Fjalar and Galar
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In Norse mythology, Fjalar and his brother, Galar, were dwarves who killed Kvasir and turned his blood into the mead of poetry, which inspired poets. They appear in Skáldskaparmál.
Fjalar and Galar then murdered a giant named Gilling, along with his wife. Their son, Suttung, searched for his parents and threatened the dwarven brothers, who offered him the magical mead. Suttung took it and hid it in the center of a mountain, with his daughter, Gunnlod, standing guard.
Odin eventually decided to obtain the mead. He worked for Baugi, Suttung's brother, a farmer, for an entire summer, then asked for a small sip of the mead. Baugi drilled into the mountain but Odin changed into a snake and slithered inside. Inside, Gunnlod was guarding but he persuaded her to give him three sips; Odin proceeded to drink all the mead, change into an eagle and escape.
[edit] Source
- Snorri Sturluson, Edda, translated and edited by Anthony Faulkes, London: Everyman, 1995, ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
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