I now pass to the consideration of the contents of Thorsdrapa:
_Strophe 1._ The deceitful Loke encourages Thor to go from home and visit Geirrod, "the master of the temple of the steep altars." The great liar assures him that green paths would take him to Geirrod's halls, that is to say, they were accessible to travellers on foot, and not obstructed by rivers.
NOTE.--For Thor himself the condition of the roads might be of less importance. He who wades across the Elivagar rivers and subterranean streams did not need to be very anxious about finding water-courses crossing his paths. But from the continuation of the poem we learn that this expedition to Jotunheim was not a visit as a guest, or a meeting to fight a duel, as when Thor went to find Hrungner, but this time he is to press into Jotunheim with a whole army, and thus the character of the road he was to travel was of some importance. The ambush laid in his way does not concern Thor himself, but the giant-foes who constitute his army. If the latter perish in the ambush, then Geirrod and his giants will have Thor alone to fight against, and may then have some hope of victory.
_Strophe 2._ Thor did not require much urging to undertake the expedition. He leaves Asgard to visit Jotunheim. Of what happened on the way between Asgard and the Elivagar rivers, before Thor penetrated into Jotunheim, the strophe says:
thá er gjardvenjodr When the belt-wearer (Thor the possessor of the belt of strength)
endr (= iterum, rursus) now, as on former occasions,
ríkri Idja Gandvikr-setrs skotum strengthened by the men of Ide's chalet situated near Gandvik,
gördist frá thridia til Ymsa was on his way from Odin to kindar, Ymse's (Ymer's) race,
fystust their (Cod. Worm.) it was to them (to Thor and to fýrstuz (Cod. Reg.) the men of Ide's chalet) a joy (or they rushed thither)
at thrysta thorns nidjum to conquer Thorn's (Bolthorn-Ymer's) kinsmen.
NOTE.--The common understanding of this passage is (1) that _endr_ has nothing to do with the contents, but is a complementary word which may be translated with "once upon a time," a part which _endr_ has to play only too often in the interpretation of the old poems; (2) that Ide is merely a general giant name, applicable, like every other giant name, in a paraphrase _Idja setr_, which is supposed to mean Jotunheim; (3) that _rikri Idja setrs skotum_ or _rikri Gandvikr skotum_ was to give the hearers or readers of Thorsdrapa the (utterly unnecessary) information that Thor was stronger than the giants; and (4) that they who longed to subdue Ymer's kinsmen were Thor and Loke--the same Loke who, in secret understanding with the giant-chief and with one of his daughters (see below), has the purpose of enticing Thor and his companions in arms into a trap!