjasse and Idun were related to each other in the same manner.
(11) Thjasse's house is called _Brunn-akr_ (Younger Edda, i. 312). In Volundarkvida (9) Volund is called _Brunni_.
(12) Idun has the epithet _Snót_ (Younger Edda, 306), "the wise one," "the intelligent one." Volund's swan-maid has the epithet _Alvitr_, "the much-knowing one," "the very intelligent one" (Volundarkvida, 1). Volund has the epithet _Ásólfr_ (Hyndluljod; cp. No. 109). Thjasse has the epithet _Fjallgylder_ (Younger Edda, 308), which is a paraphrase of _Ásólfr_ (_áss = fjöll_, _olfr = gyldir_).